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For this entry, I'd like to talk about a VERY popular item, the Gamerverse Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite Black Widow and Ryu set from Hasbro.. but popular for reasons you're probably not thinking about as you read this.
The Capcom Vs. series of games were the first commercially available crossover games of any sort that I had ever played, starting with Xmen Vs. Street Fighter. Being in Canada (more specifically Toronto), the games came in an age where coin operated arcades were still viable, and as such I was able to enjoy them in the wild, which apparently was not the case for everyone. In general, all the releases have enjoyed relative success except for ONE of them - the most recent incarnation Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite. I've never played it (I basically have given up on fighting games due to lack of desire to play them), but from what I've read MvC:I is actually one of the best made of the series from an actual fighting mechanics perspective, but it suffers from one major flaw... a lack of X-Men characters. Due to this flaw, interest in the game waned so much that effectively the fighting world has disowned this entry and opted to go with older games instead.
When a game isn't popular, you can probably see that it would affect sales of periphery items, which brings us to the subject of this article.
Capitalizing upon the perceived hype around this games release, Hasbro decided to retool some of their Marvel Universe 3.75 inch. figures into characters from this most recent iteration of the game, and sell them at a RIDICULOUS MSRP of approximately $28 CAD. Each set came with two figures, and as far as I know they made it to exactly one wave - Widow/Ryu, and Iron Man/Mega Man X. With the game all but forgotten and these figures cluttering up shelves, most store ended up putting them on clearance just in the time for the Holidays, which is the reason why it's not uncommon for people to actually have them now. Of the two sets, the Iron Man set was clearly more popular (probably due to the Mega Man more than Iron Man) which just made getting the set I really cared for that much easier.
Prices will vary these days, but you're now looking at anywhere between $5 and $10 USD for a set, with me unfortunately being dumb enough to pay the $10 USD price point. Still, much better than MSRP I suppose.
The set comes with a ludicrously large box for what you get. Inside this box you have the two figures, each with various accessories - Widow comes with two pistols, and Ryu comes with fists as well as his Hadoken effect.
The figures look... meh. Like.. REALLY meh, though still better than the QC absent X figure I saw a few months back. The bodies themselves look alright, but those head sculpts.. yikes. Ryu looks like he walked into some wierdness he can't unsee, yet the sculpt is still not the worst Ryu I've seen. Widow.. well Widow looks like practice mannequin at a hair styling school, complete with poofy hair, but again, strangely not the worst Widow I've seen. Widow was packed in the way that cause the left knee to be warped right out the gate, though a bit of hot water and recooling does the job to set her straight again. As mentioned above, the bodies were very clearly repurposed, though I'm not familiar enough with the line to say WHO exactly was repurposed other than Black Widow, who has a moulded Black Widow belt underneat the Hula Hoop she's wearing here making here clearly a reuse of the Black Widow body that itself has been reused several times already for several iterations of the character.
Articulation isn't actually that bad, though disappointingly even at this size the female body has less articulation than the male one, though in the case of Ryu you aren't really able to access this full potential until you pull a Goku and strip his top off. Both feature rotating and tilting ankles and double jointed knees. Widow has a thigh swivel whereas Ryu has an ankle swivel. Ryu has a more traditional hip joint whereas to get leg movement out of Widow you need to turn the thigh sideways to align the joint with what you're trying to accomplish, then rotate the thigh to get the correct leg orientation, which might be alright if it wasn't for the fact that Widow has a blue line running down her leg, causing discontinuity of the line. Both Widow and Ryu feature standard shoulders, bicep swivel, standard elbows, rotating wrists, and a ball jointed head. Ryu has in addition to all this mid torso and waist articulation. Overall, you'll get some rudimentary movement out of the figures, but I wouldn't except to do any crazy posing. Technically, Ryu doesn't even have the articulation to pull of a proper Hadoken. so I guess you could say even the fundamentals can't be met.
Paint work is.. well, it's Hasbro. All things considered, the worst paint app would probably be the paint work on Widows silver belt, which is very crude and thickly laid on. Otherwise, detailing on both are not bad, with the blue lines being surprisingly crisp on Widow. There isn't much actual detailing on Ryu other than the decals on his belt and wrists, though it should be noted there are some brown paint apps here and there to simulate dust. There is quite a bit of moulded detailing on Widow that is not painted, whether that be due to adherence to source materials or cost cutting is unknown to me.
Build quality is the usual level of Hasbro. Soft knee joints that can be warped if improperly handled and soft plastics overall. Detailing on the figures isn't bad and the assembly joints and overall finish of the sections isn't bad, though the use of softer plastics does result in a sloppier looking figure overall. The Widow pistols and general detailing on the hair of the two figures did turnout half decently despite their small size, even if the holster itself is all sorts of pain due to the warped nature of the piece and general inability to sit flush to her hips. Joints do their job and holding limbs in their desired positions. Also, crude as the set may be, at least there is no issue with limbs being the wrong size.
So, if you're able to find them at discount, these aren't terrible figures and are great for some LOLs as opposed to doing anything intricate with them. At full price though, there is pretty much nothing that could justify that price point other than either a lack of understanding their market, or Hasbro just plain got greedy. As mediocre as this set is, it still look LIGHT YEARS better than the other set, especially the X figures that I've seen. In a way, it's too bad they didn't continue the line as it would have meant maybe Chun Li or Morrigan could have made their way into this size and I could have had another figure for my travels
Reason is sitting on the couch reading wearing cookie monster slippers. He's too young to read, but apes at our behavior!
10 reasons why falling in love with Thailand is easy
scary kids: Thai kids are great and so much fun to play with - especially the scary ones with green ice cream slime in their mouth... :-)
The main reason for visiting Cambridge was to see King's College Chapel.
I must first than two friends, Simon K and Aidan for posting shots from Cambridge and so firing up my desire to visit.
Things fell into place and I found myself on a train last Sunday, and a place on the first tour of the day Monday morning.
I will add more thoughts as I post shots, but this for a start.
Quite the strongest emotional response I have ever had to a building, I had to choke back tears!
All chairs and seating have been removed, so there is just the building.
"Just."
Just a handful of us early visitors had the entire chapel to ourselves.
I followed up, not on purpose, a Japanese lady who was walking round with an i phone of a selfie stick, recording herself walking round the chapel, rather than the chapel itself. Which I know is her choice.
I saw the wonderful glass in the windows of the side chapel, so decided to photograph those too. Took some time.
No restrictions on photography, just don't "use flash on the Rubens" in the chancel. I was told.
In truth, there's more than enough in the Chapel for a whole day, as I'm sure new details would reveal themselves each time you looked.
I walked out into the college grounds, to walk to the bridge over the river. I mean, really, there was no one else out there, and a couple of punts were drifting past, so I wandered round the large square of grass, half of which had been apparently wild flowers, but now cut to look like a rough lawn.
The chapel has a 16th sundial, and marvellous lead drain downpipes. I snap them all.
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Begun by Henry VI, completed under the direction of Henry VII, the glass scheme installed under the somewhat-disinterested Henry VIII. 'The heart and soul of early 20th Century Anglicanism' according to M R James, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols begun here during the First World War helped invent the modern Christmas. The fan vaulting is spectacular, the proportions (300ft long, 40ft wide, 90ft high) almost shocking in their single-minded Perpendicular triumphalism. The Chapel vies with Ely and Peterborough Cathedrals as the best single medieval building in Cambridgeshire, but the vast scheme of early 16th Century glass is undoubtedly the biggest and best of its kind anywhere in the British Isles.
www.flickr.com/photos/norfolkodyssey/21007385075/in/album...
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King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault.[3] The Chapel was built in phases by a succession of kings of England from 1446 to 1515, a period which spanned the Wars of the Roses and three subsequent decades. The Chapel's large stained glass windows were completed by 1531, and its early Renaissance rood screen was erected in 1532–36. The Chapel is an active house of worship, and home of the King's College Choir. It is a landmark and a commonly used symbol of the city of Cambridge.
Henry VI planned a university counterpart to Eton College (whose Chapel is very similar, but not on the scale intended by Henry). The King decided the dimensions of the Chapel. Reginald Ely was most likely the architect and worked on the site since 1446.[6] Two years earlier Reginald was charged with sourcing craftsmen for the Chapel's construction.[6] He continued to work on the site until building was interrupted in 1461, having probably designed the elevations.[6] The original plans called for lierne vaulting, and the piers of the choir were built to conform with them.[6] Ultimately, a complex fan vault was constructed instead.[6] Reginald probably designed the window tracery at the extreme east of the church's north side: the east window of the easternmost side chapel, which unlike the Perpendicular style of the others is in curvilinear Gothic style.[6] The priest and later bishop Nicholas Close (or Cloos) was recorded as the "surveyor", having been the curate of St John Zachary, a church demolished to make way for the Chapel.[7][8][9]
The first stone of the Chapel was laid, by Henry himself, on the Feast of St James the Apostle, 25 July 1446, the College having been begun in 1441. By the end of the reign of Richard III (1485), despite the Wars of the Roses, five bays had been completed and a timber roof erected. Henry VII visited in 1506, paying for the work to resume and even leaving money so that the work could continue after his death. In 1515, under Henry VIII, the building was complete but the great windows had yet to be made.
The Chapel features the world's largest fan vault, constructed between 1512 and 1515 by master mason John Wastell. It also features fine medieval stained glass and, above the altar, The Adoration of the Magi by Rubens, painted in 1634 for the Convent of the White Nuns at Louvain in Belgium. The painting was installed in the Chapel in 1968; this involved the lowering of the Sanctuary floor leading up to the High Altar. It had been believed that gradations were created in 1774 by James Essex, when Essex had in fact lowered the floor by 5 1/2 inches,[10] but at the demolition of these steps, it was found that the floor instead rested on Tudor brick arches.
During the removal of these Tudor steps, built at the Founder's specific request that the high altar should be 3 ft above the choir floor, human remains in intact lead coffins with brass plaques were discovered, dating from the 15th to 18th centuries, and were disinterred.[12]
The eventual installation of the Rubens was also not without problems: once seen beneath the east window, a conflict was felt between the picture's swirling colours and those of the stained glass.[13][title missing] The Rubens was also a similar shape to the window, which "dwarfed it and made it look rather like a dependent postage stamp".[14] Plain shutters were proposed, one on each side, to give it a triptych shape (although the picture was never part of a triptych) and lend it independence of form, which is how one sees the Rubens today. The installation was designed by architect Sir Martyn Beckett, who was "philosophical about the furore this inevitably occasioned - which quickly became acceptance of a solution to a difficult problem."[15]
During the Civil War the Chapel was used as a training ground by Oliver Cromwell's troops, but escaped major damage, possibly because Cromwell, having been a Cambridge student, gave orders for it to be spared. Graffiti left by these soldiers is still visible on the north and south walls near the altar.[16] During World War II most of the stained glass was removed and the Chapel again escaped damage.[17]
The reason I went to San Francisco in December, 2011, was because I won tickets to see Metallica at the Fillmore for their 30th Anniversary week of shows.
They closed out the nights with their own set of rarer or never before played songs and had a host of special guests each night.
Metallica frontman James Hetfield performs introduces Dave Mustaine at the Fillmore, night 4.
Please hit L and view larger.
The Aqua Fantasy Ariel's custom display stand is fully assembled. For some reason, the stand is designed so that the gold sticker with the title of the doll series, Film Premiere Edition, is on the back side. I was confused on how to assemble the stand and place the doll so she faced the same direction as the sticker, until I realized that the sticker should face the rear.
The Aqua Fantasy Ariel is a 12'' Disney Collector Doll in the Film Premiere Edition series, made by Mattel in 1997. I'm glad to get her new in her original unopened box. The box is in very good condition, with some wear and warping. The doll is in excellent condition. She has a beautiful face, her hair is in an updo, and she is wearing a spectacular aquamarine dress and tail festooned with pearls, jewels and golden starfish. Included with the doll is a custom plastic stand, a Certificate of Authenticity, a two year warranty, and a cardboard reinforcement for the popup scene that is inside of the front cover.
I will photograph her boxed, during the deboxing, and fully deboxed.
[Full review of the doll will be added to her description soon...]
For some reason as I was at Tinlings, so was MPTE Jumbo 1111 (UKA 562H) (now preserved by the Merseyside Transport Trust www.mttrust.co.uk and seen undertaking the 510 morning feeder into Liverpool via Page Moss as part of the "Easter 2015 "Buses to Page Moss" event)...well, isn't that a coincidence! ;)
How about 40 reasons, 40%off. Yeah so doc martens spammed me about a 30%off sale, I bit and bought two pairs of fabric type boots. I’ve seen them in the past, thought I’d give them a go at some point and the 30%noff sale seemed like a good reason, so I bought 2 similar yet different pairs then DM did what they’ve done in the past...followed up by offering 40% off on more shoes, boots, sandals too I think? Anyways, I bought the pair you see above This is my 3rd pair in this style. The first was a pair of cherry reds that were also reduced in price but only if you bought cherry reds, not the black pair I wanted. I bought anyway, and found out later why they reduced the price on cherry reds only, the leather where it would crease near your toes started splitting. I felt snookered but guess what? They turned out to be some of the most worn pair of boots I’ve ever worn. I still have and wear them, split leather and all. The fact you don’t have to lace them up is part of the reason I wear them so often
Pair #2 was the first pair of the relaxed leather DM’s offered in other boots. There is a specific name for the leather that escapes me now. I don’t think their called relaxed but that’s what the leather feels like, it’s very soft. I also bought a pair of 10 eyelet boots in this leather. They too were “on sale”, probably for 30% off. Just call me Imelda=:-)
Pair #3 above is the 3rd pair in thus style, sort of a short boot with no laces but th8s leather is called “Classic”, I think. I made the mistake of wearing them first time out for over 24 hours, and w/o the sole inserts I normally wear in all of my DM boots. Long story short, after I crashed (slept) for 5 hours then got up and passed then went back to sleep for a couple more hours, my feet aches big time, they still hurt, and it’s all because I made the rookie mistake of wearing new footwear for so long. Lessons learned. Anywho, they’re nice boots and like most if not all of the Dr. Martens boots I buy, they felt like old home week, even if only for the first few hours, comfortably. Seriously, there’s a good reason I buy their boots and it is, they feel good on my feet, if I wear them accordingly
For some insane reason, I booked us on the last flight home from Chicago. After doing the luggage dance, getting the car, and delivering the kids to their mother, we got home late.
Getting up at my normal time was uncharacteristically difficult. I'm a morning person, but you wouldn't know it this morning. Coffee is going to be an important part of my day.
I got to the office, super excited because I have a brand-new coffee mug. It is an MSU mug that I got at the legendary SBS (Student Book Store). Although my old plastic mug from 1986 was still good, I knew Jamie was worried about the 20 years of "flavoring" it had absorbed.* I couldn't replace my old cup with anything other than an official Spartan cup.
Unfortunately, I have discovered that my new mug is a dribble cup. It has a hairline fracture that was not visible until dark brown goodness was poured in. Now I am sad to see a continuous oozing of caffeine. Woe is me!
I'll send it back, or maybe buy a new one: could be cheaper. Or... I'll let it look pretty on my desk while I secretly use my trusty worn insulated cup.
This is my two hundred forty sixth self portrait for 365 Days.
23 July 2007 - Back to work
Went to Towson with a few friends, my niece and eventually my brother.
Decided to go the apple store for my first time after hearing so much about it, and i'm almost immediately blown away by the bells and whistles... I haven't done my research on either to figure out which would be a better fit for me, but I have been instructed several times to switch to a MAC computer by several photographers and videographers for their photo and video editing software. Plus I keep hearing that MAC's are less likely to get a virus than a PC. So I figured investing in one in the future would be a good look...
My friend Ducky however is an Apple Antagonist. A PC protagonist if you will.
This search result for "the reasons why PC's are better than MAC's" was done by her and left for the next person who would pick up said iPad.
I'm convinced that when we left, the entire store exploded, due to the amount of feelings and emotions somebody must have felt towards said list on said iPad. A few fanboy fights probably broke out, it must have been sheer chaos.
But we all ate our Cinnabons blissfully unaware of the mayhem and turmoil that probably occured not one level above us. Good times. Good times.
R.I.P. 15 Apple Store employee's. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten... until the iPhone5 comes out.
That day I wandered to the shop to pick up 2-reel Paterson SS4 tank, exposing Tri-X 400 on my way. I were suggested to try "capitalist tank" years ago but postponed this again and again, sticking to USSR made one. Finally, wanting to make more diluted solutions I follwed advice, got larger and tight tank and now I can agitate also by inversions, keeping also twirling (btw, fixed this roll by twirling only). Exposure isn't what I'd like but hey, it develops just fine, I can pour solution into large funnel in a second, removal also is a blast. For those who argue about leaky Paterson lid I just can repeat suggestion found on Net - after putting lid on, depress center and let air to gurgle out, then finish putting it on and lid stays without leaks.
For this entry, I'd like to talk about a VERY popular item, the Gamerverse Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite Black Widow and Ryu set from Hasbro.. but popular for reasons you're probably not thinking about as you read this.
The Capcom Vs. series of games were the first commercially available crossover games of any sort that I had ever played, starting with Xmen Vs. Street Fighter. Being in Canada (more specifically Toronto), the games came in an age where coin operated arcades were still viable, and as such I was able to enjoy them in the wild, which apparently was not the case for everyone. In general, all the releases have enjoyed relative success except for ONE of them - the most recent incarnation Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite. I've never played it (I basically have given up on fighting games due to lack of desire to play them), but from what I've read MvC:I is actually one of the best made of the series from an actual fighting mechanics perspective, but it suffers from one major flaw... a lack of X-Men characters. Due to this flaw, interest in the game waned so much that effectively the fighting world has disowned this entry and opted to go with older games instead.
When a game isn't popular, you can probably see that it would affect sales of periphery items, which brings us to the subject of this article.
Capitalizing upon the perceived hype around this games release, Hasbro decided to retool some of their Marvel Universe 3.75 inch. figures into characters from this most recent iteration of the game, and sell them at a RIDICULOUS MSRP of approximately $28 CAD. Each set came with two figures, and as far as I know they made it to exactly one wave - Widow/Ryu, and Iron Man/Mega Man X. With the game all but forgotten and these figures cluttering up shelves, most store ended up putting them on clearance just in the time for the Holidays, which is the reason why it's not uncommon for people to actually have them now. Of the two sets, the Iron Man set was clearly more popular (probably due to the Mega Man more than Iron Man) which just made getting the set I really cared for that much easier.
Prices will vary these days, but you're now looking at anywhere between $5 and $10 USD for a set, with me unfortunately being dumb enough to pay the $10 USD price point. Still, much better than MSRP I suppose.
The set comes with a ludicrously large box for what you get. Inside this box you have the two figures, each with various accessories - Widow comes with two pistols, and Ryu comes with fists as well as his Hadoken effect.
The figures look... meh. Like.. REALLY meh, though still better than the QC absent X figure I saw a few months back. The bodies themselves look alright, but those head sculpts.. yikes. Ryu looks like he walked into some wierdness he can't unsee, yet the sculpt is still not the worst Ryu I've seen. Widow.. well Widow looks like practice mannequin at a hair styling school, complete with poofy hair, but again, strangely not the worst Widow I've seen. Widow was packed in the way that cause the left knee to be warped right out the gate, though a bit of hot water and recooling does the job to set her straight again. As mentioned above, the bodies were very clearly repurposed, though I'm not familiar enough with the line to say WHO exactly was repurposed other than Black Widow, who has a moulded Black Widow belt underneat the Hula Hoop she's wearing here making here clearly a reuse of the Black Widow body that itself has been reused several times already for several iterations of the character.
Articulation isn't actually that bad, though disappointingly even at this size the female body has less articulation than the male one, though in the case of Ryu you aren't really able to access this full potential until you pull a Goku and strip his top off. Both feature rotating and tilting ankles and double jointed knees. Widow has a thigh swivel whereas Ryu has an ankle swivel. Ryu has a more traditional hip joint whereas to get leg movement out of Widow you need to turn the thigh sideways to align the joint with what you're trying to accomplish, then rotate the thigh to get the correct leg orientation, which might be alright if it wasn't for the fact that Widow has a blue line running down her leg, causing discontinuity of the line. Both Widow and Ryu feature standard shoulders, bicep swivel, standard elbows, rotating wrists, and a ball jointed head. Ryu has in addition to all this mid torso and waist articulation. Overall, you'll get some rudimentary movement out of the figures, but I wouldn't except to do any crazy posing. Technically, Ryu doesn't even have the articulation to pull of a proper Hadoken. so I guess you could say even the fundamentals can't be met.
Paint work is.. well, it's Hasbro. All things considered, the worst paint app would probably be the paint work on Widows silver belt, which is very crude and thickly laid on. Otherwise, detailing on both are not bad, with the blue lines being surprisingly crisp on Widow. There isn't much actual detailing on Ryu other than the decals on his belt and wrists, though it should be noted there are some brown paint apps here and there to simulate dust. There is quite a bit of moulded detailing on Widow that is not painted, whether that be due to adherence to source materials or cost cutting is unknown to me.
Build quality is the usual level of Hasbro. Soft knee joints that can be warped if improperly handled and soft plastics overall. Detailing on the figures isn't bad and the assembly joints and overall finish of the sections isn't bad, though the use of softer plastics does result in a sloppier looking figure overall. The Widow pistols and general detailing on the hair of the two figures did turnout half decently despite their small size, even if the holster itself is all sorts of pain due to the warped nature of the piece and general inability to sit flush to her hips. Joints do their job and holding limbs in their desired positions. Also, crude as the set may be, at least there is no issue with limbs being the wrong size.
So, if you're able to find them at discount, these aren't terrible figures and are great for some LOLs as opposed to doing anything intricate with them. At full price though, there is pretty much nothing that could justify that price point other than either a lack of understanding their market, or Hasbro just plain got greedy. As mediocre as this set is, it still look LIGHT YEARS better than the other set, especially the X figures that I've seen. In a way, it's too bad they didn't continue the line as it would have meant maybe Chun Li or Morrigan could have made their way into this size and I could have had another figure for my travels
Prague
Stalin's index finger and the laughter of Václav Havel
The "Museum of Communism" in Prague was founded by an American and shows the sabre-rattling Matryoshka dolls or the blazing blue-shirt-demonstrators. Does it trivialize history for this reason?
After the American director Philip Kaufman had filmed Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" in 1984, the writer immediately dissociated himself from the adaptation - it was cliché-laden. However, as hundreds of thousands of filmgoers with the large, frightened eyes of Juliette Binoche saw the penetration of the Soviet tanks into the city and thus probably for the first time got an idea of the tragedy of August 21, 1968, is waiting for museum visitors of today a discovery: in the "Museum of Communism". It was founded near the Wenceslas Square by an American. The English name of the memorial is just as much attributable to him as the posters, which show a sabre-rattling Matryoshka doll or blazing blue-shirt-demonstrators provided with the image line "But the shiniest were in the uranium mines".
Trivialization of history? Not necessarily. It is rather the case that in the appearing gloom exhibition rooms the scandal of the communist human experiment is presented in an effective way. The historical dimension is by no means omitted: the foundation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 is documented as well as the Western treason of Munich in 1938 and Hitler's subsequent invasion. Also the liberation of Prague by the Red Army in May 1945 is not withheld. But then, starting with the Communist Seizure of Power 1948, the visitors in the rooms "Reality" and "Nightmare" is awaiting an oppressive exhibit show: original faithfully reproduced prison cells from the time of the Stalinist Show Trials, causing goosebumps radio recordings of malignant fizzling prosecutors, in addition the dubious oil paintings of Socialist Realism on which country women as blond as bread roll throw red carnations to resolutely looking soldiers, or Josef Stalin exhorting the pointing finger.
Kafka, Marx and the soldier Svejk
The fact that totalitarianism differentiated itself exactly here from traditional dictatorships that it did not suppress the people clumsily but turned those people into brainwashed complices of its domination exercise - it is a lesson, which is here sensually comprehensible and is conveyed completely en passant in the literal sense. Many of the young tourists who go through the exhibition in neat, foolish "Czech it" or beer-stein-Kafka-und-Schwejk T-shirts get the first impression of the Communist system and which for a while even cast a spell over a few naive Westerners. Even if, for example, the path of Marx's theories to the crimes of the regime were somewhat shortened, the fascinating intellectual environment of the Prague Spring might have been represented a bit more in detail: whoever sees the historical TV recordings of the protesters who are at Wenceslas Square fearlessly facing the Soviet tanks with the red star is by no means emotionally manipulated but catches an impression of the essence.
Thus, the museum can be visited in two ways: with the curious eyes of an upcoming generation born around the year 1989, as well as with the eye of the contemporary, who is regarding very critical if the complex history has been given the due attentiveness. Is it not a standard formula of the repressers from Prague to East Berlin, in the last years of its existence, the Party regime had become more moderate and was then peacefully imploded? But now the museum shows pictures of pre-military youth education from the eighties, shows - in pictures of the Austrian television - pictures of one of the numerous arrests of Václav Havel and in addition police, who yet in November 1989 were bashing up demonstrators and dragging students on the hair over the pavement - again on the Wenceslas square near the museum.
In a free word
Even who knows all this is shattered, and must not be ashamed at the end of the exhibition of his emotion when he finally sees the freedom triumphant on the screens and monitors. On November 24, 1989, Alexander Dubcek and Václav Havel stand laughing and arm in arm on the balcony of the publishing house Svobodné Slovo (The Free Word) and talk to the demonstrators who finally now can be what they have dreamed for so long: free citizens of a city that begins to breathe again.
"Museum of Communism", Prague, Na Príkope 10, open daily from 9 am to 9 pm.
Prag
Stalins Zeigefinger und das Lachen von Václav Havel
Das „Museum of Communism“ in Prag wurde von einem Amerikaner gegründet und zeigt zähnefletschende Matrjoschka-Puppen oder strahlende Blauhemden-Demonstranten. Trivialisiert es deswegen die Geschichte?
Nachdem 1984 der amerikanische Regisseur Philip Kaufman Milan Kunderas Prag-Roman "Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins" verfilmt hatte, distanzierte sich der Schriftsteller sogleich von der Adaption - sie sei klischeebeladen. Doch so, wie inzwischen Hunderttausende Kinozuschauer mit den großen, erschreckten Augen Juliette Binoches das Eindringen der sowjetischen Panzer in die Stadt gesehen haben und damit wohl zum ersten Mal eine Ahnung bekamen von der Tragödie des 21. August 1968, so wartet auch auf Museumsbesucher von heute eine Entdeckung: im "Museum of Communism". Gegründet wurde es, nahe dem Wenzelsplatz, von einem Amerikaner. Ihm ist der englische Name der Gedenkstätte ebenso zu verdanken wie die Plakate, die etwa eine zähnefletschende Matrjoschka-Puppe zeigen oder strahlende Blauhemden-Demonstranten - versehen mit der Bildzeile "But the shiniest were in the uranium mines".
Trivialisierung der Geschichte? Nicht unbedingt. Eher ist es so, dass in den düster anmutenden Ausstellungsräumen das Skandalon des kommunistischen Menschenversuchs entsprechend effektvoll präsentiert wird. Auf die historische Dimension wird dabei keineswegs verzichtet: Die Gründung der Tschechoslowakei im Jahre 1918 wird ebenso dokumentiert wie der westliche Verrat von München 1938 und Hitlers nachfolgender Einmarsch. Auch die Befreiung Prags durch die Rote Armee im Mai 1945 wird nicht unterschlagen. Dann aber, beginnend mit der kommunistischen Machtergreifung 1948, wartet auf den Besucher in den Räumen "Reality" und "Nightmare" eine bedrückende Exponatenschau: Originalgetreu nachgebaute Gefängniszellen aus der Zeit der stalinistischen Schauprozesse, Gänsehaut verursachende Radio-Aufnahmen bösartig fistelnder Staatsanwälte, dazu an den Wänden die Ölschinken des Sozialistischen Realismus, auf denen semmelblonde Bäuerinnen entschlossen dreinblickenden Soldaten rote Nelken zuwerfen oder Josef Stalin mahnend den Zeigefinger hebt.
Kafka, Marx und der Soldat Schwejk
Dass sich der Totalitarismus genau darin von traditionellen Diktaturen unterschied, dass er das Volk nicht plump unterdrückte, sondern zum gehirngewaschenen Komplizen seiner Herrschaftsausübung machte - es ist eine Lektion, die hier sinnlich nachvollziehbar und im Wortsinn ganz en passant vermittelt wird. Viele der jungen Touristen, die in nett-törichten "Czech it" oder Bierhumpen-Kafka-und-Schwejk-T-Shirts durch die Ausstellung gehen, bekommen hier wohl das erste Mal eine Ahnung davon, weshalb sich das kommunistische System so lange halten und für eine Weile sogar manch naive Westler in seinen Bann zu ziehen vermochte. Mag auch in den Erklärungstafeln etwa der Weg von Marx' Theorien zu den Verbrechen des Regimes etwas verkürzt dargestellt sein, hätte man das faszinierende intellektuelle Umfeld des Prager Frühlings auch etwas ausführlicher darstellen können: Wer die historischen Fernsehaufnahmen von den Demonstranten sieht, die sich am Wenzelsplatz todesmutig den Sowjet-Panzern mit dem roten Stern entgegenstellten, wird keineswegs emotional manipuliert, sondern erhascht einen Eindruck vom Wesentlichen.
So lässt sich das Museum auf zwei Arten besichtigen: mit den neugierigen Augen einer nachwachsenden Generation, die um das Jahr 1989 erst geboren wurde, wie auch mit dem Blick des Zeitzeugen, der durchaus kritisch betrachtet, ob man hier der komplexen Geschichte gerecht wurde. Lautet nicht eine Standardformel der Verdränger von Prag bis Ostberlin, in den letzten Jahren seiner Existenz habe sich das Partei-Regime doch gemäßigt und sei anschließend friedlich implodiert? Nun zeigt das Museum aber Bilder vormilitärischer Jugendausbildung aus den Achtzigern, zeigt - in Aufnahmen des Österreichischen Fernsehens - Bilder von einer der zahlreichen Verhaftungen Václav Havels und dazu Polizei, die noch im November 1989 auf die Demonstranten eindrosch und Studenten an den Haaren über das Pflaster schleifte - wiederum auf dem nahe beim Museum liegenden Wenzelsplatz.
Auf ein freies Wort
Selbst wer dies alles kennt, ist erschüttert und muss sich am Ende der Ausstellung seiner Ergriffenheit gewiss nicht schämen, wenn er auf den Schautafeln und Monitoren die Freiheit letztlich doch triumphieren sieht: Am 24. November 1989 stehen lachend und Arm in Arm Alexander Dubcek und Václav Havel auf dem Balkon des Verlagshauses Svobodné Slovo (Das freie Wort) und sprechen zu den Demonstranten, die nun endlich das sein können, was sie so lange erträumt haben: freie Bürger einer Stadt, die wieder zu atmen beginnt.
„Museum of Communism“, Prag, Na Príkope 10, täglich geöffnet von 9 bis 21 Uhr.
www.faz.net/aktuell/reise/nah/prag-stalins-zeigefinger-un...
Most people spell the color (or more properly, neutral) g-r-a-y, but I prefer grey for some reason. I suppose as the rules of grammar change, it will one day no longer be accepted, but by then I may be gone, so it won't matter to me anymore!
If you live long enough, you see a lot of changes. You get to see the repetition of things, and eventually only the really fabulous events and sights of life are what seem to be stored in your memory, but more interesting, what you PERCEIVE as fabulous completely changes!
As a child, and through much of my adult life, I wanted to be a singer. I would come home from school and practice for hours, and even more hours on the piano, which I was atrocious at! (My poor family!) The neighbors would hear me starting to practice opera, and I'd hear some of them curse, slam the windows down, and turn on the air, because they hated it! I learned to practice with my own windows shut- no small feat, since we didn't have air conditioning, and the room would soar up over 100 degrees in the warmer months! That was how much I valued the prospect of becoming a singer. Oh, and by the way, I WAS very good! I went to college at the age of 16 on a partial music scholarship, and had teachers literally fighting over who would get to teach me, as I had a rare voice type!
Through the years, illness and circumstance robbed me of much of my talent, and opportunity. It was always a tough pill to swallow, and I spent many years almost unable to accept that those great dreams would fall somewhere between the black and white, into all those shades of grey that I hated so very much.
It never occurred to me that one day I would appreciate anything else, and that the extreme definites weren't all I had to live for. That's what happened , though, and at some point I realized I was worth more than a pair of lungs and some wobbly vocal chords! My other abilities came forth, and one of them is what you see developing in front of you here on Flickr.
I'm not a great photographer, but like a frumpy girl with great bones, there's potential. I've lived long enough for life to have fallen into the shades of grey, and I find it's not such an unpleasant place to be, after all.
Explore rank #177, August 10, 2012
Forgotten Friends
Theme: Goshen's Remains - Pure Reason Revolution
youtu.be/lyE82wgOkVY?si=oCLFfT7mqq2-PC2W
They laze in dawn-light fire.
The morning dew rolls over the planet.
Clear words child!
Far away plans.
It's day time. The city is bustling with activity. That is, the autonamotons are running and doing the daily activities after a night of cooling their boiler cores and giving their gears, pistons, pressure pumps, and other internal mechanisms time to rest from their long days of work. Ioh is awakened by this activity from a roof he had been sleeping on. The Void did not take him, but the veil of his eyes brought him to slumber.
Ioh yawns and stretches as he looks over the day and light of the city now. His eyes wince and he murrs, looking like one who has had a few too many and finds the sun's glare invasive on sensitive eyes that are yet willing to adjust.
"Oh Jesus," Ioh says after a grunt, "Dawn has tread her way into this day, hasn't that damn rosey red wench!" He grumbles and does one last bit of stretching. He then shakes his head, and his body pursues likewise in trembling to throw off the night. "Oh very well. Down with the lot of it. No point wasting away in a catnap that just can't be gotten now. Let's see if there be any bit of 'nip, or maybe some fish for food port side."
And thus, Ioh makes his way down to the docks, traveling through the maze of streets and elevators. As he does, he senses the scent of a feline. Turning around to meet her, he gives a tailwave to her. The female feline tailwaves back.
Ioh smiles, though looks wary. "How are you?"
The female feline shrugs. "Confused about covers it."
"Oh?" He cants his head as he looks at her. "What about?"
She just points to the autonamotons, then outward to the market. "Where the heck, and what the heck are two things on my mind at the moment."
Ioh looks back behind him to what Amara points to. "Oh those? They're mechanical people. Called autonamotons. They do a lot of the work around here."
The female feline narrows her eyes. "Why are you so calm about this anyway?" She then pauses and looks behind Ioh, "Ah, who's that?"
The male behind Ioh waves and smiles.
Ioh shrugs at the question. "They're always here. And they work about as good as any other human bloke on the block, miss, ah....," He is about to ask her name as the male shows up. Scratching his head, Ioh replies, "I'm not sure, and who are you?"
The male blinks, feeling a little bit strange now. Even so, he looks at them and and frowns. "Stop it Ioh! You know me!" The male sticks his tongue out at Ioh.
The female feline growls at Ioh. "Who am I?! Whaddaya mean who am I? Did ya hit yer head on somethin' Ioh?" Granted Amara has forgotten a bit while here as well. Yet, she knows most faces still. "I'm Amara. I was following you and, um - wait," she looks to the male behind Ioh, "You know Ioh too?" Her face shows clear confusion.
Ioh blinks back at the tall male's tongue sticking out. He then turns back around when hearing Amara's growl. Scratching his head he looks between the two and mrrs. "Following me?" He asks, canting his head at Amara, then looks Wendel, "M'lady, and dear gentleman, what on earth are you two speaking of? And what makes me so interesting a person to be stalked, do tell?"
From August 12 to August 25, 2019, my daughter Anna and I spent our holidays in the USA.
We stopped in San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
The main reason for our trip was the reunion with our friends Jon Provost and Laurie Jacobson in Santa Rosa near San Francisco and Tony Brooks and his family in Dolton near Chicago.
But of course we enjoyed the beautiful cities of San Francisco, Chicago and New York with their great sights as well.
A special experience for me was, of course, that I was allowed to stop at home of my friend, Hollywood actor Jon Provost, in Santa Rosa. Jon acted the little "Timmy" in "Lassie" and I grew up with this great TV series. For many years now I have been friends with him and his wife Laurie and in June 2016 I had the great pleasure of showing Jon and Laurie my hometown Stuttgart (Germany). Now Jon and Laurie showed my daughter Anna and me where they lived and we had wonderful days in sunny California.
Also Tony Brooks and his wife Lenora and daughter Cerenity, were in the city tour in June 2016 in Stuttgart with it. And so it was a great pleasure to have a reunion in Chicago and to live in Dolton with Tony and his family.
From the many photos, I have made a small selection, with which I would like to look back on this wonderful holiday and the encounters in the USA.
My movie about our Stay in San Francisco & Santa Rosa you will find here: youtu.be/TwHWvDRuHcA
Enjoy it.
Helmut Heisig
Vom 12.August bis 25.August 2019, verbrachten meine Tochter Anna und ich unseren Urlaub in den USA.
Wir machten dabei Station in San Francisco, Chicago und New York.
Hauptgrund unserer Reise, war das Wiedersehen mit unseren Freunden Jon Provost und Laurie Jacobson in Santa Rosa bei San Francisco und Tony Brooks und seiner Familie in Dolton bei Chicago.
Aber selbstverständlich haben wir die schönen Städte San Francisco, Chicago und New York mit ihren tollen Sehenswürdigkeiten sehr genossen.
Ein besonderes Erlebnis für mich war natürlich, dass ich bei meinen Freund, Hollywoodschauspieler Jon Provost, zuhause in Santa Rosa Station machen durfte. Jon spielte den kleinen „Timmy“ in „Lassie“ und ich bin mit dieser tollen Fernsehserie groß geworden. Seit vielen Jahren bin ich nun mit ihm und seiner Frau Laurie befreundet und hatte im Juni 2016 das große Vergnügen, Jon und Laurie meine Heimatstadt Stuttgart (Deutschland)zu zeigen. Nun zeigten Jon und Laurie uns, meiner Tochter Anna und mir, wo sie lebten und wir hatten wunderbare Tage im sonnigen Kalifornien.
Auch Tony Brooks und seine Frau Lenora sowie Tochter Cerenity, waren bei der Stadtführung im Juni 2016 in Stuttgart mit dabei. Und so war es auch hier eine große Freude, sich in Chicago wiederzusehen und in Dolton bei Tony wohnen zu dürfen.
Aus den vielen Fotos, habe ich eine kleine Auswahl getroffen, mit denen ich auf diesen wunderbaren Urlaub und die Begegnungen in den USA zurückblicken möchte.
Meinen Film über unseren Aufenthalt in San Francisco & Santa Rosa findet Ihr hier: youtu.be/TwHWvDRuHcA
Viel Spaß beim Anschauen.
Helmut Heisig
The main reason i have been making these templates is to tidy up my album presentations. The problem is that due to the way Flickr works, when you create an album and assign an image as the the album cover, unless it is a square format, Flickr auto crop the image which sometimes doesn't look very good. By using a square photo as your album cover it looks ok in your album list but when opening the album, the main photo header often looks terrible. The way i have got over it to some extent is to create a square photo montage like the one above. The critical area is across the center as this is what shows up as the header when opening the album. Unfortunately Flickr still fades out the borders of the photo. Why? who knows.. Anyway if you are interested in trying to improve your album presentation here is a link to a photo template i have made you can download it if you want to try it out and obviously change the design to suit your needs. but remember the critical area is across the middle... www.flickr.com/photos/locosteve/32142082666/
Another interesting thing i just found out is that if you use this template As your Front page header, the second row of images from the top get displayed on your photostream Which could be useful if you wish to change your photostream photo's.... The template size is 5120 x 5120 pixels. You will obviously need some form of photoshop. I use a combination of Microsoft picture it! Photo premium 9 which i have had for years and often use ipiccy which is a free app that is pretty easy to use.. Anyway.. using Microsoft picture it! Photo premium 9 you would simply have to cut out the second row of photo's and replace them with your choice then upload the template with the new images and set them as your photostream header.. I know someone will probably send me details of a simple app where you add three photos and it does all the work for you : ) If there is such a thing!
So just to recap.. If you used the above image as your photostream header you will see my current header display or if you click on my Empire builder album you will see the middle image as the header...
Top 10 reasons to visit the Eden Project
Here's some of what you'll find when you visit:
1.the world's largest rainforest in captivity with steamy jungles and waterfalls
2.cutting-edge architecture and buildings
3.stunning garden displays all year round
4.world-class sculpture and art
5.evening gigs, concerts and an ice rink in the winter
6.educational centre and demonstrations to inspire all ages
7.brilliant local, fairly traded food in the restaurants and cafes
8.a rainforest lookout that takes you above the treetops
9.living example of regeneration and sustainable living
10.free land train pulled by a tractor.
Even if you've visited before, our plants, exhibits and events programme change every season and every year.
Rainforest Biome - Our 50-metre-tall Biome houses the world’s largest rainforest in captivity.
Mediterranean Biome - A colourful, sensory journey through citrus, olives, vines and perfumed herbs.
In our beautifully transformed clay pit in Cornwall, you'll find over 80 exhibits, including unusual plant combinations, unique sculpture and quirky information displays.
The Core is Eden's innovative education centre: it's a fantastic building full of interactive displays where both children and adults can press buttons, wind handles and peer inside things.
The is a photograph from the third running of the Athlone Flatline Half Marathon ("The Flatline") which was held at Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Ireland on Saturday 13th September 2014 at 11:00. There was beautiful weather for the event which started and finished at St. Aloysius College near the Canal Banks area of the town just slightly west of the River Shannon. This event was professionally organised and the very flat course meant that many runners both seasoned and new to the scene achieved season or personal bests. Almost 1,000 participants successfully completed the event in the beautiful September sunshine. Everyone involved must be congratulated for the flawless running of the event. This event is sure to go from strength to strength over the coming years. The event has grown from just over 600 in 2012, to over 900 in 2013 with around the same number finishing in 2014. Entry to the race closed weeks in advance.
This is a photograph which is part of a larger set of photographs taken at the start and finish of "The Flatline" 2014. The URL of the main set is www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157647516503901. This photoset contains photographs of the start (at the 600 meter mark) and then of the finish (at the 400 meter mark to go) up to a finish time of about 1:45.
Reading on a Smartphone or tablet? Don't forget to scroll down further to read more about this race and see important Internet links to other information about the race! You can also find out how to access and download these photographs.
Timing and event management was provided by Precision Timing. Results are available on their website at www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=2100 with additional material available on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/davidprecisiontiming?fref=ts) See their promotional video on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7_TUVwJ6Q
For reference the satellite navigation Coordinates to the event HQ are (Longitude: -7.948153, Latitude: 53.420575)
Overall Race Summary
Participants: Such is the popularity of the race this year that registration closed for the race in mid-August 2013. There were well over 850 participants who took to the start line.
Weather: The weather on the day was almost too warm for running which is a very rare complaint in Ireland. The runners were bathed in hot September sunshine for the duration of the race and into the early afternoon. In the sections of the race out towards Clonown and around the Bord na Mona areas there was a cooling.
Course: "The Flatline" ceratinly lived up to its name. It is as flat a course as one is likely to find. A garmin connect gps trace of the route is provided here [connect.garmin.com/activity/199678412] Geographically the course spends much of the race in County Roscommon with only the first and last kilometers actually in County Westmeath. This gives geographically inclined runners the novel opportunity to race in two Irish provinces in one race. The course had distance markers at every kilometre and mile along the way. There were official pacers provided by the race organisers.
Location Map: Start/finish area and registration etc on Google StreetView [goo.gl/maps/8qCes] - Ample parking was supplied with some over-flow car-parking options also available.
Refreshments: An Alkohol Frei bottle of Erdinger was provided to every finisher as they crossed the line. Light refreshments were served.
Some Useful Links
Our photographs on Flickr from the 2013 Flatline Half Marathon: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157635495089498/
Jimmy Mac's Photography Services on Facebook www.facebook.com/JimmyMacsPics
Precision Timing Results Page 2014: www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=2175
Precision Timing Results Page 2013: www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=1489
Precision Timing Results Page 2012: www.precisiontiming.net/result.aspx?v=1014
Facebook Event Page for the 2013 www.facebook.com/events/495900447163378/ (Facebook logon required)
Boards.ie Athletics Discussion Thread about the 2014 race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057148781
Boards.ie Athletics Discussion Thread about the 2013 race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056984967
Boards.ie Athletics Discussion Thread about the 2012 race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=80049447
GARMIN GPS Trace of the Route for 2013: connect.garmin.com/activity/199678412
Race HQ Venue in 2014: St.Aloysius College Athlone : staloysiuscollege.ie/
Race photographs from 2012's Flatline - supplied by PIXELS PROMOTIONS: pixelspromotions.zenfolio.com/p126168889 (on route) and at the Finish line pixelspromotions.zenfolio.com/p31872670 - please note these are not our photographs (see www.pixelspromotions.com/).
Can I use these photographs directly from Flickr on my social media account(s)?
Yes - of course you can! Flickr provides several ways to share this and other photographs in this Flickr set. You can share to: email, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and Wordpress and Blogger blog sites. Your mobile, tablet, or desktop device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.
We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. Our only "cost" is our request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, etc or (2) other websites, blogs, web multimedia, commercial/promotional material that you must provide a link back to our Flickr page to attribute us.
This also extends the use of these images for Facebook profile pictures. In these cases please make a separate wall or blog post with a link to our Flickr page. If you do not know how this should be done for Facebook or other social media please email us and we will be happy to help suggest how to link to us.
I want to download these pictures to my computer or device?
You can download the photographic image here direct to your computer or device. This version is the low resolution web-quality image. How to download will vary slight from device to device and from browser to browser. However - look for a symbol with three dots 'ooo' or the link to 'View/Download' all sizes. When you click on either of these you will be presented with the option to download the image. Remember just doing a right-click and "save target as" will not work on Flickr.
I want get full resolution, print-quality, copies of these photographs?
If you just need these photographs for online usage then they can be used directly once you respect their Creative Commons license and provide a link back to our Flickr set if you use them. For offline usage and printing all of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution.
Please email petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com with the links to the photographs you would like to obtain a full resolution copy of. We also ask race organisers, media, etc to ask for permission before use of our images for flyers, posters, etc. We reserve the right to refuse a request.
In summary please remember when requesting photographs from us - If you are using the photographs online all we ask is for you to provide a link back to our Flickr set or Flickr pages. You will find the link above clearly outlined in the description text which accompanies this photograph. Taking these photographs and preparing them for online posting does take a significant effort and time. We are not posting photographs to Flickr for commercial reasons. If you really like what we do please spread the link around your social media, send us an email, leave a comment beside the photographs, send us a Flickr email, etc. If you are using the photographs in newspapers or magazines we ask that you mention where the original photograph came from.
I would like to contribute something for your photograph(s)?
Many people offer payment for our photographs. As stated above we do not charge for these photographs. We take these photographs as our contribution to the running community in Ireland. If you feel that the photograph(s) you request are good enough that you would consider paying for their purchase from other photographic providers or in other circumstances we would suggest that you can provide a donation to any of the great charities in Ireland who do work for Cancer Care or Cancer Research in Ireland.
We use Creative Commons Licensing for these photographs
We use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License for all our photographs here in this photograph set. What does this mean in reality?
The explaination is very simple.
Attribution- anyone using our photographs gives us an appropriate credit for it. This ensures that people aren't taking our photographs and passing them off as their own. This usually just mean putting a link to our photographs somewhere on your website, blog, or Facebook where other people can see it.
ShareAlike – anyone can use these photographs, and make changes if they like, or incorporate them into a bigger project, but they must make those changes available back to the community under the same terms.
Creative Commons aims to encourage creative sharing. See some examples of Creative Commons photographs on Flickr: www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
I ran in the race - but my photograph doesn't appear here in your Flickr set! What gives?
As mentioned above we take these photographs as a hobby and as a voluntary contribution to the running community in Ireland. Very often we have actually ran in the same race and then switched to photographer mode after we finished the race. Consequently, we feel that we have no obligations to capture a photograph of every participant in the race. However, we do try our very best to capture as many participants as possible. But this is sometimes not possible for a variety of reasons:
►You were hidden behind another participant as you passed our camera
►Weather or lighting conditions meant that we had some photographs with blurry content which we did not upload to our Flickr set
►There were too many people - some races attract thousands of participants and as amateur photographs we cannot hope to capture photographs of everyone
►We simply missed you - sorry about that - we did our best!
You can email us petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com to enquire if we have a photograph of you which didn't make the final Flickr selection for the race. But we cannot promise that there will be photograph there. As alternatives we advise you to contact the race organisers to enquire if there were (1) other photographs taking photographs at the race event or if (2) there were professional commercial sports photographers taking photographs which might have some photographs of you available for purchase. You might find some links for further information above.
Don't like your photograph here?
That's OK! We understand!
If, for any reason, you are not happy or comfortable with your picture appearing here in this photoset on Flickr then please email us at petermooney78 AT gmail DOT com and we will remove it as soon as possible. We give careful consideration to each photograph before uploading.
I want to tell people about these great photographs!
Great! Thank you! The best link to spread the word around is probably http://www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets
Bergen, historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. As of 2022, its population was roughly 289,330. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after national capital Oslo. The municipality covers 465 square kilometres (180 sq mi) and is located on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on Byfjorden, 'the city fjord'. The city is surrounded by mountains, causing Bergen to be called the "city of seven mountains". Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands. Bergen is the administrative centre of Vestland county. The city consists of eight boroughs: Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Årstad, and Åsane.
Trading in Bergen may have started as early as the 1020s. According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, 'the green meadow among the mountains'. It served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and from the end of the 13th century became a bureau city of the Hanseatic League. Until 1789, Bergen enjoyed exclusive rights to mediate trade between Northern Norway and abroad, and it was the largest city in Norway until the 1830s when it was overtaken by the capital, Christiania (now known as Oslo). What remains of the quays, Bryggen, is a World Heritage Site. The city was hit by numerous fires over the years. The Bergen School of Meteorology was developed at the Geophysical Institute starting in 1917, the Norwegian School of Economics was founded in 1936, and the University of Bergen in 1946. From 1831 to 1972, Bergen was its own county. In 1972 the municipality absorbed four surrounding municipalities and became a part of Hordaland county.
The city is an international centre for aquaculture, shipping, the offshore petroleum industry and subsea technology, and a national centre for higher education, media, tourism and finance. Bergen Port is Norway's busiest in terms of both freight and passengers, with over 300 cruise ship calls a year bringing nearly a half a million passengers to Bergen, a number that has doubled in 10 years. Almost half of the passengers are German or British. The city's main football team is SK Brann and a unique tradition of the city is the buekorps, which are traditional marching neighbourhood youth organisations. Natives speak a distinct dialect, known as Bergensk. The city features Bergen Airport, Flesland and Bergen Light Rail, and is the terminus of the Bergen Line. Four large bridges connect Bergen to its suburban municipalities.
Bergen has a mild winter climate, though with significant precipitation. From December to March, Bergen can, in rare cases, be up to 20 °C warmer than Oslo, even though both cities are at about 60° North. In summer however, Bergen is several degrees cooler than Oslo due to the same maritime effects. The Gulf Stream keeps the sea relatively warm, considering the latitude, and the mountains protect the city from cold winds from the north, north-east and east.
History
Hieronymus Scholeus's impression of Bergen. The drawing was made in about 1580 and was published in an atlas with drawings of many different cities (Civitaes orbis terrarum).
The city of Bergen was traditionally thought to have been founded by king Olav Kyrre, son of Harald Hardråde in 1070 AD, four years after the Viking Age in England ended with the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Modern research has, however, discovered that a trading settlement had already been established in the 1020s or 1030s.
Bergen gradually assumed the function of capital of Norway in the early 13th century, as the first city where a rudimentary central administration was established. The city's cathedral was the site of the first royal coronation in Norway in the 1150s, and continued to host royal coronations throughout the 13th century. Bergenhus fortress dates from the 1240s and guards the entrance to the harbour in Bergen. The functions of the capital city were lost to Oslo during the reign of King Haakon V (1299–1319).
In the middle of the 14th century, North German merchants, who had already been present in substantial numbers since the 13th century, founded one of the four Kontore of the Hanseatic League at Bryggen in Bergen. The principal export traded from Bergen was dried cod from the northern Norwegian coast, which started around 1100. The city was granted a monopoly for trade from the north of Norway by King Håkon Håkonsson (1217–1263). Stockfish was the main reason that the city became one of North Europe's largest centres for trade.[11] By the late 14th century, Bergen had established itself as the centre of the trade in Norway. The Hanseatic merchants lived in their own separate quarter of the town, where Middle Low German was used, enjoying exclusive rights to trade with the northern fishermen who each summer sailed to Bergen. The Hansa community resented Scottish merchants who settled in Bergen, and on 9 November 1523 several Scottish households were targeted by German residents. Today, Bergen's old quayside, Bryggen, is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
In 1349, the Black Death was brought to Norway by an English ship arriving in Bergen. Later outbreaks occurred in 1618, 1629 and 1637, on each occasion taking about 3,000 lives. In the 15th century, the city was attacked several times by the Victual Brothers, and in 1429 they succeeded in burning the royal castle and much of the city. In 1665, the city's harbour was the site of the Battle of Vågen, when an English naval flotilla attacked a Dutch merchant and treasure fleet supported by the city's garrison. Accidental fires sometimes got out of control, and one in 1702 reduced most of the town to ashes.
Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Bergen remained one of the largest cities in Scandinavia, and it was Norway's biggest city until the 1830s, being overtaken by the capital city of Oslo. From around 1600, the Hanseatic dominance of the city's trade gradually declined in favour of Norwegian merchants (often of Hanseatic ancestry), and in the 1750s, the Kontor, or major trading post of the Hanseatic League, finally closed. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Bergen was involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Bergen-based slave trader Jørgen Thormøhlen, the largest shipowner in Norway, was the main owner of the slave ship Cornelia, which made two slave-trading voyages in 1673 and 1674 respectively; he also developed the city's industrial sector, particularly in the neighbourhood of Møhlenpris, which is named after him. Bergen retained its monopoly of trade with northern Norway until 1789. The Bergen stock exchange, the Bergen børs, was established in 1813.
Modern history
Bergen was separated from Hordaland as a county of its own in 1831. It was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality of Bergen landdistrikt was merged with Bergen on 1 January 1877. The rural municipality of Årstad was merged with Bergen on 1 July 1915.
During World War II, Bergen was occupied on the first day of the German invasion on 9 April 1940, after a brief fight between German ships and the Norwegian coastal artillery. The Norwegian resistance movement groups in Bergen were Saborg, Milorg, "Theta-gruppen", Sivorg, Stein-organisasjonen and the Communist Party. On 20 April 1944, during the German occupation, the Dutch cargo ship Voorbode anchored off the Bergenhus Fortress, loaded with over 120 tons of explosives, and blew up, killing at least 150 people and damaging historic buildings. The city was subject to some Allied bombing raids, aimed at German naval installations in the harbour. Some of these caused Norwegian civilian casualties numbering about 100.
Bergen is also well known in Norway for the Isdal Woman (Norwegian: Isdalskvinnen), an unidentified person who was found dead at Isdalen ("Ice Valley") on 29 November 1970. The unsolved case encouraged international speculation over the years and it remains one of the most profound mysteries in recent Norwegian history.
The rural municipalities of Arna, Fana, Laksevåg, and Åsane were merged with Bergen on 1 January 1972. The city lost its status as a separate county on the same date, and Bergen is now a municipality, in the county of Vestland.
Fires
The city's history is marked by numerous great fires. In 1198, the Bagler faction set fire to the city in connection with a battle against the Birkebeiner faction during the civil war. In 1248, Holmen and Sverresborg burned, and 11 churches were destroyed. In 1413 another fire struck the city, and 14 churches were destroyed. In 1428 the city was plundered by the Victual Brothers, and in 1455, Hanseatic merchants were responsible for burning down Munkeliv Abbey. In 1476, Bryggen burned down in a fire started by a drunk trader. In 1582, another fire hit the city centre and Strandsiden. In 1675, 105 buildings burned down in Øvregaten. In 1686 another great fire hit Strandsiden, destroying 231 city blocks and 218 boathouses. The greatest fire in history was in 1702, when 90% of the city was burned to ashes. In 1751, there was a great fire at Vågsbunnen. In 1756, yet another fire at Strandsiden burned down 1,500 buildings, and further great fires hit Strandsiden in 1771 and 1901. In 1916, 300 buildings burned down in the city centre including the Swan pharmacy, the oldest pharmacy in Norway, and in 1955 parts of Bryggen burned down.
Toponymy
Bergen is pronounced in English /ˈbɜːrɡən/ or /ˈbɛərɡən/ and in Norwegian [ˈbæ̀rɡn̩] (in the local dialect [ˈbæ̂ʁɡɛn]). The Old Norse forms of the name were Bergvin [ˈberɡˌwin] and Bjǫrgvin [ˈbjɔrɡˌwin] (and in Icelandic and Faroese the city is still called Björgvin). The first element is berg (n.) or bjǫrg (n.), which translates as 'mountain(s)'. The last element is vin (f.), which means a new settlement where there used to be a pasture or meadow. The full meaning is then "the meadow among the mountains". This is a suitable name: Bergen is often called "the city among the seven mountains". It was the playwright Ludvig Holberg who felt so inspired by the seven hills of Rome, that he decided that his home town must be blessed with a corresponding seven mountains – and locals still argue which seven they are.
In 1918, there was a campaign to reintroduce the Norse form Bjørgvin as the name of the city. This was turned down – but as a compromise, the name of the diocese was changed to Bjørgvin bispedømme.
Bergen occupies most of the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen in the district of Midthordland in mid-western Hordaland. The municipality covers an area of 465 square kilometres (180 square miles). Most of the urban area is on or close to a fjord or bay, although the urban area has several mountains. The city centre is surrounded by the Seven Mountains, although there is disagreement as to which of the nine mountains constitute these. Ulriken, Fløyen, Løvstakken and Damsgårdsfjellet are always included as well as three of Lyderhorn, Sandviksfjellet, Blåmanen, Rundemanen and Kolbeinsvarden. Gullfjellet is Bergen's highest mountain, at 987 metres (3,238 ft) above mean sea level. Bergen is far enough north that during clear nights at the solstice, there is borderline civil daylight in spite of the sun having set.
Bergen is sheltered from the North Sea by the islands Askøy, Holsnøy (the municipality of Meland) and Sotra (the municipalities of Fjell and Sund). Bergen borders the municipalities Alver and Osterøy to the north, Vaksdal and Samnanger to the east, Os (Bjørnafjorden) and Austevoll to the south, and Øygarden and Askøy to the west.
The city centre of Bergen lies in the west of the municipality, facing the fjord of Byfjorden. It is among a group of mountains known as the Seven Mountains, although the number is a matter of definition. From here, the urban area of Bergen extends to the north, west and south, and to its east is a large mountain massif. Outside the city centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods (i.e. Årstad, inner Laksevåg and Sandviken), the majority of the population lives in relatively sparsely populated residential areas built after 1950. While some are dominated by apartment buildings and modern terraced houses (e.g. Fyllingsdalen), others are dominated by single-family homes.
The oldest part of Bergen is the area around the bay of Vågen in the city centre. Originally centred on the bay's eastern side, Bergen eventually expanded west and southwards. Few buildings from the oldest period remain, the most significant being St Mary's Church from the 12th century. For several hundred years, the extent of the city remained almost constant. The population was stagnant, and the city limits were narrow. In 1702, seven-eighths of the city burned. Most of the old buildings of Bergen, including Bryggen (which was rebuilt in a mediaeval style), were built after the fire. The fire marked a transition from tar covered houses, as well as the remaining log houses, to painted and some brick-covered wooden buildings.
The last half of the 19th century saw a period of rapid expansion and modernisation. The fire of 1855 west of Torgallmenningen led to the development of regularly sized city blocks in this area of the city centre. The city limits were expanded in 1876, and Nygård, Møhlenpris and Sandviken were urbanized with large-scale construction of city blocks housing both the poor and the wealthy. Their architecture is influenced by a variety of styles; historicism, classicism and Art Nouveau. The wealthy built villas between Møhlenpris and Nygård, and on the side of Mount Fløyen; these areas were also added to Bergen in 1876. Simultaneously, an urbanization process was taking place in Solheimsviken in Årstad, at that time outside the Bergen municipality, centred on the large industrial activity in the area. The workers' homes in this area were poorly built, and little remains after large-scale redevelopment in the 1960s–1980s.
After Årstad became a part of Bergen in 1916, a development plan was applied to the new area. Few city blocks akin to those in Nygård and Møhlenpris were planned. Many of the worker class built their own homes, and many small, detached apartment buildings were built. After World War II, Bergen had again run short of land to build on, and, contrary to the original plans, many large apartment buildings were built in Landås in the 1950s and 1960s. Bergen acquired Fyllingsdalen from Fana municipality in 1955. Like similar areas in Oslo (e.g. Lambertseter), Fyllingsdalen was developed into a modern suburb with large apartment buildings, mid-rises, and some single-family homes, in the 1960s and 1970s. Similar developments took place beyond Bergen's city limits, for example in Loddefjord.
At the same time as planned city expansion took place inside Bergen, its extra-municipal suburbs also grew rapidly. Wealthy citizens of Bergen had been living in Fana since the 19th century, but as the city expanded it became more convenient to settle in the municipality. Similar processes took place in Åsane and Laksevåg. Most of the homes in these areas are detached row houses,[clarification needed] single family homes or small apartment buildings. After the surrounding municipalities were merged with Bergen in 1972, expansion has continued in largely the same manner, although the municipality encourages condensing near commercial centres, future Bergen Light Rail stations, and elsewhere.
As part of the modernisation wave of the 1950s and 1960s, and due to damage caused by World War II, the city government ambitiously planned redevelopment of many areas in central Bergen. The plans involved demolition of several neighbourhoods of wooden houses, namely Nordnes, Marken, and Stølen. None of the plans was carried out in its original form; the Marken and Stølen redevelopment plans were discarded and that of Nordnes only carried out in the area that had been most damaged by war. The city council of Bergen had in 1964 voted to demolish the entirety of Marken, however, the decision proved to be highly controversial and the decision was reversed in 1974. Bryggen was under threat of being wholly or partly demolished after the fire of 1955, when a large number of the buildings burned to the ground. Instead of being demolished, the remaining buildings were restored and accompanied by reconstructions of some of the burned buildings.
Demolition of old buildings and occasionally whole city blocks is still taking place, the most recent major example being the 2007 razing of Jonsvollskvartalet at Nøstet.
Billboards are banned in the city.
Culture and sports
Bergens Tidende (BT) and Bergensavisen (BA) are the largest newspapers, with circulations of 87,076 and 30,719 in 2006, BT is a regional newspaper covering all of Vestland, while BA focuses on metropolitan Bergen. Other newspapers published in Bergen include the Christian national Dagen, with a circulation of 8.936, and TradeWinds, an international shipping newspaper. Local newspapers are Fanaposten for Fana, Sydvesten for Laksevåg and Fyllingsdalen and Bygdanytt for Arna and the neighbouring municipality Osterøy. TV 2, Norway's largest private television company, is based in Bergen.
The 1,500-seat Grieg Hall is the city's main cultural venue, and home of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1765, and the Bergen Woodwind Quintet. The city also features Carte Blanche, the Norwegian national company of contemporary dance. The annual Bergen International Festival is the main cultural festival, which is supplemented by the Bergen International Film Festival. Two internationally renowned composers from Bergen are Edvard Grieg and Ole Bull. Grieg's home, Troldhaugen, has been converted to a museum. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Bergen produced a series of successful pop, rock and black metal artists, collectively known as the Bergen Wave.
Den Nationale Scene is Bergen's main theatre. Founded in 1850, it had Henrik Ibsen as one of its first in-house playwrights and art directors. Bergen's contemporary art scene is centred on BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen Kunsthall, United Sardines Factory (USF) and Bergen Center for Electronic Arts (BEK). Bergen was a European Capital of Culture in 2000. Buekorps is a unique feature of Bergen culture, consisting of boys aged from 7 to 21 parading with imitation weapons and snare drums. The city's Hanseatic heritage is documented in the Hanseatic Museum located at Bryggen.
SK Brann is Bergen's premier football team; founded in 1908, they have played in the (men's) Norwegian Premier League for all but seven years since 1963 and consecutively, except one season after relegation in 2014, since 1987. The team were the football champions in 1961–1962, 1963, and 2007,[155] and reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996–1997. Brann play their home games at the 17,824-seat Brann Stadion. FK Fyllingsdalen is the city's second-best team, playing in the Second Division at Varden Amfi. Its predecessor, Fyllingen, played in the Norwegian Premier League in 1990, 1991 and 1993. Arna-Bjørnar and Sandviken play in the Women's Premier League.
Bergen IK is the premier men's ice hockey team, playing at Bergenshallen in the First Division. Tertnes play in the Women's Premier Handball League, and Fyllingen in the Men's Premier Handball League. In athletics, the city is dominated by IL Norna-Salhus, IL Gular and FIK BFG Fana, formerly also Norrøna IL and TIF Viking. The Bergen Storm are an American football team that plays matches at Varden Kunstgress and plays in the second division of the Norwegian league.
Bergensk is the native dialect of Bergen. It was strongly influenced by Low German-speaking merchants from the mid-14th to mid-18th centuries. During the Dano-Norwegian period from 1536 to 1814, Bergen was more influenced by Danish than other areas of Norway. The Danish influence removed the female grammatical gender in the 16th century, making Bergensk one of very few Norwegian dialects with only two instead of three grammatical genders. The Rs are uvular trills, as in French, which probably spread to Bergen some time in the 18th century, overtaking the alveolar trill in the time span of two to three generations. Owing to an improved literacy rate, Bergensk was influenced by riksmål and bokmål in the 19th and 20th centuries. This led to large parts of the German-inspired vocabulary disappearing and pronunciations shifting slightly towards East Norwegian.
The 1986 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Bergen. Bergen was the host city for the 2017 UCI Road World Championships. The city is also a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the category of gastronomy since 2015.
Street art
Bergen is considered to be the street art capital of Norway. Famed artist Banksy visited the city in 2000 and inspired many to start creating street art. Soon after, the city brought up the most famous street artist in Norway: Dolk. His art can still be seen in several places in the city, and in 2009 the city council choose to preserve Dolk's work "Spray" with protective glass. In 2011, Bergen council launched a plan of action for street art in Bergen from 2011 to 2015 to ensure that "Bergen will lead the fashion for street art as an expression both in Norway and Scandinavia".
The Madam Felle (1831–1908) monument in Sandviken, is in honour of a Norwegian woman of German origin, who in the mid-19th century managed, against the will of the council, to maintain a counter of beer. A well-known restaurant of the same name is now situated at another location in Bergen. The monument was erected in 1990 by sculptor Kari Rolfsen, supported by an anonymous donor. Madam Felle, civil name Oline Fell, was remembered after her death in a popular song, possibly originally a folksong, "Kjenner Dokker Madam Felle?" by Lothar Lindtner and Rolf Berntzen on an album in 1977.
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway , is a Nordic , European country and an independent state in the west of the Scandinavian Peninsula . Geographically speaking, the country is long and narrow, and on the elongated coast towards the North Atlantic are Norway's well-known fjords . The Kingdom of Norway includes the main country (the mainland with adjacent islands within the baseline ), Jan Mayen and Svalbard . With these two Arctic areas, Norway covers a land area of 385,000 km² and has a population of approximately 5.5 million (2023). Mainland Norway borders Sweden in the east , Finland and Russia in the northeast .
Norway is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy , where Harald V has been king and head of state since 1991 , and Jonas Gahr Støre ( Ap ) has been prime minister since 2021 . Norway is a unitary state , with two administrative levels below the state: counties and municipalities . The Sami part of the population has, through the Sami Parliament and the Finnmark Act , to a certain extent self-government and influence over traditionally Sami areas. Although Norway has rejected membership of the European Union through two referendums , through the EEA Agreement Norway has close ties with the Union, and through NATO with the United States . Norway is a significant contributor to the United Nations (UN), and has participated with soldiers in several foreign operations mandated by the UN. Norway is among the states that have participated from the founding of the UN , NATO , the Council of Europe , the OSCE and the Nordic Council , and in addition to these is a member of the EEA , the World Trade Organization , the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and is part of the Schengen area .
Norway is rich in many natural resources such as oil , gas , minerals , timber , seafood , fresh water and hydropower . Since the beginning of the 20th century, these natural conditions have given the country the opportunity for an increase in wealth that few other countries can now enjoy, and Norwegians have the second highest average income in the world, measured in GDP per capita, as of 2022. The petroleum industry accounts for around 14% of Norway's gross domestic product as of 2018. Norway is the world's largest producer of oil and gas per capita outside the Middle East. However, the number of employees linked to this industry fell from approx. 232,000 in 2013 to 207,000 in 2015.
In Norway, these natural resources have been managed for socially beneficial purposes. The country maintains a welfare model in line with the other Nordic countries. Important service areas such as health and higher education are state-funded, and the country has an extensive welfare system for its citizens. Public expenditure in 2018 is approx. 50% of GDP, and the majority of these expenses are related to education, healthcare, social security and welfare. Since 2001 and until 2021, when the country took second place, the UN has ranked Norway as the world's best country to live in . From 2010, Norway is also ranked at the top of the EIU's democracy index . Norway ranks third on the UN's World Happiness Report for the years 2016–2018, behind Finland and Denmark , a report published in March 2019.
The majority of the population is Nordic. In the last couple of years, immigration has accounted for more than half of population growth. The five largest minority groups are Norwegian-Poles , Lithuanians , Norwegian-Swedes , Norwegian-Syrians including Syrian Kurds and Norwegian-Pakistani .
Norway's national day is 17 May, on this day in 1814 the Norwegian Constitution was dated and signed by the presidency of the National Assembly at Eidsvoll . It is stipulated in the law of 26 April 1947 that 17 May are national public holidays. The Sami national day is 6 February. "Yes, we love this country" is Norway's national anthem, the song was written in 1859 by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832–1910).
Norway's history of human settlement goes back at least 10,000 years, to the Late Paleolithic , the first period of the Stone Age . Archaeological finds of settlements along the entire Norwegian coast have so far been dated back to 10,400 before present (BP), the oldest find is today considered to be a settlement at Pauler in Brunlanes , Vestfold .
For a period these settlements were considered to be the remains of settlers from Doggerland , an area which today lies beneath the North Sea , but which was once a land bridge connecting today's British Isles with Danish Jutland . But the archaeologists who study the initial phase of the settlement in what is today Norway reckon that the first people who came here followed the coast along what is today Bohuslân. That they arrived in some form of boat is absolutely certain, and there is much evidence that they could easily move over large distances.
Since the last Ice Age, there has been continuous settlement in Norway. It cannot be ruled out that people lived in Norway during the interglacial period , but no trace of such a population or settlement has been found.
The Stone Age lasted a long time; half of the time that our country has been populated. There are no written accounts of what life was like back then. The knowledge we have has been painstakingly collected through investigations of places where people have stayed and left behind objects that we can understand have been processed by human hands. This field of knowledge is called archaeology . The archaeologists interpret their findings and the history of the surrounding landscape. In our country, the uplift after the Ice Age is fundamental. The history of the settlements at Pauler is no more than fifteen years old.
The Fosna culture settled parts of Norway sometime between 10,000–8,000 BC. (see Stone Age in Norway ). The dating of rock carvings is set to Neolithic times (in Norway between 4000 BC to 1700 BC) and show activities typical of hunters and gatherers .
Agriculture with livestock and arable farming was introduced in the Neolithic. Swad farming where the farmers move when the field does not produce the expected yield.
More permanent and persistent farm settlements developed in the Bronze Age (1700 BC to 500 BC) and the Iron Age . The earliest runes have been found on an arrowhead dated to around 200 BC. Many more inscriptions are dated to around 800, and a number of petty kingdoms developed during these centuries. In prehistoric times, there were no fixed national borders in the Nordic countries and Norway did not exist as a state. The population in Norway probably fell to year 0.
Events in this time period, the centuries before the year 1000, are glimpsed in written sources. Although the sagas were written down in the 13th century, many hundreds of years later, they provide a glimpse into what was already a distant past. The story of the fimbul winter gives us a historical picture of something that happened and which in our time, with the help of dendrochronology , can be interpreted as a natural disaster in the year 536, created by a volcanic eruption in El Salvador .
In the period between 800 and 1066 there was a significant expansion and it is referred to as the Viking Age . During this period, Norwegians, as Swedes and Danes also did, traveled abroad in longships with sails as explorers, traders, settlers and as Vikings (raiders and pirates ). By the middle of the 11th century, the Norwegian kingship had been firmly established, building its right as descendants of Harald Hårfagre and then as heirs of Olav the Holy . The Norwegian kings, and their subjects, now professed Christianity . In the time around Håkon Håkonsson , in the time after the civil war , there was a small renaissance in Norway with extensive literary activity and diplomatic activity with Europe. The black dew came to Norway in 1349 and killed around half of the population. The entire state apparatus and Norway then entered a period of decline.
Between 1396 and 1536, Norway was part of the Kalmar Union , and from 1536 until 1814 Norway had been reduced to a tributary part of Denmark , named as the Personal Union of Denmark-Norway . This staff union entered into an alliance with Napoléon Bonaparte with a war that brought bad times and famine in 1812 . In 1814, Denmark-Norway lost the Anglophone Wars , part of the Napoleonic Wars , and the Danish king was forced to cede Norway to the king of Sweden in the Treaty of Kiel on 14 January of that year. After a Norwegian attempt at independence, Norway was forced into a loose union with Sweden, but where Norway was allowed to create its own constitution, the Constitution of 1814 . In this period, Norwegian, romantic national feeling flourished, and the Norwegians tried to develop and establish their own national self-worth. The union with Sweden was broken in 1905 after it had been threatened with war, and Norway became an independent kingdom with its own monarch, Haakon VII .
Norway remained neutral during the First World War , and at the outbreak of the Second World War, Norway again declared itself neutral, but was invaded by National Socialist Germany on 9 April 1940 .
Norway became a member of the Western defense alliance NATO in 1949 . Two attempts to join the EU were voted down in referendums by small margins in 1972 and 1994 . Norway has been a close ally of the United States in the post-war period. Large discoveries of oil and natural gas in the North Sea at the end of the 1960s led to tremendous economic growth in the country, which is still ongoing. Traditional industries such as fishing are also part of Norway's economy.
Stone Age (before 1700 BC)
When most of the ice disappeared, vegetation spread over the landscape and due to a warm climate around 2000-3000 BC. the forest grew much taller than in modern times. Land uplift after the ice age led to a number of fjords becoming lakes and dry land. The first people probably came from the south along the coast of the Kattegat and overland into Finnmark from the east. The first people probably lived by gathering, hunting and trapping. A good number of Stone Age settlements have been found which show that such hunting and trapping people stayed for a long time in the same place or returned to the same place regularly. Large amounts of gnawed bones show that they lived on, among other things, reindeer, elk, small game and fish.
Flintstone was imported from Denmark and apart from small natural deposits along the southern coast, all flintstone in Norway is transported by people. At Espevær, greenstone was quarried for tools in the Stone Age, and greenstone tools from Espevær have been found over large parts of Western Norway. Around 2000-3000 BC the usual farm animals such as cows and sheep were introduced to Norway. Livestock probably meant a fundamental change in society in that part of the people had to be permanent residents or live a semi-nomadic life. Livestock farming may also have led to conflict with hunters.
The oldest traces of people in what is today Norway have been found at Pauler , a farm in Brunlanes in Larvik municipality in Vestfold . In 2007 and 2008, the farm has given its name to a number of Stone Age settlements that have been excavated and examined by archaeologists from the Cultural History Museum at UiO. The investigations have been carried out in connection with the new route for the E18 motorway west of Farris. The oldest settlement, located more than 127 m above sea level, is dated to be about 10,400 years old (uncalibrated, more than 11,000 years in real calendar years). From here, the ice sheet was perhaps visible when people settled here. This locality has been named Pauler I, and is today considered to be the oldest confirmed human traces in Norway to date. The place is in the mountains above the Pauler tunnel on the E18 between Larvik and Porsgrunn . The pioneer settlement is a term archaeologists have adopted for the oldest settlement. The archaeologists have speculated about where they came from, the first people in what is today Norway. It has been suggested that they could come by boat or perhaps across the ice from Doggerland or the North Sea, but there is now a large consensus that they came north along what is today the Bohuslän coast. The Fosna culture , the Komsa culture and the Nøstvet culture are the traditional terms for hunting cultures from the Stone Age. One thing is certain - getting to the water was something they mastered, the first people in our country. Therefore, within a short time they were able to use our entire long coast.
In the New Stone Age (4000 BC–1700 BC) there is a theory that a new people immigrated to the country, the so-called Stone Ax People . Rock carvings from this period show motifs from hunting and fishing , which were still important industries. From this period, a megalithic tomb has been found in Østfold .
It is uncertain whether there were organized societies or state-like associations in the Stone Age in Norway. Findings from settlements indicate that many lived together and that this was probably more than one family so that it was a slightly larger, organized herd.
Finnmark
In prehistoric times, animal husbandry and agriculture were of little economic importance in Finnmark. Livelihoods in Finnmark were mainly based on fish, gathering, hunting and trapping, and eventually domestic reindeer herding became widespread in the Middle Ages. Archaeological finds from the Stone Age have been referred to as the Komsa culture and comprise around 5,000 years of settlement. Finnmark probably got its first settlement around 8000 BC. It is believed that the coastal areas became ice-free 11,000 years BC and the fjord areas around 9,000 years BC. after which willows, grass, heather, birch and pine came into being. Finnmarksvidda was covered by pine forest around 6000 BC. After the Ice Age, the land rose around 80 meters in the inner fjord areas (Alta, Tana, Varanger). Due to ice melting in the polar region, the sea rose in the period 6400–3800 BC. and in areas with little land elevation, some settlements from the first part of the Stone Age were flooded. On Sørøya, the net sea level rise was 12 to 14 meters and many residential areas were flooded.
According to Bjørnar Olsen , there are many indications of a connection between the oldest settlement in Western Norway (the " Fosnakulturen ") and that in Finnmark, but it is uncertain in which direction the settlement took place. In the earliest part of the Stone Age, settlement in Finnmark was probably concentrated in the coastal areas, and these only reflected a lifestyle with great mobility and no permanent dwellings. The inner regions, such as Pasvik, were probably used seasonally. The archaeologically proven settlements from the Stone Age in inner Finnmark and Troms are linked to lakes and large watercourses. The oldest petroglyphs in Alta are usually dated to 4200 BC, that is, the Neolithic . Bjørnar Olsen believes that the oldest can be up to 2,000 years older than this.
From around 4000 BC a slow deforestation of Finnmark began and around 1800 BC the vegetation distribution was roughly the same as in modern times. The change in vegetation may have increased the distance between the reindeer's summer and winter grazing. The uplift continued slowly from around 4000 BC. at the same time as sea level rise stopped.
According to Gutorm Gjessing, the settlement in Finnmark and large parts of northern Norway in the Neolithic was semi-nomadic with movement between four seasonal settlements (following the pattern of life in Sami siida in historical times): On the outer coast in summer (fishing and seal catching) and inland in winter (hunting for reindeer, elk and bear). Povl Simonsen believed instead that the winter residence was in the inner fjord area in a village-like sod house settlement. Bjørnar Olsen believes that at the end of the Stone Age there was a relatively settled population along the coast, while inland there was less settlement and a more mobile lifestyle.
Bronze Age (1700 BC–500 BC)
Bronze was used for tools in Norway from around 1500 BC. Bronze is a mixture of tin and copper , and these metals were introduced because they were not mined in the country at the time. Bronze is believed to have been a relatively expensive material. The Bronze Age in Norway can be divided into two phases:
Early Bronze Age (1700–1100 BC)
Younger Bronze Age (1100–500 BC)
For the prehistoric (unwritten) era, there is limited knowledge about social conditions and possible state formations. From the Bronze Age, there are large burial mounds of stone piles along the coast of Vestfold and Agder, among others. It is likely that only chieftains or other great men could erect such grave monuments and there was probably some form of organized society linked to these. In the Bronze Age, society was more organized and stratified than in the Stone Age. Then a rich class of chieftains emerged who had close connections with southern Scandinavia. The settlements became more permanent and people adopted horses and ard . They acquired bronze status symbols, lived in longhouses and people were buried in large burial mounds . Petroglyphs from the Bronze Age indicate that humans practiced solar cultivation.
Finnmark
In the last millennium BC the climate became cooler and the pine forest disappears from the coast; pine forests, for example, were only found in the innermost part of the Altafjord, while the outer coast was almost treeless. Around the year 0, the limit for birch forest was south of Kirkenes. Animals with forest habitats (elk, bear and beaver) disappeared and the reindeer probably established their annual migration routes sometime at that time. In the period 1800–900 BC there were significantly more settlements in and utilization of the hinterland was particularly noticeable on Finnmarksvidda. From around 1800 BC until year 0 there was a significant increase in contact between Finnmark and areas in the east including Karelia (where metals were produced including copper) and central and eastern Russia. The youngest petroglyphs in Alta show far more boats than the earlier phases and the boats are reminiscent of types depicted in petroglyphs in southern Scandinavia. It is unclear what influence southern Scandinavian societies had as far north as Alta before the year 0. Many of the cultural features that are considered typical Sami in modern times were created or consolidated in the last millennium BC, this applies, among other things, to the custom of burying in brick chambers in stone urns. The Mortensnes burial ground may have been used for 2000 years until around 1600 AD.
Iron Age (c. 500 BC–c. 1050 AD)
The Einangsteinen is one of the oldest Norwegian runestones; it is from the 4th century
Simultaneous production of Vikings
Around 500 years BC the researchers reckon that the Bronze Age will be replaced by the Iron Age as iron takes over as the most important material for weapons and tools. Bronze, wood and stone were still used. Iron was cheaper than bronze, easier to work than flint , and could be used for many purposes; iron probably became common property. Iron could, among other things, be used to make solid and sharp axes which made it much easier to fell trees. In the Iron Age, gold and silver were also used partly for decoration and partly as means of payment. It is unknown which language was used in Norway before our era. From around the year 0 until around the year 800, everyone in Scandinavia (except the Sami) spoke Old Norse , a North Germanic language. Subsequently, several different languages developed in this area that were only partially mutually intelligible. The Iron Age is divided into several periods:
Early Iron Age
Pre-Roman Iron Age (c. 500 BC–c. 0)
Roman Iron Age (c. 0–c. AD 400)
Migration period (approx. 400–600). In the migration period (approx. 400–600), new peoples came to Norway, and ruins of fortress buildings etc. are interpreted as signs that there has been talk of a violent invasion.
Younger Iron Age
Merovingian period (500–800)
The Viking Age (793–1066)
Norwegian Vikings go on plundering expeditions and trade voyages around the coastal countries of Western Europe . Large groups of Norwegians emigrate to the British Isles , Iceland and Greenland . Harald Hårfagre starts a unification process of Norway late in the 8th century , which was completed by Harald Hardråde in the 1060s . The country was Christianized under the kings Olav Tryggvason , fell in the battle of Svolder ( 1000 ) and Olav Haraldsson (the saint), fell in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 .
Sources of prehistoric times
Shrinking glaciers in the high mountains, including in Jotunheimen and Breheimen , have from around the year 2000 uncovered objects from the Viking Age and earlier. These are objects of organic material that have been preserved by the ice and that elsewhere in nature are broken down in a few months. The finds are getting older as the melting makes the archaeologists go deeper into the ice. About half of all archaeological discoveries on glaciers in the world are made in Oppland . In 2013, a 3,400-year-old shoe and a robe from the year 300 were found. Finds at Lomseggen in Lom published in 2020 revealed, among other things, well-preserved horseshoes used on a mountain pass. Many hundreds of items include preserved clothing, knives, whisks, mittens, leather shoes, wooden chests and horse equipment. A piece of cloth dated to the year 1000 has preserved its original colour. In 2014, a wooden ski from around the year 700 was found in Reinheimen . The ski is 172 cm long and 14 cm wide, with preserved binding of leather and wicker.
Pytheas from Massalia is the oldest known account of what was probably the coast of Norway, perhaps somewhere on the coast of Møre. Pytheas visited Britannia around 325 BC. and traveled further north to a country by the "Ice Sea". Pytheas described the short summer night and the midnight sun farther north. He wrote, among other things, that people there made a drink from grain and honey. Caesar wrote in his work about the Gallic campaign about the Germanic tribe Haruders. Other Roman sources around the year 0 mention the land of the Cimbri (Jutland) and the Cimbri headlands ( Skagen ) and that the sources stated that Cimbri and Charyds lived in this area. Some of these peoples may have immigrated to Norway and there become known as hordes (as in Hordaland). Sources from the Mediterranean area referred to the islands of Scandia, Scandinavia and Thule ("the outermost of all islands"). The Roman historian Tacitus wrote around the year 100 a work about Germania and mentioned the people of Scandia, the Sviones. Ptolemy wrote around the year 150 that the Kharudes (Hordes) lived further north than all the Cimbri, in the north lived the Finnoi (Finns or Sami) and in the south the Gutai (Goths). The Nordic countries and Norway were outside the Roman Empire , which dominated Europe at the time. The Gothic-born historian Jordanes wrote in the 5th century about 13 tribes or people groups in Norway, including raumaricii (probably Romerike ), ragnaricii ( Ranrike ) and finni or skretefinni (skrid finner or ski finner, i.e. Sami) as well as a number of unclear groups. Prokopios wrote at the same time about Thule north of the land of the Danes and Slavs, Thule was ten times as big as Britannia and the largest of all the islands. In Thule, the sun was up 40 days straight in the summer. After the migration period , southern Europeans' accounts of northern Europe became fuller and more reliable.
Settlement in prehistoric times
Norway has around 50,000 farms with their own names. Farm names have persisted for a long time, over 1000 years, perhaps as much as 2000 years. The name researchers have arranged different types of farm names chronologically, which provides a basis for determining when the place was used by people or received a permanent settlement. Uncompounded landscape names such as Haug, Eid, Vik and Berg are believed to be the oldest. Archaeological traces indicate that some areas have been inhabited earlier than assumed from the farm name. Burial mounds also indicate permanent settlement. For example, the burial ground at Svartelva in Løten was used from around the year 0 to the year 1000 when Christianity took over. The first farmers probably used large areas for inland and outland, and new farms were probably established based on some "mother farms". Names such as By (or Bø) show that it is an old place of residence. From the older Iron Age, names with -heim (a common Germanic word meaning place of residence) and -stad tell of settlement, while -vin and -land tell of the use of the place. Farm names in -heim are often found as -um , -eim or -em as in Lerum and Seim, there are often large farms in the center of the village. New farm names with -city and -country were also established in the Viking Age . The first farmers probably used the best areas. The largest burial grounds, the oldest archaeological finds and the oldest farm names are found where the arable land is richest and most spacious.
It is unclear whether the settlement expansion in Roman times, migrations and the Iron Age is due to immigration or internal development and population growth. Among other things, it is difficult to demonstrate where in Europe the immigrants have come from. The permanent residents had both fields (where grain was grown) and livestock that grazed in the open fields, but it is uncertain which of these was more important. Population growth from around the year 200 led to more utilization of open land, for example in the form of settlements in the mountains. During the migration period, it also seems that in parts of the country it became common to have cluster gardens or a form of village settlement.
Norwegian expansion northwards
From around the year 200, there was a certain migration by sea from Rogaland and Hordaland to Nordland and Sør-Troms. Those who moved settled down as a settled Iron Age population and became dominant over the original population which may have been Sami . The immigrant Norwegians, Bumen , farmed with livestock that were fed inside in the winter as well as some grain cultivation and fishing. The northern border of the Norwegians' settlement was originally at the Toppsundet near Harstad and around the year 500 there was a Norwegian settlement to Malangsgapet. That was as far north as it was possible to grow grain at the time. Malangen was considered the border between Hålogaland and Finnmork until around 1400 . Further into the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, there was immigration and settlement of Norwegian speakers along the coast north of Malangen. Around the year 800, Norwegians lived along the entire outer coast to Vannøy . The Norwegians partly copied Sami livelihoods such as whaling, fur hunting and reindeer husbandry. It was probably this area between Malangen and Vannøy that was Ottar from the Hålogaland area. In the Viking Age, there were also some Norwegian settlements further north and east. East of the North Cape are the scattered archaeological finds of Norwegian settlement in the Viking Age. There are Norwegian names for fjords and islands from the Viking Age, including fjord names with "-anger". Around the year 1050, there were Norwegian settlements on the outer coast of Western Finnmark. Traders and tax collectors traveled even further.
North of Malangen there were Norse farming settlements in the Iron Age. Malangen was considered Finnmark's western border until 1300. There are some archaeological traces of Norse activity around the coast from Tromsø to Kirkenes in the Viking Age. Around Tromsø, the research indicates a Norse/Sami mixed culture on the coast.
From the year 1100 and the next 200–300 years, there are no traces of Norwegian settlement north and east of Tromsø. It is uncertain whether this is due to depopulation, whether it is because the Norwegians further north were not Christianized or because there were no churches north of Lenvik or Tromsø . Norwegian settlement in the far north appears from sources from the 14th century. In the Hanseatic period , the settlement was developed into large areas specialized in commercial fishing, while earlier (in the Viking Age) there had been farms with a combination of fishing and agriculture. In 1307 , a fortress and the first church east of Tromsø were built in Vardø . Vardø became a small Norwegian town, while Vadsø remained Sami. Norwegian settlements and churches appeared along the outermost coast in the Middle Ages. After the Reformation, perhaps as a result of a decline in fish stocks or fish prices, there were Norwegian settlements in the inner fjord areas such as Lebesby in Laksefjord. Some fishing villages at the far end of the coast were abandoned for good. In the interior of Finnmark, there was no national border for a long time and Kautokeino and Karasjok were joint Norwegian-Swedish areas with strong Swedish influence. The border with Finland was established in 1751 and with Russia in 1826.
On a Swedish map from 1626, Norway's border is indicated at Malangen, while Sweden with this map showed a desire to control the Sami area which had been a common area.
The term Northern Norway only came into use at the end of the 19th century and administratively the area was referred to as Tromsø Diocese when Tromsø became a bishopric in 1840. There had been different designations previously: Hålogaland originally included only Helgeland and when Norse settlement spread north in the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, Hålogaland was used for the area north approximately to Malangen , while Finnmark or "Finnmarken", "the land of the Sami", lay outside. The term Northern Norway was coined at a cafe table in Kristiania in 1884 by members of the Nordlændingernes Forening and was first commonly used in the interwar period as it eventually supplanted "Hålogaland".
State formation
The battle in Hafrsfjord in the year 872 has long been regarded as the day when Norway became a kingdom. The year of the battle is uncertain (may have been 10-20 years later). The whole of Norway was not united in that battle: the process had begun earlier and continued a couple of hundred years later. This means that the geographical area became subject to a political authority and became a political unit. The geographical area was perceived as an area as it is known, among other things, from Ottar from Hålogaland's account for King Alfred of Wessex around the year 880. Ottar described "the land of the Norwegians" as very long and narrow, and it was narrowest in the far north. East of the wasteland in the south lay Sveoland and in the north lay Kvenaland in the east. When Ottar sailed south along the land from his home ( Malangen ) to Skiringssal, he always had Norway ("Nordveg") on his port side and the British Isles on his starboard side. The journey took a good month. Ottar perceived "Nordveg" as a geographical unit, but did not imply that it was a political unit. Ottar separated Norwegians from Swedes and Danes. It is unclear why Ottar perceived the population spread over such a large area as a whole. It is unclear whether Norway as a geographical term or Norwegians as the name of a ethnic group is the oldest. The Norwegians had a common language which in the centuries before Ottar did not differ much from the language of Denmark and Sweden.
According to Sverre Steen, it is unlikely that Harald Hårfagre was able to control this entire area as one kingdom. The saga of Harald was written 300 years later and at his death Norway was several smaller kingdoms. Harald probably controlled a larger area than anyone before him and at most Harald's kingdom probably included the coast from Trøndelag to Agder and Vestfold as well as parts of Viken . There were probably several smaller kingdoms of varying extent before Harald and some of these are reflected in traditional landscape names such as Ranrike and Ringerike . Landscape names of "-land" (Rogaland) and "-mark" (Hedmark) as well as names such as Agder and Sogn may have been political units before Harald.
According to Sverre Steen, the national assembly was completed at the earliest at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 and the introduction of Christianity was probably a significant factor in the establishment of Norway as a state. Håkon I the good Adalsteinsfostre introduced the leasehold system where the "coastal land" (as far as the salmon went up the rivers) was divided into ship raiders who were to provide a longship with soldiers and supplies. The leidange was probably introduced as a defense against the Danes. The border with the Danes was traditionally at the Göta älv and several times before and after Harald Hårfagre the Danes had control over central parts of Norway.
Christianity was known and existed in Norway before Olav Haraldson's time. The spread occurred both from the south (today's Denmark and northern Germany) and from the west (England and Ireland). Ansgar of Bremen , called the "Apostle of the North", worked in Sweden, but he was never in Norway and probably had little influence in the country. Viking expeditions brought the Norwegians of that time into contact with Christian countries and some were baptized in England, Ireland and northern France. Olav Tryggvason and Olav Haraldson were Vikings who returned home. The first Christians in Norway were also linked to pre-Christian local religion, among other things, by mixing Christian symbols with symbols of Odin and other figures from Norse religion.
According to Sverre Steen, the introduction of Christianity in Norway should not be perceived as a nationwide revival. At Mostratinget, Christian law was introduced as law in the country and later incorporated into the laws of the individual jurisdictions. Christianity primarily involved new forms in social life, among other things exposure and images of gods were prohibited, it was forbidden to "put out" unwanted infants (to let them die), and it was forbidden to have multiple wives. The church became a nationwide institution with a special group of officials tasked with protecting the church and consolidating the new religion. According to Sverre Steen, Christianity and the church in the Middle Ages should therefore be considered together, and these became a new unifying factor in the country. The church and Christianity linked Norway to Roman Catholic Europe with Church Latin as the common language, the same time reckoning as the rest of Europe and the church in Norway was arranged much like the churches in Denmark, Sweden and England. Norway received papal approval in 1070 and became its own church province in 1152 with Archbishop Nidaros .
With Christianity, the country got three social powers: the peasants (organized through the things), the king with his officials and the church with the clergy. The things are the oldest institution: At allthings all armed men had the right to attend (in part an obligation to attend) and at lagthings met emissaries from an area (that is, the lagthings were representative assemblies). The Thing both ruled in conflicts and established laws. The laws were memorized by the participants and written down around the year 1000 or later in the Gulationsloven , Frostatingsloven , Eidsivatingsloven and Borgartingsloven . The person who had been successful at the hearing had to see to the implementation of the judgment themselves.
Early Middle Ages (1050s–1184)
The early Middle Ages is considered in Norwegian history to be the period between the end of the Viking Age around 1050 and the coronation of King Sverre in 1184 . The beginning of the period can be dated differently, from around the year 1000 when the Christianization of the country took place and up to 1100 when the Viking Age was over from an archaeological point of view. From 1035 to 1130 it was a time of (relative) internal peace in Norway, even several of the kings attempted campaigns abroad, including in 1066 and 1103 .
During this period, the church's organization was built up. This led to a gradual change in religious customs. Religion went from being a domestic matter to being regulated by common European Christian law and the royal power gained increased power and influence. Slavery (" servitude ") was gradually abolished. The population grew rapidly during this period, as the thousands of farm names ending in -rud show.
The urbanization of Norway is a historical process that has slowly but surely changed Norway from the early Viking Age to today, from a country based on agriculture and sea salvage, to increasingly trade and industry. As early as the ninth century, the country got its first urban community, and in the eleventh century we got the first permanent cities.
In the 1130s, civil war broke out . This was due to a power struggle and that anyone who claimed to be the king's son could claim the right to the throne. The disputes escalated into extensive year-round warfare when Sverre Sigurdsson started a rebellion against the church's and the landmen's candidate for the throne , Magnus Erlingsson .
Emergence of cities
The oldest Norwegian cities probably emerged from the end of the 9th century. Oslo, Bergen and Nidaros became episcopal seats, which stimulated urban development there, and the king built churches in Borg , Konghelle and Tønsberg. Hamar and Stavanger became new episcopal seats and are referred to in the late 12th century as towns together with the trading places Veøy in Romsdal and Kaupanger in Sogn. In the late Middle Ages, Borgund (on Sunnmøre), Veøy (in Romsdalsfjorden) and Vågan (in Lofoten) were referred to as small trading places. Urbanization in Norway occurred in few places compared to the neighboring countries, only 14 places appear as cities before 1350. Stavanger became a bishopric around 1120–1130, but it is unclear whether the place was already a city then. The fertile Jæren and outer Ryfylke were probably relatively densely populated at that time. A particularly large concentration of Irish artefacts from the Viking Age has been found in Stavanger and Nord-Jæren.
It has been difficult to estimate the population in the Norwegian medieval cities, but it is considered certain that the cities grew rapidly in the Middle Ages. Oscar Albert Johnsen estimated the city's population before the Black Death at 20,000, of which 7,000 in Bergen, 3,000 in Nidaros, 2,000 in Oslo and 1,500 in Tunsberg. Based on archaeological research, Lunden estimates that Oslo had around 1,500 inhabitants in 250 households in the year 1300. Bergen was built up more densely and, with the concentration of exports there, became Norway's largest city in a special position for several hundred years. Knut Helle suggests a city population of 20,000 at most in the High Middle Ages, of which almost half in Bergen.
The Bjarkøyretten regulated the conditions in cities (especially Bergen and Nidaros) and in trading places, and for Nidaros had many of the same provisions as the Frostating Act . Magnus Lagabøte's city law replaced the bjarkøretten and from 1276 regulated the settlement in Bergen and with corresponding laws also drawn up for Oslo, Nidaros and Tunsberg. The city law applied within the city's roof area . The City Act determined that the city's public streets consisted of wide commons (perpendicular to the shoreline) and ran parallel to the shoreline, similarly in Nidaros and Oslo. The roads were small streets of up to 3 cubits (1.4 metres) and linked to the individual property. From the Middle Ages, the Norwegian cities were usually surrounded by wooden fences. The urban development largely consisted of low wooden houses which stood in contrast to the relatively numerous and dominant churches and monasteries built in stone.
The City Act and supplementary provisions often determined where in the city different goods could be traded, in Bergen, for example, cattle and sheep could only be traded on the Square, and fish only on the Square or directly from the boats at the quayside. In Nidaros, the blacksmiths were required to stay away from the densely populated areas due to the risk of fire, while the tanners had to stay away from the settlements due to the strong smell. The City Act also attempted to regulate the influx of people into the city (among other things to prevent begging in the streets) and had provisions on fire protection. In Oslo, from the 13th century or earlier, it was common to have apartment buildings consisting of single buildings on a couple of floors around a courtyard with access from the street through a gate room. Oslo's medieval apartment buildings were home to one to four households. In the urban farms, livestock could be kept, including pigs and cows, while pastures and fields were found in the city's rooftops . In the apartment buildings there could be several outbuildings such as warehouses, barns and stables. Archaeological excavations show that much of the buildings in medieval Oslo, Trondheim and Tønsberg resembled the oblong farms that have been preserved at Bryggen in Bergen . The land boundaries in Oslo appear to have persisted for many hundreds of years, in Bergen right from the Middle Ages to modern times.
High Middle Ages (1184–1319)
After civil wars in the 12th century, the country had a relative heyday in the 13th century. Iceland and Greenland came under the royal authority in 1262 , and the Norwegian Empire reached its greatest extent under Håkon IV Håkonsson . The last king of Haraldsätten, Håkon V Magnusson , died sonless in 1319 . Until the 17th century, Norway stretched all the way down to the mouth of Göta älv , which was then Norway's border with Sweden and Denmark.
Just before the Black Death around 1350, there were between 65,000 and 85,000 farms in the country, and there had been a strong growth in the number of farms from 1050, especially in Eastern Norway. In the High Middle Ages, the church or ecclesiastical institutions controlled 40% of the land in Norway, while the aristocracy owned around 20% and the king owned 7%. The church and monasteries received land through gifts from the king and nobles, or through inheritance and gifts from ordinary farmers.
Settlement and demography in the Middle Ages
Before the Black Death, there were more and more farms in Norway due to farm division and clearing. The settlement spread to more marginal agricultural areas higher inland and further north. Eastern Norway had the largest areas to take off and had the most population growth towards the High Middle Ages. Along the coast north of Stad, settlement probably increased in line with the extent of fishing. The Icelandic Rimbegla tells around the year 1200 that the border between Finnmark (the land of the Sami) and resident Norwegians in the interior was at Malangen , while the border all the way out on the
Top 10 reasons to visit the Eden Project
Here's some of what you'll find when you visit:
1.the world's largest rainforest in captivity with steamy jungles and waterfalls
2.cutting-edge architecture and buildings
3.stunning garden displays all year round
4.world-class sculpture and art
5.evening gigs, concerts and an ice rink in the winter
6.educational centre and demonstrations to inspire all ages
7.brilliant local, fairly traded food in the restaurants and cafes
8.a rainforest lookout that takes you above the treetops
9.living example of regeneration and sustainable living
10.free land train pulled by a tractor.
Even if you've visited before, our plants, exhibits and events programme change every season and every year.
Rainforest Biome - Our 50-metre-tall Biome houses the world’s largest rainforest in captivity.
Mediterranean Biome - A colourful, sensory journey through citrus, olives, vines and perfumed herbs.
In our beautifully transformed clay pit in Cornwall, you'll find over 80 exhibits, including unusual plant combinations, unique sculpture and quirky information displays.
The Core is Eden's innovative education centre: it's a fantastic building full of interactive displays where both children and adults can press buttons, wind handles and peer inside things.
Minus Mixers and the Combinator.. this is pretty much all the instruments and effects that come with Reason...
Thor is an amazing Synth.. everyone likes working with Rex files.. and blah blah blah.
I feel like Reasons needs a little more.. I really think they ought to work out some sort of effects plug in system.. or a rewire system that allows you to feed audio in and out of Reason.. because.. well the power of Reason is it's simplicity.. but a lot of times you'd like to have more power.. you'd like to work with convolution reverb, lets say, or a better distortion unit.. or other types of modulation effects..
In Ventura County, Thousand Oaks is a lively city that blends the traditional splendor that is Southern California with contemporary sophistication. It’s a great area to live in and raise families. Alongside its fantastic schools, business and homes with affordable prices There are numerous other advantages to moving to this beautiful community.
If you’re in search of an energetic city that has many activities for both cultural and recreational in the area, you’ll find that Thousand Oaks may be the right place for you. It is located in near proximity to Malibu Springs and the Pacific coastline, and also Santa Monica and the Santa Clarita and Santa Monica mountains. It’s also in close proximity to a variety of important attractions, such as those of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum and the Bank of America Performing Arts Center and Point Mugu State Park.
There are a lot of parks within the region. For instance, the Chumash Indian Museum, for instance, is an interactive exhibit of the diverse culture from Chumash Indians. Chumash people. The museum also houses the village and exhibits artifacts. There is also the Stagecoach Inn Museum is another fantastic option for learning of the Chumash people. There are numerous gardens for demonstration along with the Japanese garden that has pagodas.
In addition, the city has number of parks that are public. Newberry Park is a quiet residential area that is filled with parks and green spaces. It is also considered to be one of the most affordable neighborhoods in the city.
If you’re seeking something more vigorous there are plenty of hiking trails readily available. Some of the most popular routes include Chumash trail as well as The Gardens of the World. Both are parts of the California Missions trail, which includes a massive waterfall. There’s also a Koi lake as well as an Italian-style grapevine grove.
Things to Do in Thousand Oaks, California
There are many shopping centers within the region including The Oaks Shopping Center. In reality, a variety of famous people have been seen shopping in the region which includes Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner as well as Britney Spears. It has also hosted last stage of the Amgen Tour of California several times. The tour is regarded as the country’s biggest cycling event.
There are many other local businesses that are based in the area, including SAGE Publishing, California Lutheran University and Baxter Healthcare. These businesses offer a diverse selection of possibilities for residents. The region includes a huge variety in golf course. There are also twelve farmer’s markets every week, where fresh produce is available in the season.
Thousand Oaks also hosts several shows at The Civic Arts Plaza. The events include plays traditional music festival, symphony orchestra concerts and Broadway musicals. It is also home to Conejo Players Theatre. Conejo Players Theatre, which was established in 1958. The theatre is a 185-seat venue that is believed to be the oldest theater in the city.
The city is located close to the Los Angeles International Airport. The airport is located about 40 miles away from Thousand Oaks, and is just 35 miles away from Oxnard. There are two airports nearby. Van Nuys and Hollywood Burbank airports are both close by. There is also the Thousand Oaks Transit Center is also in the city, and it’s easy to move to the city via the public transportation system. Its TOT bus service operates every hour and an hour and a half.
8 REASONS WHY WE ALL LOVE COX
Seniors
Club legend Greg Barras sat nervously in his house at Albury as word quickly spread that his club record of 18 goals was in jeopardy. Lee Cox under the beautiful Autumn sun treated the fans to a marking and goal scoring frenzy. Cox had a near perfect game, equalling the club record, and even found time to give off four more goals to team mates in better positions.
For the first time this season Hepburn was able to score the first goal of the match, usually slow starters, the Burras showed no signs of being lethargic and had eight goals on the board by quarter time. At the main break 20 goals had been amassed with Cox kicking half of them. Cox’s sidekick, Andy McKay unusually flew under the radar, (as was Cox’s dominance) but “ Hollywood” was still close to best on ground honours with his 7 goals , superb high marking and pin point passing to Cox on the lead.
Creswick had a day they would rather forget, but to their credit, they never gave up and had some young players who had very good games. As usually is with an uneven scoreline, most of the play was forward of the centre square, in saying that Hepburn’s backline had to concentrate harder, but when the opportunity arose, Trevor Johnson, Allan Ware and coompany mopped up and created opportunities for their team mates. Daniel Smith’s big frame also posed problems for the opposition. Smith played a very versatile game, using his body to great affect so his fleet footed allies in Baker, Rees, and the James boys could get their hands on the ball.
Brian O’ Halloran, the former star rover of the 1970’s is a proud man. His oldest son Tim is doing well in his first coaching gig at Reserves level. Next in line Dan becoming a seasoned performer, but the youngest of the clan, Liam, has settled in nicely into Shane Robertson’s structure, bobbing up linking play, and showing maturity well above his years.
Next week Hepburn takes on the big improver Gordon at the Laurie Sullivan Reserve which should be a match worth watching.
Final Scores: HEPBURN 36-12-228 defeated CRESWICK 3-4-22
Goals: L. Cox 18, A. McKay 7, D. O’Halloran 3, J. James 3, J. King 2, R. Gundry, T. Johnson, D. James
Best: L. Cox, A. McKay, D. Smith, D. Rees, A. Baker, D. O’ Halloran
UNDER 18’s
For two and a half quarters Hepburn matched Creswick, but were blown away in the end by one of the premiership favorites. The highlight reel was pretty small, but Joe Malone would have featured prominently having a blinder of a game in the middle. His strong work in tight and then classy skills to finish something his younger team mates can learn from.
Tom Conroy battled hard in the ruck, certainly holding his own and Lucas Bossinger put in his best game to date. The small brigade of under 15 players who fill in each week again performed well, with Jackson Carrick and Billy Johns being rewarded kicking goals. Next week is a big game as the boys should aim to have their second win for the season.
Final Scores: HEPBURN 5-3-33 lost to CRESWICK 20-14-134
Goals: J. Malone 2, K. Frost, J. Carrick, B. Johns
Best: J. Malone, J. Liversidge, K. Frost, M. Allison, L. Bossinger, T. Conroy
Basilica at Montserrat: The Church at Montserrat Monastery
The Basilica is the name for the church at Montserrat. For most people it is essential to a visit to Montserrat for three main reasons. Firstly, it is, in itself, a Gothic building of architectural significance. Secondly, it is the home of Montserrat's masses and choral concerts. Thirdly, it houses what is arguably Montserrat's most important feature - the statue of the Black Madonna.
History of the Basilica
The Atrium of the Basilica
The Atrium of the Basilica is the open-roofed courtyard area that sits directly in front of the Basilica. Five arches lead you to the main area. Look out for the iron sculpture of St Benedict by the sculptor Enric Monjo. It is situated at the entrance to the part of the monastery where the monks live - an area that you are not allowed to enter (for more details on the monastery and the lives of the monks who live within it, see our Montserrat Monastery page).
The atrium itself is known as the Atrium of Abbot Argerich. In 1952 - 1956 it was decorated by Josep Obiols and Father Benet Martinez. Designs on the right hand walls of the atrium depict the most important shrines and basilicas throughout Christianity. Designs on the left hand walls offer a brief history of Montserrat.
Take a look down and enjoy the marbled black and white floor of the atrium. It takes inspiration from the floor of the Capitolium in Rome that was designed by Michelangelo. The inscriptions at the centre are Latin and refer to baptism.
In front you will be able to take in the facade of the basilica. In 1900 - 1901 a new facade was added to the basilica. It is the work of Francesc de Paula del Villar I Carmona and carved by two brothers - Venanci and Agapit Vallmitjana.
The Basilica
Montserrat's church is a Gothic structure that also uses Renaissance shapes and traditionally Catalan architecture. It was severely damaged during Napolean's war (1808 - 1814). This meant that it had to be reconstructed at the end of the 19th century. The central nave of the church is 58 metres long and 15 metres wide. It is 23 metres to the top of the dome of the church.
Around the edge of the church you will note lots of ornate hanging candles. These are representative of a Catalan style of jewellery-making from after the Spanish Civil War (1811 - 1812). They have all been donated by Catalan towns and associations. Collectively they are there to represent the constant presence of the people of Catalunya at the feet of St. Mary of Montserrat.
On the central pillars of the nave you will see sculptures of prophets: Ezekial, Jeremiah, Isiah and Daniel. They were all carved in wood by Josep Llimona and were put in place in 1896.
The Chapels in the Basilica
All around the edge of the basilica you will see chapels. There is the chapel of St. Scholastica. It contains sculptures by Enric Claraso and Agapit Vallmitjana. The Chapel of the Most Holy One contains a large stained glass window. This window separates the chapel from the nave. The third chapel contains a painting by Josep Cusachs of the exodus to Egypt. The next chapel is the Chapel of the Holy Christ. There is an image of Christ on the cross that was created by Josep Llimona. The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception was opened in 1910. The style of the chapel reflects the architect, Josep M Pericas' admiration of Antoni Gaudi, making it a good example of Catalan architecture.
Black Madonna at Montserrat: The Image of the Virgin Mary
Whether you are religious or not, visiting the Black Madonna at Montserrat is a spiritual and worthwhile experience. You will join in line with a group of people, many of whom have come as pilgrims to the statue - the atmosphere is electric. Chances are you will have to wait to see the Madonna. However all of this can serve to enhance your visit - make the most of the opportunity to take in your surroundings. The stairway leading to the statue, plus the room and altar in which the statue sits are ornate, golden and pay tribute to the wonder that is the Virgin herself.
The Black Madonna is sometimes referred to by other names, including 'The Virgin of Montserrat' and 'La Moreneta'. The statue sits behind a sheet of glass. However, one of her hands that is holding a sphere (which symbolises the universe) is not behind the glass. It is tradition for you to kiss or touch the Virgin's hand whilst opening out your other hand to Jesus.
The history of the Black Madonna
The whole of Montserrat is built around facilitating the worship of the Black Madonna in the Basilica. The Black Madonna was believed to have been carved in Jerusalem at the beginning of the religion. It is a wooden sculpture. It is one of the most famous Black Madonna statues in the world and in 1844 Pope Leo XIII declared the Virgin of Montserrat the patroness of Catalonia. Black Madonnas can be found all over the world, If you are interested in the history of the concept of the Black Madonna and its various depictions, it is worth a visit to the Montserrat Museum where there is a whole section dedicated to its art and history.
As you enter the doorway to the Basilica that will take you to the Black Madonna statue (see below for where this is), you will pass the chapels that lead to the Virgin. The first chapel is in honour of Saint Peter, the second is in honour of St Ignatius of Loyola, the third is on honour of St Martin and the fourth is in honour of St Joseph Calasantius.
In 1944 it was decided that a new room, known as the 'throne room' would be built with a stairway leading to the statue. The work of sculptors, architects, artists and jewellers was recruited and the project was headed by the architect Francesc Folguera and the painter Josep Obiols to build the room and altar in which the statue is placed.
The new building work was scheduled to be completed on 27 April 1947 - a day to be known as the Enthronement. However, work finally finished in 1954.
As you enter the room where the Virgin sits, it is worth noting the doors - they are made of repousse silver and were created by Josep Obiols, Rafel Solanic and Manuel Capdevila. The Black Madonna herself sits on an incredibly ornate throne which is covered in Venetian mosaics. At either side of the Virgin you will spot nine silver lamps - these represent the eight dioceses of Catalunya and Montserrat. Above the Virgin's head there are Angels that were created by the sculptor Marti Llaurado.
On leaving the altar of the Black Madonna, at the bottom of the stairs, you will be given the opportunity to say a prayer in the chapel of the Image of the Mother of God. This chapel was completed in 1885 under the direction of Francesc de Paula del Villar i Lozano who was helped by a young Antoni Gaudi.
Why is the Madonna Black?
One of the most common questions about the Black Madonna is why she is black. The dark colour of the Virgin's face is the reason why locals have nicknamed her 'La Moreneta' ("the little black lady"). Contrary to popular belief, she is not black due a portrayal of a Black African Madonna. The blackness also does not come from a dark colour in the wood or from earlier coverings in paint. It is known from historical descriptions of the Madonna that she has simply darkened over time.
One more reason we love rural Nevada: Christmas Tree Pass. Happy Holidays! Early present: nevadamagazine.com is updated with current-issue stories. #nvmag
There's always reason to smile.Amidst the hustle bustle of the ongoing activities during the "Odalan" or temple anniversary ceremony near Padang Bai (East Bali), these 2 smartly dressed Balinese boys stand out as they were sitting quietly near the temple entrance. Their face lit up immediately with smiles as I started waving @ them to catch their attention. (Of course, didn't take much effort as I certainly look outa place in my berms and loud t-shirt when everyone else was in sarongs) I was not able to enter the temple grounds unless I put on a sarong so had to settle on standing outside the entrance to see the action going on...
The reason being, that a couple of days ago, the doggy that belongs to the barmaid at my local got stolen. Said barmaid was heartbroken, as were many of the other staff and regular customers. The barmaid didn't hold out much hope of getting the doggy back, as sadly, Staffies are prone to being sold on and into dog-fights and so, and many folk were worried sick about the furry friend.
Then, this evening at about 6.30pm, my ex-partner-in-crime dropped me off at the top of my road as the traffic was bad. Lucky he did, as next I knew, doggy came rushing up to me, jumped into my arms, and began giving me a thorough licking. I looked about to see the barmaid, but instead was faced with a strange bloke who insisted that the doggy was his. I replied that 'bolox it was' and held onto dog. Dog refused to leave me although nasty man was pulling at her collar, and after about ten minutes of me putting up a hellova fuss, the police were called. Six coppaz turned up, I explained the situation, and two of them took me and dog across the road to the pub. I hammered on the back door (the police said to not use the front entrance where we could be seen) and another barmaid - after looking very worried as all she could see from the bar was me and the rozzers - opened the door, and gave a whoop of delight to see the doggy back! I turned to the police and said 'Told you it wasn't HIS dog', and a couple of minutes later the owner barmaid turned up, and there was a beautiful reunion, with woofs, wags, and licks all round.
The police told me well done for holding my ground and looking after the dog, and the bar staff got me a very large glass of wine to stop me shaking when I realized what could have happened. The doggy also showed her appreciation by licking my face as much as possible, as the photo above shows.
I'm going to finish my wine, have a ciggy, and chill now that I've stopped shaking.
Day 285 of 365 days.