St Andrews Day - Reclaiming The Flag

November 30th represents a significant day in Scotland as we celebrate St Andrew's Day in honour of our patron saint. In recent times, it has been encouraging to hear radio adverts asking what we really know of St Andrew and recognising that he was a humble fisherman who was known for acts of great kindness. #BelikeStAndrew is trending on social media.

From Fisherman to Apsotle

The New Testament doesn't say a lot about the man who would become St Andrew. He is recognised in John's Gospel for introducing his brother, Simon Peter and at least a couple of others to a Nazarene carpenter known as Jesus. As the saying goes, the rest is history. It is known that following the crucifixion of Christ, that Andrew became an Apostle and spread the Gospel as far afield as modern day Ukraine and Russia. He is also a patron saint in these nations.

Martyrdom

Eventually, the Romans caught St Andrew preaching and as his message was interpreted as a direct threat to their pantheon of gods and the State, he was sentenced to be crucified. It is said that when he was crucified, he chose an X shaped cross as he did not consider himself worthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus. It is from this cross that we have the Saltire. Following his death, his relics were spread throughout Europe, including famously to the town in Scotland that would eventually be named in his honour.

A Flag Resonating With Meaning

Sadly, our flag has become synonymous with the independence movement and as a symbol of the SNP. In addition, other political parties have attempted to weave Saltire images into their logos and it just seems in bad taste. It is worth remembering that politicians are transient but our nation and its values stand forever. At a time when there has been division in our society relating to the results of Scottish independence and European Union referendums, there are lessons to be learned from the humility and courage of St Andrew, a man with a concern for others who sought to bring good news. It is time to reclaim that lovely flag that resonates with so much meaning.

Travelclog Norway

This year's summer holiday took us to the lovely Scandinavian land of Norway. This edition of the blog will discuss some of the highlights of the holiday and Norwegian culture.

We flew out from Gatwick Airport to Bergen on a Norwegian Air. Bergen is Norway's second largest city and a major port. After leaving the coach, we went on an orientation walk of the city centre via the famous fish market where it was possible to purchase many different delicacies including whale, something that made many of us feel a bit uneasy. Our next port of call was Fløibanen, the funicular railway which led up Mount Fløyen and some stunning panoramic views of the cityscape, the photo below looks down by the harbour side, an area that is the beating heart of the city.

There were many different walking trails at the summit of the funicular as well as a children's play area. You could also manage to bump into some long lost family members in the woods.

One of the most impressive sites in the harbour area was the Rozenkrantz Tower. Parts of this fortification were around from 1270, but its existing form was developed in 1560 by the Governor of Bergen Castle, Erik Rozenkrantz. There was some restoration work taking place at the time we were visiting the city.

As the UK Government set out plans to outlaw the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040, Norway has stepped up to lead Europe in adopting alternative fuelled vehicles, with 27% of the market being electric cars. The Norwegian Government is aiming to have 100% adoption of electric cars by 2025. On the streets of Bergen, there was even a Tesla Model S taxi.

Following our day in the city, it was time to embark on a three hour journey to our accommodation at Bjoa. The journey contained a 40 minute ferry journey from Halhjem to Sandvikvåg on the island of Stord. The ferry was operated by Norway's largest ferry company, Fjord 1, a company who operate over 60 vessels throughout the country, connecting the fjords to the mainland. The journey also introduced us to the many tunnels that feature on the road network, one of which lasted for around 8km.

Transport for the tour was provided by Geir V Larsen, in a nice, comfortable Neoplan Starliner coach and was driven each day by the man who's name was on the side of the coach, this was very impressive as you seldom hear of Mr National Express taking the wheel of the 590 from London Victoria to Glasgow. In addition to driving the coach, he would also provide a route commentary though woe betide anyone who had the audacity to be late for departure, such a transgression would qualify for the death stare.

The accommodation was at Brandøy Mission and Conference Centre set in an idyllic location beside the fjord. There was opportunity to participate in a range of activities including shooting, table tennis, zorb football, bandy, volleyball, rowing and kayaking. The staff at the centre were friendly and efficient, led by the centre manager Andreas and assisted by a small team that included his wife. On the evening of our arrival, he let us know the arrangements for the week which included a traditional Norwegian lunch scheduled for Wednesday. Some time later, we learned that Andreas had a discussion with his wife and the special lunch was being brought forward to the Saturday afternoon, an insight that taught us who was the manager and who made executive decisions. This proved an inspired amendment as the lunch was the perfect welcome to Norway and an opportunity to eat some delicious salmon, bread and cheese.

Our first day on Vindafjord was taken up by a hike to a nearby mountain and were accompanied by some suitably wet Norwegian weather. After an initially good gravel path, the terrain got more tricky on entering a forest and the mountain path markers caused confusion and the electric fence also caused pain. In spite of the harsh weather conditions, some of the group did manage to get up most of the mountain.

As we were doing a lot of walking, it seemed appropriate to sample the famous chocolate bar, Kvikk Lunsj, a delicacy that is considered to be ideal hiking chocolate. This Norwegian icon is similar in design to the Kit Kat and Nestle failed in a legal battle to trademark the design of their bar. To paraphrase the words of a famous Norwegian commentator, Nestle - your boys took a hell of a beating. Having enjoyed my first bar in a remote location on the fjords, I can confirm that eating Kvikk Lunsj in its spiritual home of the Norwegian wilderness tastes as good as drinking Guinness in Dublin.

Sunday was a day where we were able to experience the natural beauty of Norway with a scenic drive to the glacier at Bondhusbreen in the Folgefonna National Park. The journey began with a ferry journey from Utbjoa to Sydnes in beautiful sunshine.

During the day, we were treated to the sight of some nice waterfalls, including our stop at the stunning spectacle by the roadside a short distance from the town of Rosendal.

On arrival at the site of the glacier, the bus had a small incident with a small cairn when the driver had to take a tighter turning angle to avoid a motorhome which had parked at the edge of a space reserved for a bus, causing the tyre to burst. Who builds a Jenga tower in the middle of a parking lot anyway?

There was a 20 minute hike to a lake at the bottom of the glacier, where many people decided to enjoy their packed lunch as they took in the picture postcard scenery, with a rare afternoon of lovely weather having accompanied us. There were even a few hardy souls from the group who decided to brave the chilly waters and go for a swim.

Our journey home took us via the small lakeside town of Odda, where the damaged wheel on our coach was replaced at a garage that featured in the National Geographic channel on Ice Road, a programme that made the garage owner something of a celebrity in Norway, though unlike many reality TV stars, at least this bloke had a proper job. It was clear that we were in a country where many places still shut down on Sunday, though many of our tour group took the opportunity to have something to eat and drink at one of the cafe bars located close to the lake.

We took a more direct route back to our accommodation, skirting round the back of the Folgefonna National Park and had opportunity to enjoy another spectacular waterfall.

Monday was a quiet day which was spent at the centre. Many of the group on site joined a hike to a traditional prayer house and old church. We learned that the area where we were based was in the heart of Norway's 'bible belt', where Christianity has had something of a resurgence through the network of prayer houses, at a time when the State Church is in decline.

A poignant feature of the nearby church grounds was the small war memorial, dedicated to those who had perished fighting the German occupation during World War 2.

The local church was generally only full on several occasions each year, including Easter, Norway's national day and Christmas. It was also possible to walk up to the bell tower, which offered a view over the fjord.

Our next excursion day was to the island of Karmøy, where we visited Avaldsnes, a place with historical royal links as the original King of Norway, Harald Fairhair, held court here and was a strategically important place, being based on the site of the 'North Way' sea route that gave the country its name.

At the Viking museum, we learned of the love story at the of the fledgling kingdom of Norway, when Harald proposed to Gyda and she refused to marry him until he had united the kingdom. Harald may have been credited with founding Norway, though his wife founded the concept of playing hard to get, the scourge of mankind ever since.

There was also a video about the old Norse religion and their interpretation of the creation of the world, which was a bit like the book of Genesis mixed with Scandi Noir, featuring the Tree of Life and a struggle between good and evil. The god Odin was credited with playing a role in the creation of the universe including breathing life into the first two humans. Following the rise of Christianity, Odin's status has declined and now only really has a medium sized city in the east of Denmark named in his honour.

On the site, we also visited the Nordvegen History Centre, which contained an authentic Viking farm. This included an example of a family home and farm outbuildings.

There were even some examples of children's games on display from the Viking era, all of which were quite basic even in comparison to early incarnations of the Nintendo Game Boy.

The centrepiece of Avaldsnes was the historic St Olav's church, dedicated to the memory of Olaf Trygvason, the King who established Christianity in Norway, a process that was rather more robust than a quaint service followed by a coffee morning and beetle drive in the church hall.

One of the legends of the church is that Judgement Day will take place if the large 'Mary's Needle' stone touches the church wall. Steve was caught on camera attempting to expediate the end of the world by pushing the stone towards the church wall.

The remainder of the day was spent in the medium sized town of Haugesund. Our first port of call was to Haraldshaugen to view the monument dedicated to the unification of Norway under Harald 1, who is buried at the site. The 29 stones surrounding the base of the monument represent the ancient counties of Norway. Haraldshaugen looks out onto the North Sea.

The town was very pleasant with a nice waterfront area that featured lots of fashionable bars and restaurants. Haugesund is also a port of call for cruise ships.

Our next rest day at the fjord allowed us to take a hike in the local area from Bjoa to Ølensvåg. This testing walk took us over some hilly terrain, with some stunning scenery and a nice thunderstorm to ensure that we got suitably wet.

As the walk drew to a close, there was a panoramic view of the Ølen community, the main population centre at the north of Vindafjord. There was a shipyard at Ølensvåg and the Polar Pioneer semi-submersible drilling rig at the quayside, awaiting its next deployment after working in the Arctic.

There was an interesting interlude on Wednesday evening with a Table Tennis tournament being organised. There were 22 of us who participated and others came to see the spectacle. Refereeing duties were shared between Nathaniel and Jeremy, though thankfully there were no disputes in any of the games. I was matched against preacher Doug in the first round and came through in a closely fought encounter, though having said to Doug that the winner of our game would take his next sermon, maybe he threw the game to try and get an evening off.

There were some interesting ties in the first round with a father against daughter clash and Lorna and Alison attempting to be the Williams sisters of table tennis, though mercifully without the screeching. There was also a clash of the titans with tournament organiser Steve battling against Nathaniel, which was a bit like Manchester United and Liverpool meeting in the third round of the FA Cup. The enjoyable tournament was eventually won in another family clash as Nathaniel won a closely fought battle against his younger brother Samuel.

Our next excursion day took us back to Karmøy for a visit to the lovely beach at Åkrahamn. This beach is considered as one of the most beautiful in the country and the site also contained some nice coastal pathways.

Following our beach trip, we then headed to the lovely little town of Skudneshavn at the southernmost point of the island and one of the country's best preserved little towns.

Our coach driver showed his versatility by playing tour guide as he showed us round the old town which led to a small park with a viewpoint that looked towards the dockyard and town.

As the time had reached coffee o'clock, we decided to visit the atmospheric World's Smallest Cafe for a coffee and a waffle. The interior of the cafe was like stepping into a living room and specialised in coffee and waffles.

The cafe owner took time to welcome us all and find out a bit about us, when it emerged that it was Jeremy's birthday, a mixture of Norwegian, Australian, English and Scottish voices in the cafe joined in a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' as Jeremy played the tune on the old organ in the corner. This little establishment had an impact on all of us who visited and although it was indeed small in size, it more than made up for it in terms of having a big heart.

Our last night at the centre ended with another activity evening, which was much more arts and craft focused. This included making models out of dough, give us a clue and a drawing round. Our team consisted of the two sibling groups and Steve. The combination of two groups of people who had grown up with each other meant that our group was very animated and probably created enough noise to wake the dead. The upside was that because everybody knew each others thought processes, it was easy to get through the tasks and win the competition.

Our final day began with a 75 mile journey to Stavanger, the third largest city in the country. As the city is the centre of the oil industry, it was the appropriate location for the Norwegian Petroleum Museum that sits in the water front area. This exhibition is considered as one of best in the country and the unique design symbolises Norway's bedrock.

Inside, there were some very detailed models of different types of oil rig. With so many models of technical machinery on display, it was useful to have my sister Alison, a Production Supervisor on a newly launched installation in the North Sea, on hand to explain more about the oil production process. One of the most impressive models was the Troll A gas platform, the largest offshore platform which stands 472m high.

In addition to models of rigs, drill bits and compressors, there were a range of interactive experiences. This included a Catastrophe Room which reflected what conditions could be like on a rig in a Mayday situation. Groups of 4 or 5 could enter the room and had 2 minutes to try and escape. Steve and Lorna managed to escape quickly though I managed to hold up the rest of the group as I negotiated the escape hatch and we unfortunately narrowly missed out on survival. One of the fun features of the museum, was the opportunity to slither down an authentic escape net which almost led to an embarrassing clothing malfunction when a button got caught and almost split the trousers apart like the San Andreas Fault. Steve made the fastest descent of our group but this may have been due to a misjudgement as he basically fell from top to bottom.

The museum also provided a narrative on Norway's sovereign wealth fund that was founded to channel the oil wealth for the good of the nation. This fund is now worth in excess of 7720 billion NOK. Investments are made worldwide under strict ethical guidelines, for example, companies manufacturing tobacco companies or nuclear weapons will not be added to the portfolio. Currently, there are holdings in almost 9,000 companies, some of the most significant shareholdings include Apple, Royal Dutch Shell and Microsoft. There are also significant Real Estate interests throughout Europe including Berlin, London and Paris.

Stavanger city centre was very clean, tidy and smart with lots of nice places to eat out. We opted for a pleasant mid-priced cafe on one of the main shopping streets which offered a wide range of delicious sandwiches and salads.

As a city that has been built up by the sea, it is no surprise that the harbour area is the most lively area to visit. Indeed, Stavanger would make a good choice for a weekend city break.

As the holiday drew to a close, it was interesting to reflect on what we learned about Norway. This was a nation which mastered the high seas at an early point in its history and sought to increase its role in the world through conquest and colonisation. In the present day, Norway has sought a more reserved and inward looking role, mastering the seas within its territorial waters, extracting the vast oil reserves to benefit all its citizens for generations to come. This is a nation that has adopted a centrist Social Democratic type of politics that has embraced the capitalist philosophy of creating wealth meshed with a paternalistic view of the State providing cradle to grave care. Citizens are asked to pay higher than average taxes though are happy with the benefits such as good education and childcare.

Norway is a country where people are quite friendly and welcoming, without any emotional incontinence. This is a nation where the great wealth is matched with great understatement. Visiting this country felt like you had stepped off the world and were far from the business of everyday life. If you want a holiday where you are going to get an impressive sun tan, this is the last country in the world to visit, but if you want to experience a country with beguiling natural beauty and relaxed pace of life, Norway should be top of your list and will leave you with memories to last a lifetime.

Keep Calm And Carry On

March 22^nd represented the first anniversary of the Brussels terror attacks but was just another nondescript day until later in the afternoon when terrorism reared its ugly head in London. This blog will give some thoughts on this latest attack against our nation.

The first point to note was that the city selected for the attack has come through a city wide fire, plague, war and terror in its long history. It is fair to say that a city that faced squadrons of Messerschmitt bombers dropping bombs on innocent civilians was not going to crumple at the force of a deluded moron in a Hyundai. More recently, the capital city faced a sustained programme of terror from the IRA, a range of attacks that also extended to other towns and cities throughout England and Northern Ireland, many of these atrocities killed many people but did nothing to weaken the resolve of the UK. Some of the more enduring images of yesterday’s event was the response of ordinary people coming to the aid of those that were injured, demonstrating the ‘blitz spirit’ is alive and well.

The second key factor in the Westminster attack was the brilliant response of the emergency services, the Metropolitan Police neutralised the terrorist quickly and secured the crime scene. The London Ambulance Service also mobilised their full range of resources within moments. Terrorist attack drills are periodically carried out and their world class response to a real attack was befitting of world class emergency services in a major international city. Local hospitals also activated their response plans, ensuring that staff were quickly mobilised to where they were most needed and there were also reports of medical staff helping people at the scene.

The third key point is that we are very lucky to have the key security intelligence resource of GCHQ. This organisation come under attack from liberal pressure groups about snooping on citizens, but has been at the source of foiling many potential terrorist campaigns over the years, saving many lives. The most serious Islamic terrorist attack came with the 7^th July 2005 suicide bombings on the London underground and buses. Although this was a serious attack, the death toll from this was nowhere near the levels of attacks in places such as Madrid, Nice, Paris and Bali, far less the infamous 9/11 attacks in the USA. It is quite a testament to the work of GCHQ, that since 2005, London has had only the cowardly slaughter of an unarmed, off-duty soldier and yesterday’s attack on a number of ordinary citizens and an unarmed policeman, since that fateful day in 2005.

Naturally, one death or injury from terrorism is too many and statistics will not be a comfort to those affected by these sort of attacks but we can take a great deal of pride in organisations like GCHQ who are patrolling the dark web and putting into place counter-terrorism strategies to keep us safe, in conjunction with the security services and armed forces. There will no doubt be more low-level attacks in future but the UK Government must ensure that sufficient funding is provided for our intelligence community to continue to foil terrorist plots and remove these scum from our society.

There will no doubt be much rejoicing from Islamic State over the attack and sympathisers complaining about Foreign Policy. This despicable type of justification for criminal acts carries no weight as teachers, police officers and tourists going about their everyday business aren’t responsible for shaping Foreign Policy. Before accusing the West of killing Muslims, perhaps Islamic State should look inwards and be questioning why they have only succeeded in being the largest oppressor of ordinary Muslims in any country that their corrosive organisation has infiltrated.

London can be considered capital of the world with people of every nation having made the city their home, it can truly be considered one of the most free cities on earth where people of different faiths and ethnic groups mix. The fact that the Islamic State movement was reduced to taking such a pathetic cheap shot in London and only succeeded in uniting the people rather than driving them apart shows that they have already lost. On the day after the attack. London responded by continuing life as normal, Westminster Bridge reopened and Parliament reconvened, highlighting the abject failure of terrorists who try to change our way of life and interfere with our cherished democratic freedoms.  There have also been reports of over £200K being raised for the family of the police officer who died and over £10K raised for the Air Ambulance, which was at the scene very quickly.

Following the assassination of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto in 2007, her son was interviewed for television and repeated his mother’s mantra that democracy is the best revenge. As we reflect on the sad events in London, this sentiment is more relevant than ever. During times like these, the old WW2 slogan reminding us to keep calm and carry on is the best response.