I spent part of my summer holidays in Eastern Europe, and I paid a visit to the opera houses in the cities I visited. Can you recognize them ?
Hint: right next to Opera House #3, is the Café Callas....
I recognized the marquee for Billy Elliot on No. 2.
Doing a little sleuthing, there are a few Callas Cafes in Europe but this one seems to be in Budapest.
Nice pictures.
ZB
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on August 28, 2016, 09:03:44 AM
I recognized the marquee for Billy Elliot on No. 2.
Doing a little sleuthing, there are a few Callas Cafes in Europe but this one seems to be in Budapest.
Nice pictures.
ZB
Correct: opera house no 3 is indeed Budapest. An easier way to find out, was to zoom in the picture: there are actually two flags: the european one and the hungarian one.
Opera house no 2 is difficult to get. On the other hand Opera house no 1 can be deduced with a little logic: its a modern building, which probably means the old one was totally destroyed in WWII (it is indeed the case(. So which eastern European country suffered the most destruction during WWII ?
If this doesnt do it, there will be a last hint.
The red opera house is in Krakow, also found with a bit of sleuthing.
I didn't know that Poland suffered the most destruction in WWII but that makes a lot of sense.
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on August 28, 2016, 08:11:48 PM
The red opera house is in Krakow, also found with a bit of sleuthing.
I didn't know that Poland suffered the most destruction in WWII but that makes a lot of sense.
Again correct !!
So only the opera house no 2 is left. I traveled from Krakow to Budapest by ground transports (I actually did some part hiking). So which country is in between Poland and Hungary ? It is such a small country that some of the GMG members may not know it even exist !! And of course in such a small country, not many town can support an opera house !
Quote from: Spineur on August 29, 2016, 01:27:15 AM
Again correct !!
So only the opera house no 2 is left. I traveled from Krakow to Budapest by ground transports (I actually did some part hiking). So which country is in between Poland and Hungary ? It is such a small country that some of the GMG members may not know it even exist !! And of course in such a small country, not many town can support an opera house !
Slovakia, so possibly a house in Bratislava.
Yes, looks very Bratislava to me. Was there twice last summer (2015), but didn't visit the opera.
Yes for Slovakia
Nope for Bratislava: it was nearly leveled during WWII and rebuilt in Stalinian style. Not a terribly interesting tourist destination. The city in question has stayed untouched for many centuries and is a beautiful testimony of how beautiful eastern europe used to be.
If you dont find it within a couple of days I will post some picture of the town. It is absolutely lovely.
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on August 28, 2016, 08:11:48 PMI didn't know that Poland suffered the most destruction in WWII but that makes a lot of sense.
The devastation of Poland - most major cities and towns, e.g. Warsaw probably the most annihilated city in history, and about 6 million people (about 15 percent of its population) killed - is one of the major 'facts' about WW II. The effect is evident everywhere; Krakow is a major exception as it survived largely intact - a miracle.
Košice - of course.
Yes indeed. I'll post some pictures of it anyway. It is so charming...
Quote from: Spineur on August 29, 2016, 09:31:52 AMYes indeed. I'll post some pictures of it anyway. It is so charming...
Košice (Kassa, Kaschau) as a whole is great. Okay, another great Central European opera for you in return: 8)
(http://static.thousandwonders.net/Lviv.Theatre.of.Opera.and.Ballet.original.33056.jpg)
I think it is Lviv opera house in Ukraine. The big hint is the Ukrainian flag on top of the building. I checked Kiev and Odessa which are much larger building. Then Kharkov which has a different shape. And finally...
Quote from: Spineur on August 29, 2016, 10:07:18 AMI think it is Lviv opera house in Ukraine. The big hint is the Ukrainian flag on top of the building. I checked Kiev and Odessa which are much larger building. Then Kharkov which has a different shape. And finally...
... I was happy enough to spend a week in Lviv (Lvov, Lwów, Lemberg, Lemberik, Leopolis), fifteen years ago (when I still had difficulty in obtaining a visa; finally got one in Bucarest). One of the most characteristic Central-European cities, in a league with e.g. Prague, Krakow, Vilnius, Budapest and of course Vienna. The Opera is indeed an 'Austrian' creation, as is much of Lviv's architecture; another 'miraculous survivor' of the total devastation of Central Europe in WW II.
Quote from: Christo on August 29, 2016, 10:39:38 AM
... I was happy enough to spend a week in Lviv (Lvov, Lwów, Lemberg, Lemberik, Leopolis), fifteen years ago (when I still had difficulty in obtaining a visa; finally got one in Bucarest).
Well, if anything seems difficult, or downright impossible, for you Westerners, please do come to Bucharest:
nous sommes ici aux portes de l'Orient, où tout est pris à la légère. The impossible suddenly turns into feasible, and the difficult into doable. :laugh: (Christo knows what I´m talking about).
Staying (relatively) on topic, this is not an opera house but a concert hall. Where is it located?
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/3/large_articol-ateneul-roman.jpg)
Hint: ask Christo.
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 01:54:42 PM
Well, if anything seems difficult, or downright impossible, for you Westerners, please do come to Bucharest: nous sommes ici aux portes de l'Orient, où tout est pris à la légère. The impossible suddenly turns into feasible, and the difficult into doable. :laugh: (Christo knows what I´m talking about).
Staying (relatively) on topic, this is not an opera house but a concert hall. Where is it located?
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/3/large_articol-ateneul-roman.jpg)
Hint: ask Christo.
Hint: it's not much of a question when you bolded the answer. :D My parents have been to a concert there, I think.
Quote from: North Star on August 29, 2016, 02:10:27 PM
Hint: it's not much of a question when you bolded the answer. :D My parents have been to a concert there, I think.
That was admittedly piece of cake. :D
How about these three?
(http://www.botosaninecenzurat.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/liveni-926x600.jpg)
(http://ziarulclujean.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/opera-cluj.png)
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/67/large_articol2-opera-nationala-bucuresti.jpg)
Please, take the first guess, use no search engine. :)
Sorry, guys, this is the only one I know really well. Short on charm, but lots of good music-making:
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03442/Metropolitan-Opera_3442744b.jpg)
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 01:54:42 PM
Well, if anything seems difficult, or downright impossible, for you Westerners, please do come to Bucharest: nous sommes ici aux portes de l'Orient, où tout est pris à la légère. The impossible suddenly turns into feasible, and the difficult into doable. :laugh: (Christo knows what I´m talking about).
Staying (relatively) on topic, this is not an opera house but a concert hall. Where is it located?
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/3/large_articol-ateneul-roman.jpg)
Hint: ask Christo.
I'd love to go to Romania actually. From my understanding, there are loads of beautiful women there. Oh and I suppose the scenery is nice, too. ;)
This is part of a larger complex.
(http://cache.trustedpartner.com/images/library/PalmBeachIllustrated2010/News%20&%20Blogs/Travel/Miami/Culture/Zipp-Ballet-Opera-House---Arsht-Center.jpg)
More used now for touring Broadway musicals. The phone number ought to make this an easy guess.
(http://www.encasement.com/sites/default/files/170%20-%20Boston%20Opera%20House.jpg)
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 01:54:42 PM
Well, if anything seems difficult, or downright impossible, for you Westerners, please do come to Bucharest:
I will be in Bucuresti for a couple of days next summer.
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 01:54:42 PMStaying (relatively) on topic, this is not an opera house but a concert hall. Where is it located?
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/3/large_articol-ateneul-roman.jpg)
Hint: ask Christo.
Well,
noblesse oblige: I once attended a concert there (I think it was on the same day I'd visited the Enescu Museum or
Cantacuzino Palace), hope this little
hint is enough for other readers. ;) BTW I wanted to add that many Romanian cities are exemplary of the same Central European model I mentioned before, and their
grandiose opera and other concert buildings are often a landmark.
(http://www.heritagepark.ca/_images/600x461-thumbs/attractions-and-exhibits/canmore-opera-house.jpg)
Quote from: Christo on August 29, 2016, 09:42:48 PM
Well, noblesse oblige: I once attended a concert there (I think it was on the same day I'd visited the Enescu Museum or Cantacuzino Palace), hope this little hint is enough for other readers. ;) BTW I wanted to add that many Romanian cities are exemplary of the same Central European model I mentioned before, and their grandiose opera and other concert buildings are often a landmark.
Does it begin with a B? Is it larger than a bread box?
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 02:21:11 PMHow about these three?
(http://www.botosaninecenzurat.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/liveni-926x600.jpg)
(http://ziarulclujean.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/opera-cluj.png)
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/67/large_articol2-opera-nationala-bucuresti.jpg)
Again, I've been a couple of times in Bucharest and even more - first arrival was during a legendary dark night in 1991 with only one street light shining at the central square - in Cluj. Had to google the Enescu memorial house in Liveni, though. ;D
The only opera house I visited a few times, to discover that
Puccini really doesn't do it for me, is this one:
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/de-roemeense-nationale-opera-timisoara-48493791.jpg)
Quote from: Mirror Image on August 29, 2016, 05:48:30 PM
I'd love to go to Romania actually. From my understanding, there are loads of beautiful women there. Oh and I suppose the scenery is nice, too. ;)
Correct on both accounts. :D
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 01:54:42 PM
Well, if anything seems difficult, or downright impossible, for you Westerners, please do come to Bucharest....
Staying (relatively) on topic, this is not an opera house but a concert hall. Where is it located?
(http://cdnd.mercibynovotel.ro/administrare-articole/3/large_articol-ateneul-roman.jpg)
Hint: ask Christo.
You should be a Google local guide.....
Athénée roumain, Bucharest...
Quote from: Christo on August 29, 2016, 10:03:04 PM
The only opera house I visited a few times, to discover that Puccini really doesn't do it for me, is this one:
(https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/de-roemeense-nationale-opera-timisoara-48493791.jpg)
I believe the first demonstration that led to the overthrow of Chauchescu took place right in front of this opera house. I love its architecture, and would love even more to hear Mme Butterfly there.
Quote from: Spineur on August 30, 2016, 04:10:26 AMI believe the first demonstration that led to the overthrow of Chauchescu took place right in front of this opera house. I love its architecture, and would love even more to hear Mme Butterfly there.
Right. I
had students (of Journalism; Romanian students) in 1999 reconstruct the crucial hours there in December, 1989; interviewing a number of eye witnesses that had not been interviewed before, and the outcome was quite revelationary (for me, at least).
And I
did hear and see Madame Butterfly here, and also Turandot. As to facade, that was completely reconstructed in a more 'national' Neo-Byzantine style in the 1920s (when Timișoara had become incorporated in Romania, together with all Transylvania and this part of the Banat). Originally, the 19th Century Neo-Renaissance facade of this prestigious opera house in a town that was still known as 'Little Vienna' and was largely inhabited by and Austrian population, had looked like this:
(http://www.ort.ro/sites/default/files/untitled2.png)
Interesting. I plan to go via Timisoara on my Bucuresti trip (train in one direction - a superb way for travelling as opposed to being transported)
Quote from: The new erato on August 30, 2016, 04:44:05 AMInteresting. I plan to go via Timisoara on my Bucuresti trip (train in one direction - a superb way for travelling as opposed to being transported)
Please do, Timișoara is more than worth a visit. If you have the chance, don't miss neighbouring Arad either (though that is a more modest town).
Quote from: Christo on August 30, 2016, 04:49:22 AM
Please do, Timișoara is more than worth a visit. If you have the chance, don't miss neighbouring Arad either (though that is a more modest town).
Thanks for the tip. This is a summer 2017 trip, and the return from Bucuresti to Vienna is subject for planning. Trains figure prominently
Quote from: Christo on August 30, 2016, 04:49:22 AM
Please do, Timișoara is more than worth a visit. If you have the chance, don't miss neighbouring Arad either (though that is a more modest town).
A nun was sitting next to me on a bus to Eilat many years ago. She said her monastery was in Timișoara, a very beautiful place and promised me I would go there sometime. I still don't see how this is possible, but who knows? She gave me a little present of a hairband that I used for a long time.
I heard from Romanian acquaintances that the Ceausescu's destroyed a lot of the architectural patrimony, some fine churches. Nicolae however built himself a palace to rival any of the monuments and landmarks.
Quote from: The new erato on August 30, 2016, 05:34:03 AM
Thanks for the tip. This is a summer 2017 trip, and the return from Bucuresti to Vienna is subject for planning. Trains figure prominently
Beware of Romanian trains , though, especially on long distance trips such as from Timisoara to Bucharest. They are expensive and almost invariably delayed. :) Better rent a car, gives you much more liberty for visiting what´s worth seeing on the road.
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on August 30, 2016, 05:47:35 AM
I heard from Romanian acquaintances that the Ceausescu's destroyed a lot of the architectural patrimony, some fine churches. Nicolae however built himself a palace to rival any of the monuments and landmarks.
Alas! sad but true. He razed to the ground some of the oldest, most beautiful and picturesque Bucharest neighborhoods in order to build this monstrosity:
(http://radioconstanta.ro/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2015/11/casa_poporului.jpg)
This is a street view from before that major cultural and social crime:
(http://www.bucurestiivechisinoi.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/9-1400x760.jpg)
Quote from: Florestan on August 30, 2016, 05:59:42 AMBeware of Romanian trains, though, especially on long distance trips such as from Timisoara to Bucharest. They are expensive and almost invariably delayed.
'We' (ahem) love the latter so much that 'we' even take the former for granted. 8) Did this track twice (well, when I was young) and enjoyed it, especially the bit with the lovely blue Danube. :)
Quote from: Florestan on August 29, 2016, 01:54:42 PMWell, if anything seems difficult, or downright impossible, for you Westerners, please do come to Bucharest: nous sommes ici aux portes de l'Orient, où tout est pris à la légère. The impossible suddenly turns into feasible, and the difficult into doable. :laugh: (Christo knows what I´m talking about).
He doesn't. Please tell him. ;)