Blue Coat on Nørrebrogade

Parents in Copenhagen just seem to have fashion down pat compared to the rest of the world (outshone perhaps only by the Swedes).  Hipster parents are definitely a thing.  Here, a mother wears a bright blue coat that juxtaposes itself against the usual black, black, and more black that Copenhageners wear.  Spotted on Nørrebrogade, with a super cute baby I couldn't photograph because photographing babies is somewhat contraversial.  Look up #microfashion.  I digress. 

I'm not sure what this set of photos give.  My gosh there are a lot of fashionable mothers walking around with stylish prams in Copenhagen.  Babies wrapped in one-piece doona suits and beanies to protect them from the icy cold wind coming in from the north.  I rarely see them crying, just looking around from their warm little nest that they sit in like kings and queens.  It is a common sight to see many prams parked out the front of cafes and restaurants while their mothers enjoy Dansk brunch or kaffe inside.  Parents leave their children alone and they wait patiently knowing the parent will return with Danish weinerbrød or something similar in hand.  Oh, to be a Danish baby.

Okay, maybe this woman ins't the most stylish I have seen wandering Copenhagen with baby in pram, but something about the electric blue coat caught my eye.  x

Nørrebrogade

"500 crowns."  And another stereotype walked into the line of my lens...  Less poetic, more brash.  I asked him for a photo, mainly because of the "hunde valp" (Danish for puppy) but received a bitter end of what people would say is Danish.  It's a general ice queen attitude towards strangers, and it's not only the women that have it.  Obviously.  Yet, once you scratch under the surface, the iciness usually disappears and a smile comes out to play.  This guy just seemed have gotten up on the wrong side of bed.  Anyway, if you've got a cute puppy under your arm, wouldn't you expect people to swoon??  Spotted on Nørrebrogade, in November.

He reluctantly stopped to let me take a photo of him, joking that a photo costs 500 Kr.  His friends were more understanding but he was unimpressed.  After one shot, trying to capture the sweet little hvalp (puppy) he had in his arms, he simply turned and crossed the road without another word.

Sunset over Christianshavns Vold - The Moats

Grass.  Wild stalks reaching high, trembling in the soft autumn breeze as the sun disappears beyond the horizon.  Water.  A pearl shine across ripples dancing to the rhythm and music created by nature.  Life.

In an era of "busy", "rush" and "prove", it's no wonder that the words meditation, mindfulness and yoga are on the tips of tongues everywhere.  Some scorn at it, not yet having experienced the benefits.  Personally, I'd say all it does is open our eyes to the life around us. 
We're all caught up in whatever construct we happen to find ourselves in, which is fine, we just don't have to live with our eyes glued to our feet while we walk past natural wonders.  Every breath we take is a gift, yet breathing goes unnoticed.  Just stop every now and then to open your eyes and really take in what's around you. 

As the saying goes, "you don't know what you've got till it's gone". Take it in. Life is amazing.

This is taken at the end of a sunny Sunday in November.   Danes continue to say days later "...oh, but it was good weather on Sunday."   No one forgets the sun.   They perch on benches wherever they can, just to soak up what might be the last rays for days or months.   No one knows.   They're entering Winter.

Not as serene or calm as the view above, these were some of the Danes perched enjoying the last of the sun, taking it in.  The one of the left said "Det er den første gang jeg er blevet fotograferet.  Mellem når billedet er taget og man kigger på det, plejer jeg at forsvind eller løb ud af billedet."

If I understood correctly... That was the first time I've been photographed.  Between taking the picture and looking at it, I have usually disappeared or run out of the picture.

Paris

He was on a break from work, lost in thought before interrupted, letting his mind drift off into nothingness.  Shy in front of a camera, an awkward smile and chuckle.  "Touriste."  He probably thought as I walked away.  A moment of peace with a cigarette before heading back into the chaos of a busy restaurant in Paris.  Smoking might be a leading cause of cancer, but it seems to be an access to cleansing the mind and soul for the French. Perhaps just not the body.

Paris Never Disappoints

Her soft skin collects into dimples as she speaks to her lover on handsfree. Her beautiful beige coat and scarf perfectly pulled together, and glasses resting on her delicate face.  She notices the lens pointing at her, on her ride from work to home through Paris, but it only gives her a glint in the eye and a cheeky smile.  She continues talking; a French purr.  The man on a motorcycle next to her stares and wonders who she is, to have paparazzi.  The light changes and she disappears into the chaos that is peak hour traffic in this wonderful city.

Spotted in Paris

The wisps of smoke dance and hang in the air as he plays with it in his mouth before letting it escape through his teeth and lips into the unusually warm evening for Autumn in Paris.  His mind is engaged and his thought holds his hand captive for a moment.  Pausing for an air of control, or unconsciously doing so, as his mind conjures up a counterargument to the philosophy his friend just put forward.  The glass cola bottle tickles the senses of his fingertips, sending ever so slight sensations of cold into his nervous system.  The soft light floods out onto the scene, and he feels empowered in the moment.  Staring at his cigarette waiting for his turn to speak, he is content.

Monday Christianshavn

"Jeg er pensionist.  Jeg sidder bare her og drikker min kaffe.  Jeg kan lid at se folk gå forbi.  Du ved Christiania ligger dernede af, og de kommer derfra.  Der er en god blanding af folk her."

I'm a pensioner.  I just sit out here and enjoy my coffee.  I like to watch people go by.  You know Christiania is down there, and they trickle out around the place.  There's a good mix of people around here.

"Jeg spist et styk rygbrød med et eller andet på, og så en af de runde nogen med chokolade inden i.  Sundt, ikke?"

Oh, I ate a piece of rye bread with something on it, and then one of those round ones with the chocolate in it.  Healthy, right?

Doll House World

Sometimes when I look down upon the world, I wonder if it's real or if it's just a paper replica of something that once was, or once was a dream, and that someone somewhere up above is actually looking over everything, so that when you're down there you're not really in control, you're just another one of those little dots walking around in a doll's house in a doll's world, with doll furniture and doll fountains, doll babies and doll prams, doll joggers and doll sized takeaway coffee cups warming little fingers through little mittens.  Sometimes when I look down, I wonder if what I see is real, or if it's just a replica of something that once was.  Or once was a dream.  And I wonder if someone somewhere up there is looking down on me, so I'm not in control - I'm just another dot, another mark on it all - I'm wandering around in a doll house world.

The Blue Haze

The grey skies and blue haze has taken over Copenhagen.  If the sun manages to push through in the afternoon, you barely feel any of its warmth.  Getting up is a struggle and everyone has started to rug up with scarfs and beanies.  When the sun starts to set, the light changes and creates a haze.  Candles and warmth indoors are the only things that seem to cut through it, and so it begins.  Not quite yet December, only the end of October, but a long way to go before it is summer again in Copenhagen - when people sit out and soak up what they missed during the darker months.

The Danish word "Hygge" - three men in a boat on a cold Sunday afternoon in late Autumn. The blue haze has moved in over Copenhagen, but still they push off from their harbour and sail on down the canal, drinking Tuborg with gloves on - can sometimes be translated to "cosy", although that doesn't quite fit the bill.

The path won't always be as sunny as we want it to be, but sometimes you gotta push through, knowing there's something nice waiting at the other end - and while you're at it, try to enjoy the ride anyway.  Oh, and summer is coming.  Copenhagen, summer is coming.

^ the last of the sunset on Saturday 31st October seen hanging over Christiansborg Palace.

Vestkysten. The West Coast.

Some flowers brave the first few nights near frost and survive, in countryside northern Denmark. 
Some brightness to contrast the ever greying scene in Nov, 15.

She stands smoking at the edge of a beach on the west coast of Denmark, staring out into the waves. Something about the force of energy, the magnitude of the sheer size of the ocean, and the harsh wind blasting against her face makes her feel as if everything is okay. As if she is a part of something that is larger than life, and than her worries. Her mind goes quiet. Thoughtless, she simply breathes in the salt air and feels alive.

Sometimes when I want to think about life, I sit on a beach somewhere and stare out into the waves. Something about the force of energy, the magnitude of the sheer size of the ocean, and the harsh wind blasting against my face, makes me feel like everything is okay. As if I'm a part of something that is larger than life, and than my worries. When I sit and stare out into the waves, my mind goes quiet. Thoughtless I simply breathe in the salt air and feel alive. Here, a woman does the same with the aid of yet another cigarette.

Wind Mills Up North

We walked from train station to AirBnB.  45 minutes trudging in the cold along a highway.  Danes don't do hitchhiking, or rarely so.  Our fingers were so cold it hurt to use any camera, but the beauty found in such a sparse landscape, a harsh and lonely place, was breathtaking and begged to be captured.  Whatever complaints of the cold and distance as night drew closer, were forgotten when we looked around us.  Up North Denmark the space is vast and lives are harsh in the reality of urbanisation. 

Up North

The North wind was bitter and cold and nipping at our soft cheeks red.

The turbines whined while rotating, sending a whistle our way.

Cars passed headlights drowning our bodies.  Just for a moment.

We scrunched our faces squinted our eyes.  Our feet plodded on.

~

Lines and Light

A woman reflected in water below, surrounded by lines ricocheting off of walls of glass and the mirror of water alike.  Her eye stairs with intent and accusation as people walk unphased through the scene.  An occasional stray walks across the bridge drawing attention away from her, yet she remains unchanged. Staring intensely, back at me.

What do you see?

^ Lines and reflection.  An eye and a woman reflected in water.  It is 12.05.

She hobbled past with a walking stick and sat down to pray.  The light shone in, though her prayers were dark.  Pencil scraping on paper nearby, an eye up taking it in.  They wandered around aimlessly.  There she sat, hand on walking stick, with her eyes closed.

IMG_1421.JPG

^ Aarhus Cathedral.  

Light shining through a church window onto benches where many have kneeled and prayed for hundreds of years.  No matter what you follow or believe in, churches hold an undeniable energy of full of strength.  All those who have visited previously - asking for forgiveness for their actions in their human lives or seeking refuge or even seeking out hope to get through wars and poverty - it feels like their energy is held the in church walls.  It takes my breath away each time. 

Here, it was a normal day outside in the city of Århus, but as soon as I stepped through the cathedral doors I felt a peace wash over me.  Most Christian churches in Europe are open to the public.  You don't have to be religious to appreciate the energy inside.

Danish Adventure

And as time continues and life continues around me, I move from city to city; sitting on a bus or a train, looking out, thinking it all over.  Crowded House familiar in my ears, yet the view outside is foreign.  I hug my knees close, drift in and out of sleep, all the while in a state of zen, meditation and wonderment.  There's something about travelling.  Being on a train or a bus, looking out the window at countryside and cars flying by, it is such an experience of both real and metaphoric 'change' and 'time'.  It is an isolating and solitary experience.  The trip leaves me feeling strong and curious when I arrive in Aarhus.  This travel is so structured though, everything is easy.  Sometimes I wish that something would just happen.  To shake me up.  Mads said he drove 6000 KM from Cairns to Alice Springs and on up to Darwin.  I said "Awesome" and he said "yes, but it was hard."  That is exactly why I thought it was awesome though.  It's in my top 5.  I want to drive for 500 KM inland into the desert, stop the car, get out in the middle of nowhere, throw my arms to the sky and scream for as long and as loud as I can.  I want to see the stars from the desert and encounter a snake or a nomad.  I want to push myself to a limit and see how I survive.  For now though, this is what I've got.  x

A Beautiful Day

When did you last see the sun? After a week of little sun and a lot of dreary weather, people were becoming dreary themselves.  Living up to stereotypes, Copenhageners perched themselves out in any piece of sunlight they could find.  Whether it be a bench by a lake or a bench on a busy street, or a patch of grass.  Faces up, soaking in the last rays of sunshine before winter sucks it away for another season.

~ ...hands holding onto the railing - holding on with a sense of amazement yet uncertainty, a fear and awe simultaneously - as she looks out over a city promising so much, but sharing so little of what is to come. ~

Sometimes it's nice to take time out of life.  Why do we call that life; that which we have to take time out of?  Why can't 'life' be our experience of living moment to moment, so that as years go by we can look back and know we've been wholly present?

This sunset was beautiful.  Take a moment and enjoy what's in front of you.  It's not always about taking a photo with a camera, but taking a picture with your mind.  Those photos last forever.