New Zealand: sounds of a sunset on the South Island
What does a sunset sound like?
Does the question make any sense at all?
How can a sunset “sound” like anything?
I used to think that way, until I visited the South Island in New Zealand.
Posts from the ‘Seasons’ category
New Zealand : Wellington Daybreak from Mount Victoria
Before visiting the South Island for the first time, I spent a week with friends in Wellington, New Zealand at the beginning of July 2012. I didn’t have my own set of wheels, but I didn’t need a car in a compact city that is easy to cover on foot. If necessary, the buses work well to reach most destinations in greater Wellington.
The winter weather had been beautiful and relatively calm, which I thought was a little unusual for winter in “windy Welly”. But I was definitely not one to complain, and before leaving Wellington, I wanted to watch the sunrise from the summit of Mount Victoria.
At a height of about 200 metres or 660 feet, Mount Victoria (Tangi Te Keo in Maori) may be more like a hill, but it’s tall enough to get a great view of the city and the harbour. Wellington harbour is also known as Port Nicholson, and Te Whanganui a Tara in Maori.
I caught the first buses of the day: what would I see? Would the skies be clear? I was the sole person to alight the bus at the summit, just minutes before sunrise. There’s something to be said to be the only person at the summit to welcome the brand new day.
My Stockholm: daytrip to Vaxholm in the archipelago
Above/featured: Stockholmsström (Stockholm harbour).
One of the great attractions in Stockholm is its archipelago (Stockholms skärgård), a network of over 20-thousand islands in the Baltic Sea. An easy get-away from the city, Vaxholm is a favorite for many, accessible by bus, by car, or by ferry.
It is with the latter, the Waxholmsbolaget ferry service, that I set off on a day trip. I boarded the boat at Stockholm Strömkajen for the hour-long ferry to Vaxholm. The return boat journey puts me back at Stockholm Strömkajen.
The Official Roslagen site describes Vaxholm as:
Vaxholm, called the archipelago’s “capital”, is the gateway to Roslagen from Stockholm. The town is a hub for boats travelling to the central and northern archipelago – Roslagen’s archipelago. Vaxholm’s municipality includes about 70 islands.
Vaxholm has lots of trees, beautiful homes and cottages, all within easy reach of the water. Because of its proximity to Stockholm, Vaxholm can also be expensive. But if you’re looking for something different in the Stockholm area, Vaxholm is an ideal daytrip for some peace and quiet by the water’s edge.
Hong Kong: I can eat in Cantonese
June 2012.
Yes, it’s true.
After sitting dormant in my head for years, my Cantonese has come out to play, and has been put to good use.
I can say a few words and phrases to make myself understood, but I’m not proficient enough to carry a long conversation. But I know enough to cuss if I need to, like everyone else.
It’s now halfway into my stay in Hong Kong, and I’m finding my comprehension of verbal Cantonese is steadily improving by the day. I can listen to Cantonese in conversation and I can get the gist of what’s being said. My reading and writing comprehension, however, need life support.
The important part is where my handling of Cantonese becomes particularly handy: the search for and the precise naming of food.
Here are three places in Hong Kong where I’ve adequately communicated my desire for food that “feels-like-home”:
- Mak’s Noodle (Central), for the wonton noodle soup
- Nathan Congee and Noodle (Kowloon), for congee
- Joy Hing Roasted Meat (Wan Chai), for the barbecue duck and pork
My Stockholm: the colours of Gamla Stan
Buildings with bright beautiful colours.
Narrow cobblestone alleys.
Street signage with few consonants.
This is Gamla Stan: Stockholm’s Old Town.
I love the mystery of trying to parse a different language, even when I’ve twisted my tongue into unrecognizably knotted grunts.
With the summer solstice in late-June, the days are long, and skies remain lit until the wee hours of the morning. You can walk through the streets of the old town by day, like other visitors who’ve come to enjoy the place. But I highly recommend you navigate the streets at night. By mid-evening, activities wind down, and eventually, you’ve basically the quiet streets all to yourself.
From Skeppsholmen: Gamla Stan with Tyska Kyrkan (German church) at right.
View of the Stockholms ström inner harbour from Skeppsholmsbron (Skeppsholm island bridge).
From Högvaktsterrassen (Main Guard Terrace): Riddarhuset (House of Nobility, left); Mynttorget (Coin Square, centre foreground); Riksdagshuset (Parliament House, centre background)
Statue of Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson at Kornhamnstorg (Grain Harbour Square)
Standing tall, at Stortorget (Great Square)
At Stortorget: Storkyrkan (Grand Church); Börshuset (Stock Exchange Building), now Nobel Museum
Sankt Göran och Draken (St. George & the Dragon), at Köpmanbrinken (Merchant’s Slope)
Grey rainy skies over Gamla Stan, from Skeppsholmen island
Gamla Stan and Strömmen, from Katerinavägen, Södermalm : 1130pm
Tyska Brinken at Prästgatan : midnight
At Stortorget : Börshuset / Nobelmuseet, minutes after midnight
Please do yourself a favour — go to Stockholm in the summertime. Yes, it’s expensive compared to other European destinations, but worthwhile things to see and do await in Gamla Stan, Ă–stermalm, Södermalm, DjurgĂĄrden, SkogskyrkogĂĄrden, and in the archipelago (e.g., Vaxholm by boat).
More
• Daytrip to Vaxholm in Stockholm’s archipelago
• Say “Hej!” (and to food) at Lisa Elmqvist in Ă–stermalm’s Saluhall market hall
• Greeting Greta Garbo in the SkogskyrokogĂĄrden
I made the photos above on 25 to 27 June 2008, just after northern summer solstice. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotopress at fotoeins.com at http://wp.me/p1BIdT-JI.
