Christmas on the Sea: Finnish container ship Aila in Øresund on Christmas Eve

Spare a thought for the crew of Finnish container ship Aila - and thousands of other crews - who spend their Christmas far away from their loved ones:

Container ship Aila in Øresund this afternoon. Aila is on her way to Teesport, where it is due to arrive early in the
morning on December 26.

Merry Christmas!



Merry Christmas to you all!

 

Soon the sailing season is here again!

 

 

A children's playground by the sea in Domsten

Not a white Christmas this year. But the children's playground by the sea in Domsten is open:

 

 

 

PS

 

I added an image of the beach in Domsten, which during

the summer months is a popular part of the children's playground:

 

Christmas at the Manor

The Kulla Gunnarstorp manor (or castle, as it called in  Sweden) is the "Downton Abbey" of our neighbourhood. The beautifully located manor enjoys a spectacular view over Öresund. Although the owners most likely do not have quite as many servants as Downton Abbey, I am quite certain that their Christmas will be as filled with traditions as the one shown in the famous television series.

At the Kulla Gunnarstorp gate

A slightly different angle, where you can see the manor better.

The Kulla Gunnarstorp horses will most likely enjoy their Christmas outdoors, with a spectacular view.

 

The Gala Opening of the Mariinsky II on ARTE: Ah, Those Mariinsky Ballerinas!

As part of its Christmas programming, the ARTE television channel last night brought us the opening gala concert of the Mariinsky Theater Second Stage, which took place on 2 May this year.

The concert, which featured such mega stars as Plácido Domingo, Rene Pape and Anna Netrebko, and of course the host Valery Gergiev, was a stunning display of music and dance on the highest level.

However, the ones who made the evening truly memorable, at least for this "reviewer", were the Mariinsky ballerinas. To me, they are the essence and the beauty of the Mariinsky tradition:

Yekaterina Kondarouva

Yekaterina Kondarouva

The Mariinsky Children's Chorus was another of the evening's highlights:

 

And, of course, Boris Godunov in all his splendour:

Evgeny Nikitin

 

Still another highlight: The Song of the Volga Boatmen

 

Bass Mikhail Petrenko and the Mariinsky Chorus

Surfing Santa Seen in the Sound

Rest assured, Santa is on his way. Below, I have proof from this afternoon. 

This Christmas Santa uses a new mode of transportation in Øresund:

 

 

 

PS

In case you wondered:

The presents are due to arrive in a separate shipment with the Mærsk Majestic, which is reported to be on its way somewhere on the Seven Seas. :-)

The Christmas hymn "Give me no splendour, gold or pomp" by Jean Sibelius

The Christmas hymn "Give me no splendour, gold or pomp" (set to words by Zacharias Topelius) by Jean Sibelius has been part of my Christmas as long as I can remember. It is still a great Christmas favourite both in Finland and in the other Nordic countries.

Here it is sung (in Finnish) by the great Finnish baritone Jorma Hynninen:

The best English translation of the poem (originally in Swedish) by Topelius is the one by Keith Bosley in the excellent Bloodaxe book Skating on the Sea, Poetry from Finland.

Here is the first verse:

Give me no gold, no rich reward

    at blessed Christmastide;

give me God's glory, angel-guard,

    let peace on earth abide!

    Give me a feast

    that gladdens best

the Master, my invited guest!

Give me no gold, no rich reward,

     give me an angel-guard!

PS

In case you want to listen to the song performed in Swedish, here is a nice version by the Danish tenor Christopher S. Pedersen: