Last Christmas

Just a few days after Christmas I went into a Starbucks and ordered a grande pumpkin spice latte (yes they stil had a few left) - when I started to walk home I had a closer look at the cup .... What?! The Christmas themed paper cup was different than the venti sized beverage I had in November

 

When I came home, I removed the sleeve to have closer look - I am a sucker for those Nordic style colored holiday cups from Starbucks. But that means double joy, right??! First the nice hot beverage and then the feast for my eyes :o)

 

 

I thought popped into my mind - if I returned to the coffee shop a few days later to order a tall beverage to go, it should be possible to. I did go into the coffee house a few days later and ordered - a grande sized ginger bread latte. Why? It was really really cold outside and could hardly feel my fingers (despite layers of clothes) so I needed to stay warm.

Was it my cold body playing a trick on me, or was that sleeve covering yet another design of Christmas coffee cup? Yes. The sleeve covered a nice reindeer.... suddenly not so sad about my choice for a medium sized drink.

Due to stomach issues I have not returned to the coffee shop to order a tall size hot beverage - and it is most likely too late to get it now. It makes me fell like I have been a treasure hunt where the treasure are these nice coffee cups - at the same time I have hade some me time while enjoying the hot beverages.

Winter Scenery

Happy New Year 2017

 

Hope you have had a good start to 2017

 

We have only seen a few snow flakes this winter so enjoying this winter scenery on a local hotel's windows facing the street. Some would call it a Christmas theme, but is it not a winter scene?

I enjoy walking past these windows at night time, as they always put a smile on my face - it is not just a stensil used but an artist that have created a unique work with a limited life span. Makes my mind wander back to the time where I was living with a forrest next door - except we do not have mountains in our little country.

 

The artist behind the scenery is Laura Bach Skou - have not been able to trace other works by her, but hope this is the beginning for more winter displays in the winters to come.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Here in Copenhagen

'Tis the Season

Love the colors the sky brings at sunset in November - makes it a bit easier to cope with the fact that it is pitch dark outside when I leave the office after the workday.

Yesterday was exactly one month to Christmas - we celebrate on the 24th at night - and the first time this year, that I spotted Coca-Cola's yearly Santa labels on the bottles.... one of the signs that Christmas is coming.

Christmas tree is up at the office building

After work, a time for a little walk in the city, and the smal bright lights are in lots of shapes this time of year.

A Christmas tree like this makes it less boring waiting at the bus stop for the next bus to come.

Watch the Birdie

I saw something similar a couple of years ago but never photographed them - but now the birdhouses have popped up at another street corner in the city. Nice to see something else than the election posters that were hanging everywhere 1½ month ago.

So colorful that they make you smile. A little sadness added as no birds will find there homes there as the holes are too small. But they do brighten up you day spotting them.

Scary Camera

OK.... a camera can not be scary, but the new functions in a smart phone can - makes me think of 1984 by Ray Bradbury ".....Big Brother is watching......." - what might had been science fiction when he wrote it...... well with all the electronic gadgets we are equipped with these days.

I was walking to a meeting the other day, where I just wanted to capture a few details on the way with my smartphone's camera:

It was when I browsed through the photos when I got home that I got really surprised.

The bridge is Marmorbroen (Marble Bridge) in Copenhagen and it crosses Frederiksholms Kanal.

I shot all 3 photos standing in the same spot and just slightly moving the camera - the caption on the two first photos says Marble Bridge on my smartphone, but when the camera was pointing a little bit more downwards but still the edges of Marble Bridge visible, the phone changed the caption of photo number 3 to Frederiksholms Kanal instead of Marble Bridge.

Really surprised about the accuracy of the captions to where I photo was taken, or what the motif is.

You Gotta Love Them Apples

Countdown to Christmas

One more workday then 5 days off for Christmas - love it!! I took some photos with my phone the other day when going shopping for groceries.......

.... and I now have this crazy idea, that I hope I get to do on Wednesday, since this year I will not be traveling for my work during Christmas: This door is one of many just like this (wooden door painted green) in the neighborhood Nyboder, close to my home - Not all doors are decorated for Christmas, but I will take a walk around and take photos of the various decorations and see how different the people behind the doors have decorated their doors.

Now You See It - Now You Don't

Some street art vanishes almost as fast as it is put up in public display - you shoul act fast if you want photos of it because I might not be there when you return in daylight or with a better camera than your phone's camera.

The other night I went to a mail box to send of an old fashioned letter to a good friend (that is our way of communication - old fashioned snail mail) and my eye caught something colorful.

Three persons made of colorful HAMA beads. When I took the photos, somebody had already made an attempt to steal them and the morning after they were all thorn as they have proven harder to remove that people had thought. Albeith the pegging board you use to place the pearls in patterns is a Swedisk invention, the HAMA beads is a Danish invention, so I remember these from my childhood, where we made them in a very young age and used them as presents to family members - somewhere in my Christmas ornament stash I even have some that my nieces made me 10-15 years ago.

This is from August 2014 from a pillar just outside the music venue Culture Box here in Copenhagen - it is actually the club's logo, and it was on the pillar for a least a month. The reason it was up there for so long - I think - was probably that people believed that the club had placed it there themselves - but knowing the building owner any other street art attempt, tagging etc. has always been removed very fast, and it was by pure coincidence I spotted it as it was not too obvious in it's spot.

Closed Door

  

The other day, I passed this doorway like so many other times before that - only this time I noticed the light through the closed door. Grabbed my phone with a sigh to photograph it, as I realized that it spoke the thoughts in my head.

I had just come to turns with the fact that a new MS attack had come my way forcing me to get some nasty additional medicine for a couple of days. I have no doubt: It is my body reacting to me being on board a yacht for 38 days just to return to my office job behind a desk... My body/brain had tried to tell me for weeks, that that sudden end of the adventure of a lifetime (mine) was not acceptable.

Odd fact - the day I left the yacht marked the 12 year anniversary for my MS diagnosis and a few hours ago the boat hit a milestone when they reached Boston, USA after a successful Atlantic crossing - the first day with attack medicine after my trip. I had tears in my eyes when I read about the others reaching Boston - not tears of sadness but of joy as I know that this is such a big achievement for them... crying like I did when reaching Lisbon the end of my journey realising that I have done something extraordinary.

It fills me up with questions about my own future: Will I get through this attack as the previous ones returning almost to normal conditions? Has my part of the sailing adventure taught me that I should to something else than a desk job? Trouble is: has no idea what it should be and I need income to pay rent and food. Has this journey set too high a bar for future adventures awaiting me? On the trip I have learned that it is OK to ask for help or say "No" if the MS hands me those conditions and yet, who should I ask for help other than myself when it comes to future plans?

One thing, I will NEVER regret, is having the courage to sign up for something like that sail trip. It has given me a lot of somethings but also a lot of questions. But guessing that it is just part of life, that one sometimes have to take a chance. Otherwise how can you find new interesting places?

StreetArt: The Face

I do not know the artist's street name nor do I know what this character is called but have spottet him several places now - some captured with my camera others only memories, as have spotted them along railway tracks during train rides. 

Everything is a Tiny Bit Early

Two weeks ago - a few days after coming home from my long trip - I got a real surprise when taking a walk in a local park: the flowers are blooming earlier this year than usual. Is it due to the long hot summer, that swept over our country? Will this mean a very long, cold winter is ahead? Anyway captured some of my flowers with my iPhone.....

This and that

More goofing around with my camera trying to capture some local essence while ashore.

Bridges - Portugal

 

 

Photo 1-3: The bridge Ponte Luiz I crossing Rio Douro, Porto

This might resemble the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Maybe Téophile Seyrig was inspired bu Gustave Eiffel, as they were business partners.

Photo 4: Sunset over the bridge Ponte de Arrábida crossing Rio Douro, Porto

Photo 5: 25 de Avril Bridge (Original name was Ponte Salazar) crossing Rio Tejo

No it is not the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, albeit they look a lot alike. This bridge was built in 1966, and the train deck (lower deck) was added in 1999.