Thinking about the future

The last post of the year (no, I'm not done with the review of the year) features this one of the tower of Christiansborg, where the Danish parliament resides, and with a sculpture thinking. The last day of the year is good time to reflect on the future. Hopefully the current economic crisis in the world will be solved, but I guess it will demand a lot of thinking, a lot of deciding and a lot of action. Unfortunately that is not the three things the current crop of politicians are best at. And with that gloomy thought I wish you all a happy New Year, I hope all your wishes come through and that you and your family may prosper despite all.

Copenhagen Carnival

June also brought the Copenhagen Carnival to town. The Carnival, traditionally held on Pentecost, features hundreds of dancers and thousands of spectators during the 3-4 days it lasts. The biggest event is the parade on Strøget in the city where the dancers have to squeeze through the throngs of camera-touting tourists and residents.

The Copenhagen Elephant Parade

June brought the Elephant Parade to Copenhagen with 102 elephants scattered around the city. A perfect opportunity to get out and try to get them all. I think I got most of them, but a few got away. Not this one though. It was situated right next to the Royal Library (the Black Diamond) with a view of the harbour.

Beautiful Bogense

June was a good time to visit family in Bogense on the island of Fünen. Here long walks can take you to beautiful views like this with the coast and the little island of Æbelø (Apple Island) in the background.

A quick trip to Berlin

May brought me on a quick trip to Berlin. As it was work-related there wasn't that much time to snap, but I got a few ones like this one of Berliner Dom and the Fernsehturm.

A walk of art

May was the month where the Danish town of Køge was transformed with a lot of street art. Walk This Way gave the public a chance to appreciate this art form over the summer. Some of it was interesting like this part called the Pink Army, and some of it was just weird.

It's Xmas

To most Danes this is the day after as we celebrate on Christmas Eve with a dinner of either roasted duck (my favourite) or roasted pork with caramelized potatoes and all the trimmings. Gifts are given after dinner and then it's time to enjoy a cup of coffee. And Christmas morning is usually a slow one unless a family lunch has to be prepared. Btw this is my sister's very nice version of the duck last year.

Merry Christmas to you all

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May all your hopes come through:-)

Start of the season

With May comes the season of outdoors entertainment and festivals to Copenhagen. And a relatively  new addition to that is the Japanese Sakura Festival held near Langelinje. With drummers, archers, martial arts performances and lots of food stalls  this is a crowd pleaser.

Long time, no see

With the southern Sweden within easy reach of Copenhagen, I sometimes take a quick trip to the brother-land. Usually it's to Malmö or Lund, but in April I decided to visit a town I hadn't seen since my childhood, Helsingborg just across the Øresund from yesterday's Helsingør. A nice town to spend a few hours in with the keep of Kärnan as a dominant landmark.

The yearly visit

A once or twice a year I visit Helsingør and the castle of Kronborg. This year it happened to be on Occupation Day, 9th of April. I follow more or less the same route around the castle so I have tons of photos of it in every light imaginable.

Sure sign of Spring

A sure sign that spring is here in Copenhagen is when the Tivoli Gardens open again for business all clad in Easter colours. The daffodils were blooming there last April when they opened on this brilliant day. In the background is another landmark of Copenhagen, the City Hall Tower.

The sun is up and so am I

April is a good month in Copenhagen to get up early and start shooting a lot again after the long, dark winter. Flowers and trees start to bloom and the sun is up early enough, so that you can get up and out before the crowds. I took this one on the station of Vesterport an early Saturday last April, and yes, it is your truly on the left.

Still Digging

As mentioned before the new Metro lines are on their way, so the central square Rådhuspladsen and other squares are not exactly pleasing visually. From this photo was taken in February until now progress has been made though.

A secret garden

One of the many great places in Copenhagen to experience spring, or other seasons for that matter, is the Carlsberg Garden. Hidden inside the old brewery past this pathway and through a gate at the end, it's not a place that many visit or even know about, so here you're out of the crowds and the noise. And in March, when I went there it was really deserted.

Spring on its way

When the frost finally cleared in March the first sign of spring were quick to come.

Still frozen over

March was a cold month in Copenhagen with the spring still struggling to get a foothold. The old harbour Nyhavn was frozen quite a bit into the month.

A city of lights

When night falls, and in February it does that early in February, the lights of Budapest turns on, illuminating it in a wonderful light. The Chain Bridge here just begged to be photographed on this night.

1956 - a year to remember

A year that the Hungarians understandably remembers is 1956, he year when the Hungarian people revolted against the oppression of the Soviets. The revolt was drowned in blood and the many dead are seen as martyrs in today's Hungary. In February I saw numerous statues and monuments all over Budapest to commemorate the events, like this one at the eternal Flame outside the parliament.

Getting around in Budapest

When travelling to a foreign city like Budapest, getting around can often be a challenge. Not in Budapest, though. Here the public transport worked, both trams, buses and metro, when I was there in February.

A lot of statues

Budapest is filled to the brim with statues, as I discovered in February. A lot of them are of course of historic figures, new and old,  but others are showing everyday life like this girl playing with her dog.

Don't Forget to Relax

When travelling I often forget to relax as I want to see (and photograph) as much as possibly. Budapest in February seems to draw you indoor to the nearest waterhole as the temperatures are on the cold side. And Budapest is a good place to taste the local brew and food. It's plenty and to someone living in Copenhagen, nice on the wallet as well.

A Budapest Museum Worth Visiting

One of the museums on Castle Hill in Budapest that many tourists miss is the Museum of Military History, which takes the visitor trough the whole military history of Hungary, even the newer history like WWI, WWII and the uprising of 1956. To get through it you need more than just a little knowledge beforehand as most of the explanations are in Hungarian only. For a history buff like me, it was a good way to spend a couple of hours on a frigid February visit.

The Castle Hill Revisited

No visit to Budapest is complete without visiting the Castle Hill and its many narrow streets, small restaurants and picturesque shops. And of course the museums there. Even in February there's lots to explore.

A place of history, new and old

One of the monuments clearly visible over Budapest that I noticed in February was this one, the Liberty Statue on Gellert Hill. Erected by the Soviets in 1947 it was originally to commemorate the victory over Nazi-Germany, but after democracy replaced communism in 1989 the inscription was changed from "Erected by the grateful Hungarian Nation in memory of the liberating Russian heroes" to "To the memory of all of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and success of Hungary." Budapest is truly a place of history, both new and old.

Beautiful Budapest

In February the camera focused on beautiful Budapest, a city I'd never been to before. Even though the stay was a bit too short to really see the city, and the weather a bit too cold to roam the streets for many hours without appropriate pit-stops, I really enjoyed the city and its people.The photo shows the grand Hero's Square, Hösök tere, with the Millennium Monument as the central piece.

How to find colours in February

If you're looking for colours in your photographs in Copenhagen in February, like I did last February, you have to be creative. This glass panel was part of a piece of art in Ørestaden, the newly developed area on Amager. The art is called the Island of Love (Kærlighedsøen in Danish) and features a pavilion with this glass roof and a column with 12 women.

A bit Morbid?

I know that many people find it a bit morbid to visit cemeteries, but Vestre Cemetery in Copenhagen is a favourite for its many old monuments and park-like atmosphere. So there I was in February and couldn't resist snapping this broken profile.

Dyrehaven at Winter

Another place that regular readers have noticed I visit on a regular basis, is Dyrehaven just north of Copenhagen. All seasons here works for me, though it's wise to dress appropriately when trying to get photos like this in January.

A new Bridge

I often use a bit of time exploring the same areas of Copenhagen again and again just to notice the changes there during different seasons. In January I went to the South Harbour area (Sydhavnen), where the old harbour has been developed during the last few years into a residential and business area. To connect two of the islets a new bridge has been built, the Teglværksbroen, which I captured on this grey and calm winter day.

What to do on a gray January Sunday?

To answer the above question, how about visiting the National Gallery in Copenhagen? This I did in January when it was indeed grey and dull outside. A nice warm and relatively quiet museum with lots of beautiful art on the walls. And cameras are not frowned upon, except if you use flash or tripods.

January is not a photography month in CPH

Even though the weather in January in Copenhagen didn't scream out for a lot photography, there's still things to do, like visiting the Copenhagen Zoo. I got there around feeding time for this bird, as it gulped down the mouse. With an abundance of nice museums in Copenhagen, this is a fine time to get indoors to take some snaps of the exhibitions.

Start with an icicle

Soon it will be the last month of the year and this has made me think, that I'll use some posts here on looking back on it photography wise. My photography year started here in Arbrå in Sweden on New Year's morn with a very cold winter view. From there the year has taken me around Copenhagen a lot and Denmark a bit, not to mention a cold Budapest, a spring-warm Berlin, a great road trip through Germany, Italy and France, and a quick trip to London. So there's lot to tell you about in the next couple of weeks.

Basilica again

The last post from Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen for now is this photo the Basilica with the traditional Christmas decorations as a frame. Despite the more negative voices I've heard about this year's Russian theme, I actually think Tivoli has done a good job of weighing the traditional Danish Christmas with the Russian one. Just because it's new and foreign doesn't mean that it's not good.

It's a Garden

Tivoli in Copenhagen is not called the Tivoli Gardens for nothing. They take pride in having flowers and plants making the amusement park looking pretty no matter what time of the season it is. So expect to find flowers blooming or at least with colours even during the Christmas market. These yellow berries made for some nice colours against the clear blue sky the day I went there, so I had to have a few shots of them.

That's a reindeer

Tivoli even got live reindeer at their Christmas Market. These you can't buy, though, they're only for show. But a great thing to watch for the kids.

Also a market

The Christmas opening at Tivoli was actually started as a Christmas market, and that is still very much the case. A lot of stalls selling all manner of Christmas or winter related stuff, like woollen gloves and fur hats, or stuff to eat or drink. It's probably not the cheapest place in town to buy your Christmas gifts, but I guess they have a lot of passers by that suddenly realize that they really do need that big ceramics Santa for the garden.

A tree of hearts

A tradition that still is on at Tivoli during Christmas is the tree of hearts. Hung with hearts that are lit at night and with three giant hearts made out of crystals beside it, it does make an impact on the visitors.

Getting some warmth

Xmas time is also a cold time in Denmark, so Tivoli has made sure that you can get some warmth into those frozen fingers by putting op these coal braziers around the garden.

Open for business

The rides in Tivoli is open for business during the Russian Christmas Market, but remember to dress warm as it might be a tad cold in the wind.

An Icy Peacock

The elfs and the normal peacock on the pantomime theatre in Tivoli, has been replaced this Christmas with babushka dolls (actually they are matryoshka dolls) and a peacock with a ice-blue-and-white colour scheme. The dolls are part of a treasure hunt for children that will take them to various parts of the garden.

Still Traditional

I've heard some people complaining that it's not traditional to have a Russian Christmas in Tivoli and that the kids will be disappointed about it. Well, I'm not sure if these people has actually been around the gardens much or if they have only seen the Russian area, because there's still a lot of traditional stuff here. Outside the Restaurant Grøften patrons are greeted by this Santa in full gear and the gardens are filled to the brim with ordinary Christmas decorations, so yes, it's still very much a traditional Christmas here.

Father Frost

Visitors to Tivoli are greeted by the Russian version of Santa Claus, Father Frost, all decked out in blue and white. In the Russian area you can get your photo taken with him in his sled while having a cozy chat with him about your wishes for Christmas.

The Swan Lake

Another addition to Tivoli's Christmas Market this year is this Swan Lake, referring to Russian composer Tchaikovsky's ballet of that name. And as the swan also has a leading role in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Ugly Duckling and because the swan is the national bird of Denmark, it's a very appropriate thing to have here during the Russian Christmas Market.

Onion Domes

Inside Tivoli Gardens there is quite a surprise to many; a big scale model of a Russian Basilica, the Vasilij Cathedral with colourful onion domes instead of the traditional great hall with jolly pixies. And I must confess that as opposed to many others, I quite like the change.

Something amiss

Each year from mid-November until the end of December the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen has a Christmas market with a heavy emphasis on the traditional Christmas things; Santa Claus, lots of Christmas decorations and the appropriate food. But something is amiss. At the entrance to Tivoli a drummer stands guard, announcing that not all is as it used to be. And he looks suspiciously Russian.

Going home

After the Hubertusjagt in Dyrehaven people head for home after a few great hours in the autumn clad park. Among them a happy winner of the ponies run-up.

Two winners

The winners of the Hubertusjagt run-up 2011 for horses was Kamille Dumong Erichsen on Harry Potter, seen here with trophy and winner's blanket respectively.

A winner

At most parforce hunts there's no winner, but at the Hubertusjagt they've got a run-up for both horses and ponies, so here they can have a winner, or rather two. The trophy is here presented by HRH Prince Henrik to the winner of the pony run-up, Caroline Utzon-Rødbro on Mørkbaks Doth.

To make a buck

Whenever crowds gathers for an event the money sits loose in their pockets, and so the entrepreneurs gather as well. At the Hubertusjagt in Dyrehaven they know that people here are mostly families and that they like horses (or their kids do). So the local carriages, called kapervogne in Danish, are ready to transport people around for a buck or two.