It was a cold, dreadful morning. A blizzard morning. No heating in the plane until the engines were on. And no engines on until we had a slot for takeoff. And no slot for takeoff until the most of the morning rush was over. Finally the air traffic control had mercy on us. The captain was allowed to start the engines. The wings were de-iced at the gate. There was snow everywhere, and a flurry behind the tail of each departing airplane. We rushed off, and were airborne. And suddenly there was the most marvelous golden sunrise, like an old oil painting on canvas.

Sometimes all you need to do to see beauty is to raise your eyes above the flurry right ahead of you. And if you still cannot see it, try a bird’s eye view.

(Helsinki, Finland; February 2016)

Is it a fluorescence image of a cell in culture? No, it is Helsinki by night. A web of lights in the dark.

(Above Helsinki, Finland; November 2015)

One dark, cold night in Copenhagen there was a spur-of-the-moment reunion. Indian takeaway, memories of days in Cambridge, and touching base after 4 years.

Right afterwards there was another spur-of-the-moment crazy craving resulting in Belgian waffles with hot dripping chocolate fresh from a street stall at Stroget.

And finally, after a busy day in Lund and an adventurous train ride to the airport, there was a brand-spanking new Finnair Airbus A350 and an upgrade to business class. Champagne all around. I was not the only one taking photos – and some had brought proper equipment, too.

I could choose to remember only the hurry trying to catch the train, or the business meetings and endless powerpoint slides. Or I could choose to remember these 3 good, refreshing things in 24 hours. And the glass of champagne on the way home, under a fancy “Aurora” cabin light show. 

Reality is never objective; it is always what we choose to perceive. And this starry night at 33,000 feet I chose to perceive my bubbly champagne very carefully and let everything else fade away, if just for a moment. 
(Copenhagen, Denmark; October 2015)

Down below the people and animals of Skåne must still be sleeping. Look what a golden moment they are missing!

(Above Scania, Sweden; October 2015)

Another early morning takeoff. Cannot remember where I was going. Perhaps Stockholm. Helsinki airport bathed in the morning sunlight and mist lay over the fields. I cannot remember what I was thinking. Probably nothing. Probably something. But I probably was not thinking that “this is a beautiful moment and it will never, ever, return again. Because one second later, the world will have shifted, if ever so slightly.”

Live today. I probably wasn’t. My loss.

(Helsinki, Finland; October 2015)

Above the Baltic Sea it is hard to see which dapples are cloud shadows and which ones are islets.

(Above the Swedish coast; September 2015)