Inside the Basilica!!

Another one of my old pictures. This one was taken inside the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville, NC. In a previous post, I have mentioned about this beautiful minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church.

It was quite a visit and still gives me the jitters. It was my first visit to a church when I carried along a tripod. And I was kind of wary of the looks I might get from other patrons. Fortunately, there were very few people around when I entered the church. The priest was a very nice man and just smiled down benevolently at me. Inside the church, Ela and I spent some time at the altar and then went around admiring the beautiful stained glass windows and other artifacts.

Apart from the well-known stained glass windows, the inside of the church is also adorned with exquisite statues of saints imported from Italy. These include St. Lawrence, St. Cecilia, St. Rose of Lima, St. Patrick, and St. Peter the Apostle. The high altar is made from marble and is decorated by a fresco painting of the Last Supper. Above the high altar in the sanctuary, there is a Spanish wood carving of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John, the Beloved Disciple, mourning at the Crucifixion of Christ. Behind the wood carving are polychrome terra cotta ornamental partitions of the Four Evangelists and two of the Archangels, St. Raphael and St. Michael.

After completing a round, I then started setting up my tripod to take a few pictures of the interior, the beautiful dome and the stained glass windows. For some reason, the tripod decided to give me a bad time. It was making awful noises that seemed to reverberate in the silent building. It reminded me of the sound you hear sometimes during change of gears in heavy vehicles like tractors and trucks. Couple of patrons turned around to look at me. Ela inched away and kept as much distance as possible from me giving an impression that he wasn't with me. Feeling very conscious, I continued with my work and finally managed to set up the tripod with my camera on top. I breathed a sigh of relief!!

I focused on one of the glass windows, made some adjustments and then pressed the shutter. And immediately almost jumped out of my skin. The shutter sound was magnified multifold and sounded like shots from a gun. I realized, I had set it up to automatically take 3 pictures at different exposures. In the silence of the church, it sounded like the staccato fire of a machine gun. Gulping down, trying to give the appearance of a diligent photographer, I turned the camera to capture a few more pictures before silently exiting the building with Ela following me at a discreet distance. Phew!!

Basilica of St. Lawrence

The Basilica of St. Lawrence is a beautiful Roman Catholic Church in Asheville, NC. Built in 1905, this is the only basilica in Western North Carolina. It is reputed to have the largest free standing elliptical dome in North America. The interior of the church is exquisite with a lot of marble and wood work. However, it is best known for the elaborate stained glass windows which were made in Munich, Germany.

There are ten semi-circular windows, just under the dome, depicting scenes representing The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Child Jesus Teaching in the Temple, The conversion of St. Paul, The Marriage Feast at Cana, Raising to Life the Daughter of Jairus, The Calming of the Wind and Waves, The Agony in the Garden, and The Appearance of the Risen Savior to Mary Magdalene. The two large windows on the left and right walls represent Christ Healing the Afflicted and The Transfiguration. The large window in the organ loft portrays the Resurrection. There are couple of lower windows depicting St. Paul and St. Peter as subjects. Smaller windows above commenorate the four Fathers of the early church and the four Evangelists.

Downtown Asheville!!

I don’t read music. I don’t write it. So I wander around on the guitar until something starts to present itself.

I guess those were the lines going through his mind as he strummed the chords of a fine guitar. The music cast a spell on all passerbys forcing them to stop and listen. Soon a crowd gathered around this little group of unknown musicians, listenenting to their soulful tunes.

This wasn't the first time and I am sure this will not be the last; this has been the norm during many of my Asheville visits. We find a lot of artisans in this little township of Asheville, popular for its cultural and art heritage.

Coffee Time!!

Suave molecules of mocha invigorate the blood, the organ of thought receives from it a feeling of responsiveness and refreshment, you will sit down to your daily pastime which will restore your body and make the day's work easier. Actually this seems to be the basic need of the IT professional in nearly every crisis - a good hot cup of coffee. I just can't get my day in office started until I have had that first, piping extra hot cup of mocha.

I was walking down Wall Street in Asheville downtown with old college friends. The sun had already set and the evening was getting colder. We stepped into the quaint little "World Coffee Cafe" to catch up on things, old and new, over a cup of coffee. A cup of coffee shared with friends is happiness shared and time well spent. The coffee was good and so was the trip.

Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock State Park is in Chimney Rock, NC, around 25 miles from Asheville. It's a short drive, an hour and a half from Charlotte, and as such quite a popular destination. It boasts of hiking trails of all skill levels, spectacular views, and a 404 ft waterfall, Hickory Nut Falls.

Its most notable feature is a 315 ft rock formation which resembles a chimney. It is accessible by elevator as well as a moderate hike. It provides a spectacular view of the park and the surrounding countryside.

The view is lovely in summer when one can see the lush green countryside for miles around. It also provides a good view of Lake Lure.

In fall, the scene is changed to a very colourful panaromic view from the rock. All the green is replaced by reds and yellows.

A man-made tunnel leads the way to an elevator that took us to the top of the rock. At the top we have a few trails leading up to Chimney Rock, Devil's Head, an overlook and the top of the falls.

The view from outside the restaurant at the top of Chimney Rock. In fall it presents a very colourful view.

Some more views of the surrounding areas in fall. This is the best time to visit if you want to enjoy the spectacular fall colours of Piedmont.

The stairs to the top of Chimney Rock. The US Flag flutters proudly at the top.

A shot from an overlook with the flag fluttering around in summer while the countryside is lush green.

Same shot taken during fall. The green is replaced by reds and yellows in the same view of the surrounding countryside.

It is a very popular tourist destination, both during summer and in fall. In summer people flock to take a swim in the cool water of Hickory Nut Falls while in fall the panoramic view is stunning. The number of cars parked will give an idea of the number of visitors to this park.

A short hike took us to Devil's Head which is a natural rock formation shaped in the form of a head. Guess erosion can do wonders with rocks.

At the bottom of the rock, another moderate hike takes you to the 404 ft waterfalls, Hickory Nut Falls. It is one of the highest falls I have seen in this area.

The Chimney Rock State Park is home to a lot of rare flora and fauna. Managed to capture some wild flowers on the trail.

The Hickory Nut Falls is a popular destination in summer. Many people prefer to cool off the summer heat by taking a dip in the cool waters of the pool at the bottom of the falls.

The waterfall is so high, I found it difficult to capture the full height at 28mm which is the available wide-angle for me. So I started taking portions of the waterfall instead.

The water was a lovely silky white and we spent quite sometime capturing multiple shots of the waterfall before starting on our way back to Charlotte.