SOMETIMES I NEED ONLY TO STAND WHEREVER I AM....

 

AN OLD TRIP TO PARIS IN 2014

I have been going through my old blog and found photos from a family group trip we took to France in the summer of 2014. We stayed in Paris for a few nights and then moved onto Normandy. 

 

This is a place I was drawn to, just down the road from our hotel. We passed by every day while we were in Paris. It is the Fontaine Saint-Michel at the Place Saint-Michel (1858 to1860). It depicts the Archangel Saint Michael slaying the dragon. You can click on all the links for more information. 

I took a quick shot of the Gendarmes making their rounds.

 The Notre Dame Cathedral and the River Seine.

 The two of us.

There are pedicab cycles for a tour around Paris, or you can rent your own electric bicycle.

One of the many restaurants we passed by where we had a meal. I can't remember much of it except that it was a crepe and I am sure it must have been delicious. 

It is a city I have always wanted to go back to but haven't made it yet. Life has slowed down for us quite a bit these days, but it's fun to look back at these photos.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great day.

NORWEGIAN FJORD HORSES FROM THE ARCHIVES

Years ago, in 2014, we were visiting Norway to explore the roots on Gregg's paternal side of the family.

On one of our day trips from Oslo, we came across these magnificent Norwegian Fjord Horses.

We were on our way to Drangedal. I have added maps showing where Drangedal is located....

and a closer one.

It took us a little over four hours with the stops we made. We could have taken a shorter southern route, but my dear other half realized in the planning, that we would be able to drive through the town where my sister and her family lived for a few years. My son and I visited them years before, but I couldn't really remember much of the town.  However, it was nice to see it again.

Norway is a beautiful country and wherever we went we were impressed with the incredible scenery. On one of the country roads we were thrilled to meet these lovely horses. When we stopped by their fence to admire them in the field, they ambled over, as curious about us as we were about them no doubt. 

Perhaps they thought we had apples or carrots in our pockets. I wish we had!

The two larger horses walked towards us right away.  

The smaller, darker pony stayed right where he was...

but I got a pretty good close-up of him. I am not actually sure if he is a Fjord Horse or some other breed.  

You can read all about Fjord Horses here.  It reads in part, "The Fjord horse or Norwegian Fjord Horse is a relatively small but very strong horse breed from the mountainous regions of Western Norway.  It is an agile breed of light draught horse build.  All Fjord horses are dun in color, with five variations in shade recognized in the breed standard.  One of the world's oldest breeds, it has been used for hundreds of years as a farm horse in Norway, and in modern times is popular for its generally good temperament. 

It is used both as a harness horse and under saddle. (Dun means it has the dun gene which is a dilution gene that affects both red and black pigments in the coat color of a horse.  The dun gene has the ability to affect the appearance of all black, bay or chestnut-based horses to some degree by lightening the base body coat and suppressing the underlying base color to the mane, tale, legs and "primitive markings".  You can read more about the dun gene here.) 

They had the prettiest eyes, and I have always thought horses have the most noble faces.

I could have spent a lot longer with them...

but it was time to move on.

Thanks for looking everyone, 

and I hope you all have a great day!

THE VIKING MUSEUM, OSLO, NORWAY IN 2014

In 2014 we visited The Viking Museum in Oslo.  This was my second visit to Norway, the previous one being many years before when my son and I visited my sister and her family who were living not too far away at the time. They lived in Norway for several years. It's hard to believe this particular visit was ten years ago, many years after that first visit. (I am still transferring old blog posts. It is always fun to go back and look at them and as I was trying to think of what to share today as I have been sticking closer to home, this is it. If you remember seeing it before, my apologies but perhaps you will enjoy them again).

I remember being totally in awe of the longboats and other artifacts inside the museum, and when I knew we were going to be in the area, I had suggested to Gregg that we should go there.  My father-in-law's heritage is Norwegian and we were in Norway to investigate where his family had originated from.

The photos above and below are ones I took of those hanging in the museum.

The Oseberg Finds: On August 8th, 1903, Professor Gabriel Gustafson of the university's Collection of National Antiquities in Oslo, received a visit from a farmer Knut Rom from the Little Oseberg farm in Slagen in the Vestfold.

The Excavation of the Oseberg ship: Rom had dug into a large burial mound on his property and had come across what he believed was a ship. Two days later Professor Gustafson started his investigation.  He found several parts of a ship decorated with the ornamentation from Viking times. 

The archaeologist was certain the mound was a ship burial from that era, but to avoid problems with the autumn weather, they waited until the following summer before starting the dig.

The excavation of the Oseberg ship drew great interest from the public. It became necessary to secure the dig with a fence, signs and a guard, to ensure that nobody disturbed the work or got too close to the remains.  In his diary Gustafson complained of having to work in an exhibition.

When the excavation was finished, the longest and most demanding work was to come.  The excavation itself took less than three months, but it took 21 years to prepare and restore the ship and most of the finds.  The ship was dried out very slowly before being put together.  Great emphasis was placed on using the original timber and more than 90% of the fully reconstructed Oseberg ship consists of original timber.

The Oseberg burial: In the year 834 two prosperous women died. The Oseberg ship was pulled ashore and used as a burial ship for the two ladies. A burial chamber was dug right behind the ship's mast.  

Inside, the walls were decorated with fantastic woven tapestries and the dead women lay on a raised bed.  

The women had a number of burial gifts with them.

There were personal items such as clothes, shoes and combs, ship's equipment, kitchen equipment, farm equipment, three ornate sledges and a working sledge, a wagon, five carved animal heads, five beds and two tents.

There were fifteen horses, six dogs and two small cows.

Investigation of the skeletons showed that the older woman was about 70 to 80 when she died. The other woman was younger, a little over 50. We do not know what she died of.  

Both of them must have held a special position in the community to have been given a grave such as this. Were they political or religious leaders? Who was the most prominent person in the grave? Was one a sacrifice, to accompany the other into the kingdom of the dead?  Were they related?  Where did they come from?  The two women from the past remain a mystery but continued research may tell us more.

The newer looking carving of the serpent's head in the above photos is a reconstruction that was at the stem of the Oseberg ship. 

    

There is another ship in the museum called the Gokstad ship. The photos above and below show that one.

The beginning of the story on the Gokstad find reads: On the Gokstad farm in Sandefjord there was a large burial mound. It was said that there was a ship within it. In the Autumn of 1879 the two teenage sons on the farm were bored. They began to dig into the mound, to see if they could find anything interesting. And they certainly did. Great website for extra reading here. 

There is a great website here where I gleaned lots of fascinating information: The Viking age lasted for 300 years, from the late 8th century to the late 11th.  It is another fascinating story if you are interested in learning more. The Oseberg ship is mentioned also. 

The Viking Age was a period from around 800 - 1050 CE when Vikings, or Norsemen, raided, traded and settled across Europ and beyond. The Viking Age began with the first known Viking raid on the Lindisfarne monastery in England in 793.

 The Vikings were seafaring warriors from Scandinavia, which is present day Denmark, Norway and Sweden. 

Vikings began by raiding coastal areas, particularly undefended monasteries, in Britain and Ireland. They would use their longships to sail across the Baltic Sea and down Russian rivers to the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. 

Vikings traded honey, tin, wheat, wool, wood, iron, fur, leather, fish and walrus ivory for silver, silk, pottery, spices, wine, jewelry and glass. 

Vikings settled in many areas, including Britain, the European continent, Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. 

The Viking Age ended with the death of King Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. 

Vikings were known for their shipbuilding skills, storytelling and hygiene. 

They also believed in Ragnarok, the end of the world, and would trim their nails to avoid providing material for the ship Naglfar.

The photo above is of son and myself taken with the Oseberg ship in 1987. My second visit was in 2014, when the photo below was taken. I am on the other side of the boat this time. There were stairs leading to an overlook on the left and right of the boat, which gave us a better view from above. 

Among my many fanciful avenues of thought even when I was young, I have always had an interest in archaeology and fancied myself traveling the world, discovering hidden finds and learning about the past. I still find myself drawn to archaeological shows and love visiting museums. 

We are very fortunate to have the Smithsonian so close to us in Washington DC and never miss one of them when we got into the city, though I am long overdue for a visit.  Thanks to these museums - no admittance fees and great to take whole families too - I can step into the past as often as I want.

From cute angels in my previous post, to Vikings in this one. You never know where my brain is heading when I take a trip over to my other blog.

Have a great day everyone,

and thanks for visiting.

UPSIDE DOWN OR RIGHT SIDE UP?

"Each time I see the Upside-Down Man

Standing in the water,

I look at him and start to laugh

Although I shouldn't Oughtter.

For maybe in another world,

Another time,

Another town, 

Maybe HE is right side up

And I am upside down."

~Shel Silverstein~ 

MUTE SWAN

 These are photos I took back in the summer of 2014, when we were in Europe.  Somewhere in Norway I believe, according to my labels.  I wish I had been more precise on the location of this beautiful swan.

It is a Mute Swan, Cygnus olor.  They can be found in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.  The name 'mute' derives from the Mute Swan being less vocal than other swan species.  You can hear its call if you go to this website.  This large swan has white plumage with an orange bill bordered with black.  It is recognizable by its pronounced black knob on top of its bill.

They lay an average of 5 to 12 eggs per season, and hatch after 36 to 38 days.  Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs, with the male usually standing guard.  

The nest is strongly defended and they have attacked other waterfowl and even people. Blows from their powerful wings can be especially painful and can be dangerous to children especially.  They can be capable of killing or maiming some of the largest predators, so take note about approaching these beauties when nesting.  They are beautiful but formidable, and dangerous when protecting their young.   This of course can apply to every kind of species across the globe.