Airplane and Sunset

I just heard today that the airline Norwegian has decided to cut out its long-distance operations due to the ongoing economic and travel difficulties connected to covid-19. I suspect they will not be the last airline to have to resort to such measures. I have flown with Norwegian numerous times and have many friends who work for the company. In my case, most of my travel has been with them has been within Europe, and I am happy that the airline will continue with this side of its operation. Though there has been precious little international travel for me this last year I hope very much to resume discovering the world "when this thing is over" and one of the places I shall definietly return to when things are brighter is Berlin. But there too, changes have occured –such as the opening of the new airport, which I assume will be where I land next time I return –and not at Schönefeld, depicted here, which has closed for good, though parts of it are incorporated into the new Berlin Brandenburg airport. So it's kind of a historical picture, but I'm posting it mainly because of the Norwegian news and because I'm travel sick and because I'll never forget the magnificent sky we took off into on my last flight form Berlin. You can see some of it here as the Norwegian Boeing 737 is boarding. Though primarily a "train" person, there is often something equally exciting about a plane getting ready to depart. Let's hope we'll all be travelling again soon, one way or another.

Location: Berlin, Germany

Remembering July 22nd 2011

Four years ago today a huge bomb went off outside the Norwegian government's cluster of buildings in central Oslo, killing several people – just part of a horrific day that culminated with the shooting of dozens of young people on an island not far from the capital. It was a day that shocked Norway and left deep scars on all of Norwegian life, affecting everyone in some way. Tragic as the island massacre was, it was the bomb in the centre of town that affected me personally the most, because I used to live only a couple of hundred yards from where the explosion occured, and from my kitchen window I could see over to the building that was targeted. I walked past there almost daily. Fortunately, I was not there that fateful day; but I so easily could have been. I saw the damage afterwards. It was enormous – In the street where I used to live and the surrounding area, there was glass from hundreds of shattered windows, and there was a sense of numbed shock hanging in the air the morning after. It lasted a long time. I have visited the area many times afterwards; it affects me profoundly each time. Now, four years have passed, and though much damage has been repaired, the whole government area is undergoing a very long-winded process of rejuvenation, with dramatic reconstruction work transforming buildings – in some cases rebuilding them completely. I took this picture some months ago, looking up at the main government building after it had been completely gutted and hung with a provisional covering (the current covering creates an illusion of windows similar to the original facade). I took the photograph from approximately the spot where the van filled with explosives was parked. It is a expression of feelings and thoughts that seems to demand a simple but striking image. The determined trace-line of the plane high above expresses (for me at least) moving forward, away from painful memories. Location: Oslo, Norway

Birds on Deck

A couple of the numerous helicopters and other aircraft on display on the deck of USS Midway - the famous aircraft carrier that is now berthed at San Diego as part of its maritime collection and open to visitors. It's one of the most absorbing "museums" I have ever visited and fabulously exciting to explore, and there are few areas that cannot be accessed. It was also a great place for photography, especially outside on the vast deck. The usually blue skies of southern California were on this particular occasion somewhat moody, but I found this an advantage in capturing the silhouettes of the assembled aircraft; the clouds give the picture a sense of magnitude, reflecting what these vessels are actually meant for; yet there is sunshine too, reflecting hope and a patch of pale blue - an appropriate window for these helicopters to head for. It is the mood of the picture that I like most- Location, San Diego, USA