Swedish submarine rescue ship HMS Belos in Øresund

This afternoon the Swedish Navy´s HMS Belos, a submarine rescue ship, was heading southwards from Helsingborg/Helsingør in Øresund. The pace was rather slow, which indicates that it was - fortunately - not on a real rescue mission.

The Belos (104,9 x 18,5 m) was built by the Dutch De Hoop shipyard in 1985 and was  aquired by the Swedish Navy in 1992.

Watching Shakira

Tonight I - accidentally - happened to watch a Shakira concert on Austrian Servus TV. And I have to admit that I was overwhelmed by the sheer energy, musicality and professionalism of this young lady, whom I had heard of, but never actually seen in a televised concert. At my age, one should not get too excited about anything, but I have to say that the show, recorded in Miami in 2007, was absolutely top class.

Watch Shakira here in a recording from 2010:

Another nice day for windsurfers - and sparrows - in Øresund

Strong winds (up to 13 m/s) today in this part of Øresund. It was a great, but also somewhat difficult, day for windsurfers:

The sparrows did not seem to be bothered by the wind:

Anna Netrebko: Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss

Franz Lehár (1870 - 1948) wrote many beautiful songs. This one - "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" from the operetta Giuditta is one of my personal favourites - particularly when it is performed by Anna Netrebko:

Lyrics in English:
My lips they kiss so hot.Why ever should it be
That men at once make love to me?
When they are near me,
There they stand.
Their eyes look deep in mine.
They always kiss my hand.
Why ever should it be
They speak of magic charms in me
That no man can resist?
For every time they look at me these charms
persist.

But when the soft lights glint and glance
As midnight hours go by
They hear me sing, they see me dance
It's then that I know why

On my lips every kiss is like wine
In my arms love is more than divine,
Its engraved in the stars high above me
Men must kiss me, men must love me.

When my feet haunting rhythms inspire,
In my eyes gleam the flames of desire,
When I dance, then I know Fate's design.
On my lips every kiss is like wine.

I have a dancer's blood
That rules me like a throbbing flood.
My mother was the dancing star
Without a rival at the Golden Alcazar!
How great she must have been!
In dreams I have so often seen
The raptures when she danced;
She held each heart enthralled and every eye
entranced.

Her spirit wakes in me again,
My fortune wills it so.
At night I dance as she did then,
And this is all I know.

On my lips every kiss is like wine
In my arms love is more than divine,
Its engraved in the stars high above me
Men must kiss me, men must love me.

When my feet haunting rhythms inspire,
In my eyes gleam the flames of desire,
When I dance, then I know Fate's design.
On my lips every kiss is like wine.