Watch any movie set in Europe and it feels like a beautiful old building that is always just a stone’s throw away.  Perhaps it’s kismet, then, that cinemas happen to be some of the most beautiful old buildings in Europe. Here are a few of our favorites.


 Cinéma du Panthéon: Paris is home to an entire host of beautiful old theaters, but the Cinéma du Panthéon is just a bit more special than most.  For over 100 years, the screen in the Panthéon has been operating daily without any interruptions, making it the oldest functioning movie theater in Paris.

 
  
 
  The Panthéon is also inextricably linked to the Nouvelle Vague, or French New Wave, movement. One of its former owners, Pierre Braunberger, had “discovered” Nouvelle Vague icons like Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Melville and heavily promoted the movement. Today, the Panthéon regularly screens independent films.

 
 Granada Cinema, Tooting / Gala Bingo Club, Tooting - The Granada Cinema is a luxurious art deco masterpiece built in 1931 in Tooting in London. In 1991, it was renamed the Gala Bingo Club, Tooting, and became the very first cinema to be preserved and given a Grade I listing in 2000.
 




 
The building’s current owners, Gala Bingo, have been ramping up  their online bingo offerings in recent years, but they don’t seem to have any plans to let go of one of the most luxurious bingo halls in the UK anytime soon -- especially since it was officially recognized as an asset of community value last year.

  Spazio Oberdan - Built towards the tail-end of the 18th century, the Spazio Oberdan in Milan’s Piazzo Oberdan lay in a dilapidated state for a number of years until it was renovated and reborn as a cultural center in 1999.

 
  Nowadays it’s more than just a movie theater.  Aside from showing art-house movies and film festivals, it also regularly features modern art and photo exhibits.  The Spazio Oberdan also houses the offices of Milan’s provincial administration.

  These are just a handful of the many breathtaking cinemas found all over Europe. Be sure to stop by when you’re visiting; it’ll be an experience you won’t forget.

"I got to dress up in funny clothes and run around New Zealand with a bow and arrow for 18 months, how bad could that be?"
Orlando Bloom

The entirety of "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was filmed over an 18 month period in New Zealand.  A lot of the filming was done near a very small town called Glenarchy on the south island of New Zealand.  There is a lot of farm land and not a lot of people in this area.

Part of the reason this area was chosen for these movies was the mountain range you can see in some of these photos known as "The Remarkables".  It was easy foe me to understand why Peter Jackson picked this country to portray "Middle Earth".  The water truly is as aqua blue as it looks in my photos from the glacial feed.

We stopped in the VERY green and dense forest for our morning tea and biscuits.  A little black bird joined us.  I think he's used to this ritual ;)  As you can see almost everything is heavily coated with moss.

We got to see a lot of beautiful farm land.  I've never seen this many sheep in one place!

The very small town of Glenarchy is very picturesque and home to only ~400 people

The purple flower seen below is oregano.  I had no idea it was this color.

 I will definitely be watching the third part of this movie very soon.  I saw the first two and loved them, but never got around to watching the third one.  I'm not sure why I never did go see the final movie...I told myself it was too long, but in truth I think I was worried that the character Gollum met a bad end :/

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Please let me know if you have any questions remember that your email address will never be published if you leave a comment.  Take care my friends.

 Michelle