Quote of the Day

Farming looks easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from a cornfield.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Quote of the Day

One of the fondest expressions around is that we can't be the world's policeman. But guess who gets called when suddenly someone needs a cop.
- Colin Powell

Quote of the Day

All free governments are managed by the combined wisdom and folly of the people.
- James Garfield

Quote of the Day

La vérité est en marche; rien ne peut plus l'arrêter.
[Truth is on the march, nothing can stop it now.]
-Émile Zola

Quote of the Day

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.
- African Proverb

Quote of the Day

It is not every question that deserves an answer.
- Thomas Fuller

Quote of the Day

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
- Stephen Wright

Quote of the Day

The law requires a paper towel ad to be scrupulously honest, but allows political candidates to lie without reproach. What’s wrong with this picture?
- Jeff I. Richards

Quote of the Day

The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursuing his own education. This will not be a widely shared pursuit until we get over our odd conviction that education is what goes on in school buildings and nowhere else.
- John W. Gardner

Quote of the Day

It is no longer my moral duty as a human being to achieve an integrated and unitary set of explanations for my thoughts and feelings.
- Bronwyn Davies

Quote of the Day

Man has such a predilection for systems and abstract deductions that he is ready to distort the truth intentionally; he is ready to deny the evidence of his senses only to justify his logic.
- Feodor Dostoyevsky

Quote of the Day

You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she’s pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
- Dave Barry

Quote of the Day

The reserve of modern assertions is sometimes pushed to extremes, in which the fear of being contradicted leads the writer to strip himself of almost all sense and meaning.
- Winston Churchill

Quote of the Day

'Tis strange what a man may do, and a woman yet think him an angel.
- William M. Thackeray

My trip to the West Coast: Lysebotn

These pictures were mostly taken around the wildly expensive tourist trap at the top of the steep descent down to Lysebotn.

This photo was taken from a spot to the right of the restaurant/souvenir shop. As previously mentioned, the road has 27 hairpin turns and goes down appx.900 meters (2,950 feet).


You can also walk around most of the building on a wooden platform with spectacular views.


This was the view back towards Sirdal, whence I came.


The sheep in the parking lot were much, much friendlier than normal. As soon as I got out of the car, this ewe and her cute lil' fluffball approached me, but their interest waned considerably once they'd established that I had no food.


I counted five waterfalls like this coming down from the mountain on that side.


The view of the horizon from the valley floor. You can sail to America from here.

Quote of the Day

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.
- Kin Hubbard

My trip to the West Coast: The Drive to Lysebotn

The final touristy thing on my trip was a drive to Lysebotn, which at its end has a nervewracking descent of 27 hairpin turns, taking you appx. 900 meters (apx. 2,950 feet) down, from the top of a mountain to sea level. These pictures are from the drive to the descent, which also has some stunning scenery with winding, narrow roads and even effin' SNOW on the ground.

A large part of Norway is made up of big mountains and mountain massifs.


Snow in early August. I could cry.


These sheep looked at me with equal parts skepticism and disgust.


They flocked around my car when I crossed the road to take pictures.


One of the stupidest crazes of the last years is the custom of making small stone symbols by arranging them thus; it's supposed to be a symbol of peace:


So, being a natural born warmonger and wanting to preserve the Norwegian mountains unmolested by hippies, I went berserk. Few things in life feel better than to tear down the works of retarded lefties with your own bare hands and feet.

More from the West Coast

On my way from Stavanger I made a detour to the very scenic municipality of Frafjord. If one drives through the tunnel towards the Månafossen waterfall (sign posted), one gets to see this; it's like a fairytale landscape:



A waterfall:


Snug settlement:


Lush and beautiful in early August.

Quote of the Day

The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations.
- Benjamin Disraeli

Quote of the Day

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.
- Kahlil Gibran

Mah trip to the West Coast

I made a quick trip to the west coast of Norway in the first week of August. My goal was to walk up to the famous landmark of Pulpit Rock, but it was pissing down the whole time, so I never even made an attempt. Still, the area is very scenic and lots of it reminded me of my beloved Scotland. These pictures are from the ferry place Oanes, just a few miles south of Pulpit Rock.

Looking back towards the Pulpit Rock area, which is clouded in fog & rain.


The west coast is full of small communities like this.


Mighty rocks shooting straight up from the ocean.


Hilltops covered in mist.


Dreamy.

Quote of the Day

Zeal without knowledge is fire without light.
- Thomas Fuller

Quote of the Day

He that never changes his opinions, never corrects his mistakes, will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today.
- Tryon Edwards

Quote of the Day

Non omnia possumus omnes.
[We are not all capable of everything.]
- Virgil

Quote of the Day

As blushing will sometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense.
- Jonathan Swift

Quote of the Day

In the long run we are all dead.
- John Maynard Keynes

My trip to Prague V

My final posting is largely from the tower of Old Town Hall. The city bought the house in 1338, but no one seems to know exactly how old it is. Much of it was destroyed by heavy fighting in 1945, but they've done a really good job of rebuilding and making everything look ancient again. You can walk or take the elevator a few floors up and then go through a ticket check, which will allow you to walk a few extra floors before you finally step out at the top and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, sweet fuckin' jebus, it's a long way down!

Here, my brain was trying to crawl out of my ears and back to safety. I still had enough sense to point the camera and press the right button.


I love this town.


Even so, I just had to take a skelfie.


Old Town Square, with the Jan Huus monument from 1915.


The old gunpowder tower.


Our Lady of Tyn church.


The castle.


Petrin Hill, with the tower to the right and the hunger wall to the left.


The yanks seemed to have a good time, not caring one iota that I was near death from sheer, blind anxity.


Naturally, they still needed refreshments afterwards.

My trip to Prague IV

The last touristy thing I saw up at Prague Castle, was the so called Golden Lane, a small street made up of old houses where many of the castle's menial workers lived.

The narrow street was packed with tourists.


Number 22 is associated with Franz Kafka, who lived here for appx. 2 years.


Cozy.


Super cozy.


Not sure if this was a doll or a native.


Kertek, the little mole, is very popular and omnipresent in the Czech Republic.

Quote of the Day

I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.
- Edward Gibbon

My trip to Prague III

After the Cathedral, I went to the part of the complex known as the Old Royal Palace, which was originally built in the 12th century. It contains several spots of historical importance.

The Vladislav Hall, where the coronation of Czech kings took place. It is so big they even held jousting competitions with muthafuckin' horses in there. I apologize for the blurry pic, but flash photography was not allowed.


From this window, outraged Protestant nobles threw three Papist fucks in 1618. This incident is known as The Second Defenestration of Prague, igniting the Thirty Year's War. Per capita it is still held by many historians to have been the bloodiest conflict in history.


The balcony just off the Hall has some great views over the city.


In another room off the Hall, the Czech Diet would meet. The Diet did not, as one might think, consist of meat, potatoes and cabbage, but was rather a type of proto-parliament, where representatives of the various high and mighty groups in society would meet to advise the King.


One of the officials of the Diet held the keys to the rooms where they kept the property protocols. These were ancient documents outlining the borders for all the properties clerical and secular in the realm. The room was conveniently situated right next to the Diet, in case a property dispute came up (it often did). Again, I apologize for the blurry pics.


As previously mentioned, the Vladislav Hall was so large they held jousting tournaments in there. The competing knights would use this entrance.

My trip to Prague II

A little later Saturday morning, I went up to Prague castle, where, for the first time, I bought actual tickets, to see the actual inside of several of its many buildings.

Prague castle, above the lovely district of Mala Strana.


I first entered the huge, old and very handsome (for a church) St Vitus cathedral.


The interior.


Hidden in one of the many glass stained windows was a picture of Emperor Palpatine as a young man.


Outside, right next to a side entrance known as the Golden Gate, is a huge painting of the Last Judgement.


There was also a statue of St George killing the dragon.


The oldest part of the castle is St George's Basilica.