Oslo - Day 2

To begin our second day in Oslo we first a look at the Holmenhollen ski jump arena which is beside our hotel. It is a magnificent structure and I can only imagine what it looks like with snow and thousands of people watching lunatics jumping over 100m in the snow. While there we tried the ski simulator which showed what a ski jump would be like, and also what downhill skiing feels like. We then decide to hike over the hill to Frognerseteren - as well as being used for hiking in the summer, the paths are used for cross-country skiing in the winter. We were impressed with the folks who were using roller blades as skis. We certainly enjoyed the Norwegian woods. In Frognerseteren we got the tram back to downtown Oslo.

We went to the Nobel Peace museum dedicated to the winners of the Nobel peace prize. Lots of interesting info on the winners, with a few Irish people in the mix. While it does not take long to complete, it is worth a visit. We checked out the crowded Aker Brygge area where there was lots of people queuing for ferries. We had lunch in the Yokoso restaurant, where despite the very slow service, the food was good. Later I listened to Ukranian protesters who were looking for NATO to intervene in their war with Russia - good luck with that.

We finished being tourists in the Norwegian Resistance museum. This is fascinating stuff as I knew very little about Norway during World War II.  We were also close to the place in the Ackershus Fortress where Nazi collaborator Vidkun Quisling was executed.

Some photos of the day...

At Frognerseteren tram stop.

In the Nobel Peace Museum.

Solidarity with Ukraine.

On the hiking trail.

At the Holmenhollen ski jump arena.

Oslo - Day 1

Norway is the 30th country I have visited, and we are staying in Hollerhollen in the hills above Oslo. Roma and I enjoyed our ride from Gothenburg to Oslo. We stopped off for lunch in Fjallsbacka in Sweden - a lovely stop in a place that commemorates Ingrid Bergmann. 

Today we left our hotel in the clouds for the city centre via tram and metro. Our first stop was the Edvard Munch museum. We did not know a huge amount about Munch, apart from The Scream, Nevertheless, we loved the paintings and got to see two of the seven versions Munch made of this iconic painting. The museum is brilliant and well worth the visit.

In the afternoon we took part in a walking tour of the city centre. We are experts in walking tours at this stage,  but I have to say that this one was very uninteresting - mostly due to our very boring American guide. Nevertheless, we got to see some of Oslo's best known sites.

Some photos of the day...

Roma with bust of Ingrid Bergman in Fjallsbacka.

Arriving in Hollerhollen. 

Entering the Munch museum.

Wow!

Sun.

The royal palace - spectacular end to a boring tour.

Gothenberg - Day 3

Today was our last full day in Gothenburg and we decided to get out of the city and visit Branno Island. This is reached by tram and boat - the Vasttrafik App one day pass was excellent value for both. Branno is one of the many South Islands and we enjoyed long walks on the traffic-free paths. Cars and motorcycles are not allowed on the island, it was very quiet as a result. We had lunch at a food truck which was in a back garden. Very relaxed.

This evening, I finally tried Swedish meatballs. My verdict? Very much overrated and boring, but the chips were nice. 

Tomorrow it is on to Oslo, which is about 325kms away. Weather should be good,  so I'm looking forward to the trip.

Wrapped up for island hopping. 

Landed on Branno.

No Google Maps for Roma.

Branno Island transport.

Does "cheers" with 2.2% beer count?

Boring meatballs.

Gothenburg - Day 2

Today we decided to take it a little easier and get a day-pass public transport ticket. We have been walking a lot, and our first stop was nearly 4km away. Nobody seems to  check for for tickets on the buses or trams - there is a lot of trust here. We had the easy to use Vasttrafik App.

We took the bus and tram to the World of Volvo. I have had three Volvo cars in my time. The first was a 1997 V40 which I bought new. I followed this with a superb V70 which I loved - a 2.5 litre automatic. I reluctantly changed this for an S40 when my daughters started to drive - I hated it and changed to a VW Golf within a few months. So I had a little more than a passing interest in the Volvo museum.  There were lovely old cars lovingly restored plus trucks, a tractor, and more modern cars. Not of mine were there. Even if you are not into cars or Volvos - this is still an interesting museum. 

In the afternoon we visited the maritime museum on the docks. We explored two boats and a submarine. One of the boats was a naval vessel - every space seemed to be of use - there were pipes and dials galore in these vessels which pre-dated computers. Not easy to get around, but well worth a visit.

In the evening we headed over towards the Karla Tower which is the tallest building in Scandanavia at 246m. It is an impressive srtructure, but completely out of place in this location. We had dinner at the nearby Cuckoo's Nest, and exhausted after such a long day we got the bus back even though it was only one stop.

 

A farmer's son.

Vintage!

What a poser!

We love Sweden!

Submarine communications.

The Karla Tower.

Gothenburg - Day 1

Our visit to Gothenburg began with rain. We decided early on that we would leave Copenhagen separately. Roma would take the train, while I would avoid the Oresund bridge and Malmo on the bike to go to Elsinore (Helingor) and get a ferry to Helsingborg in Sweden - a more direct route. I got as far as Halmstad before the rain started - it wasn't much at first, but three downpours later I reached Gothenburg bit wet and cold. 

Our first full day in Gothenburg started with a walking tour. Unfortunately, the city centre is a massive building site at the moment. They are replacing tramlines and are also engaged in massive work to build an underground network. The noise was defining at times and our tour guide struggled to raise her voice loud enough to be heard. She brought us around all the interesting sites and history of the city. 

We took a canal tour in the late afternoon. Inevitably there was overlap with the walking tour as we passed many of the same sites. We were warned that there would be splashes due to high winds. We got splashed! Lots of low bridges to duck under made for a fun outing. As there was some kind of festival on there were bands playing - some on the canal boats. We sat in the sun with a beer to dry out before finishing our evening in the Feskekorda fish market. We were told that Sweden is an expensive place, but not compared to Dublin prices. Our dinner, with wine was just under €100 - and it was delicious, ling for me and a half lobster for Roma. After this we were exhausted and took an Uber back to our apartment. So far I'm loving Sweden!

Lunch in the Saluhallen market.

A poser talking to statues at the Fish Church (Feshkorda).

Ready for the canal boat tour.

Soaking up the atmosphere.

It's thirsty work being a tourist.

Copenhagen - Day 2

Another beautiful sunny day in Copenhagen, and we started out by taking the long walk to Christiania Freetown. It is a hippy-style location with lots of market stalls and shops. I bought a shirt, but nothing else as we are travelling light on the motorbike. On our way back to the city centre we  checked out the National Museum of Denmark. We went through a rather boring multimedia experience about a Viking Sorceress. A small highlight for me was to see a real Viklund axe. This axe has a cross in its centre and was considered a ceremonial axe. This is the same axe I have on a tattoo on my left arm.

I am now becoming a big fan of an Aperol Spritz - after so much walking sure what else would you do for lunch! After this we made a long walk to the Home of Carlsberg. We really should have checked out what was open/closed. We saw very little because almost everything was closed - but we did have a beer, probably!

For dinner this evening we went to the War Pigs restaurant. Nothing to do with Black Sabbath, just delicious food. The place was packed and we had to queue for a while. We had superb pork ribs - a great experience. We also had a discussion about our journey to Gothenberg tomorrow.  Due to expected heavy rain, Roma will take the train, while I will deviate from original plan and head north to Helsingør and take a ferry to Helsinborg. There will be rain, but hopefully I will avoid the expected heavy downpours. 

Some photos from today....

Being tourists at the Hans Christian Anderson statue.

At the entrance to Christiania Freetown.

The head of a Viklund axe.

Cheers!

Probably!

Copenhagen - Day 1

Our first day in Scandanavia is in Copenhagen where we are staying in the city centre. We did a walking tour with a tour guide (Papito) who also works as a stand-up comedian - very entertaining throughout. The city was packed with tourists and locals who were out for what we were told was the first fine day of the year. Lots of information about the Danish royal family and their many buildings. For lunch we went to a Torvehaleren food market - delicious tuna tartar and salad. Later we took a boat tour of the canals - this was really good, we were even allowed to bring a beer on board! We got to see the Little Mermaid - apparently one of the most disappointing sights in the world, it is very small!

After a long day of being tourists, we went to the Tivoli food market for smorrebrods and a glass of wine. Copenhagen is a lovely, very busy, city that is easy to walk about. Another day tomorrow!

Copenhagen canal.

Radhuspladsen square.

In front of Frederik's church.

Cheers!

Schlutup

There is no way I would ever have heard of a town in Germany called Schlutup (near Lubeck), if it wasn't for a girl called Roma who I had just started dating in early 1980. In the summer of 1980 she went to Schlutup to work in a pickle factory. I wish I had kept the postcards and letters we exchanged. 

45 years later we went to Schlutup on our way to Copenhagen, and had a wonderful few moments for Roma to remember the town after 45 years. We went straight to the street where she (and about 40 other girls) stayed as factory labourers. It was a great moment for her to remember her time from so long ago. The factory is gone, but there was enough for her to have some memories of her time there. 

 

Lübeck

We begin our tour of Germany and Scandanavia in Lübeck. My journey to here on the motorcycle was uneventful - two ferries and two mostly motorway journeys. The bike performed well and is curently parked in the small hotel garage for free. We are staying at the Baltic Hotel near the main bus and train station. 

We did a self guided tour of the city centre and saw the famous seven spires of Lübeck. We stopped at the Willi Brandt house, he was a former Chancellor of West Germany and was from Lübeck. We even saw a bit of the Berlin Wall!. After our tour we went to Travamünde for a late lunch. This was a very popular and busy place. We went for a walk on the beach and dipped our toes in the Baltic Sea, me for the first time. All this was a nostalgic trip for Roma who was here in the summer of 1980 working in a pickle packing factory!

Lübeck is a lovely city with lots of bars and restaurants. The centre island is easy to walk about and we loved walking along the canal that surrounds it. Portion sizes in restaurants are way too big. In general, food and drink was good value compared to Ireland. This evening we had a meal for €78 including a cocktail and wine.

Tomorrow, we are off to Copenhagen!

Dublin Port.

Holstentor Gate.

A piece of the Berlin Wall at the Willi Brandt house.

It's Baltic here!

With Roma at Travamunde beach.

Trip to Oslo

Today I am on the start of a journey to Oslo in Norway on my trusty Harley-Davidson Road King. Last year Roma and I joined a group tour in Italy, this time we are on our own. 

I am taking the morning ferry from Dublin to Holyhead and then riding across Wales and England (556 km) to Harwich ferry port. This ride will be mostly on motorway and dual carriage-way - not very interesting. The ride should take about six hours, and get me to Harwich in time for the night ferry to the Hook of Holland. I set out early the next morning for Lübeck in Germany - a journey of 590 km taking nearly seven hours. Hopefully I will arrive in the late afternoon in Lübeck where I will meet Roma. 

We plan a few days in Lübeck, with short stays to follow in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, and Oslo. The highlight on the road should be going over the 8 km long Øresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden. Total distance from Dublin to Oslo, including ferries, is about 2,350 km. Our return journey begins with an overnight ferry from Oslo to Kiel in Germany. There we will part ways - Roma will go back to Lübeck to fly home, while I set out on the bike for the Hook of Holland.

I have never been to Denmark, Sweden, or Norway before - these three new countries bring it to 30 countries in the world that I will have visited. 

Hopefully I will have plenty to write and blog about!

My Great-grandmother's silver watch

Tom and Bridget Hurley.

Following my Dad's passing last year, my Mum surprised me one day in Ballingate by showing me three old-style pocket watches. They had been in a drawer in our house since the early 1960s. When my O'Loughlin grandparents left Tomacork for Dublin, these watches were part of left over material that they gave to Dad. Nothing has been done with them for over 60 years. Even before the 1960s I suspect that they were not used for much. I offered to see if they can be fixed and/or cleaned up, and took them away.

The photo to the right is of Thomas Hurley (1868-1921) and his wife Bridget (née Murphy, 1868-1916) - they are my grandmother Kathleen (Hurley) O'Loughlin's parents. I believe the photo was taken in 1910. The watches belonged to them - you can see a watch chain in Tom's waistcoat, which matches that of the large watch in the photo below.

I brought the watches to watchmaker Mark Wilkes in Ballinaclash, near Rathdrum. He agreed to quote me a separate price for the repair of each watch to get them back to working order. He told me the watches were definitely either early 20th or late 19th century - two of them were not in good condition. He also told me that they were quite ordinary and not valuable.

These watches are over 100 years old. The first watch was is a lovely gold plated Waltham timepiece - it needs repair work plus parts which made it very prohibitive to fix. It was going to cost up to 300 times its value to fix - apart from sentimental value, it was just not worth doing. The second large watch no doubt belonged to Tom Hurley. It has a separate key to wind the watch and to change the time. It is in poor condition and according to the watchmaker, it would not keep good time even if fixed. The third piece, which belonged to my Great-grandmother, is a silver Omega watch in good condition - it was still working according to the watchmaker. These sell for between €200-€300 online, and it would cost about this to fix. I agreed to get this last watch repaired and cleaned up - Mark did a wonderful job on it. If I sold it I would be lucky to get back what I paid to have it repaired. It is really only for sentimental value that I got it done - maybe I'll wear it on the few occasions that I wear a suit.  All these watches do is tell the time - no step counter or text messaging available! 

I don't own these watches - for now I'm merely their custodian. I'd like to keep the silver Omega and hopefully nobody in the family will object to this. I will pass it on to the next generation. Neither I nor my Mum have any plans for the other two as they would cost far more to repair than they are worth. They are in my drawer now.

Dad singing Fr O'Flynn

In 1990, my Dad took part in a recording of an album with members of the Askamore (Co Wexford) Choir. On the album, Dad sang two solos. The first was If I can Help Somebody which I have published previously on this site. The second was a song called Fr O'Flynn, which was not really one of his party pieces (at least I don't recall him singing it much). 

The song was written by Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931) who was an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter and folklorist. He was the father of British poet and critic Robert Graves (Wikipedia).

Accompanied by Lar Duffy on piano, here is Dad when his voice was probably at its best:

The Mountains of Mourne, sung by Joe O'Loughlin

Today (March 31st) would have been my Dad's 94th birthday. To mark the occasion, my Mum Phil, my sister Kathleen (with her partner Christy), my brothers Joe and Brian, and myself (and Roma) met up in North Dublin for lunch and a sing-song. We went to the Percy French bench in Skerries where it is believed that he got the inspiration to write his most famous song: The Mountains of Mourne. We could clearly see the Mourne mountains in the distance, and it is indeed an inspirational spot. The words to the song were conveniently shown on a sign, and we sang our hearts out for what was one of Dad's favourite songs. We also sang him happy birthday. Later, we adjourned to The Shoreline in Donabate for lunch by the sea.

Last summer, on a visit by my Canadian cousin Barbara to Ballingate, I captured Dad singing this lovely song. Enjoy!