(photo trivia) Guess the city

Of course, and you're up. Although I took this myself i was not too surprised to find the identical view come up when I searched in Google images. Still I posted it because it is such a nice place for a relaxing row around the castle, stroll through it, and wander around the village..

Funny, for me it was the registration numbers and colours of the boats that led me in the right direction.

Here is one you can't find using google search - the low winter sun does it!

It looks like Liverpool

It's not Liverpool. I'm about to get some shut eye, but I'll give you some clues on the way while I'm counting sheep.

The colour white is a clue here, and the building we see have a white connection to the Alexandria Library. I think I'll stop with this for now.

Is it HEL?

It's not Helsinki. Finnish architects are famous for their design, above all I would say Alvar Aalto is - but he died in 1976. The building we see here (or should I say a small part of it?) was opened in 2008, five years after the construction started. One of the materials in this building is white Carrara marble. The other white is connected to the architects of the building. I think I have said enough for you for this time, except for one thing - the city is again in world news because of what happened less than a year ago.

Would that be the Oslo Opera House?

That's it Mapsmith, here are some other photos of it (not mine though)

Fancy a walk on the roof of the opera?


Marble and the Nordic light = golden moments


Corridors can be both organic and warm


The business end

The achitects for the opera building was Snøhetta. Snøhetta is also the name for the highest mountain in the Dovrefjell range in Norway. Snø = snow in Norwegian, hence the white colour. If you want to learn more about what Snøhetta has done, here are a few links
http://www.snoarc.no/
http://www.archdaily.com/180932/tverrfjellhytta-snohetta/
http://www.archdaily.com/188643/sfmoma’s-expansion-snohetta/

Now you Mapsmith

Thanks for those. This thread is becoming quite educational. I must make a pilgrimage to Oslo.

Well, close enough. Stunning photos and very instructional explanation, so they also used the same kind of marble than in HEL, .
Mapsmith you're up..

How about this one. One of my favoritte pictures of a Government Building.

Off to pay the bills, (work) do what is necessary.

I'm getting a Latin feeling here, but no good guesses yet. While we wait for Mapsmith to pay his bills and give us more clues, I would like give you a few intermission photos taken this afternoon after having finished this day's work. Sadly there were some dark clouds scattered round in the sky and therefore not the best of light conditions, but here they are:


Up on the roof of the Opera looking westward. The large building partly hidden by scaffolding along the waterfront is Havnelageret (the Oslo Habour Warehouse). Havnelageret was completed in 1921 and at that time the largest concrete building in Europe. Since we are talking about 1921, that means it's from the last part of the Art Nouveau period, also called the Jugend period due to the German influence.

The entrance to the Opera (Operaen in Norwegian). Now let's take a quick look inside the lobby.

All the roads for through traffic are now moved under ground in tunnels and this have freed a lot of surface space to other activity. Below is a photo taken from the Opera roof of some of buildings that is part of the so called Barcode Project.


Construction cranes are very common in all directions these days, but there are also areas without them - like Ekebergåsen.

Ekebergrestauranten from 1929 is an example of the new style that followed Art Nouveau and was called the Modernism - in Scandinavia it became another name and was called Functionalism. It's easy to see elements that moved over to Art Deco in the 1930s.

I case you wonder, it's indeed a restaurant - with a fantastic view over Oslo city centre and the inner part of the Oslo Fjord. There is a world famous painting that was painted at Ekeberg a few decades earlier than the restaurant opened its doors, and it's "The Scream". Ekebergrestauranten isn't one of mentioned in the Michelin Guide, but 45 restaurants are - located in the city centre, three of them with one star and one with two stars - "Maaemo". As I see it; Maaemo was the greatest surprise in the 2012 Michelin Guide release, and they started in 2011. That lot have elBulli material in them, and I wouldn't be surprise if they get a third next time. Link to Maaemo

It is again time for me to start counting sheep. Have a continued good day or good night where ever you are!

I'll take a wild guess and say LIS

Latin yes. LIS no.
Nearer to me than LIS.

Merlin. Really like the Lobby shot. Is that Cedar?

San Juan?

Buenos Aires

Salvador, Brazil?

Sorry, No.

Again, Sorry, No.

Yep. That is the Marine Terminal Office Building in the Port of Old San Juan. Always nice to see a Pink Government Building from a Cruise Ship.

I don't think it's Cedar. I've looked through many of the documents about the project, and the only wood mentioned is Oak - both Northern European Oak and German Oak.

Thank you. Northern Oak would be a similar color. But Cedar would hopefully have a nice aroma and be bug proof.

JB you are up!

Sorry for being so slow. This one should be fun

I'll throw AVL out there.