Macro Monday
Byggnader
Thursday Thoughts – Weekend Spa
We went to Mosseberg spa resort for a couple of days. A charming area, and we had some snow too. Relaxing.
This resort was built around the middle of the 19th century, and still has those typical villas of those days. Some of the old houses are now private and not possible to visit. They still have their ”Carpenter’s joy” and built in tile stoves.
This is the main building, where we rented a beautiful room. Walking through the house we found several doors with famous people’s names on them. They had all lived here in periods of their lives. Our neighbours were the author Albert Engström and the next door had Madame Kollontaj’s name on it. She once was a Soviet ambassador, pacifist and feminist.
Mosseberg is a beautiful resort in any season, and I would love to see the park in Spring too.
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Lens-Artists Challenge #173 – Interesting Architecture
Tina’s challenge this week is all about interesting architecture. As I guessed you would all have fantastic examples of modern buildings, I decided to focus on the birds and the bees…and only a little about human buildings. The opener shows weavers’ nests in the Amazon, Ecuador.
I am always impressed by magnificent woodpiles – and my grandfather was an excellent builder of these. But, while they often are set behind houses or hidden in a barn in Sweden, I found this special display in Switzerland. Elegantly leaning against the house and beautifully framing the window. One of a kind.
To me, one of the most interesting Nordic building is Hállgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, Island. It looks almost like a spaceship icicle with smaller icicles attached to it. Everytime I visit Iceland – it is a must see again.
In Sweden we only have one skyscraper – Turning Torso by the famous architect Calatrava. I never liked it – despite it being beautifully built, it doesn’t fit in among the older buildings in Malmoe. I believe storks have better ideas about how and where to build a high rise building…Modern too – electrified!
Magpies often build high as well, and their nests are very intricate. They are durable, domed structures made of sticks and twigs and contain an interior mud cup and lining. Every nest has got two entrances – one close to the top and one from the side or under – and it can reach more than 1 meter in height. Not the nest to the far right though, that is a small but sturdy bird’s nest found during a winter walk.
The three middle pictures show the enormous European hornet’s nest we had in our summer house last summer. A fantastic and elaborate construction. Finally, my last image is from Bhutan and a monestary covered in bees’ ”pouches”. As the Buddhist monks care for everything living, they were happy to have the bees and their nests hanging there.
We thank you for your beautiful responses to last week’s “A Day in My Week” challenge – what a terrific variety of amazing days you shared with us!
We hope you’ll join us this week with some interesting architecture from around the corner or around the world. Be sure to use the Lens-Artists tag to appear in our reader, and to link to Tina’s original post.
Thursday Thoughts – The Iceberg
Aarhus again, and the Iceberg Building area. Fascinating architecture.
On reaching the Iceberg, we realised it clearly is best seen from the sea.
No easy angles here… and I was a bit disappointed that they were building a high tower right next to this complex – see this in the first photo.
The area is well worth a visit – and I enjoyed walking there for an hour or two.
Lens-Artists Challenge #162 – It’s All About the Light
Tina has chosen Light for this challenge –
I am forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical.
–Trent Parke
The most crisp and serene light ever, is to be found in Iceland. So, for a starter, an image from north western Iceland, that I have posted before. I have done nothing to enhance or change the original. It has it all – natural, clear Light.
I could have chosen so many images from Iceland – but only one more pick – the graveyard. There is the light, and the beauty of flowers, mountains and water. A well chosen place to rest.
A couple of days in Denmark last week was refreshing. We visited the biggest sandcastle in the world (- now in the Guinness Book of Records). It was raining when we arrived at the sculpture park, so I took a photo before it would get even worse… The second photo was taken about two hours later – as when we were leaving the park, the sun came out! The most significant difference is the colour of the sand, and how much more alive the feeling is in the second photo.
In Aarhus we wanted to visit their famous art museum, ARoS – but also the harbour area with its modern architecture. They were still building new there, and at a traffic light I opened the window and photographed some of the constructions. The next morning we went there again to see more of this interesting area. This time we parked the car…To our great delight, now the light and the clouds made the visit an almost surreal experience.
I leave you with a favourite image made at the Fluela Pass in Switzerland. At our hotel they featured a big poster of bikers riding along the spectacular pass road, and we were eager to see this the following day. While we were aiming for a couple of interesting villages, we were also on the lookout for ”The View”. To our great disappointment, there was no ”view”…there was only a lake and a mountain. Quite ordinary. But, when returning to our hotel in the afternoon, taking the same road, this magnificent view suddenly opened up. Magical! The right time of the day, the right angle, and the right light. I learned something that day. About patience, and waiting for the magical moment to arrive.
We hope you will join us this week for Tina’s inspiring theme for LAPC #162: It’s All About the Light. Many thanks for last week’s fun Feet and Shoes. There were many smiles as we saw the variety of your responses! This week your challenge is to share images that illustrate the power of light – even better if you also include the same or a similar scene at a different, somewhat less beautiful time. Remember to link your post to Tina’s original, and to use the Lens-Artists Tag to help us find you. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week as Amy leads us on her Share and Connect post. Until then, please stay safe and be kind.
Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #117 – A Photo Walk
This week Amy is taking us on a walk – a photo walk. What a brilliant idea!
In order to distract myself and lift my spirits, we decided to go to Borås last Friday – a lovely little town we hadn’t visited for years.
The whole day I had been on the lookout for the Swan and the Fox, but it seemed nowhere to be found. I had found it on the Internet plan and was eager to see it with my own eyes too. In fact, after two hours I had given up on it by the time we were approaching the end of the walk. But, on turning right into the last street before the car park, I caught a glimpse of it in the corner of my left eye – there it was! Sitting on our left hand side, it obviously was impossible to find on our way out. So, now you too can see it, in the header. It was my favorite on this Friday walk.
As always, thank you all for your creative responses to last week’s Symmetry challenge. We enjoyed your interesting and thoughtful images for the concept. I am sorry to be a bit absent from commenting – I lost my mother in September and my mind is focused on everything connected to that. But I will be back. I am sure Patti, Tina and Amy will support you even more.
Now we look forward to seeing your results from this week’s Photo Walk. Please remember to link them to Amy’s original post here, and to Tag them Lens-Artists to be included in our reader section. Last but not least, we hope you’ll join us next week when our special guest host, Biasini, Anne Leueen’s clever horse, hosts our next challenge on her always-interesting blog Horse Addict.
Until then, stay safe and creative.
Leya 