by Kristen Gill - Adventure Gill
( May 16th, 2012 )
It’s that time of year again: Syttende Mai!
Always held on the 17th of May, this day celebrates the day in 1814, in which the Constitution declared Norway its own independent country.
Commemorated with children’s parades in most cities, the largest is in Oslo, with the parade going right past the Royal Palace, where the Royal Family wave hello from the balcony.
Norwegians all over the world celebrate their Constitution Day, and if you’re in Seattle, you can celebrate Syttende Mai in Ballard, where there’s a big parade that starts at 6pm, and a whole load of other activities. For more information, click here: http://www.17thofmay.org/
This photo was taken in Norway on my adventure there last summer with VisitNorway.
Raise your Norwegian flag, eat some lutefisk, and Adventure On,
Kristen
Add a comment
by Kristen Gill - Adventure Gill
( April 13th, 2012 )
They say it’s bad luck to walk underneath a ladder, especially on Friday the 13th. But what about walking underneath the skirt of Marilyn Monroe? I’m thinking, if anything, that can only bring good luck, right?
This 26-foot-tall sculpture was created by artist Seward Johnson, and shows Monroe in the same stance as she appeared in “The Seven Year Itch”. It’s location on Michigan Avenue makes Chicago’s Magnificent Mile even more magnificent!
While the editors at VirtualTourist.com ranked this as one of the “Worst Pieces of Public Art in the World”, others think it’s fabulous. I guess you just have to check it out for yourself.
And, as Marilyn would say: “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
Amen, sister.
Adventure On,
Kristen
4 comments
by Kristen Gill - Adventure Gill
( April 6th, 2012 )
Happy Easter, everyone!
This photo was taken in Jerusalem in February of this year (on my birthday, actually). I can only imagine what it is like there this Easter weekend. After all, this is the Holy Land, the crux of the Christian world, where it all happened.
This week is known as Holy Week. From the Mount of Olives, where Christ entered into Jerusalem (and where he predicted his own fate to his followers) to the Coenaculum, the place of Christ’s Last Supper (where he administered the first holy communion to his disciples), pilgrims come from around the world to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
In Jerusalem, Good Friday is a day of epic celebration, with huge crowds gathering along the Ecce Homo archway, once a gateway to the Roman Fortress of Antonia, where Pontius Pilate handed Jesus over to the fickle mob who had turned against him and placed a crown of thorns on his head, mocking him as the “King of the Jews”. On the Via Dolorosa street, Jesus carried his own crucifix, and now followers carrying modern day crosses stop at 14 “Stations of the Cross” commemorating incidents along the way, the last 5 of which are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, reputedly the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.
It is here on Saturday of Holy Week, in a tradition dating back some 800 years, that a Muslim family (I found this to be very interesting!) unlocks the church. And on this day only, the Sepulcher, thought to be the Tomb of Jesus, is accessible to the public. Pilgrims then light candles from the Holy fire, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ.
Wherever you may be on this Easter Sunday, may you remember the Holy Land, and remember to shine your own light in this world.
Happy Easter and Adventure On,
Kristen
Add a comment
