I have had my heart broken so many times that I think that there is not much left by a broken, rotten plump of meat. But one thing is real, is that beer has never broken my heart, just as Luke Combs sings in his fantastic song, which I have tried to make a small homage to:
The story of this video: it was a spontaneous manuscript as I had prepared a different one, but I became inspired by my participation in the Budapest-Bamako rally this year, and even added many pictures of a lego car I brought along for the rally.
Anyway, here it is:
I recently visited the beautiful city of Montevideo, Uruguay, and dwelt into some of the famous writer who have called the city home: Eduardo Galeano, Horacio Quiroga, and not least among them the great poet and writer Mario Benedetti.
Besides his books and poems, Benedetti is admired for his immense number of one-liners that inspire and awaken. Many are about the passions that assault us when in love. Not just the unhappy kind, but more about the happy desperation that another person can cause in you, as in the following one-liner:
The local museum in the Danish town of Silkeborg is not one of the most impressive museums you can visit in the world. Silkeborg's history is relatively recent and the town does not have had the central role in Danish history as other towns have had, and thus the museum focuses mainly on the town's industrial history, as well as the many artifacts in the central Jutland area from the Iron Age.
But it is regarding the latter that the small museum is world famous: it contains one of the most extraordinary Iron Age finds in the world. Tollundmanden is the mummified body of a man from the early iron age; it is estimated to be from around 400 BC.
Tollundmanden was found by peat-diggers from the Højgaard family in Tollund in a peat bog at Bøllingsø, an ancient dried lake by Moselund, near the small village of Engesvang, in 1950. The Højgaard family were from the nearby town of Tollund, and thus they inadvertently gave the name to the mummy, despite it coming from Moselund. My family knew the Højgaard family well, and they often joked that Tollundmanden was so ugly that he must be a family member...
All this said, the body they found was so well-preserved that Højgaard family members called the police, who quickly realized that the body was not the victim of a crime, and called archeology professor Peter Vilhelm Glob (1911-1985) from Århus university, who had the body taken to Copenhagen for scientific research and dating (after significant protests from Silkeborg, the body eventually ended at Silkeborg Museum in 1952).
The body is well-preserved, and in particularly the head appears in perfect condition: as a man sleeping quietly, with all details in his face clearly outlined. The body is less well-preserved: when he was found there was doubt that they would be able to conserve the entire body, and the head was taken off to make successful conservation efforts.
Most of the rest of the body was cut into pieces, and parts were scattered in different museums (for many years only the head could be seen at the museum). However, throughout the 1980s, the body parts were assembled, many were in very bad condtion, and a partial reconstruction of the body was made, which is how he can be seen today. Interestingly, the feet are also almost in perfect condition, but a toe was missing and was only found in 2016: in an effort to preserve the body, B. Brorson Christensenm one of the conservationists in 1950, took a toe off (meaning that one of the toes is reconstructed) and never returned it: the toe was only found in a desk drawer after his death.
It has taken time and technology to determine many things about who Tollundmanden was, but many questions remain. He is estimated to have been around 40 years old by the time of his death, and he had once broken his hands; injuries on his feet point that he walked mostly barefoot. It was only determined in 2021, with the use of modern technology that his last meal had been porridge with barley, flax, wild weed seeds, and some fish, giving us a glimpse of the food they ate in northern Europe 2500 years ago.
It is also clear that he died by hanging or strangulation; the leather rope around his neck is very tightly bound, and later examinations have concluded that he was likely hanged due to the distention of the tongue (which is common in hanging).
Then what are the theories about this man?
Initially it was thought that he was a criminal, since he had been hanged. This has been discounted by many historians and archeologists, who indicate that the careful fetal position he was put into, his eyes and mouth closed, as well as the fact that he was clean-shaven, fed, and not any other injuries, may rather indicate that he was rather sacrificed. He is estimated to have died in winter or early spring (due to the lack of fresh fruit or meat in his last meal), a time when food may have been scarce, and when sacrifices may have been a way to appease the gods (nothing is known about their religion, but Roman writings about northern German Barbarians some centuries later mention that some tribes practiced human sacrifice in bogs).
Interestingly, while the body was so well-preserved, his DNA has not been preserved; or at least not enough to make more detailed estimates about where his group came from or where descendants are to be found. This has also made it speculation on his skin, hair and eye colour. Although a recreation by a French artist in 2019 (which can been seen in the museum) makes him blue-eyed and red haired, this will remain mere speculation until and if new techniques are developed.
Although surely Tollundmanden is the most famous, around 800 bog-bodies dating to the Iron Age have been found in bogs in Denmark. One is worth mentioning in this context, namely Elingekvinden, which can also be seen at Silkeborg Museum.
She is less well-preserved than Tollundmanden, with the face almost gone, but an elaborate braid of her long hair can still be seen. Just as Tollundmanden she had also been carefully been laid to rest after being hanged (and she was around 25 years old), and was found only 80 meters from Tollundmanden (in 1938). Ellingekvinden is estimated to be perhaps around 100 years younger than Tollundmanden (355-205 BC), but the proximity and the similarities would also point towards the theories of sacrifices.
Tollundmanden remains a fascinating (if not slightly macabre) exhibition: a quiet, sleeping man, carrying his message to us from 2500 years ago
I have finished my 2021 Christmas video. Ten years since I started making these videos, at first because I had nothing to do and impress a girl (obviously didn't work), and it has become a bit of a habit, even though I am the only person who sees these videos, which are generally stupid and boring, but I have that small neurotic pride that at least I have done something creative in my life otherwise devoid of creativity and anything near intellectual challenges.
This year I have been a bit more ambitious, trying new cameras, angles, and technical tools, most notably lip-movement. The inspiration is one of my favourite movie characters; Indiana Jones, and the video has many small personal touches that only I will see, but which makes this stupid creation mine.
Anyway, the link is this: https://vimeo.com/657164131/57bd4393d4
In March 1957 the Gold Coast colony declared independence from Great Britain as the great nation of Ghana. People were understandably thrilled. Ghana was the first country in Sub-saharan Africa to declare independence from their European colonial master. The British had agreed to leave in peace, and were leaving behind a country with a huge potential. The future was all for Ghana there to take.
Kumase is the second city of Ghana and main city of the Ashanti peoples; historically one of the most powerful nations of West Africa. The military Fort of Kumase would be transferred from the British military to the armed forces of the new nation; the Union Jack would be lowered one last time, to be replaced by the red-yellow-green flag, with a black star on its center, symbolizing African unity.
The fort had been one of the most important military installations in the Gold Coast Colony. It was among other place here that the notorious Gold Coast regiment had been stationed. The fort had attained a legendary status for the British during the Ashanti uprising of 1900 (the so-called Yaa Asantewaa war, or the war for the Golden Stool). Then, thousand of brave Ashanti warriors had besieged the fort for months. Barely 50 British citizens (including the governor of the Gold Coast) and 800 refugees went through hunger and debacles, before being finally rescued by a British force.
The last British officers on duty had their orders to facilitate a smooth transition to the newly established Ghanaian military, pack down all documents and items of importance. Most material was to be handed be handed over to the Ghanaians. The Ghanians were not completely aware of what this included, and although an inventory list had been provided by the British, this list was not complete.
In a store-room in the fort, there were large quantities of Ashanti gold and other valuable objects of Ashanti culture. These items had been stoeln at different times during the Ashanti-British wars, mostly during the second Anglo-Ashanti war of 1874, when troops led by Sir Wolseley plundered and burned down Kumase. The British had been ordered to hand over the gold to the Ghanaians: to bring these items out of the country would be impossible under the given circumstances, and despite a long-history of plundering its colonies, British public opinion would be against to see that after so many years of colonial rule, the British took home the spoils of the newly independent country. No: The gold was to stay in the fort, and then the Ghanaians could dispose of it whichever way they wished.
However, the gold was not included in the inventory list provided to the Ghanaians.
The two British officers in charge of the handover were fond of their time in the Gold Coast; they were happy for the new nation, although a certain colonial nostalgia and military pride overtook them on the last day. But they had a job to do: they went through the inventory, including the valuable gold objects in the store-room. It had a large wooden door, which faced a small open space on the back-side of the fort. It had before been used to store ammunition. When the two officers were taking a last look at the room, they saw an old sign, from the time when the room had been used for the storage of ammunition: “Danger! Do Not Enter!”, it warned.
As a final prank, the officers decided to put up the sign on the door. They smiled cheerfully as they thought of the surprise the Ghanaians would have when they carefully opened the door and found nothing dangerous, but instead beautiful artifacts of Ashanti culture.
The transition went smoothly and the Ghanaians took over the fort. At first, they turned it into a miltary barack, and the fort eventually became the museum of the armed forces of Ghana. But the room was not opened: With other priorities on their mind, and a fear that they would not have the necessary expertise to handle the dangerous materials in the room, the Ghanaians dared not enter the room. It took 30 years before someone dared open the room, under very strict safety conditions, because a refurbishing of the museum was taking place. It must indeed have been a big surprise to find all this beautiful gold in there, just as the two officers had imagined. But did they smile thinking that their little prank took 30 years to be revealed?
I heard this story many years ago when visiting Kumase and the Armed Forces Museum there.
I have never been good at meeting women. I am not good-looking; I am shy, and not particularly interesting. And I have learnt to distrust if am woman shows interest in me, because I cannot see why anyone would. This was not always the case, and perhaps a quite amusing situation that happened to me in the infamous city of Las Vegas some years ago, may be some of the cause for this healthy distrust of the female gender.
After having spent some days hiking at the Grand Canyon and spending a few days on the road between Las Vegas and Flagstaff, Arizona, I had a full day in Las Vegas, Nevada, before boarding a flight that would take me back to Caracas, Venezuela, where I was living at the time. Las Vegas is the city of sin, but besides my propensity for beer and football, I am not much of a sinner: I don't gamble, don't overly enjoy hard liquor, and not particularly attracted to the temptations of the flesh on offer in Las Vegas. I nevertheless wanted to see the place and glance at the immense variety of people visiting the city. Having seen the overwhelming natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas appeared as the perfect contrast of materialistic kitsch and extravaganza created by humans.
After checking into the Luxor Hotel and Casino (because it looks like a pyramid!) in the early morning, I spent the day walking casually up and down the "Strip", carrying a little bag with a map, water, my notebook, "The Economist"; I went into many of the enormous casinos, and enjoyed the discovery of a new place, even one as extravagant as Las Vegas.
By early afternoon I walked into a huge mall, the "Miracle Mile", as I had promised someone in Venezuela to look for some clothes for her 2-year old daughter. I had just walked a few minutes when a gorgeous woman passed by me: big brown eyes that stood out more by the natural darkness around them. She had soft, shoulder-length brown hair, and a light brown skin with a light pottery colour, as soft as silk (as cliché-like as it may sound). She was a bit smaller than me, and although dressed conservatively, any man would have noticed a perfectly proportioned body.
Even though I pretended not too, I could not help but glance at her as she walked by. Perhaps she felt my gaze; she looked straight at me... and smiled! A big, beautiful, honest smile! I smiled back, probably a silly, goofy, shy smile, and kept walking with a bit of extra confidence, happily thinking to myself: "People are so nice here in America! A smile like that from a woman like that will warm my heart for the rest of my life".
I continued looking for baby clothes in the enormous mall, without luck (I may be the only person in the history of Las Vegas who went to Las Vegas, and spent time looking for baby clothes!). Half an hour later, I was walking by another part of the mall, and lo-and-behold, I saw the same woman just ahead of me! As I walked past her, she also saw me, and this time I smiled first, and she smiled back. I was just going to continue on my way, but she approached me: "Didn't I see you before?"
"Yes", I said smiling, but also ready to move on.
"Where are you from?", she said insistingly.
"Denmark"
"Really? I thought that maybe you were Hispanic"
"Well, to tell the truth, I live in Venezuela", I said, now ready to talk more to her, not because I was particularly confident, but because she was being so friendly.
"Oh! That is no nice!" she said with an apparently honest interest.
"What do you do there?"
I always find this a difficult question: I am a boring public servant, there is nothing particularly interesting in what I do, and I am somewhat embarrassed to say it to people.
"uhh… I… ooh… I work for my government...". I then quickly added: "And where are you from?"
"I am from here", she said, still with that hypnotic smile, and looking me straight in the eyes in such a way that I could feel myself to start sweating.
"Las Vegas?"
"Well, I am originally from Georgia, but I live here"
"I have good friends from Georgia!"
"How nice! Have you been there?"
"No…" I was still not sure what else to say, but she was insisting on the conversation.
"Can I ask you something?" she said, somewhat mysteriously.
"Yes"
"You have such nice skin! Do you use anything for your skin…?"
"uhhh… Noooo… Not really…." I said a bit taken aback by the question.
"Can I show you something?" she said, taking my hand (and feeling her hand made me sweat even more) before I could say anything and leading to a small stand, where she sat me on a stool.
"What is your name?"
"Erik", I said. "And you?"
"I am Nathalie" she said smiling, and while she opened a can of cream, she asked me whether I was in Las Vegas alone.
"Yes", I said.
"Are you married?"
"No", I said
"You are kidding me! How come!?" she said, sounding truly surprised, but also with a teasing tone of flirtation.
"Well… I don't know… I guess I travel a lot", I said, not really knowing what to say to all this interest and beauty.
"That is so strange! You should come to live in America!"
I had to smile at that.
"Are you married?"
For the first time she looked at me seriously: "I was"
"I am sorry", I said.
"Don't be! He was an idiot!" she said, and I wondered how any man in their right mind could be an idiot to such a woman.
While talking, she started to put some cream on my face, gently rubbing her hands against my chubby cheeks, and telling me how this cream could help my already beautiful skin.
"I think you do not sleep a lot"
"Yes", I said honestly, thinking of my frequent periods of insomnia.
"I can see it. You should try to use this under your eyes", she said, and added some other cream under my eyes, as she told me I had beautiful eyes, and that I should promise her to use this creme.
There is no doubt that Nathalie was a great saleswoman: I walked away from her with 350 USD worth of skin-products that I only used only occasionally when I remembered I had them, but most of all when I wanted to think of a beautiful woman who appeared interested in me, even if it was only for selling me something.
And that is the real story of my life!
