Category Archives: Tourism

Haarlem – Bulb City

Haarlem is a great city in the Province of North Holland. Being the center of the tulip bulb growing district for centuries, it is nicknamed ‘Bloemenstad’, or “flower city”. With a population around 160,000 and a compact inner city, it’s small enough to explore and enjoy. Granted city status in 1245, it has a long and rich history.

Traditionally one of the the most powerful trading cities in Holland, during the 18th century trade shifted to Amsterdam and Haarlem turned into a bedroom community and summer resort with many workers commuting to the larger capital. In the long run this shift has allowed the historic old city center to remain relatively in tact.

Haarlem Central Station

Haarlem Central Station

16th Century Facades

Gravestenenbrug

Hofje van Oorschot – An old folks home

Grote Markt

The Grote Markt is the center of town and abounds with cafes and shops of all kinds.

Stadhuis

Grote Markt Cafe

Grote Market – Grote Kerk

The Grote Markt – 1696

Frans Hals Museum

Frans Hals is probably the most celebrated Haarlem artist to emerge during the Dutch Golden Age and has his own museum to prove it.

Frans Hals Museum

Coorie Ten Boom Museum

The Ten Booms, a highly devote Christian family, were watchmakers during the second war world. They felt it their duty to help protect those in trouble and used their small house as a hiding place for Jews and Resistance fighters. These actions led to the death of the entire family, with the exception of the young Coorie, at the hands of the Nazi’s.

Coorie Ten Boom Museum

Up to six adults at a time had to squeeze into this hiding place.

The roof of Coorie Ten Boom house provided the only fresh air for victims.

The roof of the Coorie Ten Boom house provided the only fresh air for victims.

The Teylers Museum

This was my favorite museum in town. The Teylers is a fascinating mix of early technology, fossils, astronomical equipment,16th & 17th century prints and drawings and great Dutch Golden Age paintings.

Teylers Museum

The Women

The Dutch love their women and well they should. Most are statuesque, self assured and highly educated. Maternity and family leave are hugely important issues here. The country is very close to pay equality and although there still isn’t complete sexual parity in top executive positions, they are rapidly getting there. It seems that strong female role models have always been revered here. Among them is:

Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer

On December 11, 1572 the Spanish army began the siege of Haarlem. During the first two months of the siege, the situation was stable. The Spanish army was digging tunnels to reach the city walls while the defenders dug under them to destroy the Spaniards’ tunnels. By March 29, 1573 the situation worsened when the Spanish and Amsterdam Armies effectively cut off Haarlem from the outside world and began to starve them out. By July 13, 1573, after seven months of siege, the city reached an agreement with the Spaniards to open the city gates in exchange for amnesty and a ban on looting. After surrendering the Spanish reneged on the deal and began looting and slaughtered over 2000 of the city defenders.

Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer leads the charge.

Following the siege, the name of Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer began to emerge. Diarists reported that the powerful widow helped defend the city and rebuild the defenses that had been destroyed by enemy cannon. One account mentions that Kenau and other women stood on the earthworks and threw burning tar wreaths onto the enemy who would leap into the river to douse the flames only to drown from the weight of their armor. Over time the legend of Kenau’s role has expanded to full-fledged soldier and commander of a small female army. She has been honored during every celebration of independence from Spain. But, separating fact from fiction in these matters is always difficult and her role in the siege has been the subject of much debate. Regardless, her personality must have been a fearsome thing. We do know for certain that after the war she resumed her trade as a wood merchant importing lumber from Norway. When her captain was taken hostage by pirates she travelled north to negotiate his release and died at the hands of the same pirates.

Definitely the stuff of legend.

The Wendi Files – The British Edition

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Would any visit be complete without a quick look at Wendi’s escapades? I think not. Like countless invading armies before her, Wendi has stormed through this little corner of England mollifying the natives, confiscating booty and laying waste to every flea market in her path. There are many here in Suffolk that will long remember that fateful autumn when “Wendi the Fearless” extracted many a treasure and stole not a few hearts from these fair shores.

Making Friends

The Tallest Bobby In Bury St. Edmunds

With Fred At Sandringham

Fred said he worked directly for the Royal Family for over twenty years and had indeed met the Queen, but was sworn to secrecy and could not reveal any of the juicy bits Wendi longed to hear.

Making friends with Mr. Sausage

We met Terry for drinks at the Ivory Cafe. He is the largest producer of sausage casings in the world. Not just anyone can look at pig intestines and think “opportunity”.

Off to the Newmarket Horse Races

Winning Bet Number 1

Winning Bets Number 2 & 3

Wendi buddies up to her Bookie

And Now For A Little Historic Culture

The Sheer Joy of Sandringham

Bombed at Ickworth

Lady Wendi on the grounds of Highclere Castle

Just the right angle at Anglesey Abbey

Searching for the Ghost of Anne Boleyn on the back stairs at Blickling Estate

Anglesey Abbey

Walking the dog at Southwold Pier

Walking in Beatrix Potter’s footsteps at Melford Hall

Stalking the Servant’s Quarters at Wimple Estate

Time For A Little Shopping

Welcome to the Hingham Flea Market

Hat time at the Norwich Oxfam

And what trip would be complete without a stop at Mr. Shoes?

Southwold Pier

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Located in the coastal town of Southwold, this old school pier is a little like a step back to a more innocent time. Originally built in 1909 the pier has suffered many ups and down having been destroyed by storms in 1937, 1955 and again in 1979 reducing it to a length of 60 ft. After much renovation, today’s pier extends 620 ft into the North Sea.

Southwold Pier

English Sunbather or Crime Victim. You decide.

Bench Armrest

The Under The Pier Show

While many classic English seaside piers have been in decline the Southwold Pier is enjoying renewed popularity, partly due to the “The Under The Pier Show” which features a range of automata, machines and games designed by Tim Hunkin, an English engineer, cartoonist, writer, and artist living in Suffolk. They are about the most peculiar arcade games I’ve ever seen.

Storm the super yacht and get even with the super rich.

Sit in the chair and travel on holiday, moved by the magic carpet. After manic flight and coach ride, arrive in tropical paradise and get brief suntan from heatlamp.

Sit on the fly’s proboscis and experience a fly’s eye view of the world. Stop to eat for as long as you dare, but beware of the fly swat.

Place hand in dog’s cage and hold it there for as long as you dare. Dog pants, dribbles warm saliva and other disgusting things.

I’ll let you work out where the finger goes.

Sit with head half inside processing chamber and watch through mirrors while your scalp is removed and your brain is scrubbed clean. Made by Will Jackson.

Turn the dive lever and descend to the seabed. After witnessing many marvels, get swallowed by a giant fish which causes the craft to leak. Fortunately reverse thrusters are provided for escape.

Start training for your future today! Cross the motorway using the zimmer frame.

Hold stethoscope again chest and let the doctor diagnose your complaint and write out an illegible prescription.

Wendi’s favorite. Stand on the treadmill, hold the dog’s lead and go for a walk. Includes stops at several interesting sights.

Quantum Tunneling Telescope – Focusing time and space to bring you everything you could possibly want to see through a pier telescope.

Beach Huts

These bright colored Beach Huts are small wooden boxes just above the high tide mark. Many were former fishermen’s huts and boat sheds that are now used as shelter from the sun or wind, changing into and out of swimming costumes and for the safe storing of some personal belongings most incorporate simple facilities for preparing food and hot drinks by either bottled gas or an occasional generator.

Southwold Beach Huts

You cannot live in these and the length of stays is closely monitored. They were originally offered for hire at £12 10s per year, now they can sell for £40,000 or more.

The Walk of Mirrors

The Green Children of Woolpit

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The legend of the Green Children of Woolpit recounts the tale of two very green children appearing in the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, England sometime during the 12th century.

One day at harvest time, the villagers discovered two children, dressed in very peculiar clothing, beside one of the wolf pits that gave the village its name. The brother and sister appeared relatively normal except their skin was green, very green. They spoke an unknown language and would only eat raw beans. The villagers taught them English and got them to eat other food. Eventually they lost their green color, but the boy got sickly and died soon after he and his sister were baptized. The girl adjusted to her new life, but she was considered to be loose and wanton in her behavior. After she learned to speak English, the girl explained that she and her brother had come from Saint Martin’s Land, a subterranean world where everything is green.

The Queens

Boudisca

Anne

Victoria

Elizabeth

The Case of the Missing Martyr

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The Strange Tale of St Edmund – Mayhem, Murder and Martyrdom In East Anglia

In 869 the Viking’s Great Heathen Army descended on East Anglia and demolished everything in their path. Apparently King Edmund refused to renounce Christ. On the orders of Ivar the Boneless and his evil brother Abba, the King was whipped, shot with arrows, stabbed with spears and finally beheaded.

I say apparently because almost nothing is known about Edmund’s real life, the Viking Army having destroyed any contemporary evidence of his reign. Legend has it that after his decapitation, the head was taken into the forest by a wolf that kept strangers at bay until the Monks could retrieve the head and bury it with his body.

It is said that wolves have not been seen in East Anglia since that day.

The Wolf Stands Guard Over St. Edmund’s Severed Head

Upon exhumation it was discovered that all the arrow wounds on his corpse had healed and his head was reattached and his skin was still soft and fresh as a daisy. A Saint for sure.

In later years writers realized the inherent PR value of having no factual record of Edmund’s reign and quickly began producing accounts of a life filled with miracles. But creating a Saint out of whole cloth is no easy task and just like a great rock band it requires outrageous tales and a lot of touring. The Benedictine Monks lugged the bejeweled box containing his remains all over Southern England, regaling tales of heroic deeds and miracles to anyone with a few coins. It is said that between 900 and 1000 AD, Edmund’s remains did far more traveling then he ever did during his lifetime. They understood very well that saints mean pilgrims and pilgrims mean money.

The Abbey Tower

During the 11th century the shrine at Bury St Edmunds became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage locations in England. For centuries the shrine was visited by various kings, many of whom gave generously to the abbey. The town arose as the wealth and fame of the abbey grew.

But as we all know, fate can be cruel and in 1539, during the English Reformation and the subsequent Dissolution of the Monasteries, all the abbey’s property was seized by the Crown. On November 4,1539 the abbot and his monks were expelled and the abbey was dissolved, but before Cromwell’s troop could arrive the Monks dug up Edmund’s casket and reburied it in or near the abby grounds. For centuries historians have searched for the location of the venerated saint’s holy remains, but all their efforts have been in vain and the secret is still secure.

On the Green

Tower Door

St Edmundsbury Cathedral Ceiling

Abbey Fountain

Putt Putt Golf on the Abbey Green

St Edmund in the Courtyard

A private home on the Abbey grounds

The Portland Journal _ F5.6

1 Reply

Important Messages

Anyone who writes on a wall or puts up a sign is convinced that they are sending an important messages out into the world. Messages that will attract business, change our attitude, alert us to some unforeseen danger or just make us smile.

Journey

WetPaint

Panties

Reincarnation

EverythingMustGo

InternetBusinessCenter

Israeli

StreetMeat_15

Wall11

Vicky

Capax

BlazerWall

Wall4

Wall6

Wall9_15

MrPlywood

The Wendi Files – Norse Sagas

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Viking Attitude

I’ve wandered through Scandinavia like a bit player in the Norse Sagas, those timeless myths filled with blood, battles and debauchery. Only my voyage consists of beer, buses and bargain basements. Maybe not as dangerous but just as exhausting. At this point in the trip I’m downright tuckered out. I have been trudging around after Wendi as she’s pillaged her way through Iceland, Norway and Sweden for weeks. I’m always a couple steps slow and a few beats behind like a bass player that can’t catch up to the rest of the band. It seems she is always looking back at me with that “will you hurry up” look on her face.

Let’s Go

And hats! What’s with the hats? Every silly hat from Reykjavik to Stockholm has magically ended up on her head, coupled with a goofy grin. She doesn’t want to bring them home so, I suppose, that’s good.

Regardless of her proclivity for wacky chapeaus, Wendi’s enthusiasm is undeniable. She is clearly a woman on the move.

At the Opera House in Bergen, Norway

A stroll in Bergen

Shopping in Stockholm

On the way to the Moderna Museet in Stockholm

On a ferry in Vestlandet

On the fjord ferry.

With family in Stavanger, Norway

A walk in Bergen, Norway

Shopping in Reykjavik, Iceland

Armed with her Stockholm Card.

On the way to Fotografiska.

Subway station photo bomb.

On the way.

Hotorget Flea Market

City Food Market

The Royal Palace

On the Flambana in Norway

She does have quiet moments of self reflection, albeit few and far between and usually after extensive shopping or while jet lagged.

DK Department Store – Stockholm

One of twenty H&M’s in Stockholm

Jet lagged at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

At the Moderna Museet in Stockholm

Wet Bottom.

With Olav, Wendi’s Viking Friend.

On the ferry in Stockholm

She did take time for a little work.

Gamla Stan, Stockholm

At Skudeneshavn, Norway

Haugesund, Norway

Rosendal, Norway

That’s all for now.

That’s All Folks.

See you soon.

Stockholm – Hustle & Bustle

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Let’s start with a travel tip. I’m always a little leery of package schemes and deals aimed at visitors, but the Stockholm Card is the exception and a great deal. This is a real godsend, which, if you keep busy, offers significant savings. It is also hugely convenient to not have to dig for cash or use a credit card everywhere you go. Besides giving you free passage on all of Stockholm’s public transportation you also get free access to over 75 major museums and major historical sites.

Our public transportation map after 6 days.

Stockholm is a big and busy city, not big and busy in an otherworldly sense like Hong Kong, New York or London. There are no skyscrapers and the church spires are still the tallest structures in town. There are no giant cloverleaf overpasses like arteries in some huge beast, but Stockholm is spread out over 14 islands with a complex overlapping transport system that incorporates ferries, buses, trams, subways, bridges, walkways and roads that tie the whole thing together.

The City Food Market

The City Food Market

Shopping on Drottninggatan

In Blasieholmen

On the ferry to Djurgarden

In Blasieholem

On the ferry to Djurgarden

On the dock in Skeppsholem

Hotorget Square

Across the water towards Ostermalm

Across the water towards Ostermalm

Kiosk in Djurgarden

Clock near Kungstradgarden

Old Tram Sign

Building in Ostermalm

Walking in the old city.

Near T-Centralen

Outside T-Centralen

Gamla Stan

Gamla Stan, or “Old Town”, is our favorite part of the city. It is situated on the island of Stadsholmen and is one huge warren of narrow medieval streets and heritage sites. The Royal Palace, museums and 17^th century churches are just steps from each other. The entire atmosphere is of a bygone era.

Stortorget was the site of the old Stock Exchange is now a lively square in the heart of the old town but in 1520 it was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath when the Danish King tricked the Swedish Regent and beheaded more then 80 Swedish noblemen in this very square.

Stortorget

The Hotorget Flea Market

No trip would be complete without a flea market. The square at Hotorget is a flower and produce market all week but every Sunday it transforms to a great little second hand market. Just try to keep Wendi away. I dare you.

Sinking Expectations or The Very Short Voyage of the Vasa

When the Vasa was designed by two Dutch brothers in 1628 it was the largest and most heavily armed war ship in the world. With this vessel the Swedes hoped to strike fear in their enemies and control all trade on the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, there was no engineering, as we know it, at the time and all construction was essentially done by trial and error. The massive ship proved to be just a whisper too tall and slightly too narrow. It was a lovely sunny day on August 10^th in 1628 when the Vasa set out on it’s maiden voyage. In a slight breeze it listed a little to starboard, took in water through the gun ports and sank to the bottom of Stockholm harbor where it lay until being rediscovered in 330 feet of water in 1956. After a complex salvage operation and a 17 year conservation project the Vasa now sits proudly in it’s own especially designed museum.

http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/The-Ship/Life-on-board/

Vikings With Spray Paint

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So, a Viking walks into a bar with a can of spray paint…….

Graffiti Beginner Kit

I was a little surprised with both the volume and quality of graffiti we’ve seen in Scandinavia. Reykjavik has a huge amount of young people, so I get that, but Norway is a very squeaky clean country, with strict rules on driving and public behavior, and people like it like that. We have discussed the very large quantity of graffiti, wall paintings and assorted art stickers plastered about with a couple bartenders and have been informed that it is not really thought of as graffiti, but more “Street Art”. Which is kind of cool, it raises the bar a little and opens it up to a variety of media, i.e. paint, neon, stickers, posters, etc. Let’s walk around a little.

Bergen

Stavanger

Bergen

Stavanger

Bergen

Reykjavik

Bergen

Peek A Boo – Reykjavik

Bergen

Dockrws – Reykjavik

Bergen

Reykjavik

Acorn – Reykjavik

Bergen

No Lost Generation – Bergen

Bergen

Beer in Bergen

Good People In Bergen

Bergen

Reykjavik

Stavanger

Bergen

Stavanger

Haugesund

Bergen

Gallery Window in Bergen

Where are all the Norwegians?

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Two French Tourists

I received a comment the other day asking, “Where are all the people?” and I suppose that’s fair. I’m clearly more interested in art and architecture then I am in documenting the lives of complete strangers. That been said I would probably take more pictures of people here if we had met any Norwegians. In point of fact, with the exception of Jon who was kind enough to pick us up at the airport the day we arrived, we haven’t met any Norwegians. I know they’re here somewhere. Perhaps the gal in the supermarket is Norwegian, although her English is so perfect, maybe not. The fella at the local snack bar is Scottish. We met a potter in Bergen who is English, went to school in South Dakota and married a Norwegian. Maybe we can meet him? All the bartenders are English, who along with their neighbors in the Emerald Isle are clearly the world’s most avid drinkers. All the waitresses are Swedish, who since the oil boom have turned into Norway’s poor relations. And almost all the tourists are Asians, with a slight smattering of Spaniards. Oh, I almost forgot, the girl in the Tourist Bureau is Norwegian but she’s moving to Budapest in two weeks so she doesn’t really count. There are no festivals here this month and a lot of shops are closed. We have been told that’s because all the Norwegians have fled to Spain where they are assured of sunshine. Even small cities have direct flights to Malaga, Alicante, Majorca and the Canary Islands to help facilitate the mass exodus.

A Swedish Waitress

Once we were in Liechtenstein and asked a waitress if she was local. She laughed and said that she was Portuguese and that if we wanted to meet any Liechtensteinians we would need to go to the bank, that being both their workplace and spiritual home. That’s somewhat problematic now. With the advent of ATMs we haven’t needed to go into a foreign bank since we were in Turkey over 25 years ago. Perhaps we should go into the Sparbank in Bergen and ask, “Where the hell are all the Norwegians?”

In A Nutshell

The Flamsbanen

We took the world famous Flamsbanen as part of the “Norway In A Nutshell” tour, which is billed as the world’s most beautiful train ride. It runs from Myrdal on the mountain plateau down to Flam on the banks of the great Sognefjorden.

Myrdal Station

Amazing Vistas

Kjosfossen Waterfall

Arriving in Flam

Cruise Ship docks at Flam

It’s Party Time

It’s Party Time

Our entire train was filled with a huge tour group from Sichuan Province China. Wendi and I were the only non-Asians on the train. I love these people. In Norway for just 16 days but the rumpus never stops.

Chan “The Ringleader”

The party began when they handed around dehydrated fish nuggets of some kind that we were encouraged to share. They devoured them. Truly the most God Awful things I have ever put in my mouth, I can still taste them.

Breakfast

The men cracked open a quart of single malt scotch at 8:15am and had drained the bottle in less then an hour.

Look Mountains

And talk about equipment, they were a legion of picture takers. I think they must all be product testers for Sony or Samsung. And they were fascinated with snow-covered mountains. Every time the mountains came into view the entire group would leap to that side of the train and take hundreds of pictures. We were certain the car was going to tip over.

Making Memories

BruceWPeterson Photography

Explore The World

Category Archives: Tourism

Haarlem – Bulb City

The Wendi Files – The British Edition

Southwold Pier

The Green Children of Woolpit

The Case of the Missing Martyr

The Portland Journal _ F5.6

The Wendi Files – Norse Sagas

Stockholm – Hustle & Bustle

Vikings With Spray Paint

Where are all the Norwegians?