WPC: Nostalgia

Nostalgia

My Islands in the World – Azores. And this little Island, Corvo. Blue Hydrangeas in the blue ocean. My daughter as a young girl…Someday I hope we will return.

Travel theme: Sound

Travel theme: Sound

Some sounds for Ailsa, from Nature! In the header – winter ice cracking into spring.

Sparkling fire on Walpurgis Night.

Mmm, the sound of water can be calm and soft, but also roaring…

And maybe the most beautiful morning sound – a spring thrush, singing when you open your window.

Kan du vakna skönare?

Cee’s B&W Challenge: Circles and Curves

For Cee this week – a piece of the Atlas Range in Morocco. Maybe not complete circles, but indeed curves.  A majestic landscape streching miles and miles away to the horizon.

And thank you for being featured last week!

CFFC: Light Greens

Light green – signifies spring. To me it is the very essence of spring, and my beech forest.

For other interpretations, go to Cee – click here.

 

SL -Week 2-02: Ground

 

For Sylvain Landry’s challenge this week, we should look at the world from a child’s position. And indeed, my Mille looks much bigger than he was. His height was 48 centimetres – and the mountains somewhat higher…

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WPC: Quest

Cheri Lucas Rowlands encourages us to show a picture of Quest. An almost impossible task…When I think of this word, Quest, I think of all my teaching years in literature and all the glorious quests portrayed there:

 

The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian story, The Odyssey by Homer, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Alchemist  by Paulo Coelho and of course The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling.

In these stories, the protagonists set out to almost impossible tasks, leaving home and safety plunging  into the unknown. So, where am I, a 21st century, middle aged woman, in all this? What is my Quest?

I guess in my little world there are no big ”saving the world”- quests – maybe saving myself quests only. I am constantly searching for and heading towards Inner Peace, being kind and compassionate along the road. I find peace in Nature and through doing good things, helping other fellow passengers on this route.

Hopefully, one day, I will be standing there, feeling that my quest is completed. I will be  completely calm and at peace with myself and the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Travel theme: Seasonal

Travel theme: Seasonal

I am convinced I could never live without the seasons. And I can never leave Sweden in Spring – cannot miss the first wood anemonies and the beech trees. So…my theme for this theme of Seasonal, is my home forest.

Autumn will soon be here – crisp air and colours, colours, colours

Snowy Silence

Winter dreams – when the snow comes . Euphoria!

 

Spring is the season I immerse myself in all the Green – My favourite season

Mera midsommar 2013 018

Summer – how difficult it was to find a forest picture…I guess I walk in my forest just as much as every other season, but no photographing!

Film Review -”Looking For Infinity: El Camino”

Review of Looking For Infinity: El Camino (2014)                            Director: Aaron C. Leaman

This is a philosophical documentary, runtime 58 minutes. The text on the DVD says: ”Looking for Infinity: El Camino is an immersive voyage along the ancient pilgrimage route El Camino De Santiago.”

The film is said to be “an emotionally driven chronicle of a group of people all at turning points in their lives.” Some quotes from the walkers: “You walk and you become a humble being”; “I need to get away to recharge my batteries”; “Simplicity is the key”; “Religion and vanity takes your energy away[…] When I am in nature I recharge my energy”; ”El Camino is the best place to find people that really care about others”.

The message of this introspective movie is that we need to slow down and reflect upon our lives – and if you are at a crossroads or at a turning point, walking El Camino might give you some good answers to your questions. Those who have walked it and lived it often say it is a metaphor of Life itself. “I’m not here to get to the Goal but to do every single step”.

 

 

The film technique involves using the camera at walking pace to show the landscape passing by and the empty streets mixed with close-ups on people while someone is speaking – mostly not the person in focus. The sound is soft and natural for the most part: Walking on gravel, running water, birds singing, a piano and some slow drumming, a faint opera voice – or simply – silence.

The variety of people and reasons for walking are enough to show what this is all about. But, I believe the movie would have won some extra points by having a more equal combination of male and female thoughts and speakers. Both voices need to be heard.

 

The conclusion is simple – this is an important movie and a movie for everybody in our modern, stressed out society. Its slow pace might make it easier for you to get in contact with your inner self. In today’s society we need to question our living –  planet Earth is running out of her resources and our young (in the western society at least) are increasingly troubled by mental illnesses. There is a connection and we know it.

Looking For Infinity: El Camino, is a very philosophic piece of art, and beautifully directed. I think it appeals both to those who have walked the Camino and to those who are considering doing it – as well as to those who never have thought of it before.

The movie gives you many thoughtful comments and reasons for walking, and they  will stay in your mind for long. They might even inspire you to take a break from your busy life and enter on a great learning experience – El Camino.

 

Links to website for more about the movie, and for DVD: www.caminomovie.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lookingforinfinity

 

For my own articles on El Camino, at Leya, click here:

El Camino

Buen Camino

Santiago de Compostela