A return to some doors of Pula, the largest city in the Istrian Peninsula and seventh largest in Croatia. These doors were photographed on our family summer holiday in August 2022. I long to be back there.
Ornate stonework and iron gate, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Door within a door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Ghost door with ‘rope’ stonework surround, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Ornate double door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Blue double door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023Art Nouveau style door, Pula, Croatia, August 2023
I have a busy day today, so this is a short one. Have a great weekend wherever you are.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Doors 209 – Doors of Westminster with blue plaques
I am having a break from Croatia doors today, but will return to them next time.
I had a meeting in Westminster last week, and as always when I am there I took a few door photographs (some might say I am obsessive, I prefer to think that I am curious and interested). When I was downloading the pictures, I noticed that there were a few blue plaques adjacent to the doors and decided to do a themed set of doors this week.
Front door, 55 Tufton Street, Westminster, February 2023
I start with a notorious building, 55 Tufton Street, which is the geographical hub for a raft of right wing “think tanks”. I have stressed the name think tank, because it is a term used to give some kind of credibility to organisations with strong agendas who disproportionately influence government policy. These organisations, such as the Taxpayer’s Alliance, the Centre for Policy Studies, Institute for Economic Affairs, The Free Market Forum, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (climate change denial group) and the Adam Smith Institute, are not remotely transparent and their funding cloaked in secrecy and yet they have extraordinary power over our right wing politicians. 55 Tufton Street is known as the birthplace of Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget that crashed the economy.
So what does this have to do with blue plaques? Well, a left-leaning campaigning organisation called “Led by Donkeys” pulled off a stunt about 4 months ago in which they erected an enormous blue plaque on the front of the building stating “The UK Economy was Crashed Here”, and they filmed the whole thing, describing what happens behind the doors of 55 Tufton Street and the influence it has over our current Tory Government. You can watch the YouTube video here, and if you are interested in UK politics I cannot recommend it enough.
Other blue plaque doors I encountered follow:
Black front door, Sir John Gielgud blue Plaque, Westminster, February 2023
This one was the home of Sir John Gielgud, one of our great actors and luvvy, whose acting career spanned 70 years. I once named a fish (a tilapia) after him.
Black front door, Lord Reith blue Plaque, Westminster, February 2023
This next place was the home of The Lord Reith, who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the UK
Black front door, TE Lawrence blue Plaque, Westminster, February 2023
Finally this building was the home of TE Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, who was played by the magnificent Peter O’Toole in the film of the same name.
Lots of links and reading in this post for those with the time, and some nice pictures for those with less time. May I wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
The next instalment of doors from our family trip to Croatia last August. Before leaving Zaton, we took a trip to the Krka National Park, which even though crowded was spectacular, and the boardwalk through the woods and waterways will remain long in my memory. The first door this week was in the park on a small out building and had been coated in stickers. It felt like this was the one place in the entire park where people could express their subversive selves, and it made me laugh.
Door in Krka National Park, Croatia, August 2022
Our next destination was Pula where we spent a few nights, and I have to say that this city was the highlight of my holiday. Probably because the Italian influence in the Istrian Peninsula is very strong. Italian is spoken, the city feels like a suburb of Rome, shops have bilingual signage, and the Roman ruins are to die for. Here is a small selection of ancient and less ancient doors/doorways, with a promise of more to come soon:
Pula Amphitheatre arches and tourist entrance door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Old door with heavy balcony, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Temple of Augustus, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Arch of the Sergii, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Blue-grey door, Pula, Croatia, August 2022
Time has caught up with me and cut my commentary a little short (mercifully, perhaps). I will have more for you next week.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
This week, I return to doors of Croatia, after a week of absence skiing in the French Alps (I thought I’d just slip that in). These doors are from the magnificent city of Zadar, at one time an immensely important trading port in the Adriatic, and its former affluence is very impressive indeed. I would thoroughly recommend it as a place to see if you choose to visit Croatia. So, no more flim flam, here are the doors:
Land Gate to the city, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
The Land Gate, as it is known, is an impressive entrance to the old city, which has very thick fortified walls. You will note the strong Venetian influence with the lion of Saint Mark over the archway.
Gateway, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Slim door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Door with stone surround and arch, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022Ancient doorway with less ancient door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
I am enjoying reliving our family holiday to Croatia in August 2022 through these pictures. Next up, I will take you to the city of Pula on the southern tip of the Istrian Peninsula.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Doors 206 – More Bristol (and France) street art and graffiti doors
I have found myself, once again, with very little time to sort out Thursday doors this week, so I am rummaging around in my archives for some more street art/graffiti doors, all of which have appeared on Natural Adventures before in posts about street art. These doors were originally posted in February and March 2022, although the photographs range from April 2016 to March 2022. Enjoy.
Haka, Thomas Street, Bristol, April 2016
Hazard, Jamaica Street, Bristol, March 2022
Bogat, M32 Cycle path, Bristol, March 2022
Maybe, M32 roundabout, Bristol, March 2022
3Dom, The Carriageworks, Bristol, March 2022
Unknown artist, Franklyn Lane, Bristol, February 2022
Graffiti and doors in the mountains, Alpe d’Huez, France, February 2022
I won’t be posting any doors next week as I will be enjoying the snow in France once again, but I will, of course, be thinking of you all. Have a fabulous weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
I am leading and facilitating a workshop inWorcester today, so have prepared this Thursday doors post a little in advance. This post is the second instalment of Croatian doors from our family summer holiday last August. The photographs were taken in Zaton, where we were based, Nin, a little town nearby and Zadar, a larger and historic town on the coast. Enjoy:
Three doors, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
Gate, ballustrade and old door, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
A modern door on a modern building, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
You might be able to spot the unintended doorfie…
Gateway to Nin, Croatia, August 2022
Museum entrance and door, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
A modern door on an older building, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
Church door with a pediment over it, Zadar, Croatia, August 2022
There will be more to come from this trip soon, but I might be pausing from posting Thursday doors for a couple of weeks, so make the most of these. May I wish you a very happy weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Although it feels like a distant memory now, it was only a few months ago that we had a fabulous family summer holiday in Croatia. It was our first visit to the country, and I am certain that we will return together or individually in the future.
For the first phase of our trip we were based in a small town called Zaton, situated on the coast between the Istrian Peninsula to the North West and Zadar to the south, and the doors this week are all from Zaton. Posting these photographs is filling me with nostalgia, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have on revisiting them:
Old doorway and newer door, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
Door and shutter, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
Double door and windows, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
Weathered door, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
Outhouse door, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
Old door and window, Zaton, Croatia, August 2022
It feels good to be back on the Thursday doors rails, and I look forward to sharing my and viewing your doors in 2023.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
It is customary on the last Thursday before the Christmas break to present a selection of favourite doors from the last year. This is my selection, and I had some real beauties to choose from this year. I hope you enjoy them this second time round. I look forward to seeing other Thursday door selections too.
Green Hut door, Alpe d’Huez, France, February 2022Green arched door, Filton, Bristol, March 2022Red door, lilac walls and a temple, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022Ghost door at Phillimore Chambers, Westminster, London, May 2022An extraordinary door and carved wooden surround and awning, Westminster, London, May 2022Three doors, including a tradesman’s entrance, Westminster, London, May 2022Porto Tram with side doors, line 18, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Possibly my favourite door of the trip, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Lighthouse with red door, Foz do Douro, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Church, doors and tiles, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Arched green door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Old black door and steps, Bristol, October 2022Pair of doors, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
So that’s it for the year. 2022 has been a very difficult year for so many reasons. I guess it is fitting that the final pair of doors in blue and yellow represent the colours of a country that I hadn’t given much consideration before dictator Putin’s “special operation” and invasion this year. I dedicate this gallery of doors to the people of Ukraine, keeping them very much in my thoughts this Christmas.
May I take the opportunity to wish you all a very happy holiday season, and Christmas. See you all on the other side.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Good morning – and another foggy start in Bristol today. This week I have done a quick trawl of my archive, and found these pairs of doors from around the city that I hope you enjoy. Although they are pairs, there is a degree of asymmetry about most of them that I rather like.
Garage doors in Cotham, Bristol, April 2020
A pair of doors in King Street, Bristol, August 2019
Doors in The Paintworks, Bristol, May 2021
Pair of doors, Montpelier, Bristol, April 2022
Pair of gates, Bristol, April 2022
Pair of doors, Jamaica Street, Bristol, May 2022
Pair of doors, Bristol, May 2022
That’s your lot this time. Next week, I might have some doors from our summer trip to Croatia to share with you, if I can get organised enough.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
One month to go until Christmas. Another year is racing by all too quickly. When I was younger, the days dragged on, and often I would wish time away. Now I treasure each moment, and would love the sands of time to slow a little.
This week’s offering is a random selection of rather fancy doors from Cheltenham and Bristol, with no particular theme in mind, just doors that I like. No stories or narrative, simply snaps:
Blue door and steps, Cheltenham, July 2022
Magnum Circus door, Cheltenham, July 2022
Blue Georgian door, Cheltenham, July 2022
Old black door and steps, Bristol, October 2022
Curious glass door to the Palestine Museum, Bristol, October 2022
Black and green doors, Bristol, October 2022
Grand entrance and black doors, Bristol, October 2022
That’s all for another week, thank you for dropping by, and may time move slowly for you this weekend.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.