At least one poor devil became famous in Antwerp. Even his house was (and still is) known as the “house of the poor devil”. Wonder who he (she?) was?
(Antwerp, Belgium; March 2019)
Category Archives: Travel
Snowdrops
Snowdrops are champions of spring. Although in most of Europe they flower in winter, before spring equinox. Apparently they are not supposed to be native of Denmark but that has not stopped them from taking over this little town.
Snowdrops are literally sweet: they are filled with sugar which acts like an antifreeze against cold snowy mornings. Should one taste a snowdrop? No, as it is a narcissus – and those are poisonous at least to us humans.
(Brande, Denmark; March 2019)
Hot wall
Hetvägg (”hot wall”). With marzipan. Just like it used to be for hundreds of years. While most people in Finland prefer their bun dry in hand, mine definitely likes hot milk better.
This is what people relish in the Nordic countries on Shrove Tuesday (called Fat Tuesday in Swedish). In Finland the day is “laskiainen”, an untranslatable “sliding day”. Not only because one begins the slide towards Easter and spring, but quite literally because one is supposed to rush down snowy hills with one’s behind seated on a coaster or in a plastic sled, regardless of one’s age and bone health.
Therefore, a Finnish or Swedish Shrove Tuesday is also celebrated with hot pea soup – and possibly a sip of arrack punch.
(Helsinki, Finland; March 2019)
Candles
Poor Edward II. He just wanted to love and play king, while his ”allies” ran the country into the ground.
And in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse I finally understood how one can create sufficient light to brighten up an entire theater stage or castle dining hall. In the time of LED lightbulbs we forget how much light just one candle can give.
(London, United Kingdom; February 2019)
Hello Helsinki
Freezing cold Helsinki is quite different from spring in Denmark. But it is a pretty place in sunlight! On top the Bank of Finland and the Cathedral; below the House of the Estates.
(Helsinki, Finland; March 2019)
Danish outdoors: missed out by many
This little town has many great picnic spots. I cannot wait for warmer weather and lazy days on the grass with a good book, or in good company. The Danes do not seem to enjoy the great outdoors much, unless they are into mountain biking or have a dog that needs to attend to its business. Most evenings the gravel and forest trails are empty, save for those few dog walkers, and me and about three other runners. On Sundays the busiest time is before 2 pm, when families go for a leisurely stroll (even without dogs). And what is nearly unthinkable here in the dark Nordic winter: all gravel walks and trails are without artificial lighting, so enjoying the outdoors after dark is quite unpleasant.
The hiking trails are nearly empty compared to Finland. And so are all these beautiful picnic spots. At least this time of year. The Danes do not know what they are missing.
(Brande, Denmark; February 2019)
In spring
No, this is not late August last year. It is February this year. There were two swans in the pond, just like there should be in spring, when everything is wonderful.
(Brande, Denmark; February 2019)
Across the moor in winter
The moor looks dramatic in winter, and it is not a landscape I feel at home in. I am used to sea, lakes, and thickets where you need violence or a machete to stumble through – not these open windswept landscapes with heather and farm animals.
The miniature moorland behind Brande is like all those old English novels come to life, the ones I read in my teens: Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Hound of the Baskervilles.
(Brande, Denmark; February 2019)
The higher you go
If one lives on a mountaintop, one sees more of morning sunlight. The days are shorter in the valleys. So which one will you choose? Sheltered still shorter days; or wild windy longer ones? And what about the days of your life?
(Above Norway; February 2019)
My bi-weekly ride
My current bi-weekly commute: Billund to London City airport. In the cutest tiniest passenger jet possible. With artisan ice cream served on board. This does beat the impossibly-early mornings of the overfull Stockholm commute from either Billund or Helsinki, which were a priority for the past three years.
(LCY, London, United Kingdom; February 2019)
This blue marble 