The Swedish Coast Guard's New Ship KBV034 in Helsingborg

The brand new KBV034 in Helsingborg on June 24, 2013.

Yesterday I shot a number of, what I thought would be very nice pictures of the Swedish Coast Guard's brand new environmental protection and patrol vessel KBV034, when it was shifting its position from one side of the dock to the other at its home port Helsingborg. However, due to some technical error of mine, my camera did not register the photos at all!

Later on in the evening, I went back to shoot new pictures, some of which you can see here. Regrettably, they don't show the new 52.12 m x 10.40 m ship moving ...

The KBV034 has three sister ships, which are based in Lysekil, Djurö and Oskarshamn.

Old private houses in Helsingborg

In addition to the Medieval Church of St. Mary and the Kärnan tower, only a few very old buildings have survived in Helsingborg.

The oldest private building is the Jacob Hansen house, built in 1641 (when Helsingborg and Scania still belonged to Denmark):

The Henckel house, close by, is from 1681: 

The Gamlegård house is from 1759: 

Views from my balcony (13): Midsummer bonfires on the Danish side of the Sound

Looking at the picture below, you might think that the cargo vessel Port Star, which tonight was on its way southwards in the Sound, is on fire:

The Port Star covered by smoke. 

Fortunately, nothing was wrong with the ship. The second picture below - taken about ten seconds before the first one -  shows the Port Star passing Hotel Marienlyst on the Danish side of the Sound. The fire immediately to the left of the ship's bow is the hotel's (rather smoky) Midsummer bonfire:

The Port Star and a Danish Midsummer bonfire.

The Marienlyst Midsummer bonfire emitted lots of smoke right after it was  lit. 

In Denmark the Midsummer celebration is called Sankthans aften ("St. John's Eve). It takes place on the evening of 23 June. The tradition of lighting midsummer bonfires goes back to ancient times, when people believed that the fires could protect against evil spirits. Today Danes gather at the bonfires for picnics, to hear speeches and sing the Midsummer hymn "Vi elsker vort land ... ("We love Our Country") and other traditional songs.

Tiny Yellow and White Flowers at the Bus Stop

While waiting for the bus at Domsten, I shot these images of tiny white and yellow flowers. I have regrettably no idea what they are called.

The Valamo (Valaam) Monastery in the Late 19th Century

The Valamo monastery. Litography by P.A. Kruskopf (about 1850).

In 1897 the Swedish nobleman, politician and insurance company executive Sven Palme - the late Prime Minister Olof Palme's grandfather - visited the famous Valamo (Valaam in Russian) monastery, located on an  island in Lake Ladoga. His illustrated account of the visit was published in the journal Ord och Bild.

At the time of Palme's visit the Valamo monastery was (since 1812) part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland in the Russian Empire.

The Valamo monastery was according to an old legend founded  in the 10th century by a Greek monk, Sergius, and his Karelian companion Herman. (Sven Palme  had been given the information that also Herman was a Greek). Contemporary historians date the founding to the late 14th century.

This late 19th century photograph of the Valamo monastery was one of the illustrations to the Palme article. 

A procession receives the hegumen (the head of the monastery).

There were 200 monks in Valamo at the time of Palme's visit. 

Monks enjoying the scenery in Valamo.

(When Finland declared its independent in 1917, the Finnish Orthodox Church, which previously had been a part of the Russian Orthodox Church, became autonomous under the Orthodox Church of Constantinople. Valamo became the most important monastery of the Finnish Orthodox Church.

During the Winter War 1939-1940, when Stalin's Red Army attacked Finland, the monastery was evacuated, and the 150 monks settled in Heinävesi in Finland. This community still exists as New Valamo Monastery in Heinävesi.

The original monastery was part of the area, which after the Continuation War had to be ceded to the Soviet Union, which used is as a military base. In 1989 the monastery was bequeathed to the Russian Orthodox Church, and is again functioning as a monastery.)

Midsummer's Eve: A Lonely Road

Viken, road no. 111 at 11 PM on Midsummer's Eve:

PS
The road was empty, because most locals were celebrating Midsummer's Eve at their homes or summer houses, dancing, playing games and, of course, also enjoying some good food and drink:

The national flag - here together with a collection of signal flags - is an essential part of the Midsummer's Eve celebrations.

In Scania, some people prefer the display the local flag ...

The maypole looked rather lonely. I arrived late for the traditional ring-dance.

A Tribute to the "Workhorses of the Sea"

Here is my small tribute to the hundreds of small and medium sized "workhorses of the sea" that ply the waves of Øresund every day of the year, even on Midsummer Eve, when most people are celebrating the Nordic summer. They may not look as elegant as the yachts and cruise liners, but by transporting a multitude of products which are essential for the functioning of our societies, they deserve our appreciation.

Container ship Ice Crystal (129 m x 20 m). 

The Ice Crystal seen from another angle.

The Russian oil/chemical tanker Birthe Theresi (88 m 12 m).

One of Birthe Theresi's crew members enjoyng the sights in the Sound.

The Dutch general cargo ship Aspen (83 m x 12 m).

On this picture you can see the captain (or mate) of the Aspen at the steering wheel.

The Turkish oil/chemical tanker Simay G (119 m x 17 m).

The Finnish general cargo ship Josefine (64 m x 11 m).

The Dutch general cargo ship Ice Star (89 m x 13 m).