It was such a beautiful day when I went to Fairmont Park so let's continue with a couple of views of this very imposing statue of Thorfinn Karlsefni who seems to be the gaurdian of the Schuylkill River. The Ballon in the background is from the 135 yr old Philadelphia Zoo, a place that I hope to visit soon. Can you imagine the pictures that I could get if I was in that balloon?The statue was created in 1917 by Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson and the plaque was added some years later.
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38 comments:
The contrast between the statue and the balloon is neat.
Great photos. And I bet you could get some real stunning photos from that balloon. :) But there again, all your photos are :)
Cool to have a monument to remember them by. 1492 came much later and everyone just focuses on Columbus. The statue is striking to say the least but then those guys were... ummm... imposing fellows!
The way you took the first picture makes that viking very impressive..And he had to be, because the trip was not easy in those times!
Good to know that some people care about the fact that Christopher Columbus was not the first to discover America, and pay tribute to the real first ones..
Interesting photos!
I find in the third picture my eye is drawn right to the balloon.
Sunny :)
The Vikings were really great explorers (in some cases rather violent, but let's look at their accomplishments)... The Norwegian capital Oslo has compelling museums about Vikings, Arctic explorers and the like, it's very interesting!
The balloon you captured is so neat, adds a special touch to the pics!
God bless you!
Cezar
Nice shots! Yes, it would be nice to take photos from a ballon:)
James,
Fabulous photos! :)
xoxoxox
Donna Marie
And to think there is not even a school named after this guy. I hate to speculate why the settlement only lasted 5 years.
My main blog is here.
I love his posture, like the steadfast soldier! It would be nice to be in that balloon, you could see the whole view!
It looks as if Thorfinn Karlsefni has very much earned his prime spot at the shore and in the sun :)
The contrast with that balloon
gives to every photo a beautiful effect.
:-)
Wonderful series!
Wonderful composition with that balloon in the background!
That's such a great shot, with the statue apparently watching the balloon approach! Well captured!
Nice little bit of history, too!
You must go up in the balloon!
any relative of Mr. Ericson still living in the area?:P
He is quite an imposing figure.
Such a great place.
Beautiful shots.
Quit eincredible views here but it´s that balloon that added a whole new dimension to it all. Philadelphia is such a beautiful place in your photos.
That's a beautiful viking! :D
Thanks for your comment!! It made my day a bit happier ;)
He does look fearsome, but very handsome too. Love the view in your last photo! A beautiful river and park, and a balloon too — wow!
Great shots James!!
Have a nice day :)
Anna
Pics from the balloon would be awesome, but I think you did great from down on the ground.
http://www.quilldancer.com/unshuttered/2009/08/18/264-the-deep-blue-sea/
Love that first shot with the balloon in the background. Fairmount Park is a lovely place. Love the Schuylkill River, hate the "expressway"! (Or as my husband used to call it, the "sure-kill expressway". Happy Outdoor Wednesday. Kathy
Wow! So much feel in that sculpture...
I read Schuylkill River, and I think of Thomas Eakins. Love the bottom view, with the lamps, the statue and the river stretching beyond our view.
Wonderful series of shots, James. I wouldn't mind being up in that hot air balloon either...nice capture:D
We took our children to the Philadelphia Zoo many moon ago. It was beautiful and fun then, so I'm sure its even more spectacular now.
Thanks for your visits and kind comments, have a great day...
Great little history lesson James. I would like to see the Philly zoo as well, I lived in PA a short time and never saw much outside of Pittsburgh. I look forward to you pictures from the zoo some day!
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http://www.moorebloglife.com/2009/08/19/wordless-watery-wednesday-here-little-duckie/
Lovely photo series in your informative outdoor watery post. Thanks for sharing. I'm sharing watery outdoor photos from my sister's visit to Ketchikan at Small Reflections this week.
Hugs and blessings,
what a gorgeous photo!!!
the first photo was amazing!
enough said...^-^
i was surprised to see a balloon in the background till i read your post...
yup...to ride in that balloon would be awesome!
There are a lot of beautiful things to photograph down there :) I know you had a great time. You are going to love the zoo. Pick a day that is not so hot if you can : )
I love the way you framed your shots.
The color of the sky is gorgeous and I'd love to be in that in that balloon. I hope you are having a wonderful day.
In the years we lived in West Chester, we never got to Fairmont Park. Our loss.
Beautiful statue, beautiful photos, James
But we called the Schuylkill Expressway the "Surekill Expressway." I suppose that's still done today. Did I ever hate driving that in the wintertime!
The statue is nice, but my attention is DRAWN to the balloon! I'd LOVE to ride in one & yes, sir, you're right - the view you could capture in it would be AWESOME!
I knew the Vikings had been to Newfoundland and Cape Cod but didn't know they had settled even further south. How interesting to have the statue in the foreground and the balloon in the back suggesting a contrast between yesteryear and today. Neat photo!
Nice capture on that first photo, very impressive. (Both your skills and the statue.)
Nice shots of an impressive statue. I wonder why the Icelandic adventurers never stuck around.
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