DOLOMITI -2-

Just a few more pictures of this beautiful neck of the woods.
My only regret is that I am probably too old to climb the peaks...

... I said: Probably !

The "Mamolata Glazier

DOLOMITI

This wonderful piece of land has two names.( as, of course, have many others.)
If you ask an Austrian, he will tell you it's called: "South Tirol" !
Ask an Italian and he will tell you with the same emphasis: "it's called: Alto Adige !"
The history of this embattled piece of Real Estate is too complicated to tell here. Maybe some other time. For now, just enjoy those pix.

The Hotel 'Vigiler Hof''

Our Refuge for only two nights

Part of the Sella Group.

Atop the Sella Pass

At 2,240 meters !

Now for the downhill.

Christin and DDD during a short stop-over.

Theist, Deist or Atheist

Is God a Theist, a Deist or, Is God an Atheist ?

If I can consider the aphorisms: Cogito, Ergo Sum, 

(I think, therefore I am,)

or Gnothi Seauton, (Know thyself), then I assume that the entity which one calls “God” may be able to pose to itself these same pithy sayings.

So, God, the Almighty, the All Powerful, the All Wise, the All Knowing, one might think, could stand a little examination, say, before a panel of Judges, who might well ask this and other questions:

“You claim that you created the Universe, and specifically we are talking about the planet called 'earth'.

Why did you not consider that the building blocks you used, might, if not properly supported, shift and move, causing stresses on the surface with disastrous results ? Results which would be most detrimental to the beings with which you populated this surface ? In fact, it has in the past and will in the future kill many hundreds of thousands of them in unpredictable tremors. May we just remind you of the most recent of your building failures: Amatrice, Umbria and Marche in Central Italy ?

Did you also not consider temperature changes, which will cause further disruptions due to fiery explosions ?”

The Psychologists among this panel of examiners, would probably chime in with some other embarrassing inquiries:

“The single, but multifaceted, creation, which you call 'mankind' seems to be afflicted with a suicidal bent of self annihilation. Why would you create a being which aims for the very opposite of creation, namely destruction ? Did you deliberately equip them with this sense of brutality which created, and continues to create, untold organized killings, called wars? Beginning at the earliest stages of this being's development until the present time? Are you taking particular pride in the fact that some of the worst of your creation bore, upon their belt buckles the inscription, "God with Us" ? And that, most recently, similar killers commence their killing spree with the call: "God is God and Mohammed is his prophet."

If we may consider this “mankind thing”, which you urge to love, admire, and respect you, as a single created entity, we come to no other conclusion but the earlier mentioned suicidal tendencies, or, if we consider them as individuals, we must assume that you imbued them with a never ending hatred for each other and that you gave them the will and the ability for this mutual destruction.

The Panel of Supreme Judges withdrew for deliberation, but returned shortly thereafter with their findings and verdict:

“May the accused rise and face the Judges.”

The Presiding Chairman of the Supreme Judges then read the verdict:

“You failed utterly as an Architect, Builder and Bricklayer. It is therefore our considered opinion that all previously issued licenses, including the license as a common Bricklayer shall be recalled and revoked.

Furthermore you failed utterly in the creation of living beings, in particular that of the human species.

If, indeed, you created them in your image, as you claim, your attributes then clearly do not equip you to fulfill the role of a  creator-god.

You shall therefore be instructed to return to the Primary School of God-studies and shall remain and study there for not less than two eternities.

Now, God, although a total failure, will after two eternities return to the game of  “I am the Greatest” 
and “give it another go as a Theist.”

Should he, as is to be expected, fail for a second time, he will become a Deist.

He will have created this utter mess, and, like a child, having screwed up with his Leggo-set, he will dump everything into his toy-box, slam the lid, and just before the eternal lock snaps shut he will give his final comment:

“I really don't give a damn!”

And then, realizing that he is in all respects a complete failure he will crawl into a black hole of his Universe ( the little which did not fit into his toy box ) and as a new found Atheist mumble to himself and the world:

“you wanna know someptin ?

I don't exist no-more”

Bertstravels

the eternal Agnostic

Art in Wrought Iron

VLADO  ZUPANCIC is a Slovenian.
People call him an "Artist in Wrought Iron" (Kunstschmied)
Vlado, however, demurs: I am a Smith and I make nice and useful things out of Wrought Iron.
When you shake Vlado's hand, you know that you do not want to argue with him.
Art or Craft ? Vlado's hands are like the iron which he hammers into those shapes.
"Nice and Useful"
Okay, Vlado, have it your way.

Vlado and two candle sticks

Ground floor window protectors

Vlado demonstrates that his "coat and hat rack"

supports more than just a coat and a hat.

Wiesenmarkt - build-up

It almost seems as if the effort required to make the "Market of the Meadow" a reality is too great. Too many man hours required, too much machinery used, too many costs involved. 
In the end, it must figure, however, or they would not come back, year after year, for something like 623 years. It must be a financial boon for the town of Bleiburg. Evidently, 130,000 Visitors leave a few Euros behind. Enough to pay all the wages, to run the whole show for 4 days and finally for each exhibitor to make a profit.
At my own personal risk ( :- )  I roamed the area, stumbled clumsily over some equipment, chatted with some of the workers and took some pictures while I was at it.

This is, what I like to call "The Festival of the Meadow" being created:

The little gondolas for one of the "kiddy-rides" stacked on a trailer,

being delivered for installation.

Just a short rest for a 'smoke'

watch it... it would be a nasty fall !

A tarpaulin being pulled into place

The Ferries Wheel is up, the Ticket Booth still closed.

the chairs, suspended by chains still await the crowds

The Steeple and the Chain-Go-Round

form a new picture.

Man and machinery

The amusement section is being erected;

one thrilling ride after the other.

Bertstravels

can hardly wait.

My Neighbours Garden - revisited !

close-up of the red star-like flowers below

taken with the 105mm Micro Nikkor lens.

Concentration

The Guitarist.

What's "in focus ?"

When something is "out of focus,"

something else is "in focus."

that's the way the world works.

2

Let's talk about ART

Kunsthalle Völkermarkt.

We were invited by Ms. Anna Paul, the key-mover of a group of young persons, to attend a Vernissage, where many of them exhibited their work for the first time.

The hall's dimensions are huge, giving much space to each individual work exhibited there.

The question: “What is Art” has been asked many times and meaningful answers are hard to come by.

My very very personal answer is actually quite simple:

1.) Does it please me to look at it?

A given piece of Art may well please me, but not at all please somebody else.

2.) Would I, given size restrictions, want to display the work in my home, even for a short period of time?

I may well want to display “David” in my home, while somebody else might be abhorred by this idea.

3.) Could I, given sufficient material and time, reproduce it or something similar?

I could probably try forever and a day and would never be able to produce“David” or the “Pieta” or a painting by L d V or by Pieter Bruegel.

Clearly, the above conditions may be argued about ad nauseam, some conditions deleted and others added.

When, however, you may witness the palpable dedication and enthusiasm of the young men and women as they showed visitors from one exhibit to the next you may add some more to the above conditions.

You may also add the question: Is dedication and enthusiasm enough to produce a work of art ?

I have just arrived at the conclusion that the Question 

“What is Art?” cannot be answered. 

It can only be argued about.

Maybe the answer lies buried in the Argument!

Bertstravels

loves to argue about “Art”

but not with artists.

Although it's called: "Pointing it out" by Simon Veres, 

it reminds me a little of  the outline of Arnulf Rainer's "Strahlenkreuz".

Anna Paul's "Lybia" and "Parted Pieces" may show a turbulent Red See.

A silver coloured square is called:

"Afrik"

"SCH 1" by Karl Karner

defies any explanation by me.

Two very simply constructed cages ( only one is shown here )

primitively connected, form the housing of

highly sophisticated loud speakers.

"Nusdu" by Karl Karner

An 8 legged Invitation to sit a while.

The program tells me that this is called:

"see'n say the farmer says."

She thinks it's funny: 

We are dealing here with a barn inside a barn and the barn is inside the cow

and the cow, or its defining essence, the udder, is inside the barn

and is later used to make "rhythm and blues"

It surely can make you think. Can it ?

Several of the artists on another piece of their work. ( by Anna Paul )

Part of a tribune, belonging to the collection, is used for

the practical purpose of its construction.

There are many overlapping foot prints on the bare raw wood.

Do they form part of the whole too?

Two little pigs ( Mable Moore & Alexander Collins )

How can pigs be part of a cow ?

Well, they are the "music makers".

Anna Paul in the middle.

Chamber music

Under the auspices of SONUS FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC

the well known and famed 

SLOVENSKI KLAVIRSKI TRIO

treated a full house to works by

MOZART

Piano trio in C major, K 548

***

F. MENDELSOHN-BARTHOLDY

Piano trio Nr. 1 in D minor, Opus 49

***

A. MURALJOV

Romance

***

The wonderful performers were:

Miha Stokelj, Piano

Maja Fleischman, Violin

Sanja Repse, Chello

What a wonderful Concert it was: