Observatories of Paradise

A Bucharest Meditation
Photo: Gabriel Ivanescu

The totalitarian regime (1948-1989) in Romania
has enormously affected the people’s lives,
its inertia continuing to sabotage the democracy
installed after the December 1989 Revolution.
Thus, many valuable Romanians have been so disappointed
by the political-economic-social conditions in their country
that have preferred to emigrate.
Three of them (exemplary friends of SARM and Romanian astronomy),
Dr. Ovidiu Vaduvescu (professional astronomer, established now in Chile),
Simona Vaduvescu (amateur astronomer, established now in Hawaii),
and Klaus Lowitz (amateur astronomer, established now in Germany),
could visit
the famous Mauna Kea observatories in Hawaii (4200m altitude).
For many Romanian astronomers,
a visit to those wonderful places still remains
just a meditation.

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OBSERVATORIES OF PARADISE

Tourist Astropoem: Andrei Dorian Gheorghe
Photographs: Ovidiu Vaduvescu, Klaus Lowitz and Simona Vaduvescu
Design: Gabriel Ivanescu

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

What is the difference
between travelling by thought
and travelling by body?

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

Certainly,
travelling by both of them
would be perfect,
but this time
I shall base on
the power of my imagination.

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

Thus,
I shall travel
to a blessed isle
in the Pacific Ocean,

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

with
fabulous
plants,

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

with
fabulous
landscapes,

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

with
fabulous
heights…

Photo: Simona Vaduvescu

An isle in which
you can live all the seasons
in the same day.

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

Photo: Simona Vaduvescu

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

An isle with
high altitude observatories
(precious beads over so many jewels)
enlarging life’s resolution.

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

Climbing towards them,
you feel you climb
towards the heavens.

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

Touching them,
your road does not stop
because watching through their instruments
you can jump towards the heavens
by the power of your eyes,
and can travel in the heavens
by the power of your imagination.
(Don’t worry,
you cannot lose yourself
among the galaxies!)

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

Photo: Ovidiu Vaduvescu

I don’t know if someday
I’d be able to go
to Eden.

Photo: Klaus Lowitz

Photo (Perseids 2007): Simona Vaduvescu

But today I’m able to be grateful
to those people
who make us dream,
showing earthly ways
of Paradise.

Photo: Klaus Lowitz