Category Archives: Tourism

The Green Children of Woolpit

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

3 Replies

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

5 Replies

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

2 Replies

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

5 Replies

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?

3 Replies

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

Karmøy & Stavanger

5 Replies

Besides being Norway’s largest island, Karmøy is commonly referred to as the “Homeland of the Viking Kings – Norway’s Birthplace. We began our visit in Haugesund, now a shipping and fishing port, it has many historical connections and was once the stomping ground of Harald Fairhair, the first King of Norway, who lived from 850 to 932 AD and was reputed to have between 11 and 20 sons who couldn’t get along with anyone, not even each other.

Haugesund

Olav’s Church

Olav’s Church is at Avaldsnes, a beautiful setting and the historic site of Harald’s Royal Farm and burial mound.

Olav’s Church

Virgin Mary’s Needle stands on the north side of Olav’s Church. The Sagas warn that Doomsday will occur if ever the needle touches the church wall. It is rumored that the clergymen of Avaldsnes have snuck out at night and chiseled off pieces to save the world. Apparently the end is a mere 9.2 cm away.

Virgin Mary’s Needle – Olav’s Church

Skudeneshavn

Situated at the very southern tip of Karøy, Skudeneshavn is a traditional fishing settlement filled with whitewashed houses from the early 19th century. Old Shudeneshaven is considered one of the best preserved small towns in Norway.

Skudeneshavn Harbor

Skudeneshavn

Lady in the Park

Skudeneshavn

Skudeneshavn Harbor

Skudeneshavn Warehouse

Skudeneshavn

Back On The Road

We are back on the road and headed for Stavanger which is just across Boknafjorden. On the map it looks close, but it isn’t. Getting there involves two ferries and two of the deepest tunnels I have ever been through. They recommend chewing gum to help your ears.

Stavanger

Originally a traditional market town, first herring, then canning and eventually oil have transformed Stavanger into Norway’s fourth largest city.

Stavanger

Stavanger Harbor

Norsk Oljemusem – Stavanger Harbor

Stavanger Harbor

Gamie “Old” Stavanger

The houses along the terraced narrow cobblestone streets of this district were slated for demolition after World War II when local citizens stepped in and called for their preservation. Once the homes of sailors and tradesmen, Gamie Stavanger now has 156 lovingly restored whitewashed cottages.

Gamie Stavanger

The Borgund Stave-Church

7 Replies

Borgund Stave-Church

This church is located at Borgund in Lærdal beside the Sognefjord and is the world’s best preserved stave church.

Borgund Stave-Church

These medieval wooden Christian church buildings were once common in north-western Europe. It is believed, that at one point, there were between 750 and 1000 stave churches in Norway. Today there are only 28 remaining. In the Middle Ages, when people in Europe were building great cathedrals in stone, Norway developed similar construction techniques with timber. Norway had a very long tradition of wood construction for buildings, art and the production of ships. The roof structure is essentially an inverted ship hull.

Come On In

The North Door

The decoration of stave churches is a fascinating blend of Christianity and Viking era symbols with several runic inscriptions on the church walls and the distinctive “Dragon’s Heads”, similar to those found on Viking ships, jutting out from the gable peaks. The main doorway has vine-scrolls on the pilasters and serpents and dragons on the side panels and lintel.

The Main Doorway

Runic Inscriptions & Animal Masks On the South Door

Medieval Stone Altar. The Altarpiece Was Painted In 1654.

The timbers used to construct this church were felled in the year 1180. There are two factors that have accounted for the church’s longevity, it is constructed entirely on a stone foundation so that none of the wood touches the ground and also the timbers were “seasoned on the root” which draws the tar to the surface thereby preserving the wood beneath.

Root Seasoned Wood

More Useless But Interesting Facts

St. Andrew’s Cross:

St. Andrew’s Cross

The diagonal cross-braces are named after St. Andrew who was crucified on a diagonal cross, supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been. Who knows? But one thing is clear, the whole idea captured people’s imagination. The symbol has been used on the flags of Scotland, England, Grenada, Jersey, Logrono, Vitoria, Amsterdam, Breda, Potchefstroom, Kateijk, Valdivia, Tenerife, Galicia, Jamaica, Burgundy, the Imperial Russian Navy, the state flags of Florida and Alabama, as well as, the former Indian princely states of Khairpur, Rajkot, and Jaora, just to name a few. And of course, there is the much debated Confederate flag. Although the original designer, Willian Porcher Miles, insisted he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would be more a heraldic device then a religious symbol.

Vestlandet – Gateway to Norway

6 Replies

I should begin by saying that to call Norway beautiful is an understatement on the magnitude of referring to Angelina Jole as “kind of attractive”. This place is crazy beautiful. If you like vistas of verdant forests and unspoiled tranquil inlets with villages and towns huddled on the water’s edge this is the place for you.

Our Exchange

People are always curious where we end up when we do these exchanges. We are very lucky to find ourselves in a lovely traditional Nordic country home.

We are situated on Radoy, a relatively small island just north of Bergen in the county of Vestlandet.

The Neighborhood

Walking distance of the house.

On The Road

The whole region consists of a plethora of small and medium sized islands. As the crow flys, nothing seems that far away, but unlike the birds, we are bound to the earth. Driving around means relying on a hugely circuitous network of very narrow country lanes, an assortment of bridges, both large and small, and a system of ferries that range from big ocean going vessels to tiny tow barges. The whole area reminds me of a joke we would hear as kids about an old farmer from Maine explaining to a lost tourist, “you just can’t get there from here.”. To hurry is futile. It’s all very exciting as the teeny weenie lanes wind up, down and around, past incredibly picturesque farms and homes perched on impossibly steep hillsides and tucked into snug little coves and harbors.