Thursday Thoughts – The Corso

14 november, 202412 november, 2024 / Leya / 28 kommentarer

The Dahlia Festival is not only flowers – but decorated floats in annual parades called Corso. In fact we saw more than 20 of them in this little town. They were really well made down to the finest detail. The people here start in April with ideas and sketches, then they make the figures and paint them. When the Dahlia season arrives in September, the floats are decorated with flowers the same colours as they were painted in.

I’ll post a couple of the floats, and also a video I made on one of the most impressive ones. You will see that the actors take their work seriously!

First there was a children’s parade, where the floats were drawn by children as well.

Then came the bigger floats made with impressive reality look.

And of course they also were more and more architecturally impressive.

Anubis was one of my favourites.

And finally, the great lion – well, they couldn’t have made it more fascinating than this!

I hope you enjoyed the show!

Wordless Wednesday

5 juni, 20243 juni, 2024 / Leya / 27 kommentarer

Macro Monday – Bouquet

26 juni, 202325 juni, 2023 / Leya / 23 kommentarer

Thursday Thoughts – Cirkus Art and Posters

1 december, 20221 december, 2022 / Leya / 25 kommentarer

We visited Västervik this summer, and we happened to visit on the last days of this excellent exhibition of original cirkus posters. They were rather worn, and were to be digitalised and saved for future generations. These original posters come from one of the most extensive collections of cirkus posters in the world. Amazing.

From my childhood memories, cirkus posters mostly looked like the left one, Trolle Rhodin’s cirkus. But here, we found an interesting collection of Polish posters from Cyrk and the Polish School of Posters. See the stunning difference between these two. I just had to post a gallery with some of them. I don’t have to say that my most loved one is the lion having humans jump through the ring… As a child that was my greatest wish…, and a wish for bulls chasing humans in the fighting arena too.

I just loved the simple and clean approach in these Polish artists’ hands. And the hidden messages. I also learned that long ago the cirkuses often had ”real” artists making their posters. Like this left poster by Tolouse Lautrec. The middle one is a poster from a time when ”strange and abnormal” people where shown to the audience. These two girls were albinos. (19th century)

The last advertisment is about Cirkus Madigan (also 19th century) and the beautiful Elvira Madigan. I guess some of you have heard her story or seen the movie on her tragic loveaffair with Sixten Sparre. It is always strange to realise that some movies were built on real persons, and real fates. We will never know the true story of course, but seeing her name there made her come alive to me. I loved that movie.

Thursday Thoughts – A Piece of Old Time Magic

4 augusti, 2022 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

Sporrakulla is the name of an old farmstead from the 16th century. I went here for the first time almost 50 years ago, and haven’t visited again since my children were small. Last week we decided to drive up to the beautiful farm once more.

When you leave the car, you walk into a harmonious landscape, where time seem to have stopped…and the silence is almost tangible.

The meadows are harvested as in the old days, with a scythe. This is for the benefit of the flora.

The last farmer left in the 1960’s, and now the houses are kept by the local forest authorities. Many tourists visit during summer, and sometimes there are minor events in the garden. Mostly hikers picnicking though. The area is thick with hiking tracks.

The flora around the farm is abundant, and so is the fauna. I could have walked around for hours…

…or just sit and watch the quiet pace of life.

Thank you for returning here with me. Hope you enjoyed the old buildings and the atmosphere. For me – nostalgia, the best kind!

Thursday Thoughts – Happy Holidays!

23 december, 202123 december, 2021 / Leya / 68 kommentarer

Wishing all my friends and followers in the blogosphere a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate) and a Happy New Year! Thank you for this year, 2021, for support and joy, light and comfort. Stay well and take care of each other.

A short visit to Gdansk before the carousel started again. After all, Christmas is for the children!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #21: Splash!

24 november, 201824 november, 2018 / Leya / 31 kommentarer

This week, Patti is hosting our challenge – and she has chosen an interesting subject – ”Splash!” for us to illustrate, and relate to. The essential Water. And in order to survive and live on this beautiful planet, we rely on water. (And oxygen…and…)

In the header, the photo shows the bathroom at Casa Battló in Barcelona. (Fake water…)

Memories from the Spanish west coast – a warm and glorious evening!

The sound of a River in Iceland, making its way to the cold winter sea.

Lofoten, Norway, is something otherworldly…

And down to the tiniest spot, we rely on water. To catch fish, drink, but also to play with – and in…Bring your mum if it looks too dangerous!

My students always had to go through several ”tests” when they first started college. One of them meant filling a tube with water, and to cooperate to stop the water from splashing through the holes in it. Using yourself only! And there were several holes drilled in it…. They almost always threw themselves into the game – After some minutes the leftover water was measured, and the winners were…:-D

A Dancing Traffic Light

23 april, 2018 / Leya / 15 kommentarer

I remember watching a YouTube clip long ago, with Bhutan’s only traffic light. This traffic light is still there, in Thimpu, the Capital.

In the city center, we found it – and it was just about to be exchanged.

Here he is – the smiling, human traffic light – a complete joy to watch him at work! In fact, the Bhutanese got an ordinary traffic light in Thimpu some years ago, but they did not like it. After three days they wanted their human light back. And he danced, this young man – a pity I did not film him.

For a people that value family and human contact the highest, and also treasure nature, nature’s gifts and everything living – I can easily understand their decision. It works. He works perfectly. Everybody feels safe in his hands – even the dogs.

There are 80 000 citizens in Thimpu – and they love their traffic light! Take a look at these two clips. In the second one, notice the traffic sign for pedestrians behind him – the person on it is wearing a Gho. (The male national dress)

The Streets of Paro

13 april, 201813 april, 2018 / Leya / 7 kommentarer

At 2200 meters above sea level, Paro hosts Bhutan’s international airport and about 15000 citizens. A charming town with its most famous landmark about 10 kilometres outside town: Taktshang (Tiger’s Nest) Hermitage on the face of a sheer 1,000-metre (3,281-foot) cliff. This was our goal for the last day of our tour.

Street life is rather lively, and throughout our trip, the towns and villages were constantly expanding.

Architecture is restricted to the old ways, and no matter the material, you have to build and decorate your house according to tradition.

Roadwork everywhere too. The two, three roads connecting the villages of the valley was built by India. The workers stay for many years to keep up the road quality.

The bridge over to Rinpung Dzong. The Dzong (a fortress/monastery) was built in the beginning of the tenth century. The famous festival, Paro Tsechu, is held here every year – and we visited on our first day in Bhutan.