A CITY OF DOORS. A pint of Guinness to anyone who can find a duplicated door
A CITY OF BOOT SCRAPERS
THE CITY OF OSCAR WILDE
THE BOOK OF KELLS (no photos allowed) AT TRINITY COLLEGE
THE LONG ROOM. The old library at Trinity College, 65m long and normally filled with 350,000 ancient books. The library contents are currently undergoing conservation and almost all the books have been removed for this work. A few left.
This 6m diameter installation is NASA image of the earth’s surface.
THE CITY OF ST STEPHEN’S GREEN
A CITY OF CASTLES
THE CITY WITH HUGH LANE GALLERY & ANDY WARHOL
Who knew Warhol painted Dutton?
HUGH LANE GALLERY & FRANCIS BACON’S STUDIO
HUGH LANE GALLERY & HENRY CLARKE’S amazing stained glass
THE CITY WITH THE HEART WRENCHING FAMINE MEMORIAL
THE CITY OF THE CHESTER BEATTY GALLERY, set within beautiful gardens. The gallery has a collection of manuscripts, paintings, prints, rare books and decorative arts from Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
A VIVID CITY OF LIGHTS
A CITY OVERTAKEN BY HUGE GULLS
GREY OCEAN & STONY BEACHES. We took the train to Dalkey, which we were told was a very beautiful seaside town. Cherrie took a stroll along the beach. In the rain of course!
We didn’t feel overly welcome
A CITY OF MURALS
AND A CITY OF, WELL, IRISH SIGNS
So, for all you cynics out there, and perhaps with a bit of the luck of the Irish, we have made this 5 week adventure without mishap. A guardian angel looking over us maybe
Currently in Dubai, with a two hour stopover and a further two hour delay. We had wonderful weather in Norway and we have had rain every day since. We understand that we are coming home to a week of rain. Ah well, so be it. We’ve had a wonderful trip and look forward to landing on home soil. So Dubai and hallo!
We have come to the UK to visit very old and dear friends. David and John were living in Tenby in Wales before recently relocating to Hereford. We fly into Cardiff and David picks us up and drives us the two hours to their lovely terrace in Hereford. It’s so lovely to catch up with them again, but sad to see John so affected by Parkinson’s.
Saturday is Armistice Day but in the UK they also celebrate Remembrance Day the Sunday after the 11th. David, Cherrie and I stroll down the road to observe the service at the Cenotaph. Of course, it’s raining but that doesn’t put the crowds off.
It’s a really nice service, with all the pomp one expects of the Brits
There’s not an unruly spectator in sight, and even the kids have been well briefed by their parents. Of course, with a bunch of volunteers looking over us, who would dare go off the rails?
Hereford is a lovely town
on the 4th largest river in the UK. Why am I telling you this? It’s the Wye River
And, it has a very beautiful Cathedral
David, who has a beautiful tenor voice, will join the choir here on Saturday night singing Bach’s Mass in B Minor. His sister Lynne, a soprano, is also singing. We’re sorry we won’t be there for it.
Medieval times were no different. There’s always someone lying down on the job
The house that David and John are now in
is in a terrific position. A short walk to town and to the local park, where Penny is walked at least three times a day
A local horticulture loving resident has labelled all the varieties in the hedge
This is a mitten bush
On matters horticultural, David the Welshman bought John the Australian, a glorious Mount Buffalo Eucalypt for their Hereford courtyard
After three days of laughter, tears, wine and food we wave farewell to these dearest of friends.
We have booked a cab to meet us at Helsinki Airport, and there was our driver, holding a sign with my name on it. A large-ish woman, she introduced herself as Charlene. Originally from LA but more recently 14 years in North Carolina. Married to a Fin, they spent 4 years here when first married and then she moved him to the States. Two kids and 23 years later they move back to Helsinki. She had been in the Police Force and was getting a bit sick of criminals, he was offered a good job here and so they moved here four years ago. And we’re not at the taxi yet. I use that word advisedly. It’s a van that once was white but it has not seen a hose or soap since it was first registered, many years ago. A bit cleaner inside but near impossible to get in. Charlene instructed us to step up and do a shimmy between the front and back seats, since the back seat is rusted into position. Eventually the dance moves work and we strap ourselves in.
Driving into Helsinki is like entering Moscow, without the glory. Tall, bald face blocks of units, all identical, on both sides of the road. But Charlene keeps talking. Are we interested in trying Finnish food? I responded that I always finish my food. She can recommend some restaurants near to our hotel, and one a bit of walk away but worth trying. The latter is set in an old Greenhouse and is in a park somewhere. Actually she tells us exactly where it is but we have no idea what she means. So we nod enthusiastically. The other two are great she says. A Pizza Place and a Burger House.
We arrive at the hotel, extricate ourselves from the van, grab our bags and wave farewell to Charlene. An afternoon walking through the streets of Helsinki has us wondering why on earth we bothered. There is really nothing to recommend it.
But the street signs are nice
Not surprisingly we decide against Pizza and Burgers, and choose a little Italian eatery we discover on our walk. We have taken to two meals a day, Linner, eating around 3 or 4pm, since breakfast is included in all Scandinavian hotels. We enjoy a delicious meal in the company of the house chocolate Labrador Leo. He was flesh and blood, not chocolate at all
On our stroll we were advised by the menu in the window of those eateries we passed, and did not always succumb
However, things look up on Sunday, despite the drizzling rain, which has us walking in the opposite direction and we see some really lovely architecture, amongst the dreary stuff
We walk past a lovely park which has community members raking up the leaves and binning them. It is a volunteer day and we turned the down the invitation to join them with a rake each (there were plenty on site) and a bowl of hot soup with bread.
Instead, we park the dog
And head to the Design Museum. Finland is, of course, home to Marimekko so it’s not all bad. The stuff that Finland has designed and developed, which are now in commonplace usage throughout the world is something else.
They even designed the first porcelain sink with tap
Those Fins saw me coming
But, hey, it’s Sunday. And the purchase of alcohol on Sunday is banned on Sunday, Yikes. But Christmas is alive and well, and already the decorations are up and the windows alive with the sound of Santa
So, we Finnish in Helsinki. A big day trip tomorrow to Tallin
It snowed on Monday – unseasonably heavy snow which took everyone by surprise. The public transport system was crippled because only 38 or 400 busses had been fitted with their winter tyres. The snow continued to fall lightly, which posed a tremendous challenge for walking. Cherrie found Oslo’s Mr Minit who had a rubber contraption with spikes, which when fitted to my boot made a big difference. We knew the forecast was for rain for the next two days so on Wednesday we planned the compulsory outdoor things. Which really boiled down to walking, albeit treacherously, to explore the city
My diminished physical ability is snow good for tennis
and taking a seat wasn’t really an option either
University students all round the world protest, eh?
May the Gourds be with them
We intrepid tourists finally arrived at our intended destination.
The Vigeland Sculpture Park, the life’s work of sculptor Gustav Vigeland, comprising over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron. It was worth the hike and the sculptures are just wonderful. So whimsical, humourous, almost alive. By the time we arrived the snow had stopped falling, as had the drizzle. We considered ourselves lucky, but it remained slow going on the ice and settled snow. The artworks speak for themselves, so you have (an all too brief) respite from my constant reporting
Little wonder this one is a freize.
Cherrie met a snowoman
And I celebrated
Continuing our orientation walk we decide that over the next two rainy days we will explore the Norwegian Opera House, which houses both the national opera and ballet companies, the Munch Gallery (and not just because we eat so much) and the Ibsen Museum. Regrettably the Nobel Peace Museum is currently closed. Not enough peace on earth to warrant its opening perhaps.
The Ibsen Museum
is in fact the apartment in which he lived, plus a 150 seat theatre.
I asked what the theatre was used for and the answer was “for Ibsen’s plays”. However, on further interrogation it was revealed that a theatre is quite expensive to run and so actually nothing happens there. Shame, it is a sweet space but I can’t imagine any of his well known plays being performed there. But of course the (Nancye) Hayes Theatre has proved me wrong on that front.
Ibsen and his wife, Suzannah who suffered from severe arthritis, moved to this apartment later in life. It was well heated and roomy enough for this frequently rowing couple to have their own space.
Henrik doesn’t have the weird eyes, or the dagger, here that he had in Bergen
Perhaps he’d come to terms with his marriage by now?
We had planned to watch the Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace
but it was too cold to just hang around waiting. So we changed them ourselves
Dickens must be cursing he’s out of copyright. Where in the world is A Christmas Carol not being performed this year?
The Norwegian Opera & Ballet House is magnificent. Again, the result of an international design competition which was ‘blind’ – that is the judges were not aware of the nationality of the architects. How thrilled they were when it was a Norwegian company who won.
This building, unlike that in Sydney, is designed from the inside out. That is, it is as completely functional inside and it is beautiful outside.
The building houses both the Opera and Ballet companies, together with dedicated set construction workshops, costume, wig and millinery departments, paint shops etc. It’s magnificent backstage – we did a tour – and the stage is replicated in each rehearsal room (of which there are many). Oh, to work in a house like this.
Walking down the exterior side lane takes us past the wig and costume workshops, with glass windows. Must be like working in a gold fish bowl but they seemed oblivious to us and so maybe it’s one way glass?
A great way to engage with the public though. Clever design.
Who climbed the roof? It eventually got too slippery and she came back down. On both feet
Outside the Opera House, and as part of the design, is the most wonderful floating sculpture
And just behind the Opera House we spotted somewhere we thought we might have lunch
And we did, but not before exploring the artworks of Edvard Munch. We were both, of course, familiar with The Scream
Munch painted many versions and three originals, the oil, the pastel and the pencil are on display in rotation at one hour intervals. We caught two.
His other work was largely unfamiliar to us, and we enjoyed seeing it very much. Some are absolutely enormous, some portraits and self portraits and some wonderfully whimsical
We have not been blessed with good weather in Oslo, but we see the beauty of the city anyway. Finland tomorrow
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