Lemback Blog » Europe

The Public at The Louvre

Marlene — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:59:28 +0000

So they say that the Louvre Museum is a must-visit place once you’re in Paris. It’s definitely true and for the art lovers it must be a sublime experience. It’s also a lovely experience for the not so art enthusiasts for it might be a memorable once in a lifetime opportunity. I was excited to see the glass pyramid at the Louvre though I would also love to see the Monalisa of Leonardo Da Vinci but it wasn’t the best of our luck at the time. Instead, I took some photos around and it so happened that I caught a lot of people in them.

A man standing on....?

Really, what was that man doing? And what was that he was standing on? I can’t seem to figure out what it was but in one of my photos I saw a man getting on that thing. I did not see it in my own eyes then but only when I was browsing my pictures.

People admiring the place?

Some were posing for picture taking and some were just looking around. Even on a cold winter day they didn’t mind at all. They must be tourists, too. I was admiring the entire structure and I didn’t mind getting these people in my photos.

Some people outside the Louvre Museum

What's hubby looking at? The people or the museum?

I’m not sure if we can visit The Louvre again but if not, then I will say that was an awesome once in a lifetime experience.

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Escape To Monaco

Marlene — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:51:40 +0000

I’m sick of this elusive summer weather condition that’s trying to delay my house chore’s timeline. Sounds ridiculous but I do have a timeline for general cleaning. I want to have everything done before hubby will be free from work. I know what he could possibly think about when he’s not working and that’s to escape from dull moments at home. I would love to do a trip again to Monaco where summer is definitely warm there.

Entering Monaco

I don’t know where we’ll go for a short trip yet but it’s absolutely not in Monaco. I don’t even know if I can get to visit this small country again cos it’s expensive to be there. But the drive around was really a wonderful experience. But I know the picture we took was not good. That was before we liked photography and all we would do was to shoot without aiming for good result.

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Volcanic Ash Free Airspace?

Marlene — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:00:08 +0000

Imagine an airport without aeroplanes taking-off and landing on the runway and without people rushing to and from the departure and arrival areas. Many cities in Europe have been affected by enormous cancelled flights because of the volcanic ash spreading in the air caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. It has been said that volcanic ash would cause damage to the planes. I watched a documentary film the other night about a British Boeing that lost its four engines and was near to crash before the pilots, after several try, successfully made the engines work again. It was learned later that the damage was overwhelming and that it was caused by the volcanic ash when it flew over Indonesia. As precautions, some airports in Europe ”closed” the airspace for incoming and outgoing flights and remained so for more than a week. But a few days ago, the airport here has been back to business despite the continuous outrage of the volcano and warning for more ash in the air.

It seemed not a normal weekday when hubby drove me to work one morning when the roads were not traffic jammed. I had come to realize that maybe a quarter of the city’s population were travellers and that they were causing much traffic on the roads as well as in the air. Ugh! Life on earth is a traffic either on the land or in the air. Even though it’s not yet a hundred percent volcanic ash free-airspace the travel and airline companies are persistent to fly to, you know, survive economically. And maybe my student who was travelling to Egypt with her family would come home now after missing school for two weeks.

Munich, Germany Airport

Munich Airport

In this situation, it is strange that aeroplanes would depend on clean and clear air to fly considering how much they pollute the air. Rather volcanic ash free than pollution free – air. Hahaa!

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White-Yellow Daffodils

Marlene — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:38:37 +0000

I saw this flower when we were driving and passing by the Afsluitdijk in Holland (The Netherlands). We stopped by to have some rest and we were suprised to see this field of Daffodils. I didn’t actually know they’re Daffodils. I just remember I had this pic when I thought about påskliljor, the common flower here on Easter which is, I noticed just recently, completely yellow. They’re sold in supermarkets and flower shops on springtime, too. I thought it’s the same flower as that in the picture I had. But they’re of one and same Narcissus species. This White-Yellow Daffodil is called pingstliljor here. Well, that’s according to hubby. I had once the Yellow Daffodils in a vase but I didn’t like the smell of it when it starts to wither. I don’t know if this White-Yellow one smells different. Anyhow, I like the colors of both, I would love to have a bunch of it everyday on my table if it’s not for the smell.

A field of White-Yellow Daffodils in Afsluitdijk, Holland

Did I pick some? No, I didn’t cos it was so beautiful that I was scared to ruin the view by picking a dozen stems. Afsluitdijk is a causeway in Holland with a length of 32 km (20 miles) and a width of 90 m, at an initial height of 7.25 m above sea-level (Wikipedia). It’s like driving between the North Sea and Lake Yssel.

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Holy Week In Barcelona

Marlene — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:35:18 +0000

Unfortunately our Easter Break does not fall on the Easter Week since it starts on the last week of March this time. We usually have school break on Easter if it falls later than March. This is because we normally have Winter Break in February so having another break after this month will give us shorter school days in between. This means I am working to death this Holy Week but will be load free from Friday till next week. Yipee!

I remember one Holy Week when hubby and I had a trip by car to some cities in Europe. It was easy to drive on the roads with less cars and less traffic to mind. The trip was as smooth as a smooth sailing ship. I have known that many people observe Holy Week in different ways. Here we normally have lots of eggs and candies in egg boxes, colored eggs and believe it or not, witches (påskkärringar in Swedish)! I don’t want to elaborate more on this cos I have not followed this belief religiously. I am Catholic and the countries in Europe that’s more likely to have the same Holy Week observance as mine will be Spain and Italy. The farthest city that we could drive in that trip was Barcelona, Spain. Awesome! I wish we could make the same trip again. Here are some pics we took.

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

The unfinished La Sagrada Familia. It is said that this church was built in 1882 but until now it is far from done. It has been planned that this church will be finished in 2026! Tourists flocked in and out of this 170 meter high church.

The living Mary in Barcelona?

I enjoyed looking at this living Mary who waved to people, smiled and froze like a statue. One moment she was facing there, the other moment here. I came close to her while hubby took a pic of me with her in the background and after that she signalled at me to stay and she picked something in her little pocket. She gave me a little souvenir!

Planeta de Barcelona? Muy caliente!

It was easy for me to understand the signs or sign boards everywhere but when I listened when they talked, I was completely lost. Ayuda!

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So they say that the Louvre Museum is a must-visit place once you're in Paris. It's definitely true and for the art lovers it must be a sublime experience. It's...
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I'm sick of this elusive summer weather condition that's trying to delay my house chore's timeline. Sounds ridiculous but I do have a timeline for general clean...
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I was thinking of some places to get away this summer and since we haven't planned to take a long trip across Asia, chances are either we'll travel within Europ...

The Republic of San Marino

Marlene — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:27:53 +0000

I was thinking of some places to get away this summer and since we haven’t planned to take a long trip across Asia, chances are either we’ll travel within Europe or visit some places here in Sweden that I haven’t been to yet. Since hubby and me are working full time, travelling is our definite choice for rest and relaxation. Anyhow, the place that occurred to me and only if I were to decide I would have a second trip to San Marino. There are places where one visit enough but there are also those which I like to see again and again. And the Republic of San Marino is one country I want to visit once more.

Overlooking Italy from San Marino

Honestly, I didn’t know anything about this country until hubby drove me to Italy quite a few years ago. The plan was not even to drive to San Marino but he was supposed to show me the city of Verona (Italy), where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was played. Unfortunately, the heavy rains caused us to change route though we were almost there. We reached Rimini, the other city in Italy, late at night. The next day, we drove to San Marino instead of driving back to Verona. I learned the moment we were there that it is a country surrounded by Italy. The reason why I want to visit San Marino again is the feeling of being on high land is like I am on top of the world. And on top of it I can see Italy in all directions. Not only that but the country’s structures and architectures reveal its historical foundation.

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Men In The Tube

Marlene — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:42:08 +0000

This sight greeted us one early morning in Berlin while we were on the way down through to our breakfast. It’s not the view we normally get to see when we are riding an elevator, and that day was by chance a view of two men cleaning the Aquadom in Berlin. While the hotel workers under the tube were busy tending their guests, the two divers in the tube were having a good swim while feeding some 2600 fish in different species.

According to Wikipedia, this Aquadom in Berlin is the largest acrylic cylinder in the world. I didn’t know about this but what I knew was that it was the largest aquarium I have ever seen. Hubby and I didn’t know and haven’t heard about the said Aquadom before. It was a mere coincidence of discovering this fascinating attraction in Berlin when we stayed at the Radisson Blu (formerly Radisson SAS) Hotel where the AquaDom is located. It is the center of attraction in the hotel’s lobby but the entrance to the Dom is next to the hotel through Sea Life Berlin which maintained it . The Dom offers a two storied-elevator ride where one can experience deep-sea diving without actually being in the water. The ride is both fun and educational as one gets a closer look of the sea life (especially the tropical fish) at the same time learning about them.

Two divers in the AquaDom cleaning and feeding the fish

Accordingly, these professional divers are working full time and they are cleaning the Dom everyday. Unfortunately, we’d seen them just once, maybe because we slept in most.

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The Louvre Pyramid Up Close

Marlene — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:10:02 +0000

The Louvre Museum wasn’t in our list the first time we visit Paris. Not until I read and watched the Da Vinci Code that I realized I missed my chance of a lifetime to see the world’s largest museum. I thought I would never get any chance so I indulged in watching the film over and over, lol! I’ve been held captive by a notion that travelling for pleasure is not meant to travel the same places all the time. Even if I want to visit the same place again, it’s unlikely to happen. Maybe because there are so many countries, so many places to visit eventually.

But anyone who have been to Paris would definitely say it’s one of the must-visit again places. And that’s what we did nine months ago. Our second trip to Paris gave us the chance to visit the Louvre Museum. The pyramid was not that astounding by day because of the absence of lights. It’s part of the entrance to the museum and believe me, anyone can afford to get inside for 9€ – 14€.

The Louvre Museum Pyramid among the crowds.

With quilt jackets on, bonnets on the head and winter gloves covering the hands, these people were having a good time in the museum area. And we were one of them, though, you can’t find me in the pic above because I was behind the camera. It’s somewhere around here where Tom Hanks did the last scene of The Da Vinci Code, but I was wondering how large the crowd that day they managed to shoo away, hehee…

The ground around The Louvre Museum

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