Feast your eyes

Yesterday it rained non-stop, and the day before that was pretty much the same. Rain means the camera can’t play, and that makes it a little less fun to breathe. The plan was to photograph the beautiful green spot, the mini forest surrounding the retirement home Sølund, down my block. Eventually I couldn’t take it anymore, and shot the whole thing crouching under an umbrella. This place. It is fenced off somewhat, to keep the tenants from getting lost as some of them suffer from dementia. But of course there is a way in. There always is.

Tiny Sølund reflected and multiplied in raindrops, if you look closely...

The apartments all have a funny angle, designed to offer everyone a lakeview. So clever.

Funny thing is, after all these years as my next door neighbor, it is only now I notice the cool play with colors, in the windows. Yum. But I came for the trees, wild, ancient, rare and diverse. Posing for me in their brand new spring green coats.


 


Even if this garden is reserved for the elderly, it still soothes our entire neighborhood. And, the trees, bushes and plants cleans the air, polluted by the heavy traffic across the lakes. Watching the trees through the cycles of life, budding, blooming, shedding, balding and budding all over again, is part of what makes a city livable. Part of what makes life livable, really.



The parking is neatly tucked away underground, it is almost like the cars are sucked in by a leafy catarpillar. And the cherry trees are shedding, covering the floor in a creamy blanket.

Mad romance...

...even for snails.

(fogging up)

Feast your eyes on all this beauty, before I rip your hearts out. Try not to think about what comes next...

Moments

Days are made from series of moments. Moments are made of a tricky stuff. They can be hard to come by, are easily missed, and when you are blue, they can be impossible to see. And then in just two sunny days, Copenhagen will offer them up like pearls on a never ending string.

The Hitchkock blonde.

A hit of color.

A hit of cycle chic. Men can play that game too, you know.

A ladybug pedicap driver taking a break under a rescued bunker tree, by the lakes.

A red wall reflected in a window, visible only from this particular angle, I tried to move closer, and it disappeared, kind of magical. Perfectly illustrating why the classic Copenhagen window frame is named after our flag, Dannebrog. And... I think it is summer. Dare I say?

We are back in sandals.

Picking up on the outdoor activities.

I wish some moments could last.

♥

Mmmmmagnolia

One day I will get one of those phones, smart and made out of glass. And then I will start making weird apps for Copenhagen, like the one mapping the scents of the city. In spring, it will glow like crazy at this corner, where the magnolia tree is the first to bloom, and all too quickly cover the ground in a blanket of cream and pink leaves. Maybe the phone will even make a subtle mmmmmmm-sound, to remind you to stop and take in the magnolias, while they last.

 

On the corner of Østerfarimags Gade and Gothersgade. Approximately here (map).

Street art, Paris

Philippe Baudelocque 

 

 

Four days in Paris

It’s funny how two hours on a plane that is smelling like someones armpit, can seem like days, and then four days in your other favorite city will fly by so incredibly fast. I just got back from Paris, and I am so inspired. It is still cleaner than Copenhagen, and way greener too. In a strange development, they seem to be picking up the pace in advertising, and buffing/painting over street art like crazy. I’m slightly concerned, but worrying about one city is tough enough as it is. And, fortunately there is still an obvious love and respect for the beauty of the city. Something the city planners of Copenhagen could stand to learn from: preserve and respect history, let things grow, work with existing structures and nurse the open spaces. And: get with the 21st century and plan for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, not cars. Voilà.

Remember this vertical garden from last year? See how far it has come:

This is the best form of advertising I have seen to date. I want to shop with someone who gives this to the city, instead of obnoxious banners that become outdated within weeks. The city should invest in vertical gardens too, as they help clean the air. Some say we have a few in Copenhagen, but other than the one from the European Environmental Agency back in 2010 that is long gone (but why?), I have not seen any. And you know I have hungry eyes...

It's not that I want this for Copenhagen, I demand it. Ha.

(Oh, I’m gonna spam you so hard)

Helmut Lang with a twist. The repetition, and the contribution from the street.

I'm the only one here! I wonder if I will ever stop feeling that way.

Beautiful store signs, such diversity and originality.

Something old.

Something truly original.

Something... something.. hahaha.

Did I mention the cyclists? The numbers are nowhere near Copenhagen's, but they are obviously serious about it, and you can pick up a street bike on nearly every corner. Our old street bikes were more of a cosy joke, and they have now been permanently retired. A new bike-share-system is in the works, paid for not by the city (so odd), but the train company. The priorities in my city, I don't always get them...

Moving on to yummi doors.

Door detail. Everywhere you look, there are door details.

Beautiful decay. I don't know the man, but his picture ages really well.

These fences are lining all the garbage containers at construction sites. People use them to attach flyers, and once removed, little pieces of tape and paper are left behind like confetti stuck in the moment. A celebration of whatever you want it to be.

Sometimes, simply everything is beatiful.

(intermission, brace yourself for part two) 

♥

Fried brain

This is going to be a this and that post, because my brain is fried. A little glass:

The cyclist's basic nightmare. A weekend special, always keep an eye out on Sundays, and don't get too close to the sidewalk.

Sunday I crashed the flea market in Jægersborggade with a packed bike's worth of stuff. I nearly parted with this beautiful glass brooch, until I realised it could be used as a freaky lens. This is exactly why I still have too much, too weird stuff cluttering up my house.

I seriously need a break, so I am on one. View from the train:

To be continued... 

(And I promise next time I will be back with something more than just a fried brain)