Category: Uncategorized
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What I saw on my walk today
A glorious sunny day but few people It’s not just Covid-19. The weather forecast influences people’s decisions but often the meteorological office gets it wrong. And so it was today. The temperature was supposed to be around 17ᵒ with cloudy patches but we had wall-to-wall sunshine and it felt like mid-20s. The result was that only a handful of people were walking on the esplanade and fewer still on the beach.
One lonely figure sat wrapped in a blanket on the beach guarding the clothes of the two boys fishing by the pier who were wearing only swimming trunks so at least someone was benefiting from this burst of sunshine.
The Bay sands, once golden, are now less so, and many blame this on the 7 – 9 liners and tankers that used the Bay during the Covid outbreak when they couldn’t get into Portsmouth or Southampton harbours to unload their cargoes of people and goods. For some weeks they sat on the horizon, their engines pumping away to keep the ships ventilated and facilities ongoing. The noise from this was so great that a complaint was made and the harbour masters requested to speed up the entry into port.
Premier Inn opening soon in Sandown, Isle of Wight Sandown has a new Premier Inn due to open soon on the Esplanade and it was good to see this finished at last. The Covid outbreak had stopped building work earlier in the year and we wondered if it would open for business at all this year. Now it’s looking smart and new and ready to welcome autumn and winter visitors to the town, where the winters are mild and pleasant and the temperature usually about 5ᵒ above that of the mainland.
The High Street was quiet with only a few shoppers hunting souvenirs and tea-rooms. But I noticed that one of our closed-up Banks (a few years ago 3 of the big five operated here) has been graffitied but a theme is not discernible. Intriguing yes, and from what I can see it is a community venture and they are appealing for donations. I wonder if the Bank has thought to donate something to improve the boarded up look of their building? Or am I being naive?
Graffiti on wall of closed-up bank in Sandown -
Sculpture Saturday: The Romanovs on the Isle of Wight
Elena Bezborodova‘s memorial to the Royal Family of Russia, murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918. This Memorial was erected at East Cowes, Isle of Wight to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of their deaths. In 1909, Tsar Nicolas ll and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia (Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, grand-daughter of Queen Victoria) along with their five children, visited Cowes, Isle of Wight at the invitation of King Edward Vll. The occasion was Cowes Regatta, one of the longest-running and most important regattas in the world at that time. A home-movie taken during that visit and shown on UK television last year, shows two of the children, Grand Duchess Olga and Grand Duchess Tatiana who had never experienced such freedom before, enjoying a walk around the town, diving into shops and buying postcards and sweets. An interesting account is to be found here.
On 7th July, 2018 during a weekend of events that remembered the 100th Anniversary of the assassination of the family and their close servants at Yekaterinburg, a 3-metre high granite memorial with bronze decoration was unveiled to commemorate the close connection between the Imperial Romanov family and East Cowes. This magnificent monument was unveiled in the presence of their surviving descendants, Russian Orthodox bishops, the Moscow sculptor of the work Elena Bezborodova, and a choir from Minsk, Belarus.
Top of the Memorial with its bronze relief of individual members of the family The memorial was gifted by members of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society who revere the Tsar’s sister-in-law who was later made a saint. It stands in the Jubilee Recreation Ground close to Osborne House the former home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert which the Romanov family visited on their trip to the island in 1909. The Tsar had also been a naval cadet at the then Royal Naval College Osborne House.
The 18th/19th century photos are courtesy of Wikicommons. The Photographs of the Memorial at Cowes are from David Hill, local coordinator for the event working with the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society.
Historical Note: Tsar Nicholas II and his family were assassinated by the Bolsheviks on 17 July 1918. They were buried in unmarked graves, and in 1979 some remains were discovered but were concealed until the fall of communism. In 1991 the graves were excavated and a state funeral was organised for five family members. Remains of two other children were found in 2007 but these are undergoing additional examinations.
This post linked to https://smkelly8.com/ for Sculpture Saturday Challenge
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Silent Sunday – St. Malo
St. Malo Two days of torrential rain had cleared the beaches of all but the most hardy but then on the third day, came the sun and the world changed for the better. The hotel was better, the food was better and even the yapping dog in the next room that woke us at dawn, became bearable. What a difference the sun makes.
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SCULPTURE SATURDAY: Scottish Memorial in France
I debated with myself whether or not to post these images as some might wish to argue that they are not sculpture. Yet they were brought into being by a sculptor whose name unfortunately, I have not been able to find (I am still searching).
So here is the Monument to the Scottish fallen in World War 1, an unusual sculpture of granite slabs slotted together like dry-stone walling which stands in a field adjacent to the British Military Cemetery on the road between St. Laurent-Blangy and Gavrelle and which was unveiled on 9 April 1922, the fifth anniversary of the battle. Located north of the village of Athies it is not far from the battlefields of Loos and Arras.
Pont du Jour Memorial to the Scottish fallen Around the field are individual stones with the names of Scottish battalions who fought here.
Memorials to different Battalions And a close-up of the plaque on the monument.
Ypres to the Scheldt 1915-1918 -
Bautzen: The Sorbs in Saxony
Just 40 Kl from Görlitz in German Saxony lies Bautzen, the town famous for the fact that all political prisoners were sent here at one time, and which celebrated its 1000-year-old existence just a few years ago. Although heavily damaged during World War II Bautzen has been well restored but it still retains the air of a small country town.
Although a small town it is the capital of Upper Lusatia, the region inhabited by the West Slav Sorbian minority since the 7th century. It is a typical German small town with a castle dating back to the 10th century, an interesting church, a town hall, and a main street lined with colourful old houses.
Image by Rico Lob (Pixabay)
Bautzen It may be but a short hop but Bautzen is a world apart from Görlitz by virtue of the fact that it is the centre of Sorbian culture and the seat of the Sorbian nation. It would take more than a few posts to summarise the history of the Sorbian nation but it helps to know that the modern nation was founded by Moravians and Bohemians who had separated from the Catholic Church, long before Luther made his break from Rome. Both Catholics and Protestants live peacefully together although Catholic women wear white caps whereas Protestant women wear black, so one feels there may be some small tension there. Sorbs can be found across Central Europe, in Czechoslovakia and Poland.
The Sorb culture was suppressed by the Nazis during World War II but the end of the war saw the territory under the control of the Soviet Union, and it was this that was a factor in helping them re-establish their culture in 1945. As the communists wanted to prove they were better rulers than the Nazis, they made special efforts to re-instate the traditions and language of this Slavic minority with the result that today, the town is bi-lingual, the Sorbians dress as they did over 100 years ago, publish their own newspapers, have their own radio, perform in and support Germany’s only bi-lingual folk-theatre, educate their children in Sorbian traditions, speak their own language, and have been effective in ensuring that road signs and official notices in the area are in both German and Sorbian. The cultural museum in Ortenburg Castle tells the story of this Slavic people whose language closely resembles that of Czechoslovakia.
Traditional Dress of a Sorbian Woman Bautzen is unique in other ways too, being positioned on a granite plateau above the Spree river and from the Friedensbrücke Bridge there is an awe-inspiring panorama of the 23 medieval towers that dominate what remains of the town wall. In the town centre stands, or leans, another tower, the 1000 year old Reichen Tower, which is 1.44 metres off the perpendicular. Visitors should climb to the top for a view of the town centre, rebuilt in Baroque style after the 30-years war in the 17th century.
And after all that sightseeing, the essential thing is to visit the famous Wjelbik restaurant with its splendid stained-glass windows for a typical Sorb meal. This may be served by the owner dressed in her 102 year old traditional Sorb costume who will take great delight in explaining every dish to you, from the dumplings in horseradish sauce to the home-made cinnamon ice-cream, or charming waitresses in national Sorb costumes.
Image by Rico Lob (Pixabay) 
The food is heavy on carbs, lots of dumplings, but the icecream is fantastic. Bautzen and Görlitz once formed part of a six-city alliance which wielded power over the whole of Upper Lusatia. That power has waned, but composers, castles, architecture and arts, are once more energising the life of this beautiful province and its power to charm the visitor is once again its greatest attraction.
Still a few interesting ruins around Featured Image by Rico Lob (Pixabay)
Tourist information for Bautzen: Touristinfo Bautzen/Budyšin, Hauptmarkt 1, 02625 Bautzen: email: www.bautzen.de
Sorb Restaurant: Wjelbik, Kornstrasse 7, Bautzen (tel: +49 (0)35 91 4 20 60)
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Silent Sunday: Austria
A Blue Day in Austria Between lakes and mountains on an unforgettable trip in the South Tyrol. This was late evening on my way to a Spa hotel where they had a vibrating bed!
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PICK A WORD
Linked to Thursday’s Special at Paula’s here
A few days ago I published a post under the same title using two of Paula’s suggested words, and now I’m following up with another – Cuisine.
A couple of years ago I attended the Artusian Food and Wine Festival in Forlimpopuli in Italy, a festival that runs for ten days (I was only there for two) and which is run in honour of the father of modern Italian cookery Pelegrino Artusi (1820-1911). Mention him to any Italian chef and he will be instantly familiar with the name.
The Festival is about “home cooking” and “eating well”, and during the festival the town is thronged with food lovers, the streets and Piazza’s are re-named to connect with the Artusi cookery book, and day and night there are food tastings, packed restaurants, speciality menus, concerts, events, street musicians and happy people.
Piazza Artusi – re-named for festival 
Night time and the eating continues at the Artusi Festival 
The tasting tent for Philippine food I had planned a return this year but the festival was cancelled. I hope to make it next year as I yearn for that full-on festival atmosphere (without drunkenness, muddy fields or portaloos) which, it seems, you only get in the Mediterranean countries.
Thanks again to Paula for her inspiration.
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Wordless Wednesday
A scene of peace on what was once the site of unimaginable pain, Hellfire Pass on the River Kwai in Thailand. In this area live the people of the Mons, a distinct Thai tribe. One of these thatched houses is a schoolroom, one a restaurant and one a ‘hotel/restauarant’ (cold water shower with water from the river).
River Kwai Water buffalo make the houses rock as they pass, the nearby paths are used by elephants and the high-pitched yells of monkeys serve as an morning alarm. I stayed here for a couple of nights and the animals kept me awake all night but I didn’t mind, it was magic.
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Pick a Word – Sept. 5, 2020
Linked to Lost in Translation’s Thursday’s Special: Pick a Word
I’m a newbie on this site but love having an excuse to showcase my images by linking them to a word provided by Paula. Hope you like them.
ESTIVAL
Dessie – Morning awakens and there’s the beach. To me this photographs is summer writ large. It’s a 3-year-old member of my city dwelling family on her first morning on holiday on the Isle of Wight. The sheer delight on her face as she ran towards the sea, without fear, was wonderful to see.
SPAN
The Bridge at Mostar
The Red Bull Cliff Diving Championships at Mostar, 2018 We arrived at Mostar to find the town packed with divers who had come to take part in the Red Bull Cliff Diving Championships, their friends and managers. At first I was annoyed as the crush prevented us from doing the sight-seeing we’d planned but we soon became fascinated onlookers at the event. We were lucky to find a restaurant with balcony overlooking the river from which to view the diving so we settled in for lunch and watched the proceedings for most of the day. The boats in the water are there in case of any accidents (they have been known) and as you can see, some dive from the top of the tower and some dive from off the bridge.
We did manage most of the sightseeing later, after the crowds had gone and it was worth waiting around and getting back to Split much later than planned as history came to life as we wandered alone through the back streets in the early evening.
