Sprouting water

A sure sign that spring is here, is when the water in the fountains start running again. Here it's one of the frogs on the Stork Fountain that is gushing water.

History burning

 

Yesterday was a sad day in Denmark, as the city of Copenhagen woke up to a burning Freedom Museum. This museum holds the collection of artifacts from the German occupation of Denmark in 1940-45. Luckily all or most of the items and the very important archive from the occupation was saved, but the building is beyond saving, so it will be a while before it's possibly to visit the museum and learn about these dark years of Danish history.

 

Watch your step

In Dyrehaven there's areas where you have to watch your step, less you get wet feet. And they're the places where you'll get these swampy photos with lots of reflections. Put in some mist and you could be in another world entirely.

From gloomy to golden

Walking in the park Dyrehaven north of Copenhagen on an early spring morning is a favourite pastime of mine. Especially when there's a morning mist slowly clearing, as the light changes from gloomy over mystic to golden.

New ride

 

One of three new rides in Tivoli this year is this one, a mini version of the golden tower, which will please the younger kids and give them a thrill.

 

Get there early

The area of Christianhavn in Copenhagen is considered rather hip by many, maybe because of the alternative lifestyle at the freetown of Christiania, maybe because of the canals that cross through or maybe because of its many old and rustic apartments. When I go there I like to go early so I've got the views to myself. And the water in the canals is so much calmer and with so much better reflections before the local boats and canal tours are cruising.

Looping

 

There's lots of photo-ops in Tivoli in Copenhagen, so it's a favourite haunt for me whenever I "need" to head out with the camera. I've captured the loop on this roller-coaster numerous times before but I like this backlit version taken with my iPhone last weekend.

 

Cheating

 

Tivoli opened a almost two weeks ago. They have a reputation as not only an amusement park but also as garden with flowers no matter when you're there. This season opened before the spring really kicked in so they apparently had to cheat a bit to have the flowers that the guests expect. Hopefully the flowers will be the real deal for the rest of the season.

 

Spring has sprung

 

It finally seems that spring has decided to come to Copenhagen. And about time it was. Now the flowers, plants, birds and people has a lot of catching up to do. This photo was taken with my iPhone in the centre of Copenhagen on Gammel Strand, where the communal flowerpots has been planted with narcissus.

 

Bullying

 

The hooded crows are both pretty shrewd and they've got a lot of nerve. One is going for the meat, the other bully the seagull by pulling at its tail feathers. In the end the seagull surrendered to the two bullies and flew away to get easier food. It only shows that two small ones can get the better of the big one if they work together.

Fighting for food

When the polar bears in the Copenhagen Zoo don't eat up, the birds take over. The seagull here have a bit of a fight with the two hooded crows, that keep harassing it until it gives up. They do keep their distance, though.

More activities at Carlsberg

Signs at the closed Carlsberg Breweries in Valby, Copenhagen, show the way to the different activities that has taken over old industrial buildings and outdoor areas. Art galleries, go-kart racing, skateboard areas, dance theatre, cafés, architects, designers and many others have all found room here.

A place to climb

After the Carlsberg Breweries has stopped production at their Valby plant, the area has been opened to the public. Among the many activities opened is Klatreskoven, the Climbing Forest. Here kids, youngsters and grown-ups can climb along different routes in different heights above the ground under supervision of experienced climbers. It's opened in the weekends and on school holidays.

Looking out for their legacy

The Carlsberg Brewery in Valby, Copenhagen, is full of wonderful details, like these two busts of brewer Carl Jacobsen and his wife Ofelia. They're looking out from the balcony and seems to be keeping an eye on their legacy.

Not a Nazi

Many places at the Carlsberg Breweries in Valby is adorned with swastikas, but the reason is not that the old brewer Carl Jacobsen was a national-socialist. Instead it was used as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, and the Carlsberg version had four dots. It was even used on the labels of the beer bottles until WWII. So the swastika on Thor's wagon is just an old trademark.