Glastonbury 2011

 I love the glostonbury scenery with relaxing people, banners and wellies.

This years Glastofest had an incredible lineup. So many good acts that it was difficult to put together a sensible schedule. I unfortunally lost some concerts, but at the other hand the once I saw, was great!

 

Before the festival, it had rained heavily in the Somerset area, and the ground was soft. The festival site was quickly turned into a mudland.

Elbow had 20 years anniversary this year and was a new aquintance for me. They made a really good concert. Some use the mud and wellies in a creative fashion. 

 Its always something nice to see which makes you smile. Last year U2 cancelled their show because Bono had back problems. They made a incredible comeback. Biffy Clyro delivered an energic show as usual. A really great band.

The weather became better and better, and the mud became sticky. Pilton farm is a big area and it was quitehard to walk around from area to area. However, life is good with wellies and good music.

U2 finally made it to Glastonbury this year and they did a fantastic show. These concerts are quite special and Bono said in an inteview that he was quite nervous before going on stage.

 

The festival area is a wonderful sight!

 

Paul Simon did a wonderful gig in the sun and many scandinavians gathered to see Lykkeli from Sweeden in the Park. Sunday evening Beyonce did the grand finale in front of more than 175 000 people at the Pyramide stage.

There will be no Glastofest in 2012 because of the Olympics in London, but in 2013 I will be there for more......

Street Art

On my travels I usually visit a galleries or museums. I´ve seen amazing art, classical and modern! I enjoy this very much. During time I´ve become more and more aware of the "art" which exists in the cityscape while I´m on my way somewhere.  Street art is a broad term for illegal pictures or pieces on buildings and installations in the city. The "artists" often use pseudonyms or signatures to mark their piece. Its also usual to paint on public transport and underground tunnels/stations.

 John and Yoko in New York City

Artists use different technics from big wall paintings, colourful pieces of texts, stencils, simple signatures and much more. Most "artists" make their pieces with spray boxes. Some of these artists have over the years become known (Like Banksy or Dolk) and makes contemporary careers in museums and galleries all over the world.

 I photographed this stencil in town today! Kong Oscars gt. Bergen

A piece may disapear over time because of reconstruction of buildings, that it is removed by the authorities or just painted over by owners.  A good reason for taking a photograph.

 Fighter in Dublin.

Summer 2011: Friends! Travels - Music - Hiking

This summer started in may with the EGI residential in Cortijo Romero in the southern spain. Visits to Granada and Malaga where new experiences for me. I liked this part of spain, and will for sure go back.

Doing training abroad and live together is a great change and a chance to learn and become closer to each other. 

Cortijo Romero is a calm place. A sanctuary for peace and growth.

On our free time, we bring the cameras and dress like tourists. Alhambra (Granada) is a perfect place for snapshots.

However, the big trip this summer was 14 days in UK. Beginning with London, then the Glastonbury Festival. From Bristol we rented a car which took us around to Bath, Stonehenge, Avebury (cropcircles and Silbury Hill) via Moreton-in-Marsh up to Hexham and the Hadrian Wall. Driving through England was a great experience. I just love that country. So photogenic, soft and green. Tenting and occationally Bed & Breakfast. A short stop in Durham before coming to the shore of Northumberlands Bamurgh and Holy Island (Lindisfarne). Heading north to the small scottish town Dunbar before ending up in the beautiful and familiar Edinburgh wirh friends from the EGI.

 A reunion with the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury was a happy one :-)

Finally, U2 made it to Glastonbury!!

The magical place: Avebury. Surrounded by large stone circles!

The fantastic castle of Bamburgh surrounded by beautiful beaches.

The Gothic Edinburgh Castle!

Back in Norway work waited and some of my friends went up to Sandane. I joined them for a long weekend. The weather was warm and perfect for hiking in the mountains. I had a goal this time: Ryssdalshornet. A very steep walk to the top. It was a perfect weekend.

Feeling free in Sandane!

Ryssdalshornet from groundlevel (1204 m.o.h.)

Ryssdalshornet: View from the top!

In the end of July I visited my family in Telemark. It was warm and my parents place is perfect for relaxing. I met a very old friend of mine from childhood and my other friend came visiting with his children.

 "Magasuget" in Bø, Telemark is a scary ride!

The trip to Odda in the beginning of August was very significant for me in many ways. The nature around this old industrial small town in the fjord is magnificent.

The search for cloudberries in the forrest surrounding Odda!

In the middle of august Sandane was tempting and I went for another long weekend and another perfect time in Sandane with sand volley ball, hiking and party.

 Resting at Jardalsstøylen (Sandane)

 Towards the top of Svartekari (Sandane). We should have brought skiis for the trip down!

On the top of Svartekari (1225 m.o.h.)

A summer is not perfect without our fishing trips to Øygarden. I appriciate those relaxing trips a lot. Catching crabs and lots of fish. And of course concerts at Koengen in Bergen. This years big big name was Rihanna.

Waiting for Rihanna to come on! It was a lovely evening at Koengen!

I´m no fan of Rihanna, but she did put on a good show!

Since my dayghter left for Dublin in the middle of July, I missed her a lot. We spent a week in Gran Canaria late August before we reurned to Dublin. We said goodbye and I headed for Bergen.

 The tourist machine at Anfi del mar in Arguineguin provides a good climate, but are generally boring!

Back in Dublin! 

 Dublin Streets!

This summer ended for me at my friends birthday party 31 of august in Salhus. A very special and strange summer in many ways, I would say!

A relaxing and beautiful evening with friends in Salhus makes a perfect end for my summer 2011.

Shantaram

Just finished this massive book.  A long story. A wonderful novel. Full of pain and suffering. Full of love and philosophy. Its a thin line between love and hate. Its a thin line between crime and justice and its a thin line between life and death. The opposite forces are melting together and spins like photons in a trammel. Crashing and creating new energy and drives Lin (the main character) into new hazardous situations and happenings. Torture in prison, fights and participating in war (Afghanistan). He seems to jump like a hungry tiger into this. He should of course be dead long time ago, but like a cat with 9 lives he hangs on, recover and gets ready for new adventures. He belongs to the Bombay mafia, which makes a perfect field for his dangerous adventures. The drive is love, love in friendship, love of family and of course love to a woman. Because Lin loves a lot and people love him. He loves Bombay and find a way to live a life by doing wrong for the right reasons. Well, we will not go into a long discussion about ethics here, but ethics is important through out the book. Lin is a criminal and participate in criminal activities on smaller or greater scale. Except the time he he spends in Prabaker's  village where he gets his name: Shantaram (which means something like 'man of peace'), and the time he spends in jail.

It's an exciting novel, fiction written in a autobiographical style. What's real and whats fiction is of course difficult to know, but the author himself have been a criminal, have been in jail, and have escaped from prison in real life. As reader, I find the main character in the book difficult to love, but impossible not to like.

Queens day in Amsterdam - the big day out!

Every 30. Of April the Dutch people celebrate Koninginne dag (queens day). The streets and the canals of Amsterdam is packed with happy celebrating people.

People are dancing and cheering!

There are no organised marches, but signs show you directions to main squares and events.

Orange is the royal colour in holland and beer is floating in the streets. You can listen to all kind of music on small or bigger stages all over the city.

However, dance and techno music is dominating the streets and the DJ's are the "princes" which sets the atmosphere.

It's free Market on queens day. It means that everybody can sell what ever they want on the streets. Amsterdam is transformed to a big street market.

All and all a happy day for the Dutch people with a lot of beer drinking.

A nice day out!

Summer 2010: travels and 3x Muse Live

Summer have ended here in Norway. Right now its about 9 degrees celsius and rainy! So looking back on a very hot summer home and abroad, and in addition meeting a lot of nice people and experiencing good music, warms a northern heart!

In may we went to New York, mostly to the experience of the "big Apple" with my daughter and to visit my friend Jim. See my previous blogpost on New York.

Relaxing outside Macy´s and Victoria´s Secrets

My own admiration of NYC was shared by my daughter and her friend!

This summer I discovered some very beautiful places in Norway. Our visits to Utsira, Røvær and Sandane was so nice and refreshing.

Utsira Lighthouse far out west in the North Sea! A small island about 1 one hour with boat from Haugesund

Røvær a small island and a community 20 minutes outside Haugesund. In the afternoon on Friday 13 October 1899, 30 people were killed (all the men on the island) when a boat with a funeral procession on its way back from Haugesund coal sailed.

The friend gathering in Sandane (a small community in Sogn & Fjordane, the longest Fjord in Norway) was a big success with a lot of outdoor activities. Thank you Ole-Tom & Helga :-)

 Glastonbury festival in june 2010 was a very nice experience (You se some pictures in my previous blogpost). Glastonbury is a small town in the Somerset area with about 8000 inhabitants. Every summer more than 200 000 people come there for a week to the festival on Pilton farm. We come there to listen to music, relax and have a great time! I will alway want to go back..........

They said that it always rain during the Glastofest, but this year it was sunshine all the time!

Social tenting! My family in their small and sweet tent!

This summer is the fourth summer I joined GATLA summer residential, and it was super as usual. Gestalt training is my hobby. As a clinical psychologist I learn more from these courses than any other training I´ve had. I learn about my self and about therapy. I also meet people from all over the world. Interesting people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. And all are there to train and learn to know each other. Great people and great friends!

When training is over, its time for social activities! This year we played soccer in the warm summer evenings in Poland. GATLA 2010 took place in the town Ryn and our confrerence place was an old restored castle from medieval times!

In august it was time for relaxing times with family at the adriatic coast of Croatia! And a trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina. Beach stretching and easy living. Sunbathing and cool swims in crystal clear waters. The trip to Mostar and the "stari most" (the old bridge) was impressive.

In the small town Pisak, we found our small beautiful family beach

Nevreta, the river runs calmly trough Mostar. The old bridge was totally destroyed by bombs during wartime in 1993. They restored it by picking up the bits and pieces from the river and put it together. The bridge has become a symbol of co-existence between muslim and christian people living peacefully together in the same community

Live music is alway an important part of my summer, and this summer. Glastonbury, Muse on Koengen, Bergen and A-ha at Brann stadium in Bergen have been the highlights. And there is more to come. Now, the 10. of September we will see Muse live at Wembley Stadium. So this year I´ve seen Muse at glastonbury, here in Bergen and at last in London. 3xMuse. I´m beginning to be a fan :-)

My friends thinks I´m travelling a lot. I probably do. But I work hard too. So maybe my next post should be something like "the art of travelling cheap" or "the secrets of time and travelling".