Albuquerque Balloon Festival

View fullsize

"Raaaaaaawr"
"Raaaaaaaaaawr"
The clock monster with its crooked face devastated the fiesta park, stomping on unsuspecting tourists and odd-shaped rival balloons. It left a trail of destruction that only a tornado could match.
It was unstoppable.
And it was heading towards me.

These were the thoughts and stories springing in my head as I watched this crazy clock-shaped balloon inflate up and sway in the mild morning breeze blowing through the fiesta park. Thankfully, those thoughts didn't materialize and those calamitous events didn't come to pass. Nevertheless, it was hilarious to watch the enormous congregation of balloons of various shapes, sizes and colors taking shape on the grounds of the Balloon Fiesta.

The crowds can attest to how popular this event is!

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park
NM USA

I had seen some impressive images of the Milan Galleria before: a beautiful 19th century neo-classical edifice with a palazzo-like facade and glass-vaulted arcades. However, it was not until I actually got to stand underneath the towering glass dome and get a 360 view amidst the throngs walking all around, did I get the import of this marvelous structure and its role in Milan.

Part of its allure was the rows of tastefully decorated luxury retail shops (whose lack of affordability stymies me), but the allure also stemmed from the symmetry of the architecture - the endless repeating yet complex patterns, the central atrium under the towering dome, the graceful lighting that fit the architecture and stucco artwork on the walls all around.

I stopped by for the second time at twilight, hoping to catch a deep blue through the glass dome when the inside was fully lit up. A 16mm wide angle lens enabled me to capture as much of the symmetry as possible.

Milan
Lombardy IT