Another day in London

In fact, it was mostly in Greenwich. I dreamed about this point since I was a schoolboy. Era of great geographical discoveries and the era of great sailing ships were this thing, what made my imagination worked hard. Ships named Clippers were culmination of sailing navy glory. Next step belonged to steam ships.

Cutty Sark is one of the most famous merchant fleet sail ships, so being so close, I had to visit her.

 

Greenwich is for many people a synonim of meridian zero. Visit in Royal Astronomy Observatory is only place, where one can stand in both hemisferes, eastern and western in the same time. I also can't miss such opportunity.

This is where navigators of ships had set their chronometers so as to later be able to determine longitude, upon the moment when sun reached its highest position at sky.

Nowadays new source of British welness is next to old source of glorry.

Marco had more practical approach to London's attractions. Soho and Covent Garden gave us a nice balans from seeing museums and VIPs (Very Important Places).

Nice trip, but next time I will focus only on one attraction. Seeing and visiting too much in too short time, made me dazed. I am afraid, that I lost many of details and possible emotions. London - see you next time, maybe somebody else will order my work here.

Last minute

This was really "last minute" opportunity. My business appointment, planned for Wednesday in UK, was cancelled on Tuesday. Wizz air tickets can't be returned, so they were going to be wasted. I didn't think to long; I asked my boss for two days off, packed my bag, and was ready to go.

My first stop was Victoria Station. When I was a schoolboy, Mr Brown from my English book, commuted from Bishopton to London every day by Victoria Station. Victoria Station was not only the place, where he changed his mean of transport, but also place, where I learned new words and grammar rules. I wanted to check, if Victoria Station I remember from pictures in this book really looks as I remember.

Unfortunately not.  Not only adverts and modern booths screen respectable walls, but also a policewoman asked me kindly, to not photograph security cams, but suggested me rather to go away. I saw only a few stone works, which may remember steam locomotives bringing Mr Brown to his office.

The next attraction was Westminster Cathedral. Build in roman like style, it is main catholic church in London. It is huge and impresive, but lighting of the church by candles for centuries makes naked walls above marble cladding contrasting dark, almost black. It creates impression, that since Henry the VIII, there was no significant improvements here.

Westminster Abbey is quite opposite. It is anglican, there is no free admission, build in gothic style and making photography there is prohibited. Abbey's magnificence clearly says, that cooperation with the authorities is beneficial. Wealth, lordiness and historical and cultural importance of this place is clear. I am really sorry, that taking photos there is prohibited.

Saint Paul's Cathedral is the third the most important church in London. It has monumental dimentions and even nowadays it still dominates above surrounding buildings. Unfortunately, funeral ceremony of Lady Margaret Tacher was organized on Wednesday, so I was able see Saint Paul's Cathedral only from distance.

It is difficult to predict how long St. Paul will be so dominant. London is growing up very quickly, and after another decade, today the dominant structures become quite modest.

Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi

• I used to work for CSBI, but they sold the business, so I kept working under Largotim logo.
• I used to work for Largotim, but they sold the business, so I kept working under TRW ISCS logo. 
• I used to work for TRW ISCS, but they sold the business, so I kept working under QAD logo. 
• I used to work for QAD, but they sold the business, so I keep working under DSR logo.

How should I explain to employer, that I'm not a jumper?

Two posts ago I wrote that it was my last QAD trip to Norway. Now I can write, that it is my first DSR trip to Norway. Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi.

There are the first announcements of spring in Stavanger. Open-air cafes become filled with guests,

... sailors start preparing their yachts in marinas,

... and clear sky allows to watch sunrise and sunset. Next month such views will require too much scarifice,

... and gulls prepare themselves for nesting.

But can I say, that nothing has changed?

Epilogue in Istanbul

Theoretically, I'm just a partner already. I am performing here my last job that I have received as an QAD employee. This is not very optimistic, but the place is exciting and it compensates my mood a little.

This is a business trip, but fortunately I had an opportunity to be in the right place at the right time. Tim invited me to a bar located at the roof of a hotel, exactly when day and nigh were changing their shifts.

Nobody can tell to have seen Bosphorus, when he didn't saw its bridges. Both of them are engineering masterpieces.

When I was excited by general Istanbul views, Tim was focused at mundane things. Taxim district offers a lot of restaurants, and Tim seems to be the perfect guide to all of them.

On the next day the weather was even more dull and unfriendly to a photographer. The only solution was to go indoors and find something interesting lighted by an artifical, more vivid light.

After three days my task was completed and one day remained before my flight back home. Nice opportunity, but how to see a 12-million city with 2500 years of history at one day? This is just impossible. We tried to do it however. First step was cruising the Bosphorus.

The straight was crowded with ferries and cruise ships.

Old and new.

Four Seasons Hotel seems to be rather expencive, ... but watching it was for free.

 

Narrow, really narrow.

This was my first visit in mosque. Fortunately I had an opportunity to hear the guide, who was telling to his group; that empty space in the center allows to be closer to Absolute. The circles of light are symbols of enlightment by God.

Hagia Sophia is another story. I didn't know anything about Istambul except that there is Hagia Sophia there. The biggest, the oldest, the most important. In other words, Hagia Sophia is just a "must see"!

A little bit ruined but under slow reconstruction. Hagia Sophia has been the mosque for a thousand years, but Christian mosaics were neither removed nor intentionally destroyed.

I saw Hagia Sophia, it means I was in Istambul.

Sunday in Tau

Another Sunday in Norway. All hotels in Stavanger were sold out, so I had to get last room in Tau.

First dinner on fuel station, and then walk along a frozen lake.  

Fortunately afternoon was sunny, so sightseeing and taking photos were possible. 

This countryside is not very populated, this is rather wilderness. How will I survive this week?

This week, Stavanger Skagen looks for me almost like Rotterdam.

Tau from the bay looks like a picturesque, holiday village.

On the way we pass the rocky islets. Driving to work ferry pass them when the sun was already illuminating them, leaving the surrounding water, even in the dark.

I never expected, that I would be commuted to work by such means of transport.

This is my last trip made ​​as an employee of QAD. In terms of sightseeing, this is a powerful piece!

Norwegian wintertime

   When this project was starting, I was afraid of long northern nights and depressing lack of light. And how things are really going? Gloomy cloudy weather persists for several weeks in Poland. It's needless to say, just look out of the window. Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria suffer extraordinary snowfalls. 
   Meanwhile in Norway ...

   This photo was taken on February 22, just after the middle of the winter. Flowers outdoor are tired but still alive! 

   The only difference between summer and winter in harbor is that summer cruise ships have been replaced by tugboats and instead of crowds of tourists one can see only a few residents.  

   Winter in Stavanger seems to be quite nice. There are no "polar nights", for sure.  Only a salty residue of ice on the Sola Beach suggests that this is wintertime.