Wednesday, February 10, 2010

BREATHTAKING VIEWING PLATFORMS AROUND THE WORLD! and what the dark strokes do for us from my friend Jay

The way I understand it...

We all have bad experiences in life that turned out to be good and beneficial for us in the long run, because it taught us a valuable lesson. A "cognitive healing"..if you will.

The way I understand the events in Haiti, and in a much larger picture, the Holocaust,
is the "Rembrandt canvas" idea .

Anyone who has been to the Rembrandt museum in Amsterdam, cannot help being affected by the sheer immensity of his work.

 Several of his canvasses measure 4 meters long by 3 meters high.One can just imagine how long it took him to complete just on of these.

I'm sure that  onlookers several hundred years ago (if there were any while he was actually painting), were curious by a bold red stroke here and a rather severe looking black stroke there, some of them extending across the canvass.

 To the naked eye these black strokes seem very severe and deliberate. Only after some time ,and perhaps only near the completion of his masterpiece,  one was finally able to discern, how important those dark and severe  strokes were to the final result.

Love,
Jay and Yehuda


BREATHTAKING VIEWING PLATFORMS AROUND THE WORLD!


 
Dachstein Sky Walk ( Austria )
Nicknamed the "balcony of the alps," the Dachstein Sky Walk is formally enthroned
at 2700m above sea-level, high up on the 250m vertical rock face of the Hunerkogel. 
A 360o panorama allows the visitor a view of Slovenia in the south to the Czech
Republic in the north.  The Sky Walk is distinctly higher than the platforms of the
Niagara Falls or even the one at the Iguazu waterfalls in Brazil.
 
 
 
Aurland Lookout ( Norway )
Architects Todd Saundersand Tommie Wilhelmsen were
commissioned to design a scenic rest-stop 2000ft above
Aurland fjord in Norway and came up with this beauty
wining the first prize in Norwegian tourist routes
competition.  The outermost end of the horizontal platform -
which curves to form the structure's support - is closed off by
a sheet of glass, offering an incredible view towards the
ground for all those with the guts to make the trip to the end.
 
 
 
Grand Canyon Skywalk ( Arizona - USA )
This horseshoe-shaped pant-filler hangs approximately 4000ft above
the floor and extends 65ft beyond the edge of the Grand Canyon. 
The Horseshoeshaped skywalk is constructed of glass walls 4" thick
and visitors must don special scratch-proof socks as they partake in
the view.  The work is a true engineering feat that can hold up to 70
tons (roughly 14 African Elephants) and withstands winds of 100mph.
 
 
 
Suspended platform at Iguazu Falls ( Brazil and Argentina )
While the falls themselves are magnificent, their setting in a
huge subtropical nature reserve makes visiting even more
enjoyable.  To fully appreciate their size and splendor it's
worthwhile viewing the falls from the skywalk.  The viewing
platform is so close you are instantly drenched by spray and
deafened by the roar of water plunging over an 80m cliff.
 
 
 
Auckland 's Sky Tower ( New Zealand )
Auckland 's 328m Sky Tower is the southern hemisphere's tallest structure.  It
took 2000 tons of reinforcing steel, 660 tons of structural steel and 15,000 m3 of
concrete to erect it.  It can withstand 200km/h winds, earthquakes up to eight on
the Richter scale and on a clear day, visibility is around 82km.  The highest
indoor point is Sky Deck, which has seamless glass giving unimpeded 360º views.
 
 
 
Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk( Australia )
This walk opened recently after five months of construction. 
Located at Knights Hill up high on the escarpment near
Robertson in the Southern Highlands, the Illawarra Fly Tree
Top Walk allows visitors to walk among the rainforest
canopy 25m above the ground on a steel platform.  The
500m elevated walkway features cantilever arms that take
visitors to the edge of the escarpment and offer inspiring
views of the coastline from Kiama through to Shellharbour.
 
 
 
Landscape Promontory ( Switzerland )
The landscape promontory is a suspended viewing platform designed by
Paolo Bürgi as part of the Cardada project, a revitalization of the Cardada
mountain that is expected to finish in 2010.  The passageway is made of
steel and titanium leads to the lookout platform with a view of Lago
Maggiore.  The landscape panorama is not the only thing that visitors
are meant to appreciate.  Symbols in the paving with accompanying texts
in the railingprovide references to history and literature.
 
 
 
Infinity Room at House on the Rock ( Wisconsin - USA )
The House on the Rock, originally opened in 1959, is a complex of
architecturally unique rooms, streets, gardens and shops designed
by Alex Jordan, Jr.  It is located in Spring Green, Wisconsin and is
a regional tourist attraction.  The Infinity Room at the House
extends several hundred feet over the valley, without supports
underneath, and is lined with over 3000 handmade windows.
 
 
 
Il binocolo ( Italy )
Within the gardens of Trauttmansdorff castle in Italy you'll find this charming
steel platform poking out through the trees, its name (meaning 'the binoculars')
coming from the shape of the platform's small roof and the view of the
surrounding landscape. Designed by architect Matteo Thun.
 
 
 
Top of Tyrol ( Austria )
Top of Tyrol by Astearchitecture is a viewing platform located
3000m above sea level at the Stubai Glacier in Tyrol, Austria. 
Weathering steel was used in the construction of this structure
to account for the extreme weather conditions so you can stand
9m away from the mountain with a perfect view of Stubai glacier.
 

=