Meeting Point

In every town there is a place to meet which is fail proof.  Here in Stockholm it is the Orpheus Fountain in front of the Concert Hall.  (The hall's interior is known world wide because the Nobel Prize ceremony takes place there every year in December.)  The building in the neo-classical style was inaugurated in 1923 and has been the home of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra ever since.

 The Orpheus fountain created by sculptor Carl Milles (1875-1955) was installed 1937 after the decision by the City Hall was at last made.  Just now, with the water shut off, it is easy to see the connection between the elongated figures and the polygonal columns of the building behind.   Waiting people of course have no eye for this but are more concerned about time and the expected person/s.

http://www.skulptur.stockholm.se/default.asp?id=7867&lang=EN

"Ute i naturen"

Sweden enjoyed one of the warmest International Women's Day - 50F and no snow.  If that happens the urge of hiking is strong.  'Out into nature' is the motto and easily done with public transportation. With Coffee in the thermos in the backpack we could even sit down in the sunshine for a short pause.  Thin ice is still covering the water but we hope that in five months we can go swimming.  

http://www.visitsweden.com/sweden/Things-to-do/Green-Sweden/Top-10-Green-Attractions/

Blog Anniversary

Four years ago I started 'blogging' on 'Blogger' and I hope to continue to 'inform' my friends in this way about where we are and what I am up to.  Looking back on old posts, I discover things about myself and see that even in our 'nomadic' life there is consistency.

Flowers for example - which I change monthly in the 'head' of the blog - are a source of pleasure.  Botanical gardens offer discoveries all year long and with the camera I can take advantage of their beauty.  The snowdrops, first sign of Spring are always uplifting and their resilience against snow and cold winds is inspirational.

The diversity of plants offered in our neighborhood flower shop always make me stop to appreciate the creative display of the owner and to catch some fragrance of the flowers.  In a few weeks Spring will come even to New England! 

For March I choose a 'witch hazel' flower as header and hope it soon will be visible even in Newton.

http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/Witch_Hazel_041003.htm

"Hotel de Charme"

In the Jardin des Plantes - the largest botanical garden in France - there is an impressive insect hotel called 'Hotel de Charme'.  With urbanization diminishing the insects which play such an important role for the pollination of both cultured and wild plants, these 'hotels' are built more and more.  They can be very decorative and are certainly useful in urban landscapes where insects are on the wane.

This smaller version we found on the roof garden of a hotel (for people) where a roof garden with wild flowers is planted.  Soon flowers will attract insects and now is perhaps the right time to plan building your very own insect hotel.  We know that the snow is piling up in Boston, but eventually it will melt and the insects have to have a place to stay.
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html

Pre Valentine's Day

Retail sales play now a large part in the celebration of St. Valentine's day - we all know that.  Therefore a good reason to visit Gallery Lafayette's flagship store in Paris to get some of the excitement of the marketing.  Our profile does not fit well the retailers target group: young, hip and ready to buy.

http://www.groupegalerieslafayette.fr/en/ 

 Nevertheless we delighted in the beauty of the Art Nouveau glass and steel dome high up in the 10th floor.  The luxury goods offered had lines of customers like the bakeries have for the Sunday baguettes.  For baguettes the French, here tourists and to a large part from China.

There is now a Gallery Lafayette department store in Beijing but reasons like price, tax, selection, ambiance - make it attractive to travel to the flagship store.  Since I observed these two women  clicking pictures from outsides and insides of red leather purses I ask myself if this is a new way of giving a Valentine present?  

Looking and seeing

When we visit Museums and admire the art objects we look at and the ones we like, we stop and look longer before we continue our visit.  In general we look for seconds and sometimes for several minutes.  One technique to intensify the looking and learn how to see is to draw the object.

Courses in sketching are offered more and more in museums in an effort to heighten the intensity of looking.  The Medieval Museum Cluny in Paris offers classes on weekends with a teacher who gives basic tips of copying.  http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/ang/index.html
I was one of the participants and was placed in front of this stained glass with the image of St. Jaques (shown above).  After one hour of sketching and then one hour of coloring, the result was this:

Time well spent because I will always remember this particular image of St. Jaques which is on loan by the German Museum Schnutgen for the special exhibition 'Traveling in Medieval Times' which will close now February 20th.  http://www.museum-schnuetgen.de/default.aspx?s=1415

Tossed by the waves

The coat of arms of Paris, made official by the Baron Haussmann 1853, has as motto in Latin
FLUCTUAT NEC MERGITUR  which translated to English means "she is tossed by the waves but does not sink".   There is something magical when observed and registered and suddenly this symbol of the boat with full sails on choppy waves one can recognize everywhere.  On school entrances, on the city halls of the different arrondissements, on uniforms, on paper baskets, in windows, in museums .....  it can become an obsession to discover the 'tossed ship'.  https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVvXTyctUWikA6donnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTB1NzF1OGo5BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA0ZGTkZQMDFfMQ--?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&va=coat+of+arms+of+paris&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

One of my favorites is this highly stylized form which keeps the essential symbol of a ship with full sails in the original colors of red and blue of the Paris Commune and the royal white. Sailing smoothly on a calm sea.