<p style="text-align:center;">This blog entry simply consists of several pictures and just one simple sentiment:&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>May 2022 turn out to be a WONDERful year full of beauty, joy and happiness.</strong></p><h2>New Zealand</h2><p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/new_zealand_1_35d151c003.webp" alt="new-zealand-1.webp" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/thumbnail_new_zealand_1_35d151c003.webp 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408274/7kwonders/small_new_zealand_1_35d151c003.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/new_zealand_2_4e7ddcc4fd.webp" alt="new-zealand-2.webp" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/thumbnail_new_zealand_2_4e7ddcc4fd.webp 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408274/7kwonders/small_new_zealand_2_4e7ddcc4fd.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/new_zealand_3_13cbf37dd2.webp" alt="new-zealand-3.webp" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/thumbnail_new_zealand_3_13cbf37dd2.webp 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/small_new_zealand_3_13cbf37dd2.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"></p><h2>Norway</h2><p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/norway_1_af8db5ac79.webp" alt="norway-1.webp" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/thumbnail_norway_1_af8db5ac79.webp 222w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/small_norway_1_af8db5ac79.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"></p><h2>Canada</h2><p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/canada_1_0cfadfd0c4.webp" alt="canada-1.webp" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/thumbnail_canada_1_0cfadfd0c4.webp 207w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/small_canada_1_0cfadfd0c4.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"></p><h2>Great Britain</h2><p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408271/7kwonders/great_britain_1_583cccb8dc.webp" alt="great-britain-1.webp" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408272/7kwonders/thumbnail_great_britain_1_583cccb8dc.webp 105w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/small_great_britain_1_583cccb8dc.webp 337w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1650408273/7kwonders/medium_great_britain_1_583cccb8dc.webp 506w," sizes="100vw"></p>

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Happy New Year!

<p>Earlier I mentioned Man's unique ability to create new concepts by rendering existing things a new meaning. Now I should trace this ability to its origin - the human mind that is so wonderful that it can reimagine reality itself. Impressive as they are, many wonders of the material worlds are, in a way, byproducts of that primary wonder of Imagination. Legends and fairy-tales are just several examples of tools necessary to create those byproducts.</p><p>Even though the English park named after Sir Winston Churchill is within short walking distance of the Little Mermaid, one would think that the spirit of the famous politician and sybarite, combined with personal charisma associated with his name, should define the ambience of the place. The very first artwork – a statuary - one stumbles upon in the park seems to confirm that impression.</p><p>The statuary features a strong, muscular woman vigorously lashing four lathery oxen – and the whole group exudes power, energy and purpose. The title of the statuary, Gefion Fountain, alludes to the story behind the mise-en-scene. The story has it that King Gylfi of Sweden wanted to stay in Goddess Gefion’s good books without having to show too much generosity – so, he offered the goddess some land as a gift. To be precise, as much land as she and her family would be able to plow in one night. Gefion was quick to agree and happy to oblige – so, she turned her four sons into oxen and urged them on. In the next eight hours or so the family herd plowed quite a chunk of land, carved it out and threw into the sea. That’s how the island of Zealand/ Sea Land was created. Quite naturally, the island needed a harbor to maintain its connection with the mainland. Once built, the harbor began to serve various purposes, including commerce – and, eventually, it became known as the Kaupmannhoevn/ “Merchants’ Harbor”. Over centuries the name gradually transformed into Kobenhavn, otherwise known as “Copenhagen”…</p>

Merchants’ Harbor

<p>Christmas is a time for fairy-tales. That's why this Christmas entry will be devoted to the main character of a famous, controversial and somewhat glossed over fairy-tale.&nbsp;</p><p>Wikipedia readily tells us that a statue of Her was created in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen – and Ellen Price, the ballet-dancer, who was posing for the statue, lived a long a productive life. The statue had been commissioned by a local brewer who fell in love with the original 1837 fairy-tale by one H. C. Andersen. It’s not completely without interest that the brewer’s name was Carl Jacobsen, and the beer he had produced echoed that name… In other words, the creator of Carlsberg beer was instrumental in bringing about the statue of The Little Mermaid…&nbsp;</p><p>What Wikipedia doesn’t emphasize is the actual work of art – grey slippery boulders touched by weeds, right next to the water, and a tiny figure of a young girl on the top of that wet pyramid. As if embarrassed, the girl is hiding her tail somewhere behind her back, her face is calm and sad at the same time. Indifferent to all the fuss around her, she is looking wistfully and searchingly beyond the sea, wishing and hoping for her Prince to return. Wishing and hoping for 108 years, and counting. A longing that is never to materialize, yet never to give up, is a heart-rending but, strangely, also live-affirming feeling bringing both tears to one’s eyes and a smile to their face. Such is the power of that inner beauty that that slip of a girl, barely seen from passing ships, has turned into the most important symbol of Danish capital, Copenhagen, if not Denmark as a whole…</p>

ArticleHappy New Year!

New Zealand

Norway

Canada

Great Britain

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