Sailing cruise ship Club Med 2 and cruise ship Costa Luminosa going northwards in Øresund,

Tonight the sailing cruise ship Club Med 2 and the "ordinary" cruise ship Costa Luminosa passed Helsingborg/Helsingør (and Kronborg castle) very close to each other. The Club Med 2 (187 m x 20 m) is heading for Skagen, and the Costa Luminosa (294 m x 36 m) is going to Hellesylt in Norway.

 

 

PS

Just for the sake of comparison, I added this image:

 

 

A herring gull flying over Øresund

This herring gull was flying high over Øresund a couple of days ago.

I am not very good at photographing birds, but I am trying to learn ....

Summer Wind in the Sound

Reefer Summer Wind and Kronborg castle.

Always nice to see a classic reefer in the Sound. This one, the Summer Wind, passed Kronborg castle tonight at about half past eight. The 169 m x 24 m reefer, which was built already in 1985, is heading for Flushing.

Feoder Chaliapin as a "revolutionary leader" in Russia in 1905

On this early 20th century photograph you can see the Russian opera bass singer Feodor Chaliapin (third from the right) talking to writer Maxim Gorky (third from the left). According to the Swedish news magazine Allers Familj-Journal, which published the picture in March 1905, Gorky and his "closest friends" - in addition to Chaliapin, from left to right, writers Skitalets, Andreyev, Chelekov, Chirikov and Bunin - "are the young men everybody is talking about in Russia."

The Swedish magazine described the young men as "the leaders of the modern and literary revolutionary party, from which the great movement has sprung, which has caused the foundations of the mighty Russian Empire to shake."

"The bass singer Chaliapin is one of the most popular singers in Russia. He has a permanent contract with the  Imperial Opera in Moscow, which pays him huge fees for his appearances. This winter he was on leave from the opera, and performed in Nice, where he received rapturous cheering from the international Riviera audience."

Even if Chaliapin was some kind of a "revolutionary" in 1905, the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 led to a disarray in his personal life, and after 1921 he never returned to Russia, although he still maintained that he was not anti-Soviet. 

A Walk Down Memory Lane (5): A visit to Marimekko founder Armi Ratia´s country retreat

Armi Ratia and her son Risto-Matti at Bökars.

I am not quite certain if my visit to Armi Ratia´s country retreat Bökars in Southeastern Finland took place in 1974, or the year after. However, at the time her company Marimekko was at the peak of its international success, and Ratia (1912 - 1979) was quite a well known personality in the international media. 

The young man in the picture is Ratia´s son Risto-Matti, the designer.

At the time of my visit, there were still a lot of partying going on in Bökars, although the most famous parties took place in the late 1950s:

In the late 1950s Armi Ratia, her product designers and their 'court' held legendary parties lasting days at the Bökars summer villa; there was food and drink in profusion, people had fun, and new ideas were born at an ever wilder tempo. The cream of the Finnish art world participated. Foreign visitors whom Ratia invited to these parties had an unforgettable experience of Finland.

If you are not familiar with who Armi Ratia was, here is a brief summary:

Armi Ratia established Marimekko Ltd, which made industrial use of artistic product design. The modern style of clothing which it marketed found especial favour with leftist intellectuals - but also with such international celebrities as Jacqueline Kennedy. As the founder and managing director of Marimekko, Ratia turned a relatively small firm in the textile industry into a national and international success story which later entrepreneurs have attempted to imitate.

The P&O "adults only" cruise ship Arcadia passing by in the Sound

The P&O liner Arcadia (285 m x 32 m) tonight passed Helsingør on its way from Copenhagen to Zeebrugge. The Arcadia is a ship "exclusively for adults". 

PS

Hopefully at least some of the adults on board the Arcadia noticed the cloudy, but beautiful summer evening in the Sound.

A Walk Down Memory Lane (4): Wine tasting at the Inglenook Winery in 1978

My first and only visit to the beautiful Inglenook Winery in Napa Valley - now owned an operated by Francis Coppola - took place in 1978. The winery had been founded 99 years earlier by the legendary Finnish Sea Captain Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum (originally Nybom), who already in the late 19th century managed to create world class wines, winning gold medals at the Paris World Fair in 1889.

At the time of my visit the brand and the winery was owned by Heublein Inc. which unfortunately was to start selling cheaper wines produced elsewhere under the name Inglenook. Fortunately Francis Coppola was in 2011 able to acquire the brand and the winery, which again produces some of the best (organic) wines in Napa Valley.

The five-masted sailing cruise ship Club Med 2 on its first visit to Øresund

Early this morning (5.30 AM) the five-masted computer-controlled sailing cruise ship Club Med 2 approached  Helsingør on its way from Oslo to Copenhagen. This is the first time the ship - one of the largest sailing cruise ships in the world (194 m x 20 m) - visits Øresund.

The Queen Victoria in Øresund

The Queen Victoria (293 m x 32 m) tonight passed Helsingør/Helsingborg on its way from Copenhagen to Kristiansand in Norway.

Queen Victoria approaching Helsingør tonight.

Queen Victoria and Kronborg castle.

Views from my balcony (14): Summer clouds over Zealand

This morning some nice clouds had developed over Zealand on the Danish

side of the Sound:

  

A Walk Down Memory Lane (3): Fishing in Hyde Park in 1975

Fishing in the Serpentine in the summer 1975.
 

The Serpentine in the Hyde Park was created already in 1730, but fishing was not allowed until 1942, as the New York Times London correspondent David Anderson reported on the opening day, June 16 of the same year: 

"It has taken a long time, but today the people of London finally received permission to fish the the Serpentine, the lake in Hyde Park created under the guidance of Queen Caroline, consort of George II, in 1730."

"Active campaigning for the right to fish this water began sixty years ago. Some persons say there are no fish worth bothering about in the Serpentine. Others argue that fish are plentiful, but have been there so long that they are much smarter than any fishermen."

On this page you can watch an old British Pathé film from the opening ceremony in June 1942.

I have not been to the Serpentine for some years now, but at least according to the Angling Guru, fishing can still be quite good there:

At Hyde Park, there is fishing in the Serpentine Lake, nearly a mile long. Fishing is permitted only in certain sections, but yields can be good. It holds roach, bream, carp and perch and some eels.

A Walk Down Memory Lane (2): Hong Kong in 1980

Three pictures from 1980, when Hong Kong was still firmly in British hands:

Wind Surf - one of the largest sailing cruise ships in the world - in Øresund

The Wind Surf, flag ship of Windstar Cruises, is always a spectacular sight. Early this morning the 187 m x 20 sailing cruise ship passed by in the Sound on its way from Skagen to Copenhagen. 

The Wind Surf is a sleek,five-masted sailing yacht accommodating 
312 guests.

The Danish cruise ferry Pearl Seaways, the Wind Surf and the Norwegian
15 m x 4 m yacht Camilla meet just before Helsingør.

The USNS Pathfinder in Øresund

The USNS Pathfinder is a beautiful ship with classic lines.

This morning it was nice to see a white US Navy ship, the oceanographic survey vessel USNS Pathfinder  (T-AGS 60) going northwards in Øresund. The 100 x 18 m Pathfinder, built in 1991 by Halter Marine, is the lead vessel of its class, which includes five similar ships. 

Classic cruise ship Braemar on its way to Aalborg

Braemar going northwards in Øresund tonight.

Tonight the middle sized cruise ship Braemar (196 m x 22.5 m) passed by on its way from Copenhagen to another Danish city, Aalborg. The classic Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ship, which entered cruise service already in 1993, was refurbished in 2008, and has 485 cabins and a standard capacity of 928 passengers.

Fun at the Helsingborg Festival

The annual three day long Helsingborg Festival ended last night. As you can see, there were lots of people who seemed to have a good time:

These jumping ladies were among my favorites.

The city had provided lots of tables in order to make it easier to enjoy a meal.

I had never seen this kind av balls before ....

Lots of  colorful prizes to win .....

This was where the new King Karl XIV Johan (born Jean Bernadotte) arrived in Sweden
on October 20, 1810.  

This "caterpillar" train was a family favorite.

A proud jeep driver.

The "pirate" on the picture bears a clear similarity to the man behind the counter ....

One version of a classical carousel.

For those who like Toblerone ....

This "machine" was popular, particularly among teenagers. 

One kind of Magic World ....

Waiting for the singer Eric Saade to arrive ...

Finally Saade was there!

The older of the guards was well prepared for the high sound level ....

A brewery had put up this cosy corner.

The gig is over for this band.

A ferris wheel is a must in these kind of festivals ....

Two boys riding "Harleys".

Another popular "machine".

Waiting for a ride.

This young lady had a good overall view ...

Another carousel.

Another stand were you could try to win choco prizes ...