Linear view vs. Masonry View

Archive for ‘Travel’

Lobster

Lobster

At exactly seven o’clock the first Monday in September after the 20:th, a splashing sound symphony starts. In the first light of dawn the small boats circling each other to get the best positioning. Cheerful morning greetings are passed by those with the best spots. Grunting replies by those that just drifted a bit too far out of course. With a splash the cage goes in the water. The skill is to gently drag the cage in position on an underwater rock shelf, preferably in front of the lobster nest.

The yearly Lobster fishing season has started. This delicacy from the underwater rocks is on the most wanted list for many recreational fishermen. Yepp, that’s true mostly men. In the past the lobster has been over fished and to keep the population at a viable level there are some restrictions to follow. The shield needs to be at minimum nine centimeters and if a female specimen carries spawn it goes back in the sea. A maximum of six cages per person, that needs to be present in the boat.

The first lobster sold at the fish auction in Göteborg this morning costed 77 000 Swedish Krona, in euros €7 500.

Ha de Gött, we will, got two so far!

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Copper Mare

Copper Mare

Another King of Sweden, Karl IX. He was king from 1604 to 1611. The statue has been there since 1904. The humor in Göteborg quickly name it “Kopparmärra”, the copper mare but the horse is in fact a stallion. The statue weighs 6 700 kilos and is 88% copper and 12% tin. Moving in to the picture with speed is one of the characteristic trams. Stay tuned for more of this city landmark.

Quit horsing around, ha de Gött!

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City View

City View

Sometimes Forestry Ulle dress in civilian clothes and walk the city streets like a normal person. Last Friday was such an occasion. The city was Göteborg a two hour drive from the meadows of home.

You see “Stora Hamnkanalen” or “Main Harbor Canal” in the photo. City hall with the German Church behind on the right side. If some of my Dutch readers feel at home you’re probably not mistaken. City planners and engineers was hired to build the city and gave it the nickname “Little Amsterdam”. Later during the industrial revolution many British entrepreneurs found their luck here, so the nickname changed to “Little London” and that remains still today.

The city was founded in 1621 by the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf. With its strategic position as a wedge to the west and the North Sea between Norway and Denmark, it was built as a fortress. Surrounded by high walls and canals in a marshland with the river Göta Älv on one side. From there ships could unload goods to smaller boats that then was rowed in to the Hamnkanal.

You can often hear my catch phrase “ha de gött” in Göteborg when people leave a shop or a tram. Stay tuned for more pictures, ha de Gött!

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Midsummer Eve

Midsummer Eve

Midsummer eve full of mystery

Midsummer eve pale night light

Midsummer eve flowers and bees

Midsummer eve family and friends

Midsummer eve herring and snaps

Midsummer eve children dance around

Midsummer eve stay up all night

Midsummer eve family and friends

The midsummer celebration is as special to us Swedes as others countries national day. I described this in last years midsummer blog post. Find it here. Ha de Gött!

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Havstenssund

Havstenssund

I promised a while back to share a slide show from Havstenssund in Bohuslän, Sweden. A bit overdue here it is.

Havstenssund is a small community with only 150 inhabitants situated on the north tip of a peninsula, Tanumsnäs. It was first mentioned by the Norwegian King Sverre Sigurdsson in 1196. In the summertime the population tenfold and through the narrow strait a multitude of boats passes. Enjoy and ha de Gött!

https://youtu.be/xh3LG8ACqR4
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Gullbringa

Gullbringa

Last weekend offered a perfect winter weather for photography. -3°C and and almost no wind. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky. Even if I promised my wife not to climb any mountains I went over the hills. From there overseeing the ocean where I, in the clear sky, could see the Norwegian mountain tops. There was a thin layer of snow on the island cliffs making a perfect contrast to the blue ocean and sky. The high salt content and the currents keeps the water open even if has been cold for several weeks.

I came down on the other side of the hill in the small village Gullbringa. Typical for those small villages where the houses are squeezed between the rocks. Remains of quarrying, read more in a previous post, and fishing. Now taken over by summerhouses making it almost empty during winter. I made a slide show with music composed and performed by my son.

https://youtu.be/tozblzFHZHY

Hope you like, subscribe (also to my new Youtube channel) and comment. Ha de Gött!

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Scandinavian

Scandinavian

Are you finished, the waiter asked. He looked up with a surprised expression. No, I’m Swedish, he said. The waitress frowned and looked at him like he was a UFO. Turned on her heals, slapped the cloth, and walked away with a grunt. He looked at his dinner date with a face like a question mark. Why did she ask if I’m from Finland, he asked. His dinner date started to laugh. In fact she laugh so loud and intense that the whole restaurant stopped eating and stared at her.

Photo by Ulle Haddock©

Now people started to feel a bit uncomfortable and he just wanted to sink through the floor. Finally his native English speaking date calm down and could explain the misunderstanding. She signed to the waitress. Also she giggled when the language mistake was cleared and she could clean of the table. With a big smile she asked if they would like some Danish for desert.

Have you any fun story to share when you tried to overcome the language barrier? Please comment, like and subscribe. Ha de Gött!

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The Windmill

The Windmill

The wind started to pick up. He looked at the clouds. The sun was breaking through as the clouds sailed past in the sky. Yes, this was going to be a busy day. As he walked up the hill he could see them coming. The carriages with grain filled jute sacks. Some had horses but mostly oxen. Even some carrying a sack on their back. As he approached the windmill there was already a line waiting.

He put in a big portion of snuff* under his lip making him showing his brown colored front teeth. He started to give orders to the farmers waiting in line to set the smock in place. On this windmill the entire top was turned to get the wings in the perfect position to catch the wind. Once in place he anchored it down and let the sail cloth out on the wings.

Now the wind picked up even more so he let the first farmer carry the sacks in to the mill. The mill had two parallel mill wheels so he could grind two types at the same time or just make it faster. After oiling all the shafts he released the breaks and the wings slowly started to turn. Today was good wind so they had to work hard to fill the grinders with grain and replace the filled sacks with ready made flour.

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The windmill of Ulseröd is just a few kilometres from my home. It was built in 1900 and was in operation until 1939. During this period new technology made it possible for the farmers to do their own milling. This together with the urbanization made the windmills obsolete.

The windmill of Ulseröd was saved from decay by Tanum Local Folklore Society and Havstenssund Community Association. A major renovation took place in 2013 to 2016. Basically a bunch 70 and 80 year old men were climbing the the wings to replace the wood, windows and paint. Find out more here (in Swedish). In my opinion, heroes saving this piece of history for the future. Well done.

*I think I need to explain as I understand the word can mean something else in English also. I refer to the special Swedish use of fine grind and wet tobacco that some put under the lip. Like chewing tobacco but it just sits there.

Hope you like, subscribe and comment. Ha de Gött!

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Vienna

Vienna

Travel has been restricted this year so I will share some old travel memories instead. I think many of you has a favorite city to travel to. I have several but if I must choose one it will be Vienna or Wien in German. Capital of Austria in the middle of Europe. If you are interested in history, architecture or classical music this is the place to go. With many restaurants and cafes it is the perfect weekend holiday for those who just like to take walks, do some shopping, sit in a cafe or have a nice dinner.

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Transport

When I go to a larger city I like to travel by public transport. Vienna probably has the best in the world. Even if you stay in a hotel in the suburbs it is easy to go in to the city center with S-Bahn (Commuter trains). In the city you can go with the excellent U-Bahn (Subway), bus or Strassenbahn (Tram). The tram network is the largest in the world. Once in the city center it is mostly walking distance. Always make sure you have good shoes in the city.

Culture

Just walking around in the city with many historical buildings and parks is enough pleasure if you are on a tight budget. As the city has been the center for one of the larges kingdoms in central Europe there are may castles to visit. One you must not miss is Schönbrunn that you easily reach by U-Bahn. The castle has 1600 rooms and a garden worth visiting by its own right.

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Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss are composers connected to Vienna. Or way not Ultravox with the song Vienna. There are may possibilities to hear music or opera in the city. It is always a good idea to book in advance but not needed as tickets are sold all over the city. The many churches have also organ concerts and if you are lucky someone might sit and practice while you visit. Yes the churches are worth a visit and the grandest of them all is the Stephansdom.

If the family has different interests it is not a problem. In the city center you will find shopping streets, cafes and restaurants for those not in to museums and churches. A visit to a cafe is a must if you have a sweet tooth like me. The pastries you can get! A pick nick in a park a warm day is also highly recommended. I could go on and on but I suggest you go there yourselves when this pandemic is over.

I have visited the city twice. The first time I was young and on my first Eurail ticket. We stayed in a simple pension just outside the city center. We had planned to stay for two days but liked it so much we stayed almost a full week. Second time was twenty five years later with my family. As my son plays grand piano, church organ and classic guitar this was quite an experience for him. He composes his own music that you can find here.

Next city on the list is close call between Berlin or London so I will see if I can decide. Until then do not forget to like, subscribe, share and comment. Also check out other posts from me.

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Lagom

Lagom

This very special Swedish word does not have a translation in any other language. Google Translate suggests “Moderate” or “just right” and I think “just right” comes the closest. Not to hot and not to cold, just right. The portion of food is not to much, not to little, just right amount. His point of views are not to much right neither to left, somewhere in the middle.

If there is one word that defines Sweden as a nation this is it.

Swedish Flags

In Sweden it is very important to reach consensus when making decisions. All angles must be heard and preferably satisfied. Compromise is King! Not really the king, his name is Carl XIV Gustaf. But there is a compromise right there. We are a democracy so the king does not have any formal authority. This lays with the parliament, Riksdagen, and the government, Regeringen. It is written in to the constitution that “all power emanates from the people”. So basically the King is just a well paid PR guy. Both republicans and monarchists are equally happy and dissatisfied.

I have had many managers from the US going blue in their faces when they realize they cannot take a decision or fire someone without a negotiation with the Trade Unions. So these laws are created to have a balance of power (lagom) in business. We build high rise buildings but not skyscrapers. We have the largest middle class in the world.

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There are three fat levels for milk, 0,5, 1,5 and 3%. Can you guess what the best selling level is? Yes you are correct, 1,5% Mellanmjölk, semi-skimmed milk. The highest selling coffee is Mellanrost, medium roasted. There was even a Mellanöl, medium alcoholic beer that was so popular they banned it and renamed it Folköl, Peoples beer.

Lagom number of cows!

Even if this has changed over the last ten or so years it still defines out way of life. Has this strategy been good or bad? I cannot tell but it has been well over 200 years since Sweden were at war. It is top fifteen richest countries in the world 2020, GNP per Capita. We have one of the largest middle class in the world. For sure there are problems and things we struggle with. Some will frown at this text and say we are to naive in many cases. But who is perfect?

Welcome to Sweden, the country of Lagom! We put a smile on your face, but not to big. Like, subscribe and please comment.
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