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.

 

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.

 

Gumball 3000

 

Another of the many things happening in this Pentecost weekend in Copenhagen is the start of the Gumball 3000 race. And it will interesting to see how they avoid the thousands of marathon runners running in the same streets as they're going to use. At the approximately the same time. Btw today is not the day to go into Copenhagen by car or bus, as many roads will be closed down.

 

Cleaning Hans Christian Andersen

 

The statue of Hans Christian Andersen seemed to get a spring cleaning the other day by a group of youngsters with dust busters and brooms. And they made sure it was documented at the same time by a photographer. I really got the impression that this was some kind of happening and not really serious. Maybe it was the fact that they had a sign with the words Tourist Trap on it that tipped me off.

 

Reacting

I like to observe people's reactions to the homeless people in Copenhagen. Some just ignore the misery, others give them a quick glance and almost shameful hurry on, and then there's some that simply can't conceal their curiosity. This mother and her two kids just stopped and stared at the lying figures, before moving on. These sleeping people are a fixture on the City Hall Square as they try to get some warmth from the vents underneath.

Playing to no audience

The street musicians doesn't seem to mind the cold weather as they're on the streets and squares of Copenhagen all year round. This one on the City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) did seem to be struggling to attract an audience, as he sat with his back to the green fence surrounding the metro construction site. At least the sun was out to give him some warmth.

Cleaning up

The first day of the year begged for a thorough cleaning up after the celebrations of the new year. In the centre of Copenhagen tons of garbage needed to be removed so the street cleaners had their work cut out for them. They weren't alone, though, as a group of volunteers from the Nusrat Djahan Mosque in Hvidovre helped from the early hours. Really nice to see that there's still some here who cares about the way the city looks. I hope this spirit of goodwill will spread to the rest of the city as well.

Chiming man

An art work has appeared on the central square of Rådhuspladsen in Copenhagen; a figure made of colourful yarn connected to a bell and a peace sign. It's another art work by the street art group Streetheart, made as part of their Christmas Calendar happening with one new surprise each day of December until Christmas Eve. This one is from December 4th and is made by Tejn.

Packing against the cold

Even the pigeons feel the coldness of Copenhagen. They seek the ventilation outlets on the central square of Rådhuspladsen and pack together to beat the winter weather.

Take the train

 

If you're to tired to move around the inner city of Copenhagen why not take the train? This one is with a guide and will take you on a round trip through the old city starting from Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square). I suspect that it is best to use it in the summer months as Denmark can be a bit chilly at other times.

Restaurant Cold Feet

 

Twenty years ago the favourite street food in Copenhagen was hotdogs from a pølsevogn (Danish for sausage waggon). With a surge of alternative fast food like kebabs and burger joints they're on the decline, but you can still get your fix of pork and bread in many places in the streets of Copenhagen. This one on Rådhuspladsen, City Hall Square, is aptly named Restaurant Cold Feet and is open all year round.

 

A new sidewalk

One of the many streets in Copenhagen closed to traffic due to construction work seems close to be opened again. A four lane street, Vester Voldgade running across the central square Rådhuspladsen, has been transformed to a two lane street with a wide sidewalk perfect for café tables or outdoor life. It's still closed down to traffic at the square and will be until construction on the metro finishes in a about 2018.

Shaking our booty

During the weekend of Pentecost in 1982, Copenhagen saw the emergence of its first carnival. Since then, the carnival has become an integral part of Pentecost in Copenhagen. This means that this year the carnival is celebrating its 30th anniversary. You can see the impressive carnival parade at Copenhagen Carnival. The parade starts at Højbro Plads (Amagertorv) at 10 a.m. and will go through Strøget to Rådhuspladsen. The parade is expected to end at around 3 p.m. Copenhagen Carnival 2012 is taking place from the 25-27th of May in Fælledparken. -RS

A tale of three towers

The coat of arms of Copenhagen was granted on 24 June 1661 by king Frederick III of Denmark in recognition of its citizens' efforts in repelling the Swedish siege and attack on Copenhagen in 1658-1659. The central feature of the full arms are three towers rising above water, a symbol also appearing in the town's seal from 1296. Originally, the left and right towers represented Absalon's castle and the central tower a church building inside the castle. By the 16th century, the central tower was no longer depicted as a church tower, instead it had a gateway with a portcullis. King Frederick III modified the original symbol by adding a knight carrying a raised sword in front of the gateway. This photo is of the mile-marker on the Rådhusplads. -RS

Construction everywhere

Nowadays it seems that half of Copenhagen is under construction and the other half is the constructions site for all the surplus soil, bricks, pipes, etc.

This is the view near Rådhusplasen and it shows the statue of the two buglers which, according to popular myth, blows their instruments if a virgin walks past. No comment...

-RS

How far is it?

There are at least three distance markers in Copenhagen, one on Rådhuspladsen, one near Østerport station and this one at Nørreport station just as you exit the Metro station. The 1distances to the centre of certain towns are shown from these points.

-RS

Merry Christmas to you all

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

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 house for the industry

On Rådhuspladsen in central Copenhagen a building is taking shape. It's not really a new building but rather a heavily renovated one; the Industriens Hus (House of the Industry), which houses the Danish Industry, shops and a cinema. With a new glass façade, a newly shaped front and an extra floor this one looks like it's a major improvement over the original one, even though it might be to go too far to call it beautiful. The new building should be finished by 31th of May 2013.

Big tables

At the newly held Copenhagen Design Week the city was full of examples of good (and bad) design. On Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square), these two gigantic tables called LACK from IKEA where an example of sustainable design and conscious choice of materials. The LACK table is produced many different places in the world to reduce unnecessary transport, however the first and the largest production sites are situated in Poland.