Travel

Travel theme: Architecture

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Where am I to start? Great theme – but so much to choose from.

Let’s go to Iceland, to Skagafjördur and Glaumbaer farm. For hundreds of years, a farm has been standing here, being changed and rebuilt in periods in the 18th- & 19th-centuries. This style of the turf construction was universal in rural areas of Iceland until about 1900, when it was gradually replaced mainly by reinforced concrete.

The main building is 23m inside – very impressive
The buildings have got thin panels of tree with thick turf in between
The roof is made of the same material
Icelandic grass grows very thick, so enough water on the grass will help the turf last for about 100 years

Glaumbaer farm had the priest of the village living here until 1947. Interesting too, is that the first woman to give birth to a white man in America, had lived here at Glaumbaer. Her name was Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir, and she travelled with Leif Ericsson or one of the following expeditions around the year 1000. So the old documents in Iceland tell us, and they were very good at documentation, the Icelandic people.

More about Glaumbaer here: http://www2.skagafjordur.is/default.asp?cat_id=1123

More interesting architecture here: http://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/08/09/travel-theme-architecture/

Birds, birds – magnificent Beauties from all over the world!

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Weltvogelpark Walsrode, (before 2010 English Walsrode Bird Park) is a bird park located in the middle of the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany near Walsrode in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany.

Weltfogelpark Walsrode ligger vid Lȕneburger Heide i norra Tyskland och är världens största fågelpark både i fråga om antal arter och area. ( Jurong Bird Park i Singapore säger sig ha flest antal individer.) Parken är på 24 ha och har cirka 4.200 fåglar uppdelat på 675 arter från alla kontinenter och alla klimatzoner i världen. Förra året var det 50 år sedan fågelparken slog upp sina portar.

Man kan tycka vad man vill om ”djurparker” och själv tycker jag oftast inte…men den här parken har gott rykte och deltar i uppfödningsprogram för utsatta arter. Vi besökte Walsrodeparken för ca 30 år sedan och blev imponerade av vad vi såg. När nu en gammal vän – och fågelälskares – dröm kunde gå i uppfyllelse om hon fick komma dit, så såg vi till att hennes dröm blev sann.

Weltvogelpark Walsrode is the largest bird park in the world in terms of species as well as land area. ( Jurong Bird Park in Singapore claims they have the largest number individual birds) It covers 24 hectares (59 acres) and houses some 4,200 birds of over 675 species from every continent and climatic zone in the world. Last year the Weltvogelpark Walsrode celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.

You can be for or against these animal parks, and I don’t ususlly visit, but this park is renowned for its beauty and well kept birds and participates in several breeding programmes for vulnerable species. We visited about 30 years ago and were really impressed.  An old friend of mine – and bird lover – had this dream of visiting Walsrode, so we took her there – helping her dream come true.

Walsrode juli 2013 040

Fågelparken har ett stort antal både inomhus- och utomhusvoljärer och i parkens nyare delar har man strävat efter att dessa så mycket som möjligt ska efterlikna fåglarnas naturliga hemmiljö. De äldre områdena består mestadels av skog och ett parklandskap med stora rosen- och rhododendronrabatter.

The bird park comprises a large number of internal and external aviaries as well as outdoor enclosures. In the more recent constructed areas, the birds live in an environment modelled on their natural habitat with no artificial barriers both in a free flight aviary, as well as in numerous buildings, such as the Jungle Hall. The older areas though, mainly consist of spacious parkland and woods including large rose and rhododendron beds.

Click on any picture to enlarge and start the gallery.

Opportunities to really meet the birds
…this one came walking up to me…expecting something?
Humboldt penguin – standing up and sleeping!
Single-Wattled Cassowary (New Guinea)
Victoria Crowned Pidgeon (New Guinea)
The Jungle Hall
Träskonäbb Shoe- billed stork (Sudan)
Pelican
Flowers… everywhere!

Stora attraktioner är de friflygningsuppvisningar som ges två gånger om dagen i ett stort öppet område med gräsmattor, rosenrabatter och vattenorgel. Här får vi se falkar, örnar och ugglor, men också papegojor och den jättelika sydamerikanska kondoren visa sina färdigheter.

I parkens program finns också inprickat olika matningstillfällen då du får möta fåglarna riktigt nära.

One special attraction is the variety of flight demonstrations on an open-air stage where, Not only are falcons, eagles and owls are displayed as in other shows, but parrots, South American Condors and Indian Runner Ducks too.

The tree house and stage for the open air show
Slaguggla Ural owl
Krontranor Cranes
Parrots
Andean Condor (Andes, S Am)
Condor showing its magnificent wingspan – 3.2 metres
Eagle and a proud little girl!

Det finns även en mer humoristisk, men informativ, inomhusshow där du bland annat får se kakadua och Nya Zeeländska Kea i arbete. Mycket barnvänlig park överhuvudtaget.

Indoors there is a humorous, but very informative, show with among others a cockatoo and a New Zealand Kea. There are also various feeding demonstrations and young bird rearing station which is particularly interesting to children.

The many tree sculptures were greatly admired
Kea (New Zealand) Known for its demolishing of cars…
Sorting garbage!
Good food was served too…

i något mindre burar och voljärer huserar de mest fantastiska fåglar från de tropiska delarna av världen. färgstarka och ljudliga!

In smaller aviaries/cages we found the most fantastic birds from tropical areas of the world. Colourful and loud…

King Vulture (C and S Am)
Steller’s Sea Eagle (NE Asia)
Harpy Eagle (Americas)
Yellow naped Amazon
Toucan (S Am)
Noshornsfågel Great Hornbill (S East Asia)
Noshornsfågel Knobbed Hornbill

Breeding programme

Walsrode fågelpark har ett antal fågelarter som inte kan beskådas i någon annan zoologisk park i världen. Man är också först med att få vissa arter att föröka sig i fångenskap. Parken deltar i European Endangered Species Programme och har till exempel lyckats få  berguv  att återinplanteras i det vilda. Man deltar också i ett flertal program för att föda upp andra utrotningshotade arter, bland annat andfågeln Madagaskarkricka.

The bird park has a range of birds that cannot be seen in other zoos in the world, and was the first to successfully breed a number of species.

The bird park participates in the European Endangered Species Programme and has, for example, made eagle owls available for reintroduction in the wild. In addition it is also taking part in a breeding programme for the Bernier’s Teal and many other birds that are threatened by extinction.

Walsrode juli 2013 107

Eagle Owl and his loving caretaker

Walsrode juli 2013 106

History of the bird park

Parken grundades 1962 av en handelsman från Walsrode, Fritz Geschke, för privat uppfödning av fasaner och sjöfåglar. 1964 överläts parken till en svärson,Wolf W. Brehm, som snabbt expanderade parken under 1970-talet både till ytan och med bland annat friflygning, pingvinområde och mycket mer. År 2000 tillkom Djungelhallen med asiatiska skulpturer och fåglar från Asien. Därefter tillkom Eagle Owl Hill och Treehouse Village.

År 2000 tog nya ägare över efter problem med parkens finanser och fler friflygningsuppvisningar startade vilket ökade besökartalen och garanterade för parkens överlevnad. 2009 gick en belgisk firma in med mer pengar, Floralux.

År 2010 bytte parken namn till internationella Weltvogelpark Walsrode.

The park was founded in 1962 by the Walsrode businessman, Fritz Geschke, for breeding pheasants and water birds privately. In 1964 he transferred the park to his son-in-law, Wolf W. Brehm, who expanded it rapidly, especially during the 1970s. In 1968, the 2,100-square-metre (23,000 sq ft) was opened. Trend-setting facilities such as the free flight aviary, a penguin enclosure and many others followed.

In 2000, on the occasion of the Expo in Hanover, the Jungle Hall was opened with its Indonesian artefacts and Asiatic bird species. Later the Eagle Owl Hill and Treehouse Village were added.

Due to business difficulties the park was transferred in 2000 to new ownership. The new owners introduced more and more flight demonstrations which increased the number of visitors and ensured the survival of the park. Looming insolvency was averted in March 2009 by the intervention of the Belgian firm, Floralux.

In 2010 the new official international name of Walsrode Bird Park is changed to Weltvogelpark Walsrode. The park is well worth a visit, and for some more photos and facts about the park, click the links:

http://www.weltvogelpark.de/en/

Stay at…the Hotel Mercure!

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Har du vägarna förbi Walsrode – kanske för ett besök i fågelparken? Missa inte lilla Hotel Mercure!

Going to Walsrode – maybe for a visit to the famous bird park? Stay at the charming Hotel Mercure!

Bara frukostbuffén…! Only the breakfast buffé is worth staying there for a night or two!

Some places make you forget everything…

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Somewhere in the neighbourhood of the British Museum we found a Little shop of…

A fabulous place where I – and my daughter – could have stayed for ever…The atmosphere, the patina of  the old cupboards; the pencils, the bottled colours…everything.

Of course we bought some colours and sketch books, and I even bought a new pencil-box. My old faithful one is falling apart after 30 years and more of extensive use. But…I know I cannot abandon it anyway…it has stayed with me for ages, seen my university studies and…well, maybe it has brought me luck through tests and safely kept my precious pens and pencils…I am a pen-freak and have always been.

We were both so immersed in our findings, that we forgot to remember the name of this shop. I do know where it is situated, though. I will easily find it next time

Travel theme: Sweet

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Sweet!

Well, I have met some sweeties in my days…

London juni 2013 153In London I always meet some of them…ladies and a little down – and – out gentleman…

London juni 2013 181Another little lady, in Copenhagen…

Köpenhamn 15 juli 311And… in this heat, in my dream, there is only sweet ice cream!

Köpenhamn 15 juli 303For more sweets, visit Ailsa at Where’s my backpack?

Travel theme: Tilted

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Nya Zeeland förstås…var annars skulle det finnas något som lutar mer än tornet i Pisa?

New Zealand of course…where else would anything be as tilted as this?

Nya Zeeland 2 099

For more tilted things, look here at Ailsa’s Where’s my backpack?

En annorlunda dag på museet – A different day at the museum

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Men, vi har varit där så många gånger…fast, det regnar ju…

But, we’ve been there so many times before…but, it IS raining…

Så det blev British Museum i alla fall – alltid intressant, men den här gången bestämde jag mig för att se det på ett lite annorlunda sätt än jag gjort förut.

So, British Museum again, then. Always interesting of course, but this time I decided to look at things from other angles than my usual ones.

Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour

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In photography, the “golden hour” is the first and last hour of sunlight of the day. Photographers venture out on sunrise hikes or sunset treks to capture a magical shot, due to the quality of the light during that time of day.

Inte bara fotografer njuter av denna första eller sista timme av sol, the Golden Hour – den Gyllene Timmen. Jag tror att det där bleka morgonljuset före och det sena, mjuka aftonskenet efter arbetsdagen ger varje människa ett lugn och en känslighet som bara detta speciella ljus kan ge. På väg hem från London blev det här min Golden Hour.

But, not only photographers love the Golden Hour. It’s the feeling that pale morning light and soft evening sun gives you – I think every human being becomes more sensitive before and after the busy working day. There’s often a stillness in the air and you feel relaxed in body and soul.

At least I did, on the flight home from London two weeks ago. So, here’s my Golden Hour.

London 2013 199

For more relaxing, click here.

Camden Cavalcade

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Marknaden i Camden, London,  besöks enligt Wikipedia av närmare 100 000 varje helg. Här finns något för alla, och vill du se verkligen precis alla sorters människor är det hit du ska åka. Vi råkade bland annat på ett glatt sällskap av äldre kvinnor i röda hattar…the British Red Hatters (se länk längre ned på sidan).

Detta område vid Regents Canal består, förutom av slussen (Camden Lock), mest av affärer och en stor utemarknad med allt mellan himmel och jord – att titta på eller köpa. Många av stånden erbjuder mat och den är både god och billig – vi köpte några olika, mycket goda Yorkshire puddings till lunch.

Marknaden var från början till för bara hantverkare, men har på senare år vuxit ut till att innehålla kläder, prylar och krims krams samt, som sagt,  god mat.

The Camden markets are a number of adjoining large retail markets in Camden Town near the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regent’s Canal (popularly referred to as Camden Lock), often collectively named ”Camden Market” or ”Camden Lock”. Among products sold on the stalls are crafts, clothing, bric-a-brac, and fast food. According to Wikipedia it is the fourth-most popular visitor attraction in London, attracting approximately 100,000 people each weekend. If you want to meet all sorts of people, this is the place to go. We even met some absolutely wonderful ladies in red hats, members of the British Red Hatters…

Originally, the Lock was a market for crafts, occupying some outdoor areas by the canal and various existing buildings. While the range of goods has since widened, with stalls selling books, new and second-hand clothing, and jewellery, the Lock retains its focus as the principle Camden market for crafts. There is a large selection of fast food stalls, where we bought some really tasty yourkshire puddings..

From 2006 a large indoor market hall was constructed in a yard between the Camden Lock Market and the Stables Market that was previously used for open air stalls. In November 2007 a large part of the Stables Market was demolished as part of a long-term redevelopment plan for the area and rebuilt as a year-round permanent market area.