Agrigento - The Archaeological Park

The Valley of the Temples is one of the largest archaeological sites in the world according to Wikipedia. We came here to see the mile long row of 7 ancient Greek temples, perched on the city wall, all in varying stages of collapse. Note that we only visited 5 of the 7 temples.

We started our visit to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento with a stop in the site museum, where in addition to an excellent display of vases and coins there are pieces of 4 telamon from the site. A telamon is a statue that holds up part of a building. It is conjectured that Temple of Zeus was supported in part by 38 of these telamon.

The museum was pretty good with English description for most but not all objects, and the archaeological site was very good. It's not often one can see 7 er 5 Greek temples in one afternoon.

In addition, the site has a Roman-era ruins and Christian cemetery ruins that are adjacent to the Greek Temples.

One of the many vases in the museum.


Coin with with owl.


Telamon - over 20 feet tall.


Temple of Castor and Pollux with modern Agrigento behind on the hill.


A big heap of rubble, fragments of telamons and columns, foundations, and the altar, are all that are left of the Temple of Zeus.


Temple of Hercules.


Looking down the Sacred Way to the so-called Temple of Concord, the best preserved of the temples as it's superstructure was converted into a Christian Church about 700 AD.


Concordia reminds one of the temple at Segesta.


Here you can see how the Greek Temple's cella (main room) was cut with arches to make it the nave of the Christian Church.


And a view back along the ancient city wall to Temple Concordia.


Finally, the Temple of Hera.

Tempio di Segesta

Since before we bought our tickets for this trip, I've been anticipating visiting the unfinished 5th-century BC Greek Temple in western Sicily at Segesta. It is said to be one the finest of all the ancient Greek temples, nestled in the hills among the wild flowers. One admires Tempio di Segesta for its solitary beauty and is left wondering why it was never completed.

Not only was the tempio never completed, it was never destroyed, not by the Carthaginians or Muslims from North Africa, not by the Romans, or Christians, or Normans, or by earthquake. One day I'll surely return and it will still be there glowing in the sunlight.















There was a Hellenized settlement in the surrounds which featured a theater with a view. The autostrada viaduct in the distance is recent ;-).


Closer shot of the autostrada and its beautiful viaducto.

Bandung, Tropical Art Deco

We had never heard of Bandung, Indonesia before planning this trip even though it is replete with wonderful period Art Deco buildings, and easily, in our minds, ranks in the top ten worldwide cities for Art Deco. Bandung Art Deco, or Tropical Deco, follows the usual story: economic and building boom in the 1920's and 1930s plus a handful of prolific and inspired architects; in this case the Dutch architects Wolff Schoemaker and Albert Aalbers.

But first: the 8-hour train from Yogyakarta to Bandung starting with loading at Yogya Station.


On route. This couple across the aisle got our of their seats at each stop. Why? I followed them the 5th time. She to the toilet; he to smoke.


Coffee + power for your electronic devices + cassava chips + a view = Nice.










Riding local transport, called an angkot, up to Villa Isola, first stop on our architecture route.


Villa Isola, design by Wolff Schoemaker.






DENIS Bank, designed by Albert Aalbers.


The New Majestic Theater, by Schoemaker.


Gedung Merdeka by Schoemaker.


The Savoy Hotel by Albert Aalbers.






Bandung Train Station.


Bethel Church by Schoemaker.


De Driekleu by Albert Aalbers.


The Satay Building designed by J. Gerber. Modern with native elements.

Merida - Architecture

I had too many 20th-Century modern architecture photos from Merida to put in the previous post, so here they are.

Several Art Deco and Modernist buildings in Centro.


Cine Teatro Merida - Art Deco - 1949.




Edifico La Nacional - Carlos Castillo Montes de Oca - 1936.


Edifio Las Monjas - 1948.


The former Cine Alcázar is now a parking garage.


Tropicalista!.


And another cluster to the west near Parque de la Paz.

Facultad de Medicina.






The old 1880's train station has recently been renovated and houses the Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatán


The Mayan Revivalist Monumento a la Patria - Manuel Amábilis - 1950's


The Bellas Artes Primary School in Barrio Santiago - circa 1909.


And the Cine Rex across the square.