June 23, 2024
CHILEHAUS - amazing German Brickwork
Built in 1922-24 for client H.B. Sloman with architect F.Hoger. Was first building in the Kontorhaus ( office or counting) district of Hamburg. An icon of Expressionism in an inspiring environment of modernity and tradition. Love all the unique brick details, have never seen this type of craftsmanship before. Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Kontorhaus District has some amazing architecture. Tower in construction currently in bankruptcy, City trying to work thru it.
Hamburg Rathaus (Townhall) below. Building started in 1886, Renaissance Revival Architecture, at cost 11M gold marks.
Xi'An, China has been on my must do list , for awhile. The story of the Terracotta Army has fascinated me, since I first heard it. What I didn't know too much about, was the actual City of Xi'An and the walled inner City that remains today. It was built from 1370 to 1378 during the Ming dynasty on top of the older Tang dynasty foundations. There are 9 miles of City walls, they are 39' high, 45' to 50' wide at the top and 55' to 60' at the base. There are four main gate towers and the only draw bridge restored is at the South Gate. There are 98 ramparts, watchtowers, battlements and a wide surrounding moat. It one of the oldest and best preserved fortifications in China .
After our Panda watching we went to Erling Park for some good city views. Green space in Chongqing is rare, it is truly a concrete jungle with a few planters and trees smattered in along the sidewalks.
The 21 Pandas at the Chongqing Zoo is t he largest grouping of them of anywhere we have traveled in China. We were all excited to see them and were up and on the road by 7am. They are super popular and morning is the supposedly the best time to see them active. It was another hot and steamy day, but less brutal than yesterday.