Last night it fell about five cm of snow. Now, if the temperature doesn't rise too much it will still be there this afternoon which would be perfect since Liseberg's Christmas Market is on tonight's agenda.
Five million lights and 700 Christmas trees greet you when you walk in the entrance to Liseberg Christmas Market in Gothenburg. This year Christmas at Liseberg celebrates it's ten year anniversary and is more popular than ever.
Northern Europe's largest Christmas Market offers, in addition to all the traditional attractions; buildings dated from the 18th century, about 80 rustic stalls brim with traditional handicrafts and seasonal Swedish treats, reindeer and ice skating. And of course, the restaurants serve Christmas delicacies.
The design and craft market offers an enviable selection of gifts from famous names such as Iittala, Georg Jensen, the Kingdom of Crystal (including Orrefors and Kosta Boda ) and Lammhults furniture. In the Lapland area you can buy unique Sami handicrafts and see the reindeer. You can visit Liseberg Ice Gallery & Bar, the interior of which is sculpted entirely from ice from the Torne river.
Christmas at Liseberg is open from mid November to 23 December.
Source: boinzo, kberberi, maj-lis, nouna andersson, sofia bystr'm ' flickr.com
St. Petersburg, former Leningrad, was founded by Tsar Peter I of Russia on May 27, 1703. It was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years, until the Russian Revolution in 1917.
The city is considered to be the most Western inspired of Russia and by the Russians often referred to as The Northern Capital.
St. Petersburg is home to The Hermitage, the largest art museum in the world, featuring interiors of the former imperial residence and a vast collection of art. It was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and open to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise nearly 3 million items,including the largest collection of paintings in the world.
Other famous cultural sites are The Mariinsky Opera, The Ballet Theatre and The Imperial palace and park ensemble at Peterhof.
There are several gardens to see in St. Petersburg. Here's some of them.
The Alexander Garden was laid out in 1872-1874 over what had been Admiralty Square, to a design by the landscape gardener Eduard Regel, as part of the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Peter the Great. The Garden was formally opened in 1874 in the presence of Alexander II, who agreed to having the Garden named after him.
The Botanical Garden is one of the oldest Botanical Gardens in the country. The Garden was founded in 1714 by order of Peter the Great as the Apothecary's Garden, and soon became a centre for horticultural research that was the equal of any other in Europe in terms of the importance and size of its collection. Originally the Apothecary's Garden focused mainly on growing medicinal herbs, but soon people began bringing saplings and seeds of rare and exotic plants — for which a greenhouse was specially built.
The Catherine Garden is the unofficial name for the public garden in front of the Alexandriinsky Theater, between the Theater and Nevsky Prospect. The Garden was laid out in the 1820s to a design by Carlo Rossi, and the statue of Catherine the Great which dominates it and from which it takes its name was erected in 1873. From late spring to early fall — and sometimes into winter — local artists sit on the sidewalk outside the Catherine Garden exhibiting and selling their work and offering to draw portraits of passers-by.
The Summer Garden is located where the Fontanka River flows out of the Neva River. It was founded in 1704 by order of Peter the Great, who was personally involved in planning it, and is laid out according to strict geometrical principles. The Summer Garden is home to marble statues acquired from Europe especially for Russia's new capital, and also to rare flowers and plants, as well as fountains. It was a traditional location for courtly life outside the palace, and balls were held here by the nobility, who also enjoyed simply taking the air in the Garden.
Moscow Victory Park is located in the south of St. Petersburg on Moskovsky Prospect. It was founded in 1945 to mark the Allied victory in World War II over Nazi Germany. The Park, which spreads over 68 hectares, is home to more than 100 types of tree and bush, and includes elements of formal and landscape planning, being decorated with ponds, canals, avenues, and flower gardens.
The Tauride Garden was laid out in 1783-1789 on the estate of Grigory Potemkin behind the Tauride Palace from which it took its name. Potemkin was one of Catherine the Great's favourites (and lover, allegedly), and the Empress gave Potemkin the land and the title of Prince of Tauridia for his services in conquering ancient Tauridia (now the Crimean Peninsula). The Tauride Garden was landscaped in true Romantic style, designed to imitate nature, with ponds and canals and picturesque rolling landscape. Trees and shrubs were brought in especially from England.
And just for the fun of it, here are a few more photos of St. Petersburg.
Since my Man recently became the head of security at The Swedish Royal Opera House, I thought I'd publish a blog about the historic building.
The opera company was founded by King Gustav III and its first performance, "Thetis and Phel'e" with Carl Stenborg and Elisabeth Olin, was given on January 18, 1773; this was the first native speaking opera performed in Sweden.
But the first opera house was not opened until 1782 and served for a century before being replaced at the end of the 19th century. Both houses were officially called the "Royal Opera", however the terms "The Gustavian Opera" and "The Oscarian Opera", or the "Old" and "New" Opera are used when distinction is needed.
The original Stockholm Opera House, the work of architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz was commissioned by King Gustav III, a strong adherent of the ideal of an enlightened absolutism and as such was a great patron of the arts.
The Swedish Opera company had first been located in Bollhuset, but there was a need to separate the Opera from the theatre and give them separate buildings. Construction began in 1775 and the theatre was inaugurated on 30 September 1782 with a performance of the German composer Johann Gottlieb Naumann 's Cora och Alonzo . It was also the place for public masquerade balls, events inspired from the famous opera-balls in Paris, which was open for everyone wearing a mask at a cheap cost and somewhat ill-reputed.
The Gustavian opera building in 1880:
The building was very imposing with its center Corinthian tetrastyle portico supporting four statues and topped by the royal crown. The four-tiered auditorium was oval in shape, had excellent acoustics and sight lines. The sumptuous foyer contained neoclassic medallions and pilasters.
It was in the foyer of the opera house where the king met his fate: during a masquerade on March 16, 1792, he was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarstr'm, and died 7 days later. (In turn, this event inspired the opera Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi.)
Following the assassination, the opera house was closed until 1 November 1792, when it was opened again, which by some was considered shocking.
The son of Gustav III, King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, did not like the Opera, possibly because of the murder of his father, and disliked the fact that the scene of his father's murder was used as a place of amusement and leisure, and when a frivolous play was performed for his queen Frederica of Baden in 1806, he decided to close it down. It remained closed until 1809, and when the king was deposed, it took until May 1812, before it was organised enough to be fully opened again.
From 28 August to 16 January the famous Chinese Terracotta warriors is visiting Stockholm, in the caverns beneath the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. This is actually the first time that the 'secret' caverns will be made accessible to the general public. Up until the 1960s, they formed part of the Swedish Navy's headquarters.
The Terracotta Army (??? literally "soldier and horse funerary statues") or Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a collection of 8,099 life-size Chinese terra cotta figures of warriors and horses located near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor ( Chinese: ????). The figures were discovered in 1974 near Xi'an, Shanxi province, China.
The Terracotta Army was buried with the Emperor of Qin ( Qin Shi Huangdi ) in 210 — 209 BC (his reign over Qin was from 247 BC to 221 BC and over unified China from 221 BC to his death in 210 BC ). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies".
The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well to the east of Mount Lishan. Mount Lishan is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.
The exhibition will consist of several hundred artefacts from six different museums and more than ten different burial sites in Xi'an and its surroundings, including the grave of the first emperor.
I have a thing for pictures that tell a story, and there are many of them. The stories they tell are appalling and shocking, heartbreaking and sad. They show a world of starvation, war, heartlessness and pure evil. They show the harsh reality so many people live in and though we might not want to see this side of life, I recon it's important to know they're out there.
Although we might not be able to help them it might help us to be more grateful for what we actually have ourselves.
The afghan girl, picture shot by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry. Sharbat Gula was one of the students in an informal school within the refugee camp; McCurry, rarely given the opportunity to photograph Afghan women, seized the opportunity and captured her image. She was approximately 12 years old at the time. She made it on the cover of National Geographic next year, and her identity was discovered in 1992.
Thisphotograph has become synonymous with The Battle of Gettysburg, which was the most bloody battle of the American Civil War. Photographer Timothy H. O'Sullivan documented and recorded the battlefield, and this picture became a sensation.
For many, this was their first chance to see, first hand, the true extent of the Civil War. However, it was not until 40 years after the battle that the pictures were mass produced, as photo-engraving had not been established. The picture shows dead confederate soldiers on the battlefield.
Alberto Korda took this picture of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, titled 'Guerrillero Heroico' or 'Heroic Guerrilla'. It shows Che, as he was known, at a memorial service for victims of the La Coubre explosion.
Despite being one of the most reproduced images in history, Korda, a lifelong Communist and supporter of the Cuban Revolution, claimed no payment for his picture.
Lawrence Beitler took this iconic photograph on August 7, 1930, showing the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, two young black men accused of raping a white girl. It sold thousands of copies, which Beitler stayed up for 10 days and nights printing them.
It has become iconic over the years as it is one of the best and most recognisable images of lynching which at the time was commonplace, but now serves only as a reminder of the pre-Civil Rights era.
The photo shows a crowd that have turned out to view the lynching, and the audience a mixture of anger and fulfilment. The photo was so popular it has been the inspiration for many poems and songs down the years, 'Strange Fruit' by the Jewish poet Abel Meeropol (later sung by Billie Holiday) being the best example.
Possibly the most talked-about, debated and controversial picture in history, the picture of the moon landing has been seen as a feat of human engineering at its best, and has been speculated as a hoax by contractors of the event.
Those in doubt of the authenticity of the picture have come up with many suggestions as to why and how it might have been faked. However, none of the accusations have been proved correct and the debate continues in some circles.
The American flag installs national pride in the US as the winners of the so-called 'Space Race', and their establishment as the world's one remaining super power.
This photo of a naked and terrified young girl running towards Pulitzer prize-winning photographer Nick Ut has entered popular culture as a symbol of the horror of the Vietnam War. It was taken during the American bombing of the village of Trang Bang, Vietnam.
It is said that this photo ended the war in Vietnam and served as an icon for the peace movement that was prevalent in the 1970s.
Often considered the most iconic photograph in history, 'tank man' or 'the unknown rebel' shows an act of courage and defiance and earned the anonymous man widespread fame.
It took place during the protests at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, and has subsequently become a symbol of the end of the Cold War era, and one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. Four people claim to have took photos of the event, but the most reproduced image, and the most famous was by Jeff Widener.
Kevin Carter's photo shows a heart-breaking scene of a starving child collapsed on the ground, struggling to get to a food center during a famine in the Sudan in 1993. In the background, a vulture stalks the emaciated child. It is a horrific picture that gave people a true look at the dire condition in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Carter was part of a group of four fearless photojournalists known as the "Bang Bang Club" who travelled throughout South Africa capturing the atrocities committed during apartheid.
He won a Pulitzer Prize for this work and came under a lot of scrutiny for spending over 20 minutes setting up the photo instead of helping the child. Three months after taking the photo, he committed suicide.
I have seen this picture several times through the years and it touches my heart more and more each time. It brings tears to my eyes and my heart aches for this little, helpless girl.
This image of a child in Uganda holding hands with a missionary shows big contrast between the two people and serves as a reminder of the difference in wealth between developed and developing countries.
Mike Wells, the photographer, took this picture to show the extent of starvation in Africa. He took it for a magazine, and when they went 5 months without printing it, he decided to enter it into a competition. However, Wells has stated that he is against winning a competition with a picture of a starving boy.
Photographer Eddie Adams took this picture of the execution of Nguy?n Van L'm by Nguy?n Ng?c Loan during the Vietnam War. Adams later apologized in person to General Nguyen and his family for the irreparable damage it did to Loan's honour while he was alive.
Picture from an Einsatzgruppen soldier's personal album, labelled on the back as 'Last Jew of Vinnitsa', it shows a member of Einsatzgruppe D is just about to shoot a Jewish man kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1941. All 28,000 Jews from Vinnitsa and its surrounding areas were massacred at the time.
Today, the Medieval week on the Swedish island Gotland starts. Markets and music, theatre and lectures. Knights clash in tournaments. A journey in time and space. Gotland's special settings, Visby's 200 medieval houses on winding lanes, splendid church ruins, and the magnificent city wall frame makes the beautiful Hansa city a perfect place to celebrate the Middle ages.
Additional information: Gotland is listed on UNESCO's world heritage list, and film maker Ingmar Bergman lived here, on F'r'.
It's still hot here in mid Sweden and to be honest it's beginning to test my strengths. I know I shouldn't complain but 30 degrees can be a bit of a shock on the Scandinavian body. We're used to snow and polar bears, you know. ;-)
The Norwegian 'bunads' are famous all over the world, and they are certainly a peace of art. There are many to chose from, but the tradition is to wear the one who represent the part of Norway where one grew up. Luckily for me, my favourite are the one that comes from my home area ' the 'mli bunad (the first picture).
In the year of 1891. Europe's aristocracy and upper classes sought new and exciting destinations with spectacular scenery. The clientele for which the Union Hotel in 'ye by the Hj'rund fjord opened its doors that year was fastidious. The guest register showed a line of success: Queen Willemina of the Netherlands, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway, and Queen Maud and King Haakon VII of Norway were some of the royalty who enjoyed their stay.
The historical hotel was restored in the original style in 1989, and now appears as it did in its heyday. All rooms are deliberately without TV, radio and telephone to give the hotel an even stronger feeling of La Belle 'poque.
Union Hotel is in and eyesight from the fjords, the mountains and the scenic Norangs-valley — one of the narrowest valleys in Norway with only 250 meters from side to side. The British mountaineer William Cecil Slingsby — the discoverer of the Norwegian mountains said it has 'the proudest view in Europe'.
The hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of Europe.
"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."
