Linear view vs. Masonry View

Tag Archive for ‘Writing’

Let there be light

Let there be light

Perhaps not the most famous church in Barcelona, but one I really wanted to see. The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar plays a central role in the novel La Catedral del Mar (Cathedral of the Sea) by Ildefonso Falcones. It’s been many years since I read it, but it left a lasting impression on me. A powerful story of good and evil, justice and injustice, and how the Church, meant to stand for good, often—almost always—ends up on the side of evil.

The church was built between 1329 and 1383 in the Catalan Gothic style. It was constructed largely by unpaid labor from the common people, and is therefore sometimes referred to as the ‘workers’ cathedral’—a detail well described in Falcones’ book. The main character, Arnau Estanyol, finds work as a porter, carrying goods from the dock on his back. These porters were called bastaixos, and in the little spare time they had after work, they carried stones to help build the church.

The play of light inside is impressive, likely designed to suggest the presence of God. Whether divine or coincidental, I happened to be in the right spot at the right time as sunlight struck the cross—a beacon of hope, so needed today when dark forces and false prophets seem to be gaining more and more power.

Let the ray of hope shine, ha de Gött!
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Talk it out

Talk it out

A sight rarely seen these days but common back in the day. The phone booth.

When I was in school back in the 80:ties when the cold war was at it’s coldest. We read a book about peace where the theme was that as the means of communication improved, peace and understanding would follow. Today it has never been easier to communicate all around the world. Yet we have never been so misinformed as today.

Picture is taken in Oslo. Just a few meters away from the Nobel Peace centre and the Oslo City hall where the award ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize are held December 10 every year.

I leave the red phone booth as a beacon of hope, ha de Gött!

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Sun in my eyes

Sun in my eyes

Solen i mina ögon.
Med solen i mina ögon.
Sitter jag vid havet.
Vattenmild höstbris i mitt ansikte.
Bländar min själ till lugn.

English version.
With the sun in my eyes.
I sit by the sea.
Water mild autumn breeze in my face.
Blinding my soul to calm.

Wish the good moments last longer, ha de Gött!

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Crashing

Crashing

Disunion waves.
Overwhelming.
Us and them.
Gasping not to drown.
In haze.
Lighthouse beacon.
Relentless Hope.
Standing firm.

Svensk version

Splittringens vågor.
Överväldigande.
Vi och dom.
Kippar efter andan.
I dimman.
Fyrens ljus.
Obevekligt hopp.
Står obeveklig.

Will we ever learn, ha de Gött!

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Fairy dance

Fairy dance

In fading late summer light.

Fairies come out in dance.

Shy, in long white veils.

Melting together in mist.

Tucking in nature for the night.

Svensk version

Älvdans

I blekt sensommarljus.

Älvorna komma ut i dans.

Blygt, i långa vita slöjor.

Smälter samman i dimma.

Stoppar om naturen för natten.

This is inspired by my father-in-law who had a name for this type of mist “Älvdans” Fairy Dance. Ha de Gött!

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1000

1000

Seems this is my post number 1000 here and I’ve been wondering what it should be about. 1000 blog posts, it must be about blogging.

I set out into the WordPress cyber space five years ago to practise writing for the book that’s lingering in my head. It was also a way to channel the pressure from dealing with my son’s struggle with mental illness. Then there was also the pandemic that didn’t help much. Sitting by sons bed clicking the keyboard helped him settle down and to go to sleep. After daily attempts during that summer in 2020 he finally found his everlasting peace in August.

I was devastated and nearly broke down, forced to choose whether to stay or leave. Blogging became a therapy, and I even did some poetry. I also took up photography a bit more seriously to get out into the nature. Walking in the forest and hugging a tree is so much better than all psychotropic drugs. Photography became a bigger part of my blog.

In the WordPress blogosphere there is a community and a connection and, even if some open up and share strong feelings I’ve never seen any mean comments. Some bloggers that I interacted with I consider friends, even if we’ve never met in real life. There are posts and comments that made significant a difference in my life, none mentioned none forgotten. Thank you!

Who knows I might be around for a 1000 more.

With a little help from my friends, ha de Gött!

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Barcelona

Barcelona

When we got on the plane in Göteborg, Sweden it was +15°C and, arriving the Catalan capital welcomed us with +33°C! The high temperature stayed all four days in this beautiful city. Luckily, it was a happy surprise that I could get cold gluten free beer in most restaurants. Nice but to save my pictures from being blurry I drank mostly water.

It’s a huge city but the public transport system is well developed so with a 72h travel pass it was easy to get around. We did all the musts, Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell and a Flamenco show. We walked in the shade of the maple trees, the La Rambla street. A near death experience, for a man with vertigo, as my wife tricked me in to a cable car ride.

I had only one must see, The church Santa Maria del Mar. The construction of the church plays a central role in one of the best book I’ve read, La Catedral del Mar, Cathedral of the Sea, by Ildefonso Falcones. It was translated in to Swedish so I pretty sure it’s available in English. There is also a well played TV series available on Netflix.

Stay cool when the heat is on, ha de Gött!

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