Karin's world of travelling

Sweden - Mårbacka, the home of Selma Lagerlöf

2009-08-08T15:52:00.004+02:00

Today I posted a note about my visit to Mårbacka on my book blog. Mårbacka was the home of the very famous Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf. She was born there in 1858 and died there in 1940. However, when she was born the mansion looked a bit different. It was a red and smaller.

Selma moved away from Mårbacka when she studied to become a teacher. When her father died the family had to sell the property, but Selma dreamed about moving back there. Then, when she was an established author she bought back the house and later the property. I think the property was bought back when she got the Nobel Prize.

She really cared for this place - and also for the people she employed. It was she who wanted this to be a memorial place when she died.

Unfortunately we could not take any photos inside the mansion, but it was awesome. The living-room was in gold and lightblue and it is really stilish. I would not have any problems living in that home! We did though take a photo peering through the window, you can also see it on my book blog.

Mårbacka is an amazing place, it is about one hour north of Karlstad and well worth to visit!

Croatian food.... did I eat anything?

2009-05-25T12:46:00.005+02:00

Well, those of you that know me also know that I am not the easiest one when it comes to food. Especially foreign food. Well, in Croatia this turned out to be no problemos! Why? Because their food is tasty and simple...and a lot comes from the Italian kitchen. However we tried to eat the local dishes and here are some of those we tried....

In Pag we had the local Paski sir (Pag cheese), together with some locally made ham. Yummi, it was really good and I really liked the cheese.

My deares boyfriend who is not so picky as me, even tried the seafood plate in Pag. I went for the svinski koteleti (you know, this being before the out breake of the flue).

We ate a lot of grillplattes, usually grilled meat in some varieties together with some vegetables. Good, but the best one however we had...

... in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Were we had the Herzegovina platte, together with an amazing view of the old bridge.

Croatia, the island of Pag

2009-05-24T11:16:00.009+02:00

Still on our first day in Croatia, after visiting Zadar, Nin and the beautiful church of St. Nicholas, we decided it was time for dinner. And why not drive a few hours to get dinner? Our destination became the island of Pag. The landscape of Pag is very different from the rest of Croatia.

Our first stop on Pag was the Paski Most (most = bridge) where we could see this very special landscape.Such naked landscape - it's not often one see that...

There are two towns on Pag, one is Pag town and the other one is Novalja. The first known for it's historical centre, while the latter for its modern beach- based life (according to our Rough guide). Well, anyone knowing us - we headed for the historical centre.

It had been raining when we arrived Pag town and there was literelly no people around. The streets were empty and we could walk around this charming town alone.

The original Pag town was situated 3 km from today's town. However in the 1300's many of the inhabitants were killed and the Venetians decided to rebuild the town in 1420's.

Of course I found a church - this is the Parish church called the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Mary. Pag is well-known for its laces and cheese. And the pattern on the rose window on the church can be seen in the traditional laces as well. Some of the traditional skirts can also be seen on the people who the Virgin protects on the photo above (once again - the photos can be enlargened by clicking on them!).

Croatia - a surprise along the road

2009-05-23T20:06:00.007+02:00

On our way to Nin on our first day in Croatia we saw this little church. Actually first we thought it was some kind of watch tower. But, no watch tower, this is the little church of St. Nicholas.

This church was built in the 11th and 12th century. And according to the legend of the kings whom were coronated in Nin (se the post under this one about the village and island of Nin) rode to this church where the people were waiting and were they (obviously not at the same time!) promised to protect the country.

Croatia, the town of Nin

2009-05-03T19:23:00.005+02:00

One of our few disoveries in Croatia was the small town on of Nin. It's situated a 20-minutes drive from Zadar (presumebly if not getting lost out of Zadar that is...). This small town was once an important Roman city and later it became the ecclesiastical (I love that word!) capital of Croatia.

We drove there one Sunday afternoon in March and found one empty, but beautiful town (once again, the photos can be enlargened by clicking on them).

The old town is situated on a small island and is only accesible by one of two bridges. This being the Donji Most (which is translated into something like lower bridge).

Just inside the old town, one can see ruins of some old, old town structure and buildings.

However, the main highligt for me (my dearest might disagree and go for the ice-cream...), is the Church of the Holy Cross. This small, cruciformed church is also known as the smallest cathedral in the world. It is thruly old, it's built in the 800 century.

This photos is a part of the entrance. The church itself is really simple and have almost no decorations.

The front part viewed from the ground. The windows are done in Romanesque style and inside it's almost completely empty. Since it was opened (and there was no one around) I felt for a look inside...
After looking around the church, being quite pleased with finding one of the oldest churces in Croatia of our first day of exploring, we found a small cafe in the old town where we could take a small breake before driving on the island of Pag.

An excellent outing from Zadar!

Croatia

2009-04-26T12:47:00.005+02:00

I'm back! Litteraly from Croatia and on this blog:-) Yesterday we came back from what I would call a wonderful, wonderful holiday in Croatia. One week and we went to...

* Zadar, Nin and Pag
* Trogir and Split
* Krka National Park and the town of Sibenik
* Mostar (in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
* Fortresses in Knin and Klis
* Primosten, Vodice and our nice little village; Srima

Just a peek from five of the 600 hundred photos I took (if you want enlargen them, click on the photos)...

On the small island of Nin we found the smallest cathedral in the world. And one of the oldest in Croatia as well (800 century).

The huge fortress of Knin. When we saw it from the road it looked really small, but it felt like it would never end when we visited it.

The city of Sibenik and it's famous gothic cathedral. Such a small and pleasant town, and almost empty on a Wednesday afternoon.

The very famous bridge of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Eight hours in a car (one day) was totally worth it to see this bridge and the surroundings.

The nature of Pag, this windblowen island with lots of sheeps and cheese.

Another view from our kitchen window...

2009-03-22T16:24:00.003+01:00

This morning, during breakfast I realised there was something brown and fury in the tree outside... Looking out we could a see a cat chasing a bird... When I opened the window in order to take a photo of this climbing cat, she was 3-4 metres above ground, her attention was turned toward us... For a moment I thought she was going to jump into our flat....

More from Stockholm will come later next week! Enjoy this Sunday and the upcoming week!

Stockholm - view from the Katarinahissen

2009-03-08T16:22:00.008+01:00

When we're in Stockholm we stayed in the area known as Södermalm. I think we could have spent three days walking around in that district instead of visiting some of the more obvious touristy pars like the old town (Gamla Stan). Very close to Slussen, Stockholm's major transportation hub, you can find Katarinahissen. Katakrinahissen is a lift which takes you up to a viewing point, from where you can walk to Mosebecke Torg. If you look close to the first photo you can see people walking on the viewing platformn (click on the photo to get a larger image). It really does have a good view, but I don't understand why I insist on visiting viewing places like that. I really do not like hights!

On this photo above you can see parts of Slussen and look further to the City Hall (Stadshuset) which is made of red bricks and have greenish roof. On one of the towers you can se the three crowns (Sweden's heraldic symbol).

One thing which is quite different from Oslo is the sea which is covered by ice. That never happens along the coast in Norway due to the Gulf stream. It looks quite nice with the snow, but I am sure it's not that practical all the time.

In the middle of these two photos one can see the island called Djurgården (behind the island called Kastellholmen). We took a small boat over there and had a lovely walk in the sun to the Vasamuseum. If you look close you can see the amusement park Grønalund.

All of these photos were taken one Sunday morning. It was a bit cold, but sunny and the streets where almost empty. To the take the lift only costs 10 swedish kroner - a rather cheap way to get a good view!

Stockholm

2009-03-07T11:26:00.004+01:00

We had a wonderful weekend in Stockholm! On Sunday we even had sun so we made walks around Sødermalm and Djurgården. This photo is of the famous Vasamuseum (the red building in the front). Behind it you can see the amazing castle which is Nordiska Museum today.

More photos (and stories) to come!

Beautiful Vienna...

2009-02-27T11:58:00.005+01:00

If you want to visit Vienna, take a look at this wonderful blog Merisi's Vienna For Beginners . It has some beautiful photos from this beautiful town. Thanks to Anni who made me aware of this blog:-)

Deadly Oslo

2009-02-24T19:20:00.004+01:00

It's been quite scary to walk around in Oslo the last week, even looking out my window reminds me about the icey roofs... Hopefully Stockholm will be better, off to Swedish capital on Saturday!

Norway - Oslo, a winter walk along the Akerselva

2009-02-14T19:20:00.005+01:00

In September we made a walk along the Akerselva . Today we walked the same route in winter landscape... It is really amazing how different the scenery is. Here is a few photos from our walk...

Norway, Oslo - the Vigeland Park

2009-02-07T21:18:00.006+01:00

It is completely chaos in Oslo tonight. There is snow, snow, and even more snow! I am happy to be inside, curled up on the sofa. It's not always snowy in Oslo. When the sun is shining it can be very nice to walk around in the Vigeland Park. Most of the work in this park is done by Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943).

The Vigeland Park includes a great number of Gustav Vigeland's works. Here are 212 sculptures in bronze and granite and several wrought iron gates. Vigeland modelled all his sculptures in full size without any assistance of pupils or other artists. The carving in stone and the casting in bronze were left to a number of talented craftsmen. Vigeland also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds with their far stretching lawns and long straight avenues bordered with maple trees*.

* from www.vigeland.museum.no

Remembering those sunny days.... Håholmen...

2009-01-18T11:40:00.005+01:00

It's definately not sunny outside, nor warm, and all I want to do is to travel somewhere. But February with Stockholm and April with Croatia seems so far away this Sunday morning.... So why don't I keep on remembering those sunny days...

This takes me back to July 2007 and my cousin getting married. The reception was held at Håholmen, an old fishing community situated on a small, small island close to Averøya where I grew up.

Today the island is a hotel, popular for both tourists and seminars. The first photo is the view from my hotel room... Slightly better than the view from my kitchen window, right...

It was such an unusual day at the coast... so quiet and warm! I also took some photos at night, watching the sun set.

If you want to read more about Håholmen

Håholmen Havstuer

(Almost) full moon in Oslo...

2009-01-10T19:01:00.007+01:00

No wonder why people are behaving so odd in Oslo today, it's full moon tomorrow...

...another view of from my kitchen window!

My favourite five castles....

2009-01-02T15:20:00.004+01:00

I started out with thinking what my three favourite castles from those I have visited so far, but soon realised that three isn't that many. How to choose? So what are my five favourite castles???

There are so many castles that could have been on the list. For instance, Kilkenny Castle in Kilkenny (obviously) and The-Palace-on- the-island in Warsawa, but I have only been admiring those from outside. Then there is the small castle on the Lindisfarne Island (or Holy Island), which was a bit tiny, remember we speak of castles now, but situated on one of the most beautiful places in England.

However, number five on my list is Bunratty Castle, Ireland. It's not one of the most astonishing castles I have visited, but it has athmosphere. And it is old... very old, compared to some of the other castles on my list. It was built around 1425 and it really has the most dreary stairs, which I think some of my friends might remember. But nevertheless, number five; Bunratty Castle.

Number four is the VERY impressive Bamburgh Castle in the north of England. I have to admit that I don't remember much of the interior, but the castle can be seen miles away (e.g. from Lindisfarne). It's just impressive - very impressive.

I am very much in doubt about number three, maybe it even should be the runner up?? Alnwick Castle is an medieval castle in England. It's been a used in many films like for instance Harry Potter (all places where HP has been filmed get a plus!!). Alnwick is a small town, but next to the castle, there is a very pretty garden and there is Barter Books! Who, did you say?!!! It's one of the biggest secondhand bookshop in England, situated in a closed down train station. Is there a better place to retreat after a long day of sightseeing??

There are two runner ups... I just couldn't decided. And since one is a copy of the other, well then, both should be second on my list. The very famous and classic Versailles outside Paris and the smaller, but still extremely charming, Petrodvorets outside St. Petersburg. The latter got a million names - Peterhof, Peter's place.... When I visited it Petrodvorets it was cold, the wind was chilly, but the sun was shining and it was thrully a wonderful place. I visited Versailles one sunny Saturday in March a few years back - and I wasn't the only one. Astonishing!!!

I think number one on the list is pretty easy to understand. Neuscwanstein in Germany - there is really no other castle close to it. Well, literally there is the Hohenschwangau castle, but it just can't be compared. Neuscwanstein is situated up in the mountains south in Germany. When you are sitting on the train in the direction of Füssen, suddenly one just see the castle of fairytales. Photos of it keep popping up everywhere as well, last time I saw it on the front of a novel of Ludlum... Number one - Neuscwanstein....

(photo: www.deskpicture.com)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T15:47:00.005+01:00

With this I wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! May all of you have a wonderful holiday filled with joy, laughter and happiness with family and friends.

Ny bokblogg!!! (in Norwegian only)

2008-12-23T15:43:00.003+01:00

For dere som er interessert i bøker, se min nye bokblogg En verden full av bøker!

Norway - Oscarsborg festning (Oscarsborg Fortress)

2008-12-20T16:51:00.015+01:00

It's cold and dark outside - a good excuse to remember sunny days. Last summer, or more precisely in 2007, I visited my friend Turid that has followed her heart and moved to Drøbak. Aeh, where are you asking? Drøbak is a small, but charming town an hour out of Oslo. It's situated in the fjord of Oslo and the view is pretty good from many of the houses there.

Just outside Drøbak centre there is a small island where a fortress is located. Oscarsborg fortress is well-known to most Norwegians due to a significant event here when Norway was attacked by the Germans one early morning in April 1940.

Today the fortress is a museum and no longer a military zone. There are boats going to the mainland quite often during the summer season. A good place to go for a picnic. The fortress is by no means as big as Suomenlinna Sea Fortress that I visited this autumn in Helsinki - but worth visiting.

The name of the fortress come from the Swedish King Oscar I who reigned in the Sweden (and therefore Norway) in 1850's. When the fort was built it was one of the most modern and up to dates fortresses in Europe. Unfortunately that didn't last long. However, in the beginning of the 1900's it installed some torpedo batteries.

These torpedo batteries came in useful on April the 9th, 1940. It was from this battery they managed to sink Blücher that morning, which slowed down the attack of the Germans. Turid and I joined a guided tour around the island. One of the places we could see was the bunker of the torpedo batteries. Very interesting place to visit!

Books - The Complete Polysyllabic Spree

2008-12-14T13:10:00.008+01:00

I am currently enjoying The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby (Penguin 2007). I have to admit that thought I wouldn't. To be completely honest - I didn't want to buy this book in the first place. It was only the stubborness of my boyfriend that secured this book a place in our shelves... You'll like it, it's about books... I know you will like it... And he was right...

The book consists of columns written for the Believer from 2003 til 2006. It's basically a monthly account of his reading and every chapter starts with books bought and books read. With his witty and sharp style we are well-guided through his reading and thoughts about reading. In the introduction he put out his ground rules and one of them is as following...

I don't want anyone writing in to point out that I spend too much money on books, many of which I will never read, I know that already. I certainly intend to read all of them, more or less. My intentions are good. Anyway, it's my money. And I'll bet you do it too.

Well said! He also points out of importance of reading books that one like. My impression is that so many people thinks that they should read that and that book. Read what you want! Reading is supposed to be a pleasure not a duty.

This morning I woke up to find The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling in my Advent Calender . I am looking forward to reading the last stories from Rowling's magic world.

Helsinki - National Museum of Finland

2008-12-14T12:33:00.006+01:00

I was in Helsinki in 2006 as well and then I had time to enjoy the National Museum of Finland. I passed this museum every day on my last visit on my way to our slightly disappointing hotel. I didn't visit it this time but I'd love to go back one day. The museums have exhibitions about the Finnish history and culture. My favourite parts where, and I don't think will come as a shock for anyone, the rooms of ecclesiastical (thanks to Bede for teaching me this word) art - both catholic and lutheran. I especially remember the music in the background that made the athomosphere quite special. As there where no other tourists in sight I felt like I had the museum all to myself.

The look of the museum is very unique, it a mixture of medieval churches and castles. The façade is made of granite and it's one of the most important buildings in the national - romantic period. The museum was opened in 1916.

I will leave Helsinki for now.... One day I will go back (and not for work) and have lots of time to see all that I haven't been able to yet.... Like the Kiasma - Museum of Contemporary Art and Museum of Finnish Art....

Norway - Kristiansund og Nordmøre (in Norwegian only)

2008-12-09T17:43:00.005+01:00

Ferieguiden har i dag Kristiansund og Nordmøre som dagens destinasjon. For dere som ikke har vært der - god tur!!!

Books in Paris!

2008-12-06T17:02:00.008+01:00

Some of the treasures in my bookshelves are bought on my travels. When I by chance, or planned, visit a good book store and just fall in love... In March 2007 I was in Paris and visited my good friend Masha. One rainy afternoon I found my way to the famous Shakespeare and Company situated not far from Notre-Dame. I first read about this place in Heminingway's A Moveable Feast which takes place in Paris in the 20's. It was already then an institution in Paris for English speaking expats and it still is.

(photo taken from www.janiceeidus.com)

At this awesome shop I bought four books that I treasure a lot. Of course I had to buy my own copy of Hemningway's A Moveable Feast . Hemningway has been a favourite of mine since I was young. Everyone says that his books are very masculine but I don't think so at all. His novels and short stories are well-written, to the point and a good observation of human life. This novel isn't fiction though. It his own memories from a time in Paris as a young (and partly poor) author in Paris. There he mets other famous writers like Gertrude Stein and James Joyze. He even goes travelling with Scott Fitzgerald, which doesn't go so well at all. There is even a chapter in the book dedicated to the shop which starts with "In those days there where no money to buy books. I borrowed books from the rental library of Shakespeare and Company (...). ... This was warm cheerful place with with a big stove in the winter, tables and shelves of books, new books in the window...".

The second book I bought I picked up because of the cover... Vito loves Geraldine by Janice Eidus - just look at the photo!!! She is an contemporary American writer and I had never heard about her before. The book consists of 18 short stories - ranging from waiting on your life's love and finding oneself. It's adorable (the stories - not only the cover) and I have never regretted buying this book.

But I was in Paris... My French is more or less non-existing so I can't read anything in French. If I could, by the way, I would have visited a store with French books... My eyes fell on the small book The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono. It is an allegorical tale and only 35 pages. The story of a man planting trees in France (long before it became popular to be aware of the nature).

The last book I picked up was True Pleasures - A Memoir of Women in Paris by Lucinda Holdforth. Holdforth leaves Australia for Paris where she goes in the foot steps of famous French women who has been living in Paris... Marie- Antoinette, Coco Chanel... This was the book I managed to read while I actually was IN Paris. A good read that makes you want to read more history!

For more reading:

Norway - Oslo, the Stave Church from Gol (Norsk Folkemuseum)

2008-11-30T20:01:00.018+01:00

At Norsk Folkemuseum there is a stave church from Gol from the 12th century. This folk museum is an open air museum located on a spaceous area at Bygdøy (Oslo). I like to visit this museum whenever I have guests from abroad - it is a nice place to walk around and if one is lucky one can taste one of the butter bread made in an old stove. On one of the hills the small stave church located.

The church is built in the 12th century but it was rebuilt again between the 17th and the 19th century - like so many other churches in Norway. In 1536-37 the church in Norway (and Denmark) was reformed to Lutheran and with this many churches in Norway needed some changes.

In the end of the 1800's the church had become too small and it was sold to Fortidsminneforeningen (the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments) and later it was re-erected at Bygdøy in Oslo. It took them some years to transport the church from Gol to Oslo due to heavy snow.

When it was re-erected again in Oslo only part of the interior was used again. They wanted to the church to look like it did before the Reformation, so they got rid of the benches and the pulpit.

However, some of the interior from the 1600 is still there and can be seen on the walls. When one enters the church it is surprisingly small and dark, but quiet.

For more reading:

Sunrise in Oslo!

2008-11-27T12:11:00.010+01:00

View from my kitchen window this morning (or at least when I bend out and stretch my arms with my camera). And I've been going around complaining that November is the darkest month!!!! Shame on me...

Helsinki - Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (Sveaborg)

2008-11-24T18:18:00.016+01:00

On my second day in Helsinki I woke up ready to go to Suomenlinna Fortress, but it was raining. Bumped I went to breakfast thinking about an alternative plan. I half decided to go to some art museum. When I got out of the hotel I realised it wasn't raining so much so I decided to go to Suomenlinna after all and hope that it wouldn't start to rain too much during the day! And it didn't! The fortress is situated on some small island outside Helsinki (about 15 minutes with a boat). The fortress was founded in 1748 to help the Swedes to protect themselves (and Finland) against the russkis. In Swedish the fortress became known as Sveaborg. Later Finland became a part of Russia and this fortress was one of the reasons for naming Helsinki the capital.

Today the small islands are a city district with all togehter 900 residents. They have a school, church, shops and a field for playing football. It's no longer used for military purposes.

Suomenlinna also got a church (of course...). It was built by one of the Russian Tsars to function as a military church. So this was a Russian-orthodox church in the first years. It was inaugurated in 1854. Later, after the independence of Finland, it was refurbished to become Lutheran and a church for the garrison.

Walking around on the fort I noticed this lonely submarine laying there a bit stranded really.... There are several cafes and restaurants on the fort (much more likely to be open if you go there in the summer) and a museum called Suomenlinna Museum together with the visitor centre. There are other museums as well like a toy museum and a customs museum.

Despite of it's military present Suomenlinna has always been a place to be for the artists. It is especially known for it's avant-garde culture. The tombstone below is to memorate Lieutenant Colonel Ehrensvard:

Pretty cool, hey.

In Finnish Suomenlinna means Finland's fortress. Today it's on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. I am definately going back there - but in summer time:-)

Helsinki - Helsinki City Museum

2008-11-20T18:18:00.012+01:00

Helsinki City Museum is situated a few step from the Senate Square. From outside it doesn't really look like much of a museum, but it's worth to go inside! While I was there they are having an exhibition called Helsinki Horizons - A City During Three Empires. This exhibition is dedicated to the history of Helsinki and it's a great way to learn more.

As I have written earlier in this blog Helsinki is a fairly young city. It was founded in 1550 by the Swedish King Gustav Vasa. He wanted some serious competition to Tallinn, but Helsinki didn't live up to that. The originially location of the town was also a bit outside today's city. Finland was a part of the Sweden untill 1809 (except for some years in the 1700's). But Sweden was loosing power and 1809 it was conquered by Russia. As I wrote earlier the Russian Tsar wanted the new capital to b e grand so they decided to rebuilt the city.

In 1917, while Russia was occupied with it's own troubles, Finland declared independence. Before the Second World War Soviet attacked them, but in 1945 Helsinki could be rebuilt again.

This story (and so many more) is being told at this museum. It has some easy explanations, paintings, pieces and exhibitions. Just like that - and you know a lot more about Helsinki! Plus... on the ground floor of the museum they have a great book store (museum store). It a good selection of historical books and more tourist like stuff, but not a lot of tacky key rings! Enjoy!

Book shopping!

2008-11-15T13:32:00.010+01:00

An antiquarian close to our flat was having a moving sale. I always complain about my books when I move, but seriously - imagine moving a book shop??!! Well, it was their final sale today and final sale usually means low prices on books one doesn't really need, but love to have. These were my choiches today

Veier til et bilde (poems) by Stein Mehren

Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

How to recognize Gothic Art

A glossy tourist book from Moscow by Ilyin

Winston Churchill - The struggle for survival 1940-1965 by Lord Moran

Next to mine, Steinar got a hold of a huge wine atlas, a book about (or by?) Max Havelaar and From Here To Eternity by James Jones. All of these we could get into a plastic bag so we only paid 50 n.kr for everything! What a bargain

Of course, any book with the Churchill on it's back will get my attention. This one will certainly blend well in with the rest of my books about/by him. Maybe next to an old copy of some of his most well-known speeches during the Second World War??!! The glossy Moscow book I bought out of curiousity.... It has some good photos and explanations from Kreml, but also from other old buildings in Moscow as well. And... I just flipped through it.... the preface could reassure me, because... at the same time we have not neglected the outstanding examples of modern architecture which are such part of the present-day Moscow scene..... It's published in the beginning of the 70's, say no more! It even had post card from Moscow as a book mark in it. Someone didn't get further than page 31!

Dr. Zhivago by Pasternak has been quite impossible to get hold of (once I played with the thought of never returning a borrowed copy at a library). I am glad I didn't because I found one today! Stein Mehren is a famous Norwegian poet - it's a shame I haven't read so much by him before, but that will end now!

After putting all of chosen books into the bag, we realised we had space for one more... The little guide called How to recognize Gothic Art was my choice. It will be perfect when I visit churches and cathedrals... Now I only have to talk Steinar into visiting some more so I can use it!!!

Happy weekend and reading from Oslo!

Helsinki - The Cathedral of Helsinki and the Senate Square

2008-11-08T18:17:00.001+01:00

As I wrote earlier Finland became a part of Russia in the beginning of 1800's. Tsar Aleksander decided (like only an Emporer can) that he wanted Helsink to be the new capital in Finland. However, Helsinki was like a village. A hundred years before there had been a huge fire during an attack of the russkis. So in order to get a new capital - he had to make one! A small village wasn't suitable as a capital for a Tsar!

Carl Ludwig Engel (1778-1840) was the architect who was chosen to design the new city in 1814, while the work was led by Johan Albrecht Ehrenström. About his new task Engel wrote to a friend... "You yourself have to recognize that for a man who is energic and talented the thought of one can become the creator of a whole new city is too fascinating for one to be able to tear one's self away from it easily" (N.E. Wickberg 1973). Engel was born in Germany, but lived in St. Petersburg when he got this offer.

The result of his work today can best be seen on the Senate Square in Helsinki, one of the most amazing squares built. Standing on the square looking on the statue of Tsar Aleksander the Second one can see the Cathedral of Helsinki behind it, the University building to the left and the Palace of the council of the State to the right. All buildings designed by Engel in Empire style (or known as neoclassical). Tsar Aleksander was apparantly the Tsar that the Finnish liked the best (he was reform-friendly). Around the statue one can see images representing work, light, peace and law.

The Cathedral in he background is amazing. It was finished in the 1850's. The church was first called Church of St. Nicholas. It was paid for by the Russian Tsar Nikolai, but he claimed that the name came from St. Nicholas. Oh, well, a masterpiece it most certainly is. When Finland became independent the church became known as the Great Church, before it in 1959 became the cathedral of Helsinki.

The statues around the roof of the Cathedral are portraits of the 12 apostles. On one of the photos you can see motives from the Bible on the outside walls.

Standing in the front of the Cathedral, looking down on the statue of Aleksander, one can see two other important buildings. To the right one can see the University of Helsinki:

I was lucky to go inside the building (due to the seminar I was in Helsinki for) and it has a most amazing huge aula as well. When I was looking around the Senate Square as a tourist I also saw the Library (belonging to the University). Then I didn't go inside, but I did some days later and it was so beautiful. My guidebook said it was supposed to be one of the world's most beautiful library buildings and I most certainly believe that.

The library can be entered but you have to leave all your belongings in order to get inside. Totally worth it!

Well, back to standing outside the Cathedral looking down to the Square you can see the Palace of the Council of State (earlier the Senate) to the left. Like the other buildings that I have mentioned - designed by Engel as well. Today the prime minister has is office there amongst other.

When the Square was designed - this was the heart of the new capital. The church, the university and the Senate....

London - The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum

2008-11-04T16:15:00.000+01:00

One of my friends are going to London this week, lucky girl:-) It makes me think about my favourite museum The Cabinet War Rooms. I first went there when I was 18, being in London with my mom. We made a deal, she would go with me to The Cabinet War Rooms and I'd go with her to the (less interesting in my opinion) Florence Nightingale Museum. And so we did, though probably with a few arguments in and between! I have been there 3-4 times, the last being in June this year. Then I had the chance to visit the Churchill Museum, which is now part of the museum (it opened a few years ago).

The Cabinet War Rooms are the underground rooms which housed Churchill and his War Cabinet during the war. In these rooms much of the war was decided and Churchill gave some of his well-known speeches from there. Inside the museum one has to follow a set route, but one can stop for a coffee in the Switchroom Cafe (really nice and cosy). Walking around the museum, listening to the information on acoustiguide sound guidething, one can only imagine how it was... (and how it smelled??!!!). My favourite room is the map-room (can't have anything to do with my love for maps, can it?), which is exactly how they left in in August in 1945.

The Churchill Museum is of course dedicated to Winston Churchill. They have divided the museum into five chapters, all being different stages of his life:

Young Churchill 1874-190

Maverick Politician 1900-1929

Wilderness Years 1929-1939: My favourite part- showing so much what kind of man Churchill was.

War Leader 1940-1945

Cold War Statesman 1945-65

The museum is located very close to the Westminster Abbey and the House of Parliament. For more information - see their web page. They also have a lovely gift shop in the museum (something they really don't know how to do in Norway), in case you want to pick up some of Churchill's speeches on CD or buy some ration tea in a tin.

Helsinki - the Uspenski Cathedral and the Market Square

2008-11-02T15:55:00.000+01:00

More Helsinki!

Standing on the Market Square in Helsinki one has a perfect view up to the hill where the Uspenski Cathedral is located. You know, Finland has earlier been a part of Sweden and later Russia. When the Russians defeated the Swedes in the beginning of the 1800's they decided to build this Orthodox cathedral in order to celebrate this glorious moment (for them obviously). The golden domes reminds me a lot about Russia.... there are 13 of them, 12 represent the Apostles and the last one represents Christ. Twice I had to visit the church in order to get in, it's supposed to be open all year (except of on Orthodox holidays and so on). When it finally was open half of the cathedral was closed for tourists. So no photos of the amazing icons inside, sorry. Actually, one of the most known icons in the cathedral was stolen in a year ago and it's still not found. What a shame! The cathedral was designed by Aleksei Gornostaev and it was finished in 1868. Today it's the biggest Russian Orthodox church outside Russia. It's amazing inside and from it's outside one has a splendid view of the harbour and the city of Helsinki.

If one really want to believe for a moment that one is in Russia, walk the few metres from the cathedral down to Market Square and buy a fur hat. As the name suggests, there is a market there where you can buy all sorts of goods. Like the collection of fur things you can see on the photo to the left. (Or, much cheaper, do like me - steal my boyfriend's fake fur hat from H&M, it certainly keeps my ears warm). One can really get anything here from fish, vegetables, souviners (some more tackier than other and apparantly the Finish love to put a moose on everything they sell), fur hats and coats and knitted things. But it ain't cheap.... Actually, I found it quite expensive for being a market.

Along the harbour one can see the Old Market Hall (they sell all kind of food
stuff), City Hall and the Presidential Palace (impossible to get a decent photo off because of the cars in the front). I noticed these old boats in the harbour which was like small cafes. Maybe a place to go if one is in need for a coffee breake? I have no idea, but maybe they are quite charming inside?

However I found it quite nice to stroll along the harbour just under the Uspenski Cathedral and look at sail boats not being turned into a cafe....

Helsinki - Temppeliaukio Church

2008-10-29T18:57:00.000+01:00

Terve! Well, finally I got some time to share some photos from Helsinki. Wonderful town, a lot to see, slightly too cold in October, but that didn't stop me from exploring. Two days of sightseeing and there are still many places I would love to see.

The first sight I visited was the Temppeliaukio Church, also known as Tempelkyrkjan in Swedish/Norwegian or the Church of the Rock in English. It's one of the most famous churches in Helsinki as well as one of the most visited.

As you can see on this photo above it hardly looks like a traditional church. Rumours have it that my sisters walked around it a few times before they realised that THIS was the entrance for the church. Poor girls! The dome of the church is huge - it is 24 metres in diameter...

And this is how it the dome is inside the church.... Pretty amazing, right? Apparantly the dome is made by over 20 km of copper stripping! And the light comes from 180 skylights, reflecting inwards.

The church was built in the end of the 60's (1968-69) by two architect brothers called Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen. They won a contest and got to built the church. However there had plans since the 1930's about building a church on this site. As one can see on this photo the church is built in the rock and as you can see from the interior - it's all made of rock.

There are more than 900 seats in the church. It's well- known for it's acoustics, it's a popular place to held concerts. When I was there the first time there was someone playing the piano which was really nice. Would be lovely to listen to anyone playing the this organ...

According to my guidebook the church is more or less open every day, but can be closed due to services. The church is definately a place to visit when in Helsinki!

Movie - Flammen & Citronen (in Norwegian only)

2008-10-16T03:15:00.000+02:00

Flammen & Citronen er en dansk motstandsfilm fra andre verdenskrig. Vi møter Bent Faurschou-Hviid (Flammen) og Jørgen Haagen Scmith (Citronen) henholdsvis spilt av Thure Lindhardt og Mads Mikkelsen som to motstandsmenn som likviderer dansker som jobber for tyskerne. De er medlem av den danske gruppen Holger Danske. Det er Flammen som tar seg av selve likvideringen, mens familiefaren Citronen er sjåfør.

Det er 1944 og begge sider i krigen begynner å bli desperate. Når de to får beskjed om likvidere tyskere så begynner spørsmålene å dukke opp. Samtidig blir Flammen sjekket opp av en ung dansk kvinne som vet mer en hun skulle. Hvem skal de stole på? Hvem er det som egentlig gir ordrer?

Filmen er basert på reelle karakterer og hendelser, men med kunsteriske friheter. Hva kan man ikke gjøre når man skriver "fritt etter" ? Regissør Ole Christian Madsen har klart å lage en balansert film. Spørsmålet man stiller seg på slutten er hvem er heltene i en krig og hva skjedde egentlig her? Filmen viser hvordan maktbalansen mellom de som operer i København og de som satt i Sverige og London var.

Skuespillerprestasjone var på topp. Kanskje varte filmen en halv time for lenge, men den var langt fra kjedelig. Verd å se hvis man er interessert i krigen - og hvor ofte har man egentlig sett krigen fra danskene side?

Tidligere i år (fjor?) kom den hollandske filmen Black Book ut, om ei jødisk jente i motstandbevegelsen i Holland. En seerverdig film som også var svært balansert i synet på partene i krigen. I desember kommer den norske Max Manus - spørsmålet er hvilken linje den kommer til å legge seg på?? Etter å ha sett Flammen & Citronen har den litt å leve opp til....

Books - Paintings From the Stave Churches

2008-10-12T17:17:00.001+02:00

Look what I got! Last Saturday we passed an antiquarian/used-book store and it had this wonderful book displayed in the window. I just fell in love it with instantly. However, this place is a bit pricey.... so I hesitated to go in and ask for the price. And it was, they wanted 900 n.kr for it!!! Which is about 110 euros.... So I went home and googled it and ended up find a copy at Amazon! And guess what? Even with packing and shipping from England - it only costed me one third of what they wanted at the store!

It's publised in the 50's in New York by New York Graphic Society and it's a part of the UNESCO World Art Series. It's a huge book. It has an introduction first before it features more than 40 colour plates from painting in the stave churches around Norway. The one you can see above is The Emporer Heraclius bearing the Holy Cross to Jerusalem. What a treasure this book is:-)

Next week I am off to Helsinki - no stave churces there, but I am sure I am going to enjoy to see Temppeliaukio Church (a church built under ground) and the Uspenski Cathedral again!!!

Norway - Oslo, Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol

2008-10-06T19:31:00.000+02:00

The Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo is this autumn having an exhibition about (and by) Andy Warhol. The exhibition is called Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol and focuses on Warhol's relation to his art.

The exhibition is featuring 43 paintings (included the famous Campbell soup and for us Norwegians, the portrait of queen Sonja), one sculpture, several wall papers, 11 movies and two TV-shows. I think one can spend a whole day there if one wants to see all of the movies. Some of them are also shown in Cinameteket, a cinema close by the museum which might offer slightly better seating arrangements than the museum.

Andy Warhol. Admittingly - I am not much of a fan of his work. But as he is one of the most known artists today and it's not every day there is an exhibition like this in Oslo or in the Northern part of Europe.

Warhol died in 1987. He's original name was Andrew Warhole, born in 1928 in Pennsylvania. Later he moved to New York where he for many years lived with his mother. He started as a drawer, before he later got fascinated by commercials. It was in 1960's that he started to paint the famous Coca Cola paintings. Some of the culture in the US fascinated him, how both rich and poor people could be seen drinking Coca Cola. So he started out to make art of Cola bottles, of Campbell soup cans, shoes....

But he is also known for his portraits... In this exhibition we could see Mao, Jacqueline Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor as Cleaopatra. And some self-portraits with fright hair (his own words!).

The exhibition is running till the 14th of December this year. It's free of charge, but if you want to attend a guided tour on Sunday it costs 25 n.kr.

Norway - Averøy, Kvernes stave church

2008-10-01T20:23:00.000+02:00

I love churches! Whenever I go somewhere I track down some old churches to visit. My plan is to talk Steinar into visiting all of the remaining stave churches around Norway - but hm... it seems like I need to work a little bit on that idea! So far I have only been to five....

Kvernes

Grip

Rødven

Heddal

Gol (in Norsk Folkemuseum, Bygdøy)

My favourite is, of course and without any doubt, is the stave church back home (Kvernes - if anyone wondered!!). Though having been a guide there for many summers, I still discover something new everytime I am there.

Yes, I know and I have heard it so many times. It doesn't look like a stave church. That's because the most famous ones in Norway (like the one in Heddal or the Borgund one ) have a very different look from outside. However, once and for all, the word stave church comes from the building technique. And has nothing to do with the supporting structure around the church.

Kvernes stave church is probably build before 1350. There are, however, no written sources mentioning the church before 1370's. The church was rebuild in 1633 (about a hundred years after the Lutheran reformation).

The altar piece is very unique. The middle part (photo below) is the oldest part and catholic. It's made in in Lubeck in 1475. You can see Virgin Mary with the child (Jesus) and on the left side; Mary, her mother and the child. After the reformation in 1530's most churches got rid of the catholic alter pieces, but here they decided to put new and Lutheren inspired parts of it. The wooden figures around the golden part are made in 1595.

Below is a part of the roof in the choir...lovely pattern....

... painted at the same time as the walls in the choir with scenes from the bibles. Unfortunetely the walls were white washed later and most of the paintings are gone. A part of it has survived....

... above you can see the kiss of Judas.

However - this is my favourite pattern. Painted in 1633, it is still going strong! Beautiful red colour. The pattern is akantusranker (sorry, don't know the English name).

The ship and the choir of the church is divided by a port. Part of it you can see here.

So many details... So many churches to see....

Norway - Oslo, a walk along Akerselva

2008-09-28T16:34:00.004+02:00

A few shots from a walk along the river of Aker, which flows through Oslo. We started in Nydalen and walked down to the city centre.

Earlier this river was very important to several factories laying close to the river. These waterfalls are called Møllerfossene (møller=mill).

Close to the Åmodt bridge on the photo above, one can see this sign. Translated to English it would be something like: 100 men I can carry, but will let down under steady marching....

Norway - Eidsvollbygningen (The Eidsvoll Manor)

2008-09-28T15:23:00.000+02:00

A rainy Sunday in August, Steinar and I went out of Oslo and to Eidsvoll by train. A fifteen minutes walk from the train station at Eidsvoll Verk you find the Eidsvoll Manor - in Norwegian known as Eidsvollbygningen. Maybe one of the most symbolic buildings in Norwegian history.

Norway celebrate it's Constitution Day on the 17th of May. In every speach on this day one can hear about what happened in Eidsvoll in 1814. Let's shortly recap the history. By that time (1814) Norway had been in an union with Denmark for more than 430 years. However, when Denmark had been on Napoleon's side during the war they were forced (as the loosing side) to give Norway to Sweden. During this transmission some Norwegians used the opportunity to declare independence. Of course the Swedes didn't like that and the were was a short war between Norway and Sweden, which ended with Norway being a part of a new union between Sweden. However - the constitution that they had managed to sign in Eidsvoll in 1814 was only slightly altered.

So in 1814 some men met here and decided that they should write the new constitution of Norway. 112 elected representatives from all over the country gathered in Eidsvoll, the only part of the country that wasn't represented was the Northern part (too little time, too long travelling time). Here is an extract from the webpage of Eidsvollbygningen* what happened:

On the 10th of April, 112 elected representatives from nearly the entire country arrived in Eidsvoll. Not only rich merchants and higher officials, but also many farmers and ordinary soldiers were present. The Constitution was also democratic for its age, not least through wide voting rights for men. It was inspired by the French and American constitutions in particular. On the 17th of May the national assembly elected Christian Frederik to King of Norway after approving the Constitution – this day has been Norway’s national day ever since. In the autumn of 1814 Norway was forced into a union with Sweden nonetheless, and this lasted until 1905. Norway did however retain the constitution from Eidsvoll and full internal autonomy. On the 10th of April, 112 elected representatives from nearly the entire country arrived in Eidsvoll. Not only rich merchants and higher officials, but also many farmers and ordinary soldiers were present. The Constitution was also democratic for its age, not least through wide voting rights for men. It was inspired by the French and American constitutions in particular. On the 17th of May the national assembly elected Christian Frederik to King of Norway after approving the Constitution – this day has been Norway’s national day ever since. In the autumn of 1814 Norway was forced into a union with Sweden nonetheless, and this lasted until 1905. Norway did however retain the constitution from Eidsvoll and full internal autonomy.

The manor is only accessed by guided-tours. We joined one of them and it lasted about 40 minutes. We're taken through the house, included the private parts where the owner in 1814, Carsten Anker, had his residence.

The highlight of the tour (beside meeting king Christian Frederik) was the room where the Constitution was signed, Rikssalen. Also the only room where one was allowed to take photos. In was in this room that the representatives gathered and had their discussion. The benches are still there, on small plates one can see the names of the representatives and where they came from.

A part of the Rikssalen. Look at the benches - not much space for each person....

It was here that representatives took the oath "Enig og tro til Dovre faller", in English that would be "United and loyal until the mountains of Dovre crumble".

The alloceted seat for the representative from Kristiansund (the closest town to my home place Averøy).

Next to the Manor house there is a small gift shop/information. During the summer they offer several tours - both in Norwegian and English. There is also a fairly new visitor centre with several exhibition (when we're there - there was one about Wergeland, one about the celebrations of the 17th of of May and on independence around the world).

* The webpage of Eidsvollbygningen is http://www.eidsvoll1814.no/default.aspx

Books by Anna Gavalda (in Norwegian only)

2008-09-21T19:48:00.001+02:00

Franske Anna Gavalda er mest kjent for sin roman Saman er ein mindre aleine. I fjor kom filmen basert på boka - kjempefin film som var veldig tro til boka.

I tillegg til denne romanen er det oversatt to bøker til av Gavalda. Den ene er novellesamlingen Eg vil at nokon skal vente på meg. Ei lita bok med et stort hjerte fult av fine noveller. De handler livet - om det å miste noen man er glad i, å være på date og vakle mellom stolthet og sårbarhet...

I dag lest jeg romanen Eg elska ho. Kort fortalt handler den om Chloe og hennes svigerfar. Chloe sliter etter at hennes mann gjennom 7 år har forlatt henne. Svigerfaren tar derfor henne og de to barna med til et hus på landet. Under dette oppholdet blir de bedre kjent og etterhvert kommer svigerfarens historie frem. Historien om ho han elska... Sårt og ømt blir historia fortalt - av en person som de aller nærmeste har oppfattet som forknytt, kald og hard.

Gavalda bruker ingen store ord. Hun bruker ikke flere ord enn de hun trenger for å si det hun vil. Boka er lettlest - men har setninger man kan hvile lenge på. For å bruke en forslitt metafor - boka er en perle!

Alle bøkene til Gavalda er oversatt og utgitt av Samlaget. Skepsismen til å lese nynorsk er jo alltid der, men i denne sammenhengen gjør språket oversettelsen bedre, mer levende.

Istanbul - Topkapi Palace with harem

2008-09-21T18:55:00.000+02:00

My last post about Istanbul! Well, I can't promise that really - I might get back to you with a post about Janissaries for instance - a good idea in fact, when I come to think about it. It is a city that has really fascinated me - I only know I want to go back. I understand more now why Istanbul (with all it's former names) keeps popping up in history all the time...

Topkapi Palace is HUGE. One can easily spend a day there, included a visit to the harem. One has to pay an additional fee to enter the harem, but it's totally worth it. I found it the most interesting part of the palace. The harem, being a labyrinth of small rooms, was like being surprised by the interioer around every corner.

The palace was built shortly after the Ottoman conquest, between 1459 and 1465. This was the sultan's residence. The palace also had some official parts next to the private parts (like the harem obviously).

For instance this photo above is taken in the Divan. The Divan was where the viziers met - they who were in the imperial council. More photos from the palace:

Did you know that the word harem means forbidden? The harem in the Topkapi palace is big - the wifes of the sultan lived here, together with the sultan's mother, the concubines and their children. Their servants were eunuchs. The only men who were allowed to enter the harem was the sultan and his sons. Here are a few photos from the harem:

The last one is a bit dark, sorry. But I'm trying to show you some of the splendid interior.

So, this was Istanbul... Even though I tried to describe it with photos and words - the best thing is to go there yourself!

Istanbul - Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque

2008-09-21T17:53:00.000+02:00

More from Istanbul... The first mosque I visited (as in ever) was Süleymaniye Mosque. This mosque was founded by Süleymaniye the Magnificent. Under his ruling the Ottoman Empire was on it's biggest. The mosque was built between 1550-1557. It's actually built on the grounds of the old castle in Istanbul.

The surroundings of this mosque was quiet and nice. The mosque is surrounded by a small park where people were relaxing. In the buildings around the mosque it used to be a soup kitchen and a hospitals for poor people.

The second mosque I visited was much more busy with tourists. The famous Blue Mosque is situated close the palace in the old town. It's originally name is Sultan Ahmet Camii, but it was too hard for foreigners to say - so they named it the Blue Mosque. Mainly because of the blue tiles that can be viewed inside it.

Looking at this photo - one can understand why it is so popular with tourists. It's really amazing to look at.

I didn't really get any good photos from inside the mosque, next time hopefully!! This mosque is newer than the first one I visited - it's built between 1609- 1616. According to my guidebook it created a bit of controversy because it had six minarets - which was considered to be a sacrilegious attempt to rival the architecture of Mecca (Eyewitness Travel).

Next to the Blue Mosque on find the even more famous Hagia Sophia (or Aya Sofya in Turkish).

Parts of this building is from 537 - built in the Justinian time in the Byzantine capital! It's really impressive - makes all the other churched I have so... new. However there were churches on this spot before Hagia Sophia was built - but not a lot is visible today. After the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul it was turned into a Mosque. The minarets were added then, together with some other adjustments. Today it is a museum.

Above you see a part of the interior - where one can see some of the original mosaic in the background and the Islam decorations together.
This is a view taken from the Haghia Sophia - I put my camera out of one of the small windows on one of the galleries. Pretty nice view, eh!

Books - The Amateur Spy by Dan Fesperman

2008-09-08T20:38:00.000+02:00

I picked up this novel by chance on Friday. Steinar and I were visiting some annual back yard sales held by some book shops and publisers in Oslo. I think it was its title that intrigued me. I've always been a fan of spy novels and thrillers. However, the world has changed since I read myself scared to death (or at least almost...) on cheap spy novels living in Moscow. It's nothing like actually being where it ALL takes place. But after 9/11 things are different and it can be difficult to know who your enemies are and who to thrust.

Which is Freeman Lockhart's problem. Being in his 50's - he is retiring from an career in humanitarian -aid with his wife Mila. A Greek island, a nice house, they are finally getting the peace that they want. For one day that is. In their first night (in what was supposed to be the rest of their life) he gets some visitors. They seem to know all about him - also things they shouldn't know. Due to this they manage to black mail him into going to Jordan to spy on his old Palestinian friend Omar.

In Washington D.C , a well-know surgeon Abbas and his wife Aliyah, are struggling with coming to terms with their death of their only daughter. Blaming the death of the daughter on the distrust of Arabs in the US after 9/11 - Aliyah starts to believe that Abbas is up to no good.

What is also interesting is that some of the chapters of this books, reminds me about another book I just recently read. Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany, which sets place in and around an university in Chicgo after 9/11. It tells the story of expats, students and Egyptian-American living in the US after the attack on the Twin Towers.

Aliyah and Freeman's paths crosses in Jordan, but not with out suspense. The book is well-written, but sometimes Fesperman wants to explain things a bit too much. E.g. when Mila in the beginning of the book is saying that she is scared of a man because he looks like Radovan Karadzic, Fesperman continues with an explanation. I think most people do know of him and if not - well, google him if interested. But these are only minor faults - it's a kind of book that you don't want to put away before you're finished. Just how a spy novel should be:-)

Istanbul - Galata Tower and Old Trams

2008-09-08T19:52:00.000+02:00

On the Beyoglu side of Istanbul, in the shopping street called Istiklal Caddesi, you can take a ride with one of the nostalgic trams. They go from the south part from the street, Tunel, to Taksim Square. The street is very loong, especially after a long day of sightseeing, so it can be a good alternative to walk. And it's not like it goes very fast - you have plenty of time to look at the shops. Caddesi is the street to visit if you are looking for any cloth stores. It's just like Oxford Street - just in Istanbul.

Not far from this street one find the Galata Tower. It was from this tower that I took the photos that you find in one of my earlier posts from Istanbul. However, the tower itself can also be very interesting.

On the top you can find an restaurant and a viewing platform (so tiny and small - a wonder how I managed to get around it). There's an elevator so no need for worrying about the number of steps.

The tower was built by the Genoese people living in this part of the town, around 1350. They needed something to protect so they built this tower and some walls (but just a little is exsisting of the walls today). Later it was used as a watch-station for fire, before it in the 1960's was turned into a viewing tower for tourists.

However, there have been towers on that locations since the 6th century. It was a perfect spot to monitor the ships going up the Bosphorus Strait, just see the localization of the tower on the photo. However, one can imagine that the ships passing by today are slightly different that 1300 years ago...

Istanbul - the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar

2008-08-31T18:08:00.000+02:00

There are several Bazaars in Istanbul, but the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar are the two popular ones. The Grand Bazaar is HUGE, I think I wasn't really prepared for how big it really was. It was built shortly after the Ottoman's conquest of Istanbul. It's practically like a market, but with roof. It's crowded and the sellers are trying has hard as they can to get your attention... Unfortunately for them, mine is really hard to get:-) Didn't buy much but for a while it was fun to walk around.

The second bazaar I visited (except for a short visit at the Book Bazaar which was disappointing) was the Spice Bazaar. The Spice Bazaar, or the Egyptian Bazaar as it's called in Turkish, was started built in 1597, but not completed for another 67 years. Today one can get many exotic spices, herbs, nuts and so on there. When I was there it was filled with tourists poking around - while I just ran through it - scared of all this exotic stuff...
Shopping in Istanbul can also be done in ordinary shops. Boring yes, but for small souviners like bowls of ceramics and small tiles, the prices don't really vary that much:-) But one can not visit Istanbul without seeing the Bazaars!

Istanbul - Archeological Museum (and a bit of history of Istanbul)

2008-08-31T16:43:00.000+02:00

Byzantion, Constantinople, Miklagard... Istanbul has had many names through out the years... Close to the old palace in Istanbul one find of the town's most interesting museums - the Archeological museum. It's exhibitions are great for getting to know Istanbul.

The museum has several galleries

Classical Archaeology. The most famous piece to see is the Alexander Sarcophagus from the 4th century BC. Here one can see Alexander the great on two of the sides. It's really an amazing piece of work and it's hard to believe it's that old....
Children's museum (I skipped that part so I can't say anything about it - but, in general it is a good sign that museums are trying to reach out to children as well).
Thracian, Bithynian and Byzantine Collections.
Anatolia and Troy
Anatolia's neighbouring cultures
Turkish tiles and ceramics (this part was really interesting -it has some great example of the most known Turkish style Iznik, before this declined in the end of the 1500 century). The building housing these exhibitions can be viewed to the right.
Museum of Ancient Orient
Istanbul Through The Ages - my favourite part! This part was a chronological walk through the history of this city, very organized and understandable. It features e.g. the chain that they onced used to have over the strait of Bosporus to stop ships they didn't want to enter the strait.

Istanbul was founded in 667 BC by a group of people emigrating from Athens and Megara. There are several myths from where it got it's first name Byzantion - but it's most like that the leader of the people emigrated was called Byzas. However there are different legends - one of them saying that Bysantion was founded when a son of a water nymph married and a king, and that the town was founded to fulfill a wish from his father-in-law....

Bysantion was therefore a Greek colony for a long while- in 64 BC it became a part of the Roman Empire (after then beeing Persian, Macedonian and more). Walking around in Istanbul - knowing that this once has been a part of the Roman Empire made me think of when I walked along Hadrian's Wall in England in 2003. How huge the Roman Empire once was... It's a long way even with planes from Newcastle to Istanbul today - but imagine travelling by ship or by foot? Well, from then (64 BC) and until Constantine the Great moved the Empire's capital to Istanbul, it was called Byzantion (the move was in 324 AD). It was named New Rome, but most people called it Constantinople.

A time worth mentioning is the time of Justinian (527-65). Amazing buildings like the Haghia Sophia was built during his time. He also expanded the empire to include parts of Italy and Syria.

The history is Istanbul is so rich, so I can't really do justice to it by trying to summarize it in a few paragraphs... However... Let's jump to the 29th of May 1453.... Constantinople has fallen in the hands of the Ottoman Empire and Sultan Mehmet the second is making his way into this city. A new time started and the city get a new name; Istanbul. During this time the old palace (new at the time though) Topkapi is finished and become the home of the sultan and his family. In the years to come there are many sultans who builts landmarks that we can see in Istanbul today, like the Blue Mosque (see photo below) and the Süleymaniye Mosque.

As we all know the Ottoman Empire started to decline and it sultan and his family had to live Turkey in 1922. Ankara becomes the capital of Turkey, but Istanbul has got the past...

If one is going to Istanbul one should read John Freely's Istanbul -The Imperial City before going. This book is extremely useful and so full of information that one need in order to get around the historical places in Istanbul. While being in Istanbul it's a very practical tool every time one want to know something which is not in the guide book.

Istanbul - Dolmabahce Palace

2008-08-27T17:14:00.000+02:00

The new palace in Istanbul, Dolmabahce Palace, is situated on the strait of Bosphorus Strait - having an entrance from the sea as well as on land. To the right the Imperial Gate is seen. Only the Sultan and his ministers were allowed to enter the palace by this gate.

Dolmabahce Palace was finished in 1856. Before that the Sultan and his family lived at the old palace Topkapi, but they needed (!?) a new palace which were more modern and convenient. The architects behind the palace were an Armenian family who designed a lot of the houses along the Bosphorus. The palace consists of two parts - the selamlik (the administrative and official part) and the harem (where the sultan housed his wifes and mother). In order to see these two parts one need to join guided-tours. I was told that the part of the Selamlik was the best, but I don't agree on that. They are both worth seeing, even if the queing system can be a bit hard to figure out.

When the Ottoman Empire ended and the capital of Turkey was moved to Ankara, it was used as a presidential residence for Atatürk. Atatürk actually died there and on our visit to the harem we could see the bedrom and bed were this happened.

Atatürk died on the 10th of November, 1935 at 09:05. All clocks in the palace are therefore stopped exactly at this time. But back to the imperial time...

Even though the palace was built that a time where the Ottoman Empire was already declining - there are no signs of this in the grand interior. One of the most impressing rooms in the selamlik is the Ceremonial Hall. A view of it's chandelier to right (bought in England - said to be one of the heaviest in the world). The hall is huge - you can get over 2 000 people in there... From this hall one could go straight into the garden and to the sea gate.

As for the exterior - the facade is almost 250 metres long... made off white marbles... A few views from the inside into the Bosphorus:

To be followed be a few shots from the harem part of the palace. The first one is taken in one of the traditional Turkish hamams.

While the last photo is taken in the Blue Hall (notice the blue chairs). I also got to see a change of guards... Notice the very funny shoe gear!

Dolmabahce Palace was an high light in Istanbul. It looks like a dream and it's not full of tourists or people selling stuff... Just look at the fountain in the Imperial Garden...

Can anyone resist anything like that???

Norway - Håholmen

2008-08-21T20:08:00.000+02:00

While waiting for my photos and reports from Istanbul, enjoy these romantic photos. They are taken during the sun set at Håholmen where my cousin celebrated her wedding last year.

The photos are taken towards the sun. Everyone was telling me that it was crazy to do so, but hey... I think they turned out really nice... The couple (?) on the photos are random tourists who were looking at the sun set (about 2 o'clock in the morning).

Istanbul - view of the city

2008-08-18T18:26:00.000+02:00

In September last year I was fortunate to spend a week in Istanbul due to work. I am posting some photos of this amazing city on this blog (more to come of course).

The localization of the city can be a bit confusing. All of these photos are taken in from the Galata Tower, which is situated on the Beyoglu side. For a long time Beyoglu was home to all foreigners living in Istanbul and today it hosts a fair amounts of hotels as well, included the famous Pera Palas Hotel (closed due to restoration while we're there). Anyway on this first photo one can see the lower part of Beyoglu, the Bosphorus Strait (and the Bosphorus bridge) and the Asian side of the city.

Moving clockwise on the thiniest balcony ever on the Galata Tower, one see the Golden Horn and part of the old town. Surrounded by some green forest one can see part of the old palace - Topkapi.

Continuing the tour - notice the three dominating mosques. The first one (from left) is the Blue Mosque, Istanbul's most famous mosque. It's proper name is Sultan Ahmet Camii and it was built in the beginning of the 17th century. The second mosque (on the top of the hill) is the biggest one, named Suleymaniye Mosque, and most important one. The last one, down by the bridge, is the New Mosque. I crossed this bridge every day in order to get to the old and most interesting part of the town....

and could see the people fishing....

From the old town and back on the Beyoglu side - here is a photo which kind of proofs that Istanbul has a population of 11, 5 millions.

More to come....

The old palace - Topkapi and the especially the harem
Haga Sophia and Blue Mosque
Suleymaniye Mosque
Hippodrome
Galata Tower
Old trams
Dolmabahce
And how to loose money in Istanbul (shopping) and more....

Books - Hodejegerne av Jo Nesbø (in Norwegian only)

2008-08-18T11:17:00.000+02:00

Endelig tenkte jeg da jeg hørte at Jo Nesbø skulle komme med en spenningsroman. Jeg har aldri vært kjempebegeistret for krimbøker. Spenningsbøker derimot, som ikke handler om fordrukne politibetjenter i inn- og utland, er en sjanger jeg har større sans for. Jeg var derfor litt spent når jeg skulle lese Hodejegerne av Jo Nesbø. Boken er også en av få bøker jeg har sett reklame for på kino i Norge!

Roger Brown er bokas hovedperson. Han jobber som hodejeger og stjeler kunst i lunsjpausene sine. Sistnevnte for å opprette en livsstil for å bevare sin perfekte og tro kone. En dag så går ting litt galt. Han har (eller rettere sagt hans kone) har funnet en perfekt kandidat. Ikke bare vil han være en ypperlig kandidat til en stilling som Browns sitt firma konkurrer om å besette, han har også et sjeldent og verdifult maleri av Rubens. Så begynner nettet å snøre seg sammen og ikke alle er det de utgir seg for å være.

Språket er innimellom klønete. En setning som "Hele opplegget var - akkurat som internett - blitt utviklet av det amerikanske forsvaret, akkurat som internett, blant annet for å styre Tomahawk -raketter, Pawelow-bomber og annen nedfallsfrukt man ville skulle dette i hodet på rette vedkommende". Enten så undervurderer han leserne (med å poengtere det med internett to ganger) og er redd for å gå glipp av poeng eller så er det bare slurv.

Det er tydelig at handlingen er viktigere enn språket og det er nettop derfor man leser ei slik bok. Den har alle ingredienser - spenning, kjærlig og et plott man kan til et viss punkt tro på. Når man tror man skjønner alt - så skjer det noe nytt. Små hint blir gitt, men akkurat som i Harry Potter, man forstår de ikke før det er for sent! Man har vanskelig for å legge fra seg boken før man er ferdig.

Boken har fått glimrende kritikker - det kan jeg forstå. Enkel underholdning en søndagsettermiddag. For meg kan Nesbø godt legge Harry Hole på hylla og fortsette med Roger Brown ei stund fremover!!!

Books - Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild

2008-08-13T09:49:00.000+02:00

A few years back, when I was at uni, I read Hochshild's great book King Leopold's Ghost. A horrid story of King Leopold the second, of Belgium, and his explotion of what we today know as Democratic Republic of Congo.

My expectations for Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves where therefore high.*

Through his easy-reading style of writing (!), but without simplifying the facts or the story, he tells the story about how a few people started the antislavery movement in England. In his introduction he writes that he doesn't really bring any new information about this subject and that might not be so, but he most certainly brings the information and research that is done out there - to the people reading his book. Not only bringing us this information - he also shows us how we get deceived by history (and how WE want to understand the past). One of the characters we get to know in this book is John Newton, for many people known as the man who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace". "Amazing Grace" is today known by everyone and is one of the most popular hymns ever and used in antislavery movements later. John Newton (born in 1725 and died in 1807) was once a captain on ships transporting slaves to the new world. Later he starts working for a church in London. It's in his early years as a representative to the church that he writes the well-known hymn. But, at this point there are no proof or evidence (like diaries or letters) that John Newton had second thoughts about his past at the time of writing the hymn. It was only much later he started to work for the antislavery movement.

12 men met in 1787 and changed the world. Not on that day, but through tedious and hard work. Most of them were Quakers who had been working with this long before this meeting and Clarkson, the forgotten hero in this tale. These men (and many more - one get to know many fascinating people in this book included the former slave Equiano) manage to get an awareness throughout the country about the slave trade and lack of human rights, which also included a boycott of sugar that lasted for a very long time. Can anyone imagine a boycott of sugar these days?!! The book also tells the politics and who really run the farms with slaves (e.g. the Anglican church).

It's well-written, interesting and touching.... And one can only ask - where do we find such care for people far far away from our safe homes today??

And if one want to continue the reading in this genre .... A few years ago I read Incidents in the life of Slave Girl by herself (Harriet Jacobs) and also the biography about Harriet Jacobs A life Jean Fagan Yellin. Both worth reading!

*(I have to admit that I have read a Norwegian translation - well done though by Erik Ringen).

Norway - Geiranger

2008-08-10T11:10:00.000+02:00

Last year I visited the fjord and valley of Geiranger, which is situated only a few hours drive from my home place at Averøy.

This is the waterfall called the Beau - because he was proposing to the waterfall just across the fjord, the Seven Sisters. They all turned him down and he turned to the bottle - and that's way the waterfall is shaped like a bottle (if you look closely).

This is the village of Geiranger. A tiny place surrounded by these high mountains. It's very polluted though because of all the cruise ships visiting the fjord every year (you can see two of them at the photo above). The village itself isn't very interesting - full of souvenir stalls and tiny shops and cafes (only open during summer of course) one felt that it was all built up for a film set.

And this is the waterfall Seven Sisters. It wasn't very big when we're there (due to the lack of rain). However - notice the small farm on the hill. There were several of these small farms in the fjord. They're only accessible from the fjord... Imagine climbing your way up to the farm from the fjord....

Venezuela - Barquisimeto and its surroundings

2008-08-07T19:33:00.000+02:00

My family and I were fortunate to spend more than two weeks (in March this year) in Venezuela in order to celebrate my sister Mari's wedding to Antonio . Antonio's family lives in Barquisimeto and that was where our base was during these weeks. We stayed in the homes of a very friendly and warm family - the family of Antonio. The hospitality can't really be described - some memorable moments was also being invited to a family party in real latino-style.... Just like the movies! We are also taken around Barquisimeto and the district - one day we visited a mountain village, driving up (and down) some very narrow roads - eating in cafe which, well, it was interesting at least! One day we went to see a park of exotic flowers/plants (El Parque de la Exotica Tropical). The park is situated in an old colonial estate and was very beautiful. My family took a tour around the park, while I ... hm spent the time reading a science fiction novel due to my frightness of insects which stings and larger animals that might cross the path (if you read this Laurin - yes, I know you are laughing right now....!).
However, a few shots from the exotic plants... last time I checked - none of these are in our garden back at Averøy....

I did however venture to visit these gorgeous parrots... say no more:-)

I think these colourful photos is a good picture of what we saw in Venezuela. Thanks to Mari and Ellen who has taken most of the photos used in the blog entrances from Venezuela!

Venezuela - Caracas and El Hatillo

2008-08-06T19:55:00.000+02:00

Caracas, having a population of 6 millions, is situated in a valley. However, driving around in the valley one never get the feeling that the city is over-crowded - but looking up on hills the reality is some what different.

In Caracas, after being fed proper Italian-style, we wanted to take the teleferico (cable car) up to the summit of El Avila (one of the mountains around the valley of Caracas). This is what we not thought of

It's Easter
People in Venezuela has got holiday
People in Caracas has got holiday
People want to go with the teleferico to the summit of El Avilo and celebrate Easter

This is the line we stood in for three hours in order to take the telefico.....

.... and this is the telefico itself....
This is a great outing for everyone who is a afraid for hights! On the summit one has a great view, there is also a hotel and because were there during the Easter, there was a lot of things going on. A view from the top:

Caracas is also the birth place of Simon Bolivar (1783 - 1830). One of the biggest heroes in Latin America - the name Bolivar is everywhere. Bolivares is the Venezuelan currency, everything town has got a Plaza Bolivar. I really had no idea before going to Venezuela HOW important Bolivar was to their history. Simon Bolivar (or as his proper name is Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios y Blanco) was born into a wealthy family, once coming from Spain. His parents died when he was very young (first his father and later his mother), but he was taken care of by a relative (uncle I think).

He later moved to France to continue his education and there he was introduced into the new ideas like Liberalism. After meeting his wife they moved back to Caracas, but his wife died shortly afterwards and Bolivar decided to do some travelling. Remember the time he lived in, things were happening in France and in the US at that time. Influenced by what he has seen he returned to Caracas and became a revolutionary.

Becoming a part of the junta to fight for freedom in Latin America, he in 1812 took command of the junta. Quoting my Lonely Planet (2007) ... Over the following decade, he hardly had a moment's rest, as battle followed battle with astonishing frequency. He personally commanded the independence forces in 35 battles, including the key Battle of Carabobo, which brough freedom to Venezuela. Bolivar's long-awaited dream of a unified republic comprising Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador became reality. But not everyone was happy about it and Bolivar became a dictator in order to not loose any parts of the republic. However, he was not well, and he resigned and died while trying to go to France in 1830.

El Hatillo, the small town from the 16th century, also have a Plaza Bolivar, with the obligatory statue of Bolivar.
We visited this small town one sleepy Sunday morning in order to see the very amazing souviner shop called Hannsi. Here are some picturesque photos from this little town, just a few minutes away from Caracas.

Notice the colourful buildings in the hills of El Hatillo. This was very typical all around Venezuela. We could also see these kind of buildings on Isla de Margarita.. The last photo is from the parish church of El Hatillo.

Venezuela - Isla de Margarita

2008-08-04T14:24:00.001+02:00

Isla de Margarita... Maybe the destination in Venezuela where most foreigners visit.... A dreamy Caribbean island... full of tourists yes, where one could here all kind of European languages, but also an island which had it's differences when it came to the vegetation.

We stayed four days at a resort (also full of other Scandinavians) which was situated very close to the beach Playa de Agua (actually we had cross a road from the resort to enter the beach). Acording to my guide book - Playa de Agua is one of the trendiest beaches on the island. Along the beach there were shops and cafes (and most importantly for me - internet cafes!), here is a photo take from the beach:

One morning we went to the beach called El Yache, apparantly one of the best place to go windsurfing or kitesurfing in the world! I am not going to embarrass my sisters, cousin and brother-in-law by putting up some photos here when they tried (and I would emphazise the word try) to windsurf. I had a pretty good time watching the whole attempt to windsurf from shore....

But Isla de Margarita has more to offer than beaches (and a sunburnt skin!). Around the towns (Porlamar and Pampatar) there are malls and we visited one of them. The best thing about it - it had aircondition! Didn't do so much shopping though, I have to admit that the Venezuelan style when it comes to clothes is a bit too much for me (or too little??).

The small village, La Asuncion, is worth a visit for three reasons... It's beautiful Plaza Bolivar, the cathedral and the fort. The cathedral, viewed on the photo below, is one of the oldest on the island. It's dated back to the later part of the 1500's. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside it, but walked around it a few times to get a good view. We also walked around the Plaza Bolivar and we could see the bell (see photo below):

Next to the village, there is a fort called Castillo de Santa Rosa. There were built seven forts on the island in order to protect themselves from pirates.

After visiting this fort we drove to the other side of Margarita, where we could see some more beautiful scenery.

This photos are taken from al Fortin de La Galera, one can see the beach called Playa Caribe. Maybe one of the most stunning view on the island.
The fort itself wasn't so interesting, much of the colonial fort is destroyed today. The view for the sun set is supposed to be best on Margarita - but we're a few hours too early for that.

At Margarita we stayed at two hotels... The first night we stayed at this one.... And I went for a walk in the morning on the beach close to this hotel... no people....

Before we the very following morning downgraded ourselves voluntarily to four stars (instead of five) and stayed at this resort, Hesperia, by Playa de Agua....

Lovely place - but four days on Margarita was enough! It was time to see more of Venezuela....

Venezuela - Playa Mero (the wedding)

2008-08-04T13:21:00.000+02:00

The wedding of my sister Mari and Antonio took place on a beautiful beacah in the national park of Morrocoy (and for those who don't know Venezuela that well - it's on the the northwest coast of the mainland - mainland, yes, but still Caribbean beaches.... and to quote my Lonely Planet about Parque Nacional Morrocoy one of the most spectacular coastal environment in Venezuela.....). Antonio's family has got some holiday apartments in Tucacas and in the morning of the wedding we're all taken to the port. In the port we're all picked up by some small boats and taken to the island (way too fast - I could have spent the hour I did in morning on doing my hair on reading instead).

After about ten minutes we're getting close to some islands which had this bushy kind of nature and I was wondering where this tropical paradise was.... We got dropped off - and walked to the bush and there --- wow ---- was the place where the ceremony would be.... Could be more like a tropical dream! That's me in front of the "church".
.... And after a while... getting around to actually having the ceremony... here is a photo of Mari and Antonio getting hitched! With some eager family members as photographers!
And after the ceremony there was time for family photos, which I am not going to bore you with but instead you can all have a better look at the happy couple:My sister's dress is actually made by our grandmother to our mom when she was 14! My mom did some alterations on it and it suited Mari perfectly:-)

Then a barbeque followed and afterwards everyone went swimming in the sea. That's a tradition we all know from weddings back in Norway.
Or one could hide in the -few shadows there were... What A wonderful day - weddings back in Norway will be a bit formal and cold after this adventure!

England - wedding of Ruth and Norm

2008-08-02T20:21:00.001+02:00

In June I was invited to the wedding of my friend Ruth (whom I worked together with in Moscow - in what now seems to be a long time ago). She was marrying her Norm and had invited friends and family to share this event with them. The wedding took place in a small, small place called Whitminster. When I got off at the train station in Stonehouse it was like coming to a sleepy Miss Marple novel village (but no murder luckily - only happiness....). Ruth and Norm had rented an estate with many small cottages and houses where the guests could stay. The wedding itself also took place on these grounds, except of short trip to the registration office for the legal ceremony. Ruth wore a beautiful white dress, made by her mother!

Invited to the wedding was also my good friend Tanya from Moscow - great to see old friends again. Tanya and Zhenya made the flowers in the morning. Which I must say was a great thing to do, since none of them has never done anything like that. But with a perfect result! The wedding was very nice and enjoyable, somethings are very international in weddings (like speeches), but then one find something new for each country (or for each couple as well) . Thank you very much for sharing your wedding with us, Ruth and Norm! Best of wishes in the future for the newly weds! And some more photos from the Withminster House where we stayed (there was an old church of course....):

Poland - Krakow

2008-08-02T17:38:00.001+02:00

Krakow.... Maybe the town I had the highest expectations for on our travel to Poland... Also the town I would love to spend more time... Unlike Gdansk and Warsawa, Krakow wasn't heavily destroyed during the war and one had a sense of a more unique atmosphere walking around the old town.

Krakow was Poland's capital for many centuries. Until Lithuania and Poland (a kingdom then) signed a treaty in 1569 and their joint parliaments started to meet in Warsawa, which was just between the two capitals Krakow and Vilnius. Later king Zygmunt the third (see the photo of his statue on the entrance on this blog about Warsawa) moved the royal court to Warsawa. This move started a bit of decline for Krakow in 17th and 18th century. However, there are several buildings from the Baroque time in Krakow. We couldn't get inside, but we peaked through the glass entrance, in the beautiful church of St. Anne. Originally there was a Gothic church on this site, but this churc they started building in 1698. You can see the front part of the church here to the right. When I peaked inside I could see the very famous high altar which is decorated by scultupture of the Italian artist Fontana. This is one church I would love to have a better look inside.

However, the history of Krakow started long ago before it's decline (of course!). There are evidence of settlement if Krakow since 200 000 BC! Later, Polish rulers had their base in Krakow. In 1000 the bishopric was established in Krakow - and with the church Krakow became more and more important*. Already in 1020 they started to built the first cathedral here, on Wavel Hill. This first cathedral is lost today, and they built a second one in the end of the 11th century and in the beginning of the 12th (this one was in Romansque style). From this cathedral most of the outer details are know, but not the interior. But this cathedral aged (and there was a fire in 1305) and it was replaced by the present cathedral in Gothic style. We visited this cathedral one rainy Thursday morning...

Due to the heavy rain the photos of the cathedral isn't the best, but on the first one you can see the cathedral from the entrance to the Royal Castle and Cathedral (we came in by the the Coat of Arms Gate). One can't really see that on the photo here but the cathedral has three towers - one is baroque and is added in the 18th century (the one you can see on the photo). The second photo is from the entrance to the cathedral itself. It costed a few zlotys to get inside the cathedral, but then one could also climb to the Zygmunt Tower (as we did while I was asking myself why I had for the xth time that holiday managed to get myself into small and creepy staircases!). However - one could see several bells and one had a fairly decent view of the town from the highest part of it (or the highest part we're allowed I assume...). With our ticket we could also visit the crypt. The cathedral was crowded inside and it was a bit hard to get around. Even if the church was built in Gothic style - it's not pure Gothic inside... So much as been added later and I think one can find something from many epoches here. One of the highlights was the chapel of Zygmunt. Along the nave there are several chapels, but this one is the most stunning one. It's renaissance and the carving are amazing - for instance on the walls there are sandstone with mythological figures.

The cathedral is situated on the Wavel Hill, very much next to the royal castle. Unfortunately, due to lack of time (and very long lines) we didn't go inside we walked over the court yard, but due to the heavy rain our stroll on the hill was short cut. Next time....

The centre of Krakow in the old town is the medieval market square, where one can find many of the important buildings in Krakow. In the midst of the square is the Cloth Hall, it was originally a market hall, today used for pushing wooden chess tables on tourist (a souviner market that is! - yeah we bought one!). It has a picture gallery but it was closed due to renovation while we're there and that was a pity - it looked really interesting. On the photo to the right you can see the Town Hall Tower, with the Cloth Hall in the back and look closely, the outdoor cafe with it parasolls with the Polish beer Tyskie! So much culture gathered in one photo:)

Being into churces - I couldn't miss maybe the most famous one St. Mary's. It's entrance is from the Market Square as well. It's a Gothic one as well (but do have some important Baroque furnishing inside it).

Notice on the photo (below to the right) the two very different towers of the St. Mary's church! They are built at different times. The north one didn't initially have spires, but got spires in the middle of the 1400's. This tower was once the watch tower of Krakow! The south tower is the bell tower. The (main) entrance is built in late Baroque and was added as late as in 1750's. Inside the church was amazing. Due to a service we couldn't explore it as much as we wanted to (it was rather difficult to enter the churches one wanted in Krakow, but of course it's praiseworthy that they still uses the old churces and not only keep them as museums). However, we got a good look at the high altar which is very famous. It's made by Veit Stoss (also know as Wit Stwosz) - a German wood carver. The high altar dates back to the later part of the 1400. It's extremely huge and it can be closed (like many of the altars made at that time, in Norway there are som altars from that time made in Germany).

Walking around the old town in Krakow is an adventure - so many things to see. Even when it's heavy rain as well.... Many nice cafes, shops and so on. One can not fail to mention that Krakow has a big university as well. Actually the first academy was founded in Krakow in 1364! Altough it was later refounded one must say that they have a long history for academia. Close by the church of St. Anne there is the Collegium Maius, the oldest building belonging to the university. It's from the 15th century and it originally housed lecture rooms and dorms, later a library. Today it's a museum which one can enter (we didn't, you know, time...).

The first photo is of the St. Florian's gate. This photo is taken from outside the old town. Enter this gate and one can walk down the Florianska street. Once a part of the royal route. Much later, after the court has left Krakow for Warsawa, it was the first street with trams in Krakow!! Once a busy street, today it's a tourist street! They think St. Florian's gate is from the 13th century. On the second photo one can see the parts of the old town walls, where there is a art market today. They started surrounding the town already in end of the 13th century to defend it and it once had 47 towers.

We had a day and half in Krakow and it was pouring down rain most of the time. We decided to go on a tour to see the very famous salt mines in the town of Wieliczka. I had heard a lot about this mine and wanted to go there just to see what it was all about... We had a two-hour guided tour in the mines and it was very interesting. First of all one could notice the air - so fresh, even so deep underground. I didn't take any photos inside it, but visit the webpage here and one can see more what this is really. They think they found salt here already in the 11th century. The mine is newer and we we walked for two hours in an vaste network of tunnels, bridges, staircases and so on. What amazed me the most was everything they had made of salt, there were small chapels and one HUGE one, I couldn't believe it was all made by salt! Today this salt mine is also on the UNESCO's First World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage. I understand why....

That was Krakow for us! I would love to go back one day! Meanwhile - I am going to strugge myself through A traveller's history of Poland (by Radzilowski) so I can be more prepared next time.

*Most of this paragraph is from the Guidebook of The royal cathedral at the Wavel Hill by Czyzewski

Poland - Warsawa

2008-07-30T20:18:00.000+02:00

People has been living in the Warsawa area since the 10th century. Today's population is 1,7 millions in the city (2,5 if one includes the suburbs). Coming from sleepy Gdansk - Warsawa was like coming to a big city. Like Gdansk, Warsawa was very much destroyed during the war and is rebuilt, much like it was, but it also have some of the Communist buildings that one can see for instance in Moscow . They also have something similar to Stalin's wedding cakes!! (Today housing the department of culture - see photo to the right).

Walking down the Royal Route (once the route that was used in the parades of new kings coming into the city) we made it into the Old Town. One can say that it all starts on the square Zamkowy which is dominated by the huge statue of king Zygmunt. Just before reacing the square, close by the church of St. Anne, there is a viewing tower. We paid our zlotys and climbed to the top and got an amazing view of the old town, the Royal Castle included. We visited the Royal Castle, which according to our guide book is one of the most important buildings in Poland and a symbol of national independence and the parliamentary system. Blown up by the Germans in 1944, its reconstruction began in 1971*. I think maybe that was the "problem" with the castle. I have been to a few castles through out my time, and there will be many more in the future, but this one lacked the authentic athmosphere. But we had a good look around and it is always interesting to see a castle. We could also see on some photos (or was it postcards?) how much it must have been destroyed during the war.

We started our little tour of the old town by walking down the Piwna street or the Beer Street! This is the oldest part of Warsawa and was once encircled by the city walls, parts of these walls we could see today. On the photo one can see part of these walls and the Barbakan (which was constructed in 1548 and recontstructed in 1950's). There was a Barbakan (Barbikan in English) in each town we visited and we got a bit curious about what this means (it was always situated on the north part of the walls), we looked it up and Barbakan is latin for a gate fortifying the walls. So now we know.... The old town has a charming town square as well, you can see the mermaid fountain on the photo below, if you look closely one can see that the houses in the back do have different decorations.

From the old town we continued into the new town. This is apparantly a completely different part of the town, it had it own settlement apart from the old town. It became settled in the 14th century. The first thing we did in this part was to rest.... A day of walking (royal route + old town) had made us tired.... After the rest we walked through a park (Traugutta) got lost and found the metro where I could use my PolskiRusski (I don't speak a word of Polish - I just improvise) to buy us tickets to get home to our hotel - the sweet Rialto. Ok... I so I am usually satisified with a clean room, ok bed and a decent location - but I have to say that staying at our five-star-Art-Deco hotel was very much worth every zloty that we paid....

Everyone seen (or read) "the Pianist" knows about the Ghetto of Warsawa during the Second World War .... In 1940, when the ghetto was sealed, it occupied 2,4 % of Warsawa, with several hundreds Jews**. When we walked around it kind of felt as it covered a huge part of the Warsawa (maybe it was the rain and the empty streets that made us feel that), but it really must have been crowded during the wars (at least before the mass deportations started). It's said that in the beginning the main problem was to find a place to live - I read that there were 8 to one room, but I can't verify that... Most of the building that were once a part of this ghetto got destroyed and there are a lot of new buildings (and not necessarily rebuilt as it was). Our walk through what has once been the ghetto was interesting. My highligt was to see the street where the Polish author Isaac Bashevis Singer lived. I read his "A little boy in search of God" and "A young man in search of love" earlier this year before I ever knew I was going to Poland. These novels take place where in these parts of Warsawa.

Lazienki Park... The morning before going to Krakow we spent in this beautiful park.... Relatively new, it all started out as a garden retreat in the hunting grounds of the royal court. It was Poland's latest king, Poniatowski, who built (well, not by himself) and lay out the garden. It is really wonderful, said to be one of the most beautiful parks in Europe, it has a quietness and wilderness that one doesn't get in Versailles or in the Petrodvarets in St. Petersburg. We entered the park through the main entrance where one can find the famous monument dedicated to Chopin (see the photo of me above, with Chopin the back - he he, that's the right priority...). The monument is in the middle of a rose garden and it is really stunning... It did cause a bit of discussion when it was designed in 1908, because it was too controversy (the design that is) and wasn't finished and shown to the public for more than almost 20 years...

Walking through the Lazienki Park one could see many small houses e.g. the White House (where the King's sister lived in), the military college, the beautiful Myslewicki Palace, but the main attractions are the Palace- on- the water or Palace- on-the-island (see also photo in the first entrance of this blog). This palace,relatively small, is situated on an artifical island. We didn't go inside it due to lack of time, but we could enjoy it's outer part! It was initially a bath house in the 17th century (the bath houses where I come from look quite different - not like the ugly bugly red building on my parents property back home!).

On the first photo above you can see a detail of the main palace. As written, we didn't go inside, but we did pay seven zlotys pr person and took a tour of the pond in a gondola. It was very nice and the ten minutes we the tour lasted we could see the park from a different view. The second photo is taken from the the Theatre- on - the - island. This outside theatre is supposed to a replica of the ancient temple at Baalbeck (in todays Syria). You can see a photo of part of the theatre below.

Lazienki Park was wonderful! Could have spent much more time there but Krakow was waiting!

Warsawa is indeed a good place to visit - for a weekend or longer. Cheap food (Polish cuisine is not bad) and beer (according to my Steinar!) and it's easy to get around... And it's not bad for shopping either!

Fly, fly....

*Insight - Pocket Guide - Warsaw (2006)
** Warsaw Ghetto (Parma Press)

Poland - Gdansk

2008-07-30T18:58:00.000+02:00

Gdansk has a population of 460 000, but it seems to be a small, sleepy town. The city has a long history (once a member of the Hanseatic League), but unfortunately it was destroyed during the Second World War and is now rebuild. The city center is therefore more or less rebuild as it was, but the rebuilding made the town feel too nice ( where is the authentic stuff?)if you get me.

The main street in Gdansk is Dluga street. It can be reached from the west from by entering the Upland Gate which can be seen on the photo above (it was built in the 16th century in order to fortify the town walls). The Upland Gate is the first of three gates (the following is Foregate and the last is the Golden Gate). Walking down the Dluga street there are many pretty sights - on the main square you find the statue of Neptune.... In the end one reach the Green Gate (yes, it is not long ago since I did laser surgery but I could not see any green on it), walk through it and one are by the waterfront!

The crane in Gdansk (see photo left) on the waterfront is one of the highlights in the this town. This one dates back to 1444 and it was the main one used in port of Gdansk for many years.

The main sight in Gdansk is however the St. Mary's church. It is a huge Gothic church, apparantly the biggest brick church in the world (it is really huge). We climbed the 400 and somethings steps to see what was said to be a good view but it was rather an disappointment. The climb down was (as anyone knowing me know) a horrid experience... Could they have made the steps and staircase any smaller???

One of the most famous street in Gdansk is the Mariacka Street, it is small, but very pretty. Filled with small shops - great for souviner shopping or for taking a rest on one of the small cafes. This photo of the Mariacka Street is taken from the tower of St. Mary's church.

Some might remember the strike in the shipyard in Gdansk around the time I was newborn. Well, Gdansk was also the place for a strike nine years earlier (1970) as well. There were strikes all around the country and there were riots and in Gdansk several workers were killed after being attacked by the militia. They answered with attacking the local party headquarter. About 300 people died in these riots and the Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers was built to commerate these people. However, ten years later, due to economical troubles, the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk had to fire several people, included the later famous Lech Walesa and Anna Walentynowicz. When Anna (a known and respected leader of the worker's resistance) was fired the workers stopped working and protested by sitting down peacefully. Soon the they were joined by others and in the end the rest of Poland took part as well. In the end the government allowed them to start Solidarity (a trade union) with Walesa as a chairman. It was therefore, in 1980, that this monument was built and became important to the work for the Solidarity as well. However, threatened by the work of Solidarity (and Rural Solidarity, created for farmers) the government of Poland declared martial law in 1981. They arrested many of their leaders and this led to riots where about 100 people where killed *. In the afternoon of our one-day stay in Gdansk we visited the Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers. You can see part of in the photo to the right.

Gdansk is a pretty, nice town, but we were eager to go on our trip around Poland, so spent one day there. We didn't make it to the Maldork, the famous castle of the Teutonic knights, but it said to be worth the visit. Maybe next time???

*Most of the information on the paragraph is based on A traveller's history of Poland by John Radzilowski.

Poland

2008-07-30T18:38:00.000+02:00

Our route was Gdansk - Warsawa - Krakow! We flew to Gdansk (SAS) and out of Krakow (Norwegian) and travelled by train Gdansk - Warsawa - Krakow. Travelling by train in Poland is fairly easy, especially if you travel with InterCity (IC) trains which serves the main routes. We did not know that one could by ticket with IC in special offices - so we queued with the Poles in the ordinary ticket box (kaca) in Gdansk and had to buy our tickets in mixture of EnglishRusski and when I started to speak German it was a complete chaos .

The photo is taken from our train trip to Warsawa (4,5 hours) and because it was one of these old fashion train with compartments and windows that could actually be opened - it was great to take some photos. I also realised during this trip that they use the old way of signaling - we passed these houses where men where holding flags out the window to signalize (something) to the train conductors. I, of course, dedicated the rest of the trip to get a decent photo of a man in a house with a flag.... but no....

Welcome to my blog....

2008-07-29T20:23:00.000+02:00

..... where I want to keep my friends up to date with my travelling, place to see, places to go (soo many of them), books to read (or not to read) or movies to watch....

Just came home from a week in Poland - bits and pieces of the journey will be told here (look at the amazing palace-on-water on the photo) .... Plus---

my trip to England in June
Venezuela in March
Istanbul last year
and Geiranger ... Norway last year!

Soon to come:-)