With all the new surroundings and the crowds of people watching, it's no wonder the polar bear here needs a power nap. The Arctic Ring in Copenhagen Zoo is a huge success, but it does take its toll on the bears.
You might be lucky to see northern light in Denmark a few times a year, but due to light pollution that is usually not possible in Copenhagen. But now you can experience an artificial version in Copenhagen Zoo's new Arctic Ring. In one of the connecting tunnels light projectors make the illusion as you walk through.
Even if the calendar is telling us that it's spring, the weather in Denmark sure don't agree. These winter aconites are struggling to get through the frozen earth and a light covering of snow, so there're some signs that spring might be coming at some point, but Father Frost will be back with a vengeance in the next few days as a blizzard seems to be heading towards us. High winds and up to 30 cm of snow will make getting around in Copenhagen interesting Tuesday.
You don't always have to go somewhere special or have your big full-frame DSLR with you to catch a nice sunrise. I took this one with my iPhone while walking to work one cold morning last week. My iPhone is always with me and even when using my Nikon D800 I often shoot a few reference photos with the iPhone. Then I have something to quickly publish on either FB, Instagram or Tadaa. Or on this blog:)
A photo of the complete sculpture mentioned in yesterday's post. Here you can see the garbage man sitting on his key as he contemplates the future of the city.
One of the more controversial sculptures in Copenhagen is this one. It was placed in the harbour a few months ago right next to the old custom houses in a place where he is really visible to all the tourist passing on the walk from the Little Mermaid to Amalienborg Palace. Sitting on a key of steel and made of old machine parts and steel tubing, many find him misplaced and plain ugly. I actually find him a nice addition to the area.
Another shot from a beautiful morning in Copenhagen Harbour. And I've included the anchor to get that Harbour feeling just right.
Copenhagen hasn't got much of a skyline but some features do stand out. Here it's the chimneys of the Amager Power Plant, the old mast crane at Holmen and the chimney of the waste disposal plant of Vestforbrændingen that are outlined by the sunrise.
Not being able to sleep in does have its rewards and watching sunrises is one them. A favourite place of mine to greet he sun of the new day is Copenhagen Harbour. This photo was taken with my iPhone a week ago just as the sun was shining through a sculpture on the wharf right next to the HQ of Maersk.
The last of the Malta photos I'll show you before I go back to showing pics from Copenhagen, is this one. You've already seen the one taken a third of a second before where the canon at the saluting battery at Upper Barakka Gardens showed a red fireball. This cloud of gunsmoke was almost as impressive when captured. I do like the Nikon D800 even though the frame rate per second is not quite as good as my Nikon D300, but it was good enough for this sequence.
When you revisit somewhere after a few years you tend to notice the changes, even if you're not sure what has happened. This was the case when I saw Republic Square in Valletta for the first time in 4 years. It took me a few minutes to realize what was wrong; it wasn't a parking place anymore but a fully functional square with a modern fountain and benches to sit. And I must confess I like the change.
This is not the base of columns but the lids of granaries. The granaries where well inside the city walls of Valletta so that the grain was kept safe in case of a new siege. These granaries are in front of Fort St Elmo at the tip of the peninsula.
It's still very obvious that the Malta was a British colony for more then 150 years. Red telephone boxes, Royal Mail letter boxes, left-hand drive and the fact that most Maltese speaks very good English are just a few of the signs.
One thing I remember from earlier visits to Malta is the old yellow and red Leland and Bedford busses from the 1950's and 1960's. They have recently been replaced by modern busses run by Arriva. So no more bumping around in a door-less relic with the fumes trailing behind and the sound of the struggling engine and grinding gear-shifts. No more wondering when the passengers are expected to jump out to push the near wreck up that steep hill or if the breaks doesn't work or the driver just don't use them on the downhill. I actually miss the experience, even though I'm sure most of the locals like change.
A must see in Malta is the church of the Mosta parish, called Mosta Dome. Hailed as the third largest free-standing Christian dome in Europe, it really is worth a visit. Remember to see the miracle bomb as well, and hear the story of how the German bomb penetrated the dome during World War II and failed to go off, saving the lives of around 300 people celebrating mass there at the time.
For thousands of years the two big natural harbours of Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour has made Malta one of the most important pieces of land in the Mediterranean, and more so it's strategic placement in the narrow strait between North Africa and Sicily. Even today it's still an important stop for many merchant ships and cruise lines. Sometimes the ships has to berth a little too close for comfort, like this tanker anchored right next to a block of apartments.
Called The Silent City Mdina in Central Malta is the Capitol of old from before the Knights of St John came it the island. Sitting on a hilltop it was the perfect refuge when pirates, invaders or other pests came to the island. With only about 300 inhabitants it's a nice and quiet place, especially out of the tourist season. And the narrow medieval streets invites you to explore and enjoy the atmosphere.
