In 2009 we travelled by railroad to Tibet from China. A grand adventure on the Tibetan Plateau.
It is the world’s highest and largest plateau above sea level with an area of 2.500.000 square kilometres. The average elevation is more than 4.500 meters (14800 ft)
I have gone back to look at my old photos from the train – a train that never stopped and only let us take photos from where we sat. All four of us were glued to the windows those few days.
The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful, vast and wild – and I tried to capture it all with my simple, little Canon camera.
I am so grateful to have these memories, and despite the old camera, I will post some more pictures next Thursday as well.
These last few weeks have been tumultuous in many parts of the world. I think most of us want to live a more quiet and secure life with our families, in positive thoughts, harmony, creativity and fun. Because that is what humans are meant to do.
When I was searching my archives for a symbolic picture to show my feelings, I came upon this photo. The picture was taken in Figueras, Salvador Dalí’s home in Spain.
Salvador Dali´, the famous Spanish surrealist, was a genius in his own way. He was inspired by Sigmund Freud and often created strange dreamscapes. They speak to me. I love Dali´s work, but this picture taken at his museum in 2011 now sent chills of another kind through my spine. A recognition of today’s world.
I see this dark boat where we are all sitting together…but it is upside down. Our whole world is. The sky is still blue, but we cannot see it. Dark minds are ruling and golden AI figures order us new directions to take. And it is all about power, money and gold.
We must turn the boat right again, turn our face to the wonderfully blue sky and help each other sail in another direction – towards a brighter and better world. We know it is still out there, our beautiful planet! But she and all her inhabitants are in dire need of help. Our help. And we can do it – together we can! Our own survival – and the whole planet’s survival – depends on it. We’d better start NOW, because we should have started yesterday.
Click the pictures in the gallery to find out more about my thoughts today. Thank you.
I discovered the picture texts don’t show in my phone, only on the computer.
Robert Boyle invented the first match in the 17th Century. In 1844 Johan and Carl Lundström started their famous factory in Jönköping, and at the World Fair in 1855 they won high praise and medals for this useful invention.
We took a couple of days in December to visit the old factory area, and this is the entrance where you can see some giant matches lit near the main road.
The matches are made from aspen trees, and from one tree only you can get about 370000 matches. Why aspen? Aspen is porous and yet sustainable, has no resin and burns with a clear, even flame.
We saw all the machines used and a gallery on how bad the phosphorous was to the workers the first few years before the safety match was created by Gustaf Erik Pasch in 1844. People were poisoned and some even died.
On display were also many of the beautiful covers made for the match boxes. I remember some of them from my childhood, but mostly of course the sun – match – boy. My favourite is the Tiger – hanging on the wall too. Unfortunately the designers´ and artists´ names (from many countries) were lost over time, and only one of them was truly recognised – Einar Nerman, who made the little boy in the first gallery far left. That boy was his own son, Tom, portrayed in 1936.
We had a great day of nostalgia and a lovely fish and chips dinner at a renowned restaurant.
I was thinking of Tibet today. Maybe because the sun made a short glimpse through my morning window. A shining memory it is, from 2009. I just hade to go back to the archives…
Through all the sorrows for the people there with the occupation, this nunnery was a gleam of joy. The nuns going about their daily business with a smile. The shining spheres in the yard were for warming water with the sun. The kettle was put in the middle.
The most sacred monastery in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, was built in 647. The smoke from the fires was thick and people from all over the country gathered to pay their respect, fueling yak-butter lamps, eating and praying. They all waited patiently in line to come inside.
Outside Lhasa people lived off the land and every house had a cow in the street or on a small balcony. Not a great life for the cows not being free – but so much better than in the big factories here in the west. In Tibet they were family members and got some words of love every day.
There were always welcoming doors to the temples…
Seldom is the journey to go to a place more interesting than this one was. We entered the train in Beijing, and I think we sat by the windows with cameras tight every minute of those 48 hours – not in the darkness though. There was extra oxygen in the compartments, and the rails were laid on the permafrost, which I guess now is melting… We were not allowed to leave the train anywhere on the trip.
The landscape was spectacular with long views, open plains and mountains on the Tibetan Plateau.
Nomads with Yaks like little dots – and only once we got this close! A beauty.
How I loved that landscape! And the clouds seemed so huge and so close to the ground.
The beauty of it all seized us and will keep its grip forever.
I have hundreds of photos from that train ride. Every time I look at them I must take a deep breath. And remember. Because I will never see this again.
Back to Holland again – and some lovely plants from botanical gardens in Amsterdam and Leiden.
But this photo is from the flower market along one of the canals. The red flower in the lower right corner is a Gloriosa – a climber I have tried several times… but cannot make thrive at home.
A different way to use a palm house – every plant in a separate barrel.
I love these – and I know that Cee Neuner has posted ”the real thing” many times!
More from the pond and the wetlands of the gardens.
The city most known for a multitude of bicycles used to be Beijing – but as they are getting much fewer there since the 1980’s, my guess is that Amsterdam has taken over the lead.
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 guess Holland doesn’t need more presentation than this: canals, boats, bicycles – and flowers! Not only tulips, but this year we decided to visit the Dahlia Festival instead. And we were not disappointed!
The gallery features some glorious dahlias from Keukenhof Castle. We arrived just after a shower and could savour all the colours and shapes – and some raindrops too.
We also visited a couple of Dahlia farms with a multitude of different sorts. Pompon Dahlias are still popular and I understand why. They don’t look real! I thought I would buy some bulbs and give away to Dahlia lovers back home – unfortunately they are not for sale in September – but in early Spring…
Well, I loved photographing them, and a couple of days later we saw the Dahlia Parade too, with flower floats you could only dream of…
Leya 
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