Monday, July 29, 2013

Paddocks to come



Behind the Danish parliament of Christiansborg something new is happening. The old riding court for the training the royal horses are being made into paddocks for the horses instead. Gone is the fountain and soon there'll be green fields instead. The reason is that in Denmark all horses are entitled to some time every day in a paddock instead of having to be locked up in a stable, and that goes even for royal horses,

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Open for business

 

After having been closed for renovation for a couple of years the most prestigious hotel in Copenhagen, the Hotel D'Angleterre is (almost) open for business. Some renovations still remains but it has opened its doors for guests.

 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

For the future

 

Two years ago Copenhagen was hit by torrential rain and thousands of cellars were flooded. The work to try to prevent that in the future has already been under way in many places and now the time has come to my neighborhood in Valby. For the next couple of years a 2.5m wide and 2.5km long tunnel will be dug from the lake Damhussøen under the park Vigerslevparken to the beach at Åmarken. When finished it should be able to transport a huge amount of rain water, when (not if) Copenhagen is hit by a new rain storm. As a bonus it also should improve water quality at the beach, so maybe it will be possible to dip your toes there in a not too long future.

 

Friday, July 26, 2013

Upgrading

 

When the inner Copenhagen harbour along Klavebod Brygge was closed down for shipping, the area was turned over to free enterprise, and the big corporations and hotel chains quickly put up a lot big new buildings. With little or no regulation this area is devoid of people outside of business hours and it's without any soul. Now the authorities have realized their mistake and they're trying to do a bit of an upgrade to make it more people-friendly. The new boardwalk called Copenhagen Wave will be ready for the public by the end of August.

 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Water bus time lapse

 

If you want to see the Copenhagen Harbour you can either take one of the sightseeing boats that will take you into the canals and the main harbour, while giving you a running commentary about what you're seeing. Or you can take the cheap way by using the water buses that run between Teglholmen in the south and Refshaleøen in the north with quite a few stops during the trip. And you'll get the whole trip for a single bus fare. You'll have to make your own commentary, though.
The video here is a time lapse I did the other day while taking the whole trip, and then some. And to the other passengers; sorry if I hugged the railing, but I didn't want to risk loosing my camera overboard.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Locks of love


I've noticed these locks on bridges in many places in Europe and in the beginning they baffled me, I must admit. Apparently couples put them up and throw away the key to symbolize eternal love. Now the locks have come to Copenhagen, though not as mainstream as in i.e. Eastern Europe. These few locks have been placed on the bridge across Nyhavn, but who knows, it might catch on here in the next few years. We have enough bridges to last a few lifetimes.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

C.F. Tietgen House



C.F. Tietgens House from 1904 is the former head office of the bank Privatbanken. It lies on the site next to the Old Stock Exchange and was built to replace 6 old houses called the Six Sisters. The public outcry causes by the demolition of the old houses was the reason that the law was changed, so that buildings can be protected if they are of a architectural, historical or cultural interest.
Privatbanken, founded in 1857, came under the directorship of the young C.F. Tietgen. The bank's head office was located in the Christian IV stock exchange building for more than 40 years. In 1904, the bank relocated to monumental, Baroque-style premises on the site behind Børsgade. The bank founded the Copenhagen telephone company, and was therefore assigned the simple telephone number of 1. Privatbanken was the first bank in Denmark to introduce the use of cheques. In 1990, Privatbanken merged with two other banks, and following a major Nordic banking merger in 2000, the new bank was named Nordea and moved out of the Børsgade premises.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Swallows 4


The last of the swallows pics i'm going to show for now is this flyby.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Swallows 3


It doesn't take long for the parents to stuff some food down the throat of the chicks so it took some patience to get this one.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Swallows 2


Out in the garden the day after yesterday's photo, the chicks were getting flying lessons while still being fed by their parents. This chick just screamed for a mouthful as the swallow dived in.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Swallows 1


While visiting family in Bogense on Fünen I noticed the swallows in the gateway just outside the kitchen. Having hatched five chicks, but loosing one the parents were busy feeding them. They were more or less oblivious to me standing there trying to get a few pics of them, so I managed this one that I quite like. The next day was a big day in these chicks life, and I captured that too as I'll show you tomorrow.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Sunrise 6 - and last


The last of the photos from Klintebjerg, that I'm going to show you here is this one. With the low tide I could get some rocks and seaweed in the foreground and the sunrise just behind the boat in the background. Tomorrow I'll show you that you don't have to travel to exotic lands to get interesting pics of birds.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Sunrise 5


Dialling the exposure down you can get the sun nice and round, while still catching a few details. Klintebjerg offered a few boats as foreground attraction.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sunrise 4


The swallows were up so I catched one of them sunbathing on a wire with the sun in the back.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Sunrise 3


We have breakthrough. The sun is now over the horizon (and the trees) and a new day has come to Klintebjerg. But why stop to photograph now? With the sun this low you can get some interesting backlit pics. See how tomorrow.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Sunrise 2


On this sunrise photo from Klintebjerg I've boosted the colours a bit to get an almost orange glare in the sky.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Sunrise 1



A couple of days ago I showed you a time lapse of a sunrise over Klintebjerg on Fünen. For the next few days I'll show you some of the photos I took on that very early morning. This one is from the blue hour just before dawn. I like the calm on the photos with the tethered boats as focus points.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Cycling in Valbyparken



Close to my home is a nice big park that never seems to be crowded even during the best summer weekends. I often take either a walk or a ride on my bicycle through it, enjoying the different parts of it, from manicured rose gardens to wild nature. This little time lapse show one of the rides I usually opt for when I need a bit of air and exercise.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Jazz for kids




Jazz is not only for old people, it's also for kids, as the Ouagadougou Connection proved in Østre Anlæg the other day. The area in front of the stage was packed with kids itching to dance to the African inspired rhythms.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Copenhagen Jazz Festival

 

These days the Copenhagen Jazz Festival is in full swing, so if you're around the city you'll get plenty of chances to listen to some great jazz. And a lot of them are for free as well. This band, the Orion Brass Band, started out near Nørreport Station with a few numbers before they went on a parade through the inner city.

 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

A sunrise time lapse

 

During a family visit on Fünen, the island in the middle of Denmark, we ventured out before dawn to the little harbour of Klintebjerg to catch the sunrise. The GoPro Hero3 cam naturally went op alongside the Nikons and the Canons and this is the result of that little experiment. A truly glorious sunrise.

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Round Tower

 

One of the must-sees for many tourists in Copenhagen is the Round Tower, Rundertårn in Danish. Built by Christian IV in 1632 it is still used as an observatory, though much better ones has replaced it, so it's now mostly for show. The view from the 30m tower is a nice one as most of the buildings in the inner city is lower than the viewing platform.

 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Outdoor service

 

The church seems to have been moved outdoor here to attract new customers in Ørestaden. It is of course nice with some life in the new areas, but I don't think many of the local residents were attending this service on this Saturday.

 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Where to put the bicycle...or not

 

Yesterday I showed you one parking solution for the bicycles of Copenhagen. This is another one, albeit probably not an approved one. Placing you bike where everyone has to squeeze pass it with prams, shopping backs and the like, will certainly earn you some nasty remarks.

 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Stacking the bicycles

 

Parking is a problem in Copenhagen, not only for cars but for bicycles as well. This is one, maybe impractical solution from Ørestaden.

 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

A garden in town

 

Around Copenhagen there's a lot of gardens like this, where people living in the city in an apartment can rent a place to grow some of their own. This plot of land with small-scale agriculture is placed in Ørestaden and is fairly new, but others go back decades. Called kolonihaver in Danish they're are not easy to get, as the waiting lists of the most popular ones are thirty years or more long.

 

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Tilting

 

The modern constructions in Ørestaden are nice to photograph as you can always find a new angle to catch. This one is from the Figure-8 building by BIG, and I've tried to catch the slanting lines so that they're horizontal instead.

 

A new station

 

The construction of the new Nørreport Station in Copenhagen is taking shape. Below ground the work seems to have come to an end and above the new buildings that will house ticket office, kiosks and the like are beginning to look good. It will still take a year or two before the whole station is finished, though.

 

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Grey Copenhagen Time lapse

 

This summer in Copenhagen has yet to show some real summer weather for more than a few days. This time lapse was filmed over a few days of grey in the end of June.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Walking on water



Wherever new buildings rise in Copenhagen, canals and ponds are sure to follow. We like water in our cities in Denmark, maybe because we're used to having water around us all the time from an early age. Denmark is after all a country with a couple of thousands islands, and there's nowhere that is further away from the sea than an hours drive at most.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

A matter of taste


The new residences in Ørestaden in Copenhagen divides people. To some it´s great with something different, to others it´s horrible. Taste is so difficult to discuss, but as long as there´s something for all people, and that is the case in Copenhagen, why go to such great lengths to discuss what's good taste and what isn't? People who live here love it, and if they don´t, I'm sure they'll be able to find something else.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Nature at the gate


If you live in the southern part of Ørestaden in Copenhagen, this is view you can get on a daily basis. Nature is literally at the gate, as Vestamager unfolds before your eyes.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Nature is just around the corner


This might not be true nature as defined by an area left alone by man, but it sure feels, smells and look the part. Just south of the newly developed area of Ørestaden in Copenhagen on the island of Amager is an area called Vestamager. With wide-open fields, meadows and small clusters of trees and bushes this reclaimed land is a popular area to go to if you need something green and unkempt around you.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

For sale


One of the most recognisable buildings in the inner city of Copenhagen, the Old Stock Exchange, has been put on the market. Built in 1619-1629 by King Christian IV in Dutch renaissance style, it has only been sold two times before. The current owner, Danske Erhverv (Danish Chamber of Commerce), has been using it for conferences and offices, but they've been moving their activities to other locations. It hasn't been used as a stock exchange since 1974. The location can't be better with parliament and the National Bank within sight, but you'll need a big wallet to buy it. Hopefully it won't be sold to a fast food chain...

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Locks of love


The tradition where couples place locks on a bridge as a symbol of their undying love has also hit Copenhagen, though it's not as massive as I've seen in Vilnius, Budapest and Frankfurt. These locks are placed on the bridge crossing Nyhavn.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Urban growth

 

Even in the middle of the city you'll get wild flowers like this. It seems like the city gardeners are following a new policy as these pockets of explosive growth are left to their own devices, where they would have been mowed rigorously and savagely been kept down a few years back. And good it is, as they don't hinder traffic and actually give joy to most, except of course those with severe hay fever.

 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Not a UFO

 

On my way to work I often see this one going at speed down the bicycle lane. And it is a kind of bicycle though more streamlined than most. Perfect for rainy days, I guess, but I'm not sure how comfortable it is.

 

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Use it, please!

 

This oversized trash can is part of a campaign to get people in Copenhagen to use the trash cans instead of littering. I hope it's going to work because, as I've told about before, the city has become increasingly dirtier over the last ten years. And the main reason is that people just don't seem to care about their trash. Somebody else will pick it up, right? Well, yes it's going to be picked up eventually by the municipality but it costs the taxpayers (that's all of us, remember) a bundle each year just because a lot of people, young and old, can't be bothered to walk a few extra steps to the nearest trash can.

 

Metro timelapse


The Copenhagen Metro is a great place to make a time lapse video with the GoPro Hero3 camera if you have a suction cup. Gaffer tape can also be used, but then be prepared for some odd glances from your fellow travellers.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Rain and thunder


With the coming of summer in Denmark, you'll also experience a few battles between cold and warm masses of air, so expect some summer thunderstorms with heavy rain. Well, I know heavy rain in Denmark is nothing compared to other places, but to Danes 24 mm rain in 6 hours is considered heavy rain. And it seems like these thunderstorms are more frequent and more severe now than just 10 years ago. So the communities has to prepare for it with better drainage and reservoirs for the overflow. This little time lapse video was shot out my window Wednesday when most of the country was hit by a series of thunderstorms.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Smile!


With the many cruise ships in Copenhagen, large groups of tourists are hard to miss. And around the tourist hot-spots like the Gefion Fountain, you'll see group photos like this one all the time. To get a tourist-free shot, you'll need to get here at the crack of dawn.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Segways


Yesterday I showed you tourists in golf carts, today it's tourists on Segways. For 66 Euros you get a two hour sightseeing tour around the inner city and see the sights that all the rest of the tourists see as well, except you will be on a Segway.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Getting around in Copenhagen

 

The tourists in Copenhagen gets more and more options to get around. I haven't seen these golf carts before, and they might look a bit flimsy in the heavy traffic of the inner city, but they seems to work fine here.

 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Yet another project


It seems like there's no end to the number of construction projects in Copenhagen these years. This one on Kvæsthusmolen, Danish for Naval Hospital Quay, is going be a combined underground car parking house and a square with buzzwords like "an attractive framework for urban life interacting with surrounding local area". It's scheduled to be finished by 2015.
an attractive framework for urban life interacting with the surrounding local area, including the Royal Danish Playhouse and the Opera

• to expand urban life to include activities on the water - in particular in the Kv - See more at: http://www.kvaesthusprojektet.dk/english.aspx#sthash.dIrzp8ov.dpuf
an attractive framework for urban life interacting with the surrounding local area, including the Royal Danish Playhouse and the Opera

• to expand urban life to include activities on the water - in particular in the Kv - See more at: http://www.kvaesthusprojektet.dk/english.aspx#sthash.dIrzp8ov.dpuf

Monday, June 17, 2013

More litter - more raving


Yesterday I raved again about the litter in the streets on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Today's photo shows you how one of the central parks, Kongens Have, looks like after a sunny day and evening. Even though there's lots of extra garbage cans, it seems like many really can't be bothered to put their trash in them. Tons of leftovers are removed here each weekend in the summer months and if you like to visit parks, wait until after noon as they're not done cleaning up before that. It's no wonder that many tourists find that Copenhagen is really dirty.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

More litter


I know I've been raving about this before, but it strikes me each time I'm in Copenhagen early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. The amount of litter left over from the night's partying is just too gross, and even though the municipality try the best they can to keep up, it never seems to help. Why aren't the youths (and adults, btw) that litter not fined on the spot? Why are many of the fast-food joints, 7-Eleven kiosks and bars not fined when they don't even try to maintain their own part of the street? It's not about the law, as the fines for littering are actually very high when given, but it seems like neither youths, adults, shop-owners and the police just doesn't care about it.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Time lapse again

 

My latest time lapse from Copenhagen is this one. Taken on Constitution Day, which in Denmark is the 5th of June, it starts very symbolic at the Danish Parliament Folketinget at Christiansborg Palace with the statue of King Frederik VII in the foreground. He was the king that decided to give Denmark a Constitution based on democracy in 1849. The rest of the time lapse will take you through many of the squares in the old park of the city.

 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Dogs and bicycles

 

Copenhagen is renowned for its bicycle culture, and with more bicycles in the city than people, traffic jams are not only evident in the streets with cars, lorries and buses. It's also a problem on the bicycle lanes during rush hour. People here seems to be transporting anything possible on their bikes; groceries and kids are high on the list, but even man's best friend seems to enjoy a ride.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Plug n play

 

One thing often criticized about the newly developed area of Ørestaden on Amager is that it lacks facilities for the residents. Now at the southern end a play area for the young and the young at heart has opened. Called Plug n Play it has a speed skating rink, a parkour area, a street soccer field, a dirt jump area and numerous other activities. And it's free for all to use.

 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Deer me

 

No, it's not Dyrehaven but Ørestaden, even if these deer seem a bit misplaced. This is part of a new trend in Copenhagen. Instead of having a long and boring fence that begs the local youth to be creative with a spray can, artists are asked to use the fences as a big canvas. I haven't been able to figure out who is behind the deer on this fence, but it is nice. The deer progress from an open white field to a dark forest as you pass the Bella Center.

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Behind the ferns

 

Hidden behind these ferns in the Open Air Museum in Brede north of Copenhagen is a house from the former Danish areas in what is now Sweden. A simple wooden structure that would fit perfectly in those large forests our neighbour has.

 

Monday, June 10, 2013

Big farms

 

Some of the farms at the Open Air Museum in Brede are huge, and it must have been quite an undertaking to get them to the museum and rebuilding them. And then they've had to get the right surroundings too.

 

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Open Air Museum

 

A great place to spend a summer day is the Open Air Museum in Brede just north of Copenhagen. Here a host of buildings and farms from all over Denmark and southern Sweden has been moved and rebuilt. Walking around there will take you on a time travel to the 19th century, and it will show you now the people lived, how the land was farmed and lots of other stuff. With animals and poultry, fields and orchards, guides in costumes and lots of informations, the day is well spend here. And it is all free.

 

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Looking at Tivoli

 

The statue of Hans Christian Andersen is looking at Tivoli. The statue is one of the most popular in Copenhagen as tourists flock to pose next to it, or on it.

 

Friday, June 7, 2013

When they do it right...

 

Yesterday I showed you one of the instances where the city planners of Copenhagen haven't really used their head. Today's photo shows you the opposite situation. After a couple of years of construction, the street Vester Voldgade has changed from a traffic heavy street to a quiet street with a broad sidewalk lined with trees and with room for outdoor-serving. Really nice that the city planners get it right from time to time. More of this, please, and less of the idiocy from yesterday.

 

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Confused?


I must confess, I'm mightily confused. In the end of February the redoing of the pavement in the pedestrian street of Frederiksborgvej was finally finished after two years of work. And all applauded the new pavement and the new street. A month later it was ripped up again to make way for a new entrance to the metro in the middle of the street on the narrowest point where thousands pass each day, cutting the width to a third. A lot of protests followed, not least from the neighbours that only got one month of warning, and from the shops that would have their access almost blocked. But the people behind the decision didn't seem to be budging and most people seemed to accept the fact that the construction would go on. Yesterday I passed again and woe and behold, they're apparently re-doing the pavement again. First I thought that they had finally come to their senses again, but alas no. They're just moving the construction site so it will be to the right instead of in the middle. So they will only redo the pavement to the left. The result is that for the next two years it will still not be easy to pass here during rush hour. And even when they're finished, this will be a major bottleneck. I (and many others, I'm sure) can only wonder at the way construction in this city is run.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Delayed

 

The Inner Harbour Bridge and the three other smaller bridges that will connect Nyhavn with Holmen and Christianshavn are delayed. They should have been ready in February but it will be at least October before pedestrians and bicyclists can make use of the shortcut across the harbour and canals. Apparently the construction of the steel elements has been the big stumbling stone for this 200 million DKR project.

 

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Re-thought

 

When I was a kid the Armoury (Tøjhusmuseet) was a place with row upon row of cannons, muskets, sabers, pikes, helmets and a plentitude of other weaponry displayed in great halls. After a year-long redecoration and rearranging it is now a modern museum with audio-visual displays, a few but great focus points and up-to-date texts. It's well worth a visit, even to someone who has been there only a few years ago.