My first newsletter
My first newsletter
Quote of the week
“Buy land, they're not making it anymore.”
― Mark Twain
Hello friends,
My very first newsletter. Here I will share with you my thoughts on various things in life. For the time being me, and my husband Martin, are on the road with our Camper van. We left Sweden in mid August, driving through Denmark and Germany on to Delft, in the Netherlands, where our son Hannes graduated from his second Masters in Geophysics. We had some lovely days with him in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It included a trip to the beach and Den Haag.
In Den Haag we visited Mauritshuis museum and could enjoy a look at Johannes Vermeer's masterpiece Girl With a Pearl Earring. The museum also houses many other master pieces, but more on this in the next newsletter.
Resting a couple of days in Innsbruck, where Martin is from.
Books on the road
I cannot risk being out of books on such a long journey (expected all in all to be around 3 months) so have collected a number of books from my TBR shelves. Some of them have to come back home, but most of them will be given away along the road. Most campings have a shelf where you can leave books, and hopefully, grab one you have not yet read.
So far, my August reading has been very satisfying - 12 books:
Lunde, Maja - Przewalski's Horse
Ivesköld, Monica - Redigera framgångsRIKT
Auster, Paul - The Brooklyn Follies
Hawkins, Paula - Into the Water
Preston, John - A Very English Scandal
Runeberg, Johan Ludvig - Fänrik Ståhls sägner (The Tales of Ensign Ståhl)
Harrison, Dick - Mordet på Gustav III
Coetzee, J.M. - The Childhood of Jesus
Håkansson, Håkan (Ed.) - Tycho Brahe och hans tid
Lagercrantz, Olof - Dikten om livet på den andra sidan, En bok om Emanuel Swedenborg
Erskine, Barbara - Kingdom of Shadows
Walpole, Horace - The Castle of Otranto
Some very great reads this months with excellent books like; Przewalski's Horse, The Brooklyn Follies, Into the Water, A Very English Scandal and Kingdom of Shadows. Reviews here.
Castles, castles and castles
I love castles, fortresses and ruins. We were very lucky to be able to visit three wonderful castles, and one fortress, on our way to the Netherlands.
Koldinghus Castle in Denmark
Koldinghus was founded in the 13th century and has been expanded during the following centuries. It has been used as a fortress, royal residency, ruin, museum and as the location of numerous wartime negotiations. Today's castle is restored and used as a museum highlighting the history of the place. The interior of the damaged tower was beautifully restored with open stairs and floors, giving you a view all the way up to the ceiling, creating an airy space. It was almost as if everything was floating. There was an interesting exhibition on the last five crown princesses of Denmark, including Mary, the present one.
Denmark is history wise connected to Schleswig-Holstein (in present day Germany). The kings, queens and nobility were interlinked through marriages. It was therefore very interesting to visit two other castles in Germany, Glücksburg, a real fairy tale castle, and Gottorp in Schleswig.
Glücksburg
One of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was the ancestral home of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg. At a certain time it was even the primary residence of the Danish king. The members of this family are related to almost all of the European dynasties. It is built on water and you cannot come closer to a fairy tale view of any castle. Well, maybe Ludvig's II of Bayern castles can compete. The tour inside the castle gives you a good idea of how the families lived.
Gottorp
This castle looks more like a huge manor building than a castle with towers and turrets. Over its eight hundred years of history, the building has changed and been expanded several times; from a medieval castle to a Renaissance fortress to a Baroque castle. It is the ancestral home of the Holstein-Gottorp branch of the House of Oldenburg. Four Swedish kings and several Russian Emperors emerged from the family. The palace has been renovated since 1947 and was completed in 1996. Today it houses the State Art and Cultural History Museum and the State Archeological Museum. Interesting exhibitions on furniture and paintings, as well as archeological finds, including people found in bogs.
The castle is surrounded by a huge park, and they have re-instated the grand garden behind the castle. It also houses a modern replica of the Globe of Gottorp. The original globe was built between 1650 and 1664 on the request of Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. It was supervised by his court scholar and librarian Adam Olearius. It is an amazing ensemble. A large, walk-in-globe of the Earth and the celestial sphere. We entered the globe above and went around the world as it slowly moved around its axis for about 8 minutes. We could see both the earth with its continents as well as the starry sky. Quite an experience.
Bourtrange
This is an amazing fortress, built as a star with several walls and moats surrounding the fortified town. Prince Willem of Oranje ordered the building during the Eighty Years War, or the Dutch War of Independence, 1568-1648, and it was built in the swamps near the Dutch-German border. "At this time the Netherlands (most of modern Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and the French provinces of Flanders and Artois) were ruled by the Spanish Hapsburgs. Their misrule, together with religious differences, combined to provoke the Dutch into rebellion. The war was persecuted by both sides over a period of 80 years, ending in the Treaty of Münster in 1648, which formally recognised the Dutch Republic." (from the Royal Collection Trust, for more details click link).
A wonderful walk along, and on top, of the walls, crossing bridges over the moats, wandering through the small, cobbled streets of the town. It houses museums, churches and restaurants. You can even stay at a hotel or B&B within the city. It is difficult to imagine that today's peaceful surroundings once was a military headquarter. P.S. It was very difficult to get a good overview photo. Look here for more amazing photos.
Links
I have two blogs; one (in English) where I write about books, and one (in Swedish) where I share my life and interests in books, history, travel and everything that makes life interesting. Links below for those who are interested in reading further.
Until next time, take care and enjoy life.
Lisbeth