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.