Bleubug

August 14, 2020August 14, 2020

Summer of Covid

It takes a long time for me to put a new post up, this time it seems a century. Last post I said we were looking into a pandemic but at the time of this writing we’ve been living in it for quite a period. I needn’t say it has changed so much about life, even in Sweden where we’ve had “mild” response to the virus. Most of all it limited travel so when my vacation came up we took a drive to areas of Sweden I’ve never seen. I’m rather happy about this since the country of my residence is still a bit of a mystery to me and has many surprises to impart.

The first surprise I had on the trip was that my camera succumbed, not to a virus but a rather small fall onto a carpet. The last image it took is the header to this post. After that I had to use a backup camera which didn’t allow me as much latitude in capturing images. Such is life.

I’ll not make comments right now about where these photos were taken, but most were in Skåne , Hallands, and Blekinge. A few were on the Göta Canal which is most lovely.

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020

Chilly

Winter should have been cold but it was only chilly with little snow. It’s now Spring but there is still a strong chill in the air. Chilling it is as we stare into a pandemic. I guess the seasons were warning us.

December 8, 2019August 2, 2021

A Brief Time in Riga

There’s a lot I could say about Riga but since I only had a short time there I’ll try and be just as brief. We often think that the Soviet sphere of influence tore everything down within its control and replaced it with Brutalist communal architecture. I’m glad to say that is not true in many places. My trip last year to Tallinn and this one to Riga showed that very pristine old towns can exist. Of course much was rebuilt after the two world wars so it’s not exactly as it was but the fact that areas seem untouched by time says quite a bit. The largest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings resides here and I wish I could have seen each one.

It was typical November weather on the Baltic with grey skies and the threat of rain constantly. Not a good environment for pictures and certainly not what I had hoped for. A bit boring and bit colorless I present here the images I took.

October 5, 2019March 12, 2021

Animals

It’s strange to think that a place in Sweden has so many animals from other countries. You’d think the cold would limit that but it doesn’t.

September 25, 2019

Crete, Again

Another year and another trip to Crete. I do love the place, especially since it is such a contrast to Sweden. This time I wound up getting ill which means I didn’t feel up to too many photos. These will have to do.

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August 11, 2019

In-Between

Often these photo posts just replicate what I have put on Facebook already. Not cool, I know. However, I doubt anyone notices so no guilt on my part. This time I’m putting up some photos exclusively here. Rejoice! Or not. Anyway, I’m behind in syncing this site to my Facebook photos so this lessens my guilt a bit. Hope these aren’t too disappointing.

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November 28, 2018August 14, 2020

Tallinn In The Cold

Estonia has a long and turbulent history. There’s a hackneyed phrase for you but pretty accurate here. Bouncing between empires and occupations it hasn’t been until the fall of the Iron Curtain that they could rise up as a nation. It also means that a city like Tallinn has not been scarred by modernism too badly…until recently. New building is evident all over but the old city is still untouched. I had a ferry ride there and spend a brief day exploring this impressive place.

November 11, 2018

Dark and Darker

It is hard to even find a Swede that sees much positive in this time of the year. The days get very short and the weather is damp, wet, and gray. To me it is worse than the depths of winter and makes It a challenge to just leave the warmth inside and move about. However, if one doesn’t get out you will go stir crazy which is why I went to Stockholm for a photo walk. Seeing unfamiliar places and vistas overrides the instinct to be warm and hide. Possibly I found some beauty out there, but you be the judge.

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November 5, 2018

The Flame of Soul

“There is a kind of flame in Crete – let us call it “soul” – something more powerful than either life or death. There is pride, obstinacy, valor, and together with these something else inexpressible and imponderable, something which makes you rejoice that you are human being, and at the same time tremble.”
― N. Kazantzakis, Report to Greco

I didn’t know what to except from our visit to Crete. The idea to travel there wasn’t mine and I knew very little about this large Island in the Mediterranean. However, it turned out to exceed my hopes. It was hot, but the nights were cool on the water, so lack of AC wasn’t a big problem. We just needed to keep the sunscreen flowing under that big, hot orb. Here in Sweden I miss a café culture and the ability to eat excellent food at a reasonable cost so finding the Crete had a few tavernas in every town that didn’t charge a fortune was nice. The food, even at the modest restaurants, was great. Ancient history always attracts me, so I was glad to be constantly exposed to it. Crete is not a impoverish part of Greece, but you do see an odd mix of clean modern buildings next to much older ones in poor states of repair. But that’s the kind of juxtaposition I love to see, especially in such stunning landscapes. Through it all the Cretans were uniformly friendly far beyond normal hospitality. The downside was terrifying mountain road drives with the reward of magnificent vistas. We survived it all as these pictures prove.

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November 5, 2018November 5, 2018

Machine Head

I know I’ve cluttered this blog up with a lot of train and car images but why stop now? Having a small son means I often get to ride steam trains and visit transportation museums. I do love old machinery and the many elegant elements that make up the whole.

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