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Thursday, July 20, 2023

Hans Christian Andersen and The Little Mermaid: A Danish Fairy Tale Adventure

Hans Christian Andersen and The Little Mermaid⭐

Arguably one of Copenhagen's most iconic tourist attractions, the sculpture of The Little Mermaid was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale.

The Fairytale


Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairytale, the statue depicts a mermaid who has given up everything to be united with her beloved prince on land.

Every morning and evening, she swims to the surface from the depths of the sea and perches on her rock, gazing longingly towards the shore in hopes of catching a glimpse of him.

The Little Mermaid's Dual Inspiration: A Ballerina and a Sculptor's Wife


The sculptor Edward Eriksen created the statue, which was unveiled on 23 August 1913. His wife, Eline Eriksen, was the model for the body. Ellen Price, the ballerina, was the model for the head and face.
The sculpture was inspired by ballerina Ellen Price, who in 1909 danced the lead role in the ballet The Little Mermaid at the Royal Theatre.

However, Ellen Price would not model in the nude for sculptor Edward Eriksen. Thus Eriksen’s wife, Eline Eriksen, posed for the sculpture of The Little Mermaid.

Photo Gallery


The below photos were taken on 04/02/2023.

Copenhagen City Hall





The Little Mermaid



Langelinie Lystbådehavns Bådelav
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Sunday, July 9, 2023

Lec, saulīte!

Lec, saulīte! (YouTube link)

Lec, saulīte! (English: Rise, dear sun!)

Song by Raimonds Tiguls

Recording from  XXVII Nationwide Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival
The XXVII Nationwide Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival, which marks the 150th year of the Song Festival tradition, will take place in Riga from the 30th June to the 9th July, 2023.
The Song and Dance Festival will take place throughout the territory of Riga. Special set designs will transform the event spaces; suitable stages will be built; big screens will be dotted throughout the city; spaces will be landscaped to allow visitors to enjoy the Festival in full. The main choir and dance events will take place in their historic Festival locations: the Silver Grove stage at Mežaparks and Daugava Stadium. Both locations have been renovated for the audiences and participants of the 2023 Song and Dance Festival.

Lyrics 

I am the womb of the earthEs esmu zemes klēpisYou are my sunTu mana sauleThe same thunder decidedTā pats pērkons lēmisThe stream of fateLikteņupes straumeTeach me a clear mindMāci man skaidru prātuTeach the power of the earthMāci zemes spēkuAs Lyma herself saidKā pati Laima likaTinot the article of a lifetimeTinot mūža rakstu
Rise, dear sun, shine brightly!Lec, saulīte, spīdi spoži!Decorates the vineyard, decorates the homesteadRotā druvu, rotā sētuRise, dear sun, break the darkness!
Lec, saulīte, tumsu šķeeeel!Make our land holyDari mūsu zemi svētu
I am the vault of heavenEs esmu debess velveYou are my sunTu mana sauleThe same thunder decidedTā pats pērkons lēmisThe stream of fateLikteņupes straumeTeach me peace of mindMāci man dvēseles mieruTeach the power of heavenMāci debess spēkuAs Lyma herself saidKā pati Laima likaTinot the article of a lifetimeTinot mūža rakstu
Rise, dear sun, shine brightly!
Lec, saulīte, spīdi spoži!Decorates the vineyard, decorates the homesteadRotā druvu, rotā sētuRise, dear sun, break the darkness!
Lec, saulīte, tumsu šķeeeel!Make our land holyDari mūsu zemi svētu
Rise, dear sun, shine brightly!
Lec, saulīte, spīdi spoži!Decorate the boy, decorate the daughterRotā puisi, rotā meituRise, dear sun, break the darkness!
Lec, saulīte, tumsu šķeeeel!Unite the entire Latvian nation!Vieno visu latvju tautu!
Rise, dear sun, shine brightly!
Lec, saulīte, spīdi spoži!Decorate the boy, decorate the daughterRotā puisi, rotā meituRise, dear sun, break the darkness!
Lec, saulīte, tumsu šķeeeel!Unite the entire Latvian nation!Vieno visu latvju tautu!

Source: Musixmatch
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How Much You Should Tip in Every Country

"How Much You Should Tip Restaurant Staff" by HawaiianIslands.com is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

How Much You Should Tip in the World


In [1], Brittany Mendez has published the following tips on how to tip:
  • Restaurant Staff
  • Hotel Staff
  • Drivers
in every country.  You should read them from her original article here.

Personal Experience


Have travelled to Denmark, Taiwan, and Japan recently.  So, I can attest to the correctness regarding tipping restaurant staffs in those three countries.  For example, while dining in Taiwan, you don't need to tip because either 
  • You have already been charged with a service fee or
  • Nor tipping nor service fee are necessary
In other words, you don't need to worry about how much tips to be added to your total bills at all.

If you find out any discrepancies from her report, please leave your findings in the below comment section.

References

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Saturday, July 8, 2023

Sweden Travel—Excursion to the Stockholm Waterways and Streets

Hop-On Hop-Off Boat Ride (redsightseeing.com⭐
)

Stockholm is a city built on 14 islands, connected by 57 bridges over the two waters Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea.  Here you can take a public ferry to the picturesque Gamla Stan (Old Town) or take a leisurely stroll among the relaxing grounds of the lush Djurgården park island. 
In Stockholm, travelers don't necessarily need to venture to one of the city's museums to learn about its past. Instead, stroll through Gamla Stan, the neighborhood where Stockholm itself was founded in 1252. Cobblestone streets, winding alleyways and colorful, classic architecture abound, creating a medieval atmosphere visitors can't seem to get enough of. 

For more information, visit the Stockholm Tourism Board's website.

Figure 1.  Hop-on Hop-off bus + boat ride

Photo Gallery


The below photos were taken on 04/03/2023.  Our group had taken the hop-on hop-off boat ride, but not the bus ride.  In this article, we will use Fig. 1 to identify the places where our group had visited in the below pictures.

Concert Hall and Its Neighborhood


Concert hall (red 18)—a home for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Nobel Prize Ceremony

Concert hall



Central Station

Djurgården Park

Djurgården is a National City Park. Here, you can roam in unspoiled nature, enjoy lunch or coffee or visit one of the many attractions. The Vasa Museum, Gröna Lund, the Abba museum, the Viking museum, Skansen and Liljevalchs art gallery are all just a short walk from the boat stop. When the boat passes Nacka Strand, you can get off and have brunch, lunch or dinner at Restaurant J with a fantastic terrace by the water. Don’t miss the spectacular statue by Carl Milles, a 24-meter fountain at the inlet to Stockholm from the Baltic Sea.

Nordiska museet (museum; red 13) in the background

Overlooking Skeppsholmen island from Vasa museet (museum; blue 3) 


Hop-on hop-off boat operated by redsightseeing.com

Nordiska museet in the background and Vasa museet (museum; blue 3) in the foreground

Hop-on Hop-off Boat Ride


Viking Line in the background



Gamla Stan (Old Town)

Gamla Stan's charming ambience isn't all the area has going for it. The neighborhood is home to some of the city's top attractions, including the Stockholm Cathedral, Parliament, the Nobel Museum (which houses exhibits about the Nobel Peace Prize and its laureates) and the Royal Palace. Gamla Stan is also where you'll find Stockholm's oldest street, Köpmangatan, and Mårten Trotzigs gränd alleyway, the city's narrowest pathway at only 35 inches wide at its smallest point.

Saint Gertrude, German Church


Stortorget (historical landmark)

Charles XIV John's statue (red 3)

Storkyrkan—a Brick Gothic cathedral also known as the Great Church


The Royal Palace





Charles XIV John's statue in the foreground 


Dala Horse—Popular Swedish Souvenir and a Symbol of Good Luck

Iron Boy - Boy watching the moon (the smallest statue in Stockholm)


References

  1. 8 Best Things To Do in Stockholm
  2. Gamla stan (Stockholm Tourism Board)
  3. Sightseeing like a local
  4. SL (Stockholms Länstrafik) 
    • SL is the state-owned company that runs the public transport system in Greater Stockholm.
  5. Commuter ferry, line 80
  6. Commuter ferry, line 82
  7. Commuter ferry, line 83
  8. Commuter ferry, line 89
  9. Stockholm by Hop-On Hop-Off Boat (redsightseeing.com)
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Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Sweden Travel—Stockholm City Hall

View from Stadshusparken (Riddarholmen Church in the background)

Stockholm City Hall⭐⭐⭐was designed by architect Ragnar Östberg and is built from 8 million bricks. The 106-meter tall tower has three crowns, which is the Swedish national coat of arms, at its apex.[2]
Stockholm City Hall became famous for its grand ceremonial halls and unique art pieces, but especially for being the venue of the Nobel Prize banquet which is held each year in the Blue Hall on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

From the Blue Hall, guests are invited up a stairway to the Golden Hall (Gyllene salen) to dance. The walls of the Golden Hall are covered with more than 18 million glass and gold mosaic pieces, the artwork of artist Einar Forseth. 
The City Hall attracts close to 400,000 visitors a year.

Photo Gallery


The below photos were taken on 04/03/2023.

View of Stadshusparken Park









City Hall Inner Yard


Nobel memorial plague on the wall






Ceremonial Halls

Blue Hall (Blå hallen)

The Council Hall (Rådssalen)

The Prince's Gallery named after the painter Prince Eugen who executed the murals

Prince's Gallery

Around the year 1916, Prince Eugen decided to carry out the wall paintings in the northern part of the gallery. This wall section is nearly 45 meters long and is divided by five tall windows. Between the years 1917 and 1923, the prince worked on the al fresco paintings that show various Stockholm motifs called "Stockholm's beaches". His idea was to illustrate the view that mainly appears through the hall's windows to the south, i.e. Riddarholmen with Riddarholm church, Mariaberget and Katarina church, also Tegelviken and Klara lake. However, it was never intended to reproduce a naturalistic view of the view, he did not want to compete with the city itself.




Golden room with "Mälardrottning"




Venue of the Nobel Prize banquet inside Stockholm City Hall (YouTube link)

Stockholm Concert Hall

The Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine and literature are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, while the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. Since 1969 an additional prize has been awarded at the ceremony in Stockholm, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which was established in 1968 on the occasion of the Riksbank’s 300th anniversary.

The award ceremony in Stockholm has, almost without exception, taken place at Konserthuset Stockholm (the Stockholm Concert Hall) since 1926.

Nobel Prize award ceremony always held at Konserthuset Stockholm



References

  1. Stockholm City Hall (Wikipedia)
  2. The City Hall
  3. The Nobel Prize award ceremonies and banquets
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