In some countries, Martinmas celebrations begin at the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of this eleventh day of the eleventh month (that is, at 11:11 am on November 11). In others, the festivities commence on St. Martin’s Eve (November 10). Bonfires are built and children carry lanterns in the streets after dark, singing songs for which they are rewarded with candy.
The Norwegian author Knut Hamsun (1859 – 1952) was thoroughly deserving of the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to him in 1920. A handsome and debonair gentleman, Hamsun was described as the Soul of Norway by the venerable King Haakon XII of Norway.
Looking at the sculptures, covered with the thinnest marble veil, one ponders: How to sculpt the thinnest, transparent fabric from a block of solid stone? A truly divine gift of brilliant artists and sculptors allows you to convey in stone the tenderness and airiness of the lightest fabric, bends and folds while preserving every feature of the face and body. It is impossible to believe that this is the creation of human hands.
Building a bridge over water is a daunting task, and despite the many technological progresses, the basics have remain unchanged since ancient times. First a cofferdam is constructed on the riverbed and the water inside this enclosed structure is pumped out, exposing the muddy button. Upon this ground the piers of the bridge are erected.
For those unfamiliar with the term, perestroika was the name given to the 1980s people’s revolt against Soviet repression in the Eastern Bloc. In Poland, Solidarity became a nationwide crusade that led to the overthrow of the despotic communist caste.
The coastlines of nations bordering the Mediterranean have stayed pretty much as they always were. However, one man’s vision might have radically altered the map of Europe for the better had World War Two not intervened.
Michael Walsh Stories and Books 
Recent Comments