Such a long history of engagement with the sea and fish in Skagen.The coastal Museum of Skagen documents life on land and sea from the time the fishermen used boats rowed by 4 or 6 men. Marine rescue is described in graphic detail. The walls of the museum are covered with photos of the heroic rescuers and the names of the many many fishermen lost at sea. Out the back is an example of a poor fisherman’s one and a half room hovel, where as many as a dozen adults and children lived and slept in one room. In the bleak winter. Across the way stands the more comfortable home of the fisherman who owned his own boat.

Home of the “well to do” fisherman

The souvenir shops in Skagen in general offer more honest memorabilia, featuring the icons of the area like wooden lighthouses, boats, fish, cottages and seagulls.

Clarendon Fine art have permanent galleries on most Cunard ships. They give talks and display the work of featured artists. On this occasion one of the featured artists was Mr. Brainwash, aka Tierry Guetta, a trusted confidant of the famous anarchist street artist Banksy. From 2006 they have done all manner of silly and challenging things together, confronting some of the absurd aspects of domestic and political life today. In this show some prints and originals of Mr Brainwash are offered, along with comparable street art of kindred spirits. In the featured work Art for Dummies is trashed while the monkeys advocate “keep it real”

What is the absolute meaning of royalty? What qualifies as genuine royalty? In the event of fakes, forgeries, copies or misrepresentations who actually deserves to be given the royalties? Hmmm?

Visby Gotland

In the early 1100s farmers of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland were happy to welcome a band of Hanseatic German traders. It was a win win situation. The farmers had more customers for their produce and the Germans had a great natural seaport as a hub for Baltic trading. As the settlement grew into such an attractive city, the Germans felt the need to built a city wall to secure their position. The farmers, enraged at being forced to pay a toll to enter what had been their own market place, declared war on the Germans in the civil war of 1288. Needless to say, the better armed and prepared Germans prevailed.

Germans 1 Farmers 0 grumble grumble.

In 1350 Gotland was ravaged by a plague, followed by a downturn in the fortunes of the Hanseatic traders. The malevolent King Valdemar IV of Denmark (possibly an ancestor of the bad guy in Harry Potter?) seized the opportunity to successfully invade and add Gotland to his kingdom in the 1361 Battle of Visby. Law and order was enforced. Lots of crimes were punishable by hanging. The local bishop had the responsibility of interviewing suspects for an hour each day until they confessed. Form of torture at the discretion of the bishop.

The object of the hanging was neither vengeance nor deterrence, simply the ultimate form of humiliation. There were many gallows around the town. On a hill overlooking the town, 3 wooden beams sat atop the triangle of stone columns of the Galgberget gallows, so that up to 9 criminals at a time could be hanged for the education and entertainment of the residents. Only the stone columns remain.

In 1645 Sweden regained Gotland. Life returned to normal. St Mary’s Cathedral was the spiritual centre of Visby

A T A L H E A