Tubaloo
Day 48. "It has to be at least...3 times bigger than this!"
What is it about simple, beautiful forms that draws us so?
One a day.
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Uploaded on Sep 13, 2009
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Busy busy...
Day 47. Hello my neglected photostream...
It's been too long, but I'm back (in one form or another). We'll have to see how well I can keep up with the one photo a day pace, but I'll do my best.
So what's happened recently? My last update was from Helsinki, Finland. During my (wonderful) stay in Finland, I also had a chance to visit Rovaniemi at the heart of Lapland. Quite a change from the fast beat of the city that Helsinki is, but charming in its own way, Rovaniemi is situated right below the arctic circle, and I can only imagine how different a place it is in the winter seasons. At the outskirts of Rovaniemi is Ounasvaara, a ski resort. Now, the Finland landscape is not exactly known for its mountains...in fact, it's far more likely known for its lack thereof. So when we say Ounasvaara is a ski resort, you have to understand that it's really more of a hill - which was fantastic for a traveler like me to explore in a single afternoon. The slope itself also features two ski jumps - monolithic structures that are rather intimidating in close proximity (pictures to come?).
But the real highlight of my afternoon on Ounasvaara was (besides the sighting of Finnish reindeer!) the friendly swarm of bumblebees harvesting nectar (and of course, aiding in the reproduction of) of these bright yellow flowers. The bees blended into the landscape so well that I didn't notice them at first, but once sighted, it was difficult to leave. Captivating and honestly a bit magical in the way that only nature of capable of...
One a day.
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Uploaded on Sep 12, 2009
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Oh no...
Day 46. Use the Schwartz!
At Kiasma in Helsinki, Finland
One a day.
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Uploaded on Aug 17, 2009
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Architecture Lust
Day 45. Oslo Opera House.
Left Tonsberg for Oslo this morning on a train at 7AM. I got off at Oslo Central, while Cailin, Thomas, and their dad continued their journey to the Oslo Airport. I spent the majority of the day meandering through the city, headed in the general direction of the Nobel Peace Center. Along the way I stumbled across the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art (not my favorite exhibit, unfortunately), the Akershus Fortress & Castle (which was absolutely dwarfed by the gigantic Emerald Princess cruise ship parked right next to it), the Museum of Architecture (which was showcasing the works of the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta - and I absolutely loved it), and finally, the Nobel Peace Center (which had one of the most powerful b&w photo exhibit I've seen called "Dreams of Europe").
Inspired by Snøhetta's works at the Museum of Architecture, I headed out in the evening to check out one of their masterpieces - the Oslo Opera House. It didn't disappoint. An immense undertaking that took over a decade of design and construction, it's a gorgeous structure full of surprises. It's also one of those rare buildings where you can explore nearly every exterior facet of the structure on foot, all the way to the roof. The only minor quibble? Aesthetic ledges here and there that are bound to trip visitors on their way up and down the building exterior. I guess that's a fair price to pay :)
View from the Oslo Opera House in Oslo, Norway
One a day.
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Uploaded on Aug 14, 2009
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