Lithuania’s Hill of Crosses

Nine miles outside the small northern Lithuanian city of Siauliai, the countryside is suddenly interrupted by something quite astonishing.  Thousands upon thousands of crosses have been placed upon this low rise of land.

As well as symbolizing the deep Christian devotion of many Lithuanians they are also a testament to the Baltic nation’s struggle against oppression.

Image Credit Flickr User Peatc

It is thought that crosses first began to appear at this spot in the thirteenth century, shortly after the city was founded.  Since then there have been varying numbers of crosses at the site.  It was in the 1831 uprising against Russia that the Hill of Crosses became political as well as purely religious.  Crosses were placed here to commemorate the dead and missing rebels of this period and by the beginning of the twentieth century there were 150 crosses. By 1940 there were 400. Today there are over 100,000.

Little Lithuania – A Time-lapse Tilt-shift Journey

 
Lithuania, if you don’t already know, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is also beautiful.  Filmmaker Jorg Daiber combines drone footage, tilt shift photography and timelapes expertise to show the country off in a very different way.  Some of the older Lithuanian architecture already looks a little “toy town” (not an insult, it’s very visually striking) so the techniques employed here make it look almost unreal in its beauty.  This is part of Daiber’s Little Big World series – if you enjoy these, check out his others on YouTube.

This particular video travels from the amazing Trakai Island Castle (known as the watercastle) to the famous hill of crosses (featuredpreviously on Kuriositas).  You also get the opportunity to check out the gorgeous beaches and sand dunes of the Curonian Spit, then stroll though cities like Klaipėda, Kaunas and the busy capital Vilnius (where we also get a glimpse of modern architecture, too!). All of this in only 4 breathtaking minutes – simply wonderful.

A Magical Mermaid Miscellany

The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark, has entranced onlookers since it was erected in 1909. Yet there are statues of mermaids the world over – a testament to the way in which these alluring ladies of the sea have embedded themselves in global popular culture. Let’s take a tour around the world and visit some of the best.

Baltinore Easter Ross, Scotland

Image Credit Flickr User Mikeseye

Image Credit Flickr User IrenicRhonda

Running Lights

This is lovely.  Two boys discover a dead animal at the side of the road on their way home and decide to bury it.  If that doesn’t sound like a promising premise then be patient and watch Running Lights created by PetPunk.  Although you may not prescribe to the particular circle of life as represented in this animated short I do believe you will find it heart-warming at the very least!  If you don’t quite get it until at least half way through then don’t worry about that either!