Short walk

Weekends are very slow again, lately. For different reasons, not hard to understand. Today, though, I managed to go out and take a walk after lunch, using the short time I had before the Sun set, and I went to Yuanshan, in the northern part of Taipei. Since last Wednesday, the weather is almost as warm as during the summer and it feels really good to walk in the street. So, I took my camera and started taking pictures of more temples, with dragons and phoenix,



reddened clouds,

absurdly highly elevated freeways,

and red, of course, bridges.

Later, a quiet coffe near Shida, in a place with nice memories, putting some order in my ideas. The way things are, that is the best I can do.

Toys

After the series of traditional style animals and demons of a few days ago, now a picture I took several months ago, in my visit to Yingge, with a different kind of modern pets. All together now.

Animals (part 4)

And then, there is the category of small figures, monochrome generally, scattered on the edges or near the tips of roofs. They seem to watch the horizon.



As you can imagine, there may be many, and very different.

Animals (part 3)

Another kind of little demons (maybe lions or dragons, too, I do not know) to finish, for now.


watching a bridge,

just lacking a cigar in its mouth

Animals (part 2)

Today, a few dragons. They can be on roofs, very colourful,


or in a fountain (Marvel style)

or fighting over a sphere (maybe the world)

Animals

One of the first things you can see when you walk by, or enter, one of the temples strewn over Taiwan are the lions, demons, dragons or other animals, some made of stone, others from different materials, standing at the doors, or on columns or roofs. They can also be found in front of other singular buildings.

They may have different symbolic meaning, especially dragons. The ones guarding the doors are the ones that look more terrible, but their purpose is not to scare the faithful, but keep away bad spirits and other evil creatures. That is why they are shaped in those wild and contorted poses. It looks like not any two of them are the same, even if they are similar. Perfect motives for a camera, even if it took me a long time to realize it.

For today, some examples of lions. The first two were a pair at the door of a temple





This one, huge and not very traditional looking


And I am not sure what is that, if a lion or a dragon


More to come, soon.