From Russia With Love

Posted on August 21, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

Everyone on the trip with us was super excited to get to Russia. We didn’t know what to expect. The local tour guide gave us a quick overview of St. Petersburg via a bus and river boat. The architecture is quite beautiful and the folks here look like everyone else in the world. Of course, we only traveled a few square miles.

The internet is quite good and the Marriott Courtyard is very accommodating. Tonight we went out to a Chinese restaurant which was terrific and the staff couldn’t be nicer. We pointed to pictures on the menu just like we did in Japan. Very civilized.

The Bullet Train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg.

After 3 1/2 hours, we arrived

A little too busy for me.

On our list for tomorrow.

Being silly

The ballet theatre

Stunning architecture.

Hermitage

Cathedrals

A mirror image of a ballet school housed in two separate buildings.

The onion domes

Just like the picture book.

Checking out that I am really here.

The Four Seasons Hotel

The world is the same all over. Everyone looking for a bargain out of the trunk of a car.

Russian license plates

Ditto

Our afternoon cruise

Capturing the sights.

Russian tour guide

Trying to see it all.

Fourth Time In Helsinki

Posted on August 20, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

We have been touring non-stop on this trip: buses, trains, over night cruises, ferry boats, and four city-to-city airplane trips. We are not done. Tomorrow, a bullet train to St. Petersburg. We walk about 10,000 steps per day and climb at least 10 flights.

We think this is our 10th Smartours trip but we are not sure. There might be one or two that we forgot about. We did count that we have been to this city four times because we needed to take Finnair. It never disappoints. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. We have been all over the world and still have many more places to go.

I hope we have the strength to continue these journeys and the world finds some peace. The horrors of this last week were very upsetting. We hope better days ahead.

The oldest restaurant in Helsinki. I just had the most delicious artichoke soup.

Helsinki seaport. The ships in the background are ice breakers.

The Helsinki Cathedral. Yes, I walked up all those steps.

The Sibelius Monument (Finnish: Sibelius-monumentti) is dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957).

The Sibelius Sculpture.

Sibelius himself

An upward view of the Sibelius.

Lovers Locks On A City Bridge

A Closer Look

Sky Wheel And Sauna Baths.

The Marketplace.

The Newest Sauna In Helsinki.

Harald Bluetooth

Posted on August 19, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

We had to come all the way to Copenhagen to learn how Bluetooth got its name. On a tour of Castles today, in an area just outside of Copenhagen called North Zealand, we were told that the name Bluetooth was taken from the 10th-century, second king of Denmark, King Harald Bluetooth. He was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as tech engineers intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link.

Listen to a quick explanation.

Frederiksborg Castle

Fredensborg Palace

Kronborg Castle, setting of Shakespeare’s Play Hamlet

We Arrived In Copenhagen

Posted on August 18, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

We got to see The Little Mermaid today in Copenhagen. The bronze statue, by Edvard Eriksen, is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade.

Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the statue is a major tourist attraction since 1913.

The Queen’s Tapestries at Christiansborg Palace

We also visited the Queen’s Tapestries at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. They were a gift from the Danish business industry to Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II on her 50th birthday in 1990. There are 11 tapestries.

The tapestries depict the history of Denmark and the world, including the Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Absolute Monarchy, the Reformation, World War II, the Present and even the Future.

The Modern Man of Copenhagen

Back In Oslo

We took ferries everywhere in Oslo.

Up On The Roof

Posted on August 17, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

This is the first time that I can remember being asked to walk on the roof of any building. Yet, the Oslo Opera and Ballet House (Norwegian: Operahuset) has been designed in such a way that people from all over the world walk the roof from many different paths.

It is quite remarkable.

The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with marble from Carrara, Italy and white granite. It looks like it’s rising from the water.

We Made It To Oslo, The City, Not The Play

Posted on August 16, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

Oslo is one gorgeous city. We visited The Vigeland Park today which is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland. It is one of Norway’s most popular tourist attractions.
The sculpture park is Vigeland’s lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland was also in charge of the design and architectural layout of the park. The Vigeland Park was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949.

Vigeland (1869–1943) donated all his works to the city of Oslo. In return, the city gave him the park and a studio that he could live and work in. The main theme in the park is the circle of life. This is also the reason all the sculptures are naked. Vigeland didn’t want any disguises. Everyone is the same. We all experience happiness, sadness, insecurities, laughter, stress, winning, and failing. He wanted statues that were stripped down and honest.

All photos taken by yours truly with my iPhone 7 Plus. The first photo of Eliot and myself was taken by a stranger. The balance me. One shot each. No retakes.

Bit By Bit

Posted on August 15, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

We saw a very unusual art exhibit today in Lofthus, Norway, which is located on the shores of the Hardangerfjord, a region that is surrounded with snow capped mountains and captivating fjords. Our elegant, old charm hotel is inches from the water and every room has a balcony view.

The Hardanger Folk Museum was a ferry ride away. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but the works of Norwegian Karen Bit Vejle inside, were magical.

Karen’s art pieces are called psalm graph, the creation of pictures on paper by cutting patterns and motifs. The psalm graphical work is formed by a large continuous piece of paper and is cut exclusively with scissors.

Each paper cut has its own story. The stories have a message about peace and love among humans and other living things. They are very poetic.

I truly suggest you watch the video to find out how Karen was discovered (less an a decade ago) and what’s happened to her since. She is 59 years old and was born in Denmark. She uses her middle name Bit as the signature on her works and products. She lived in Trondheim in the years 1984 to 2014, and then moved back to Denmark.

Today she has assignments and exhibitions in the Nordic countries, Europe, the United States, and Asia. Adrian Sassoon of London is her art dealer. Karen also collaborated with Chinese paper artist Xiaoguang Qiao. Their work has been shown in several countries. Bit recently designed other products, such as blankets, tablecloths and tableware based on her paper clip patterns. It was a natural.

It’s never too late to discover an inner talent. Karen is complete self-taught.

Bus, Train, Ferry Ride Through Norway

Posted on August 14, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

We spent the day in the heart of Norway’s Fjord region. The bus took us to Voss. Then we went on the world’s famous Flam Mountain Railway for a thrilling ride descending 2,600 feet through waterfalls and towering mountains. A ferry cruise took us through the Sognefjord. The photos by Eliot Hess tell it all.

If It’s Sunday, It Must Be Bergen

Posted on August 13, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

Today we are in Bergen, (Bryggen) a city on Norway’s southwestern coast. We are surrounded by mountains, fjords and colorful wooden houses on an old wharf. The panoramic views and hiking trails are breathtaking. Periodic rain doesn’t stop the action in the Sunday fish market.

Photos by Eliot Hess

Bergen At Night

Two Hours With ABBA And Suddenly “I’m The Dancing Queen”

Posted on August 12, 2017 by loiswhitmanhess

I must be living under a rock. I don’t remember anyone ever telling me how fabulous Stockholm is. Yes, a few people mentioned they had a good time cruising through the Scandinavian countries, but no one ever emphasized that this is a “must see” and “must experience” place on earth.

I received several emails from friends saying this city is one of their favorite places once they saw my Stockholm photos on Facebook. I wish they would have told me about it before. They are so well traveled, they probably assumed I knew.

Stockholm is a combination of Paris and Venice. It’s situated on 14 islands. Eliot and I spent the day on the Hop/On Hop/Off Water Taxis visiting various places. It was so convenient when we went to the Vasa Museum, the ABBA Museum, the Nobel Museum, Gamla Stan (the old town), the Royal Palace, and several waterfront restaurants.

The Vasa Museum (Swedish: Vasamuseet) houses a war ship that was miraculously salvaged 333 years after it sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The Vasa story is known worldwide because of its tragic 20 minute fiasco.

The Nobel Museum (Swedish: Nobelmuseet) is dedicated to the Nobel Prize, Nobel laureates from 1901 to present, and the life of the founder of the prize, Alfred Nobel (1833-1896). The inside architecture is exquisite.

The ABBA museum made me feel like I was a teenager again. The establishment houses the Swedish rock group’s costumes, gold records, original musical equipment, memorabilia, rehearsal studios, and cars. An audio companion gadget, from display to display, gave us their entire story.

The big bonus was that we were able to sing karaoke with ABBA tunes and insert ourselves dancing with ABBA in pre-recorded videos. Eliot and I were so bad he wouldn’t let me buy the recordings. I was laughing so hard, I almost had an accident.

Hope everyone at home and those vacationing are doing well.