My friend Janice Nakashima did a show a light-and-shadow theme show years ago that has been in my mind during this trip. Her paintings for that show explored how colors emerge and retread into and out of light and shadow. I loved the ripples, waves and whirlpools she painted. This was five, maybe even ten years ago, when I could still see a lot more color than I do now. Seeing Copenhagen is a bit like walking through Janice's show again.
Even in the shades of gray and shards of light I see today, Copenhagen is a visual treat. The buildings are old world European with row upon row of multi-pane windows, some with arches, some like bay windows, some just little squares and rectangles. They are like black eyes watching out on the world, and when the sun shines on them, they glow like lamps and glitter like faceted jewels. I see Copenhagen in wave upon wave of clearly defined architectural lines adorned with glowing jewels among eddlies and shadows of mist and clouds. The trees are the only things I see really clearly. They are not yet leafed out, and stand out like black lace.
Seen at eye level from the top deck of our tour bus today, the arboreal black lace is a major element of all my images today. Every now and then Linda would comment on the colors: 'Mary, the buildings here are all a deep golden brick color, really pretty against the blue sky." And I'd have an image of a row of earthy yellow brick buildings with all those multi-pane windows, each pane a glowing mirror of the sun, set against the blue sky full of swirls of fluffy white. All seen through the black lace overlay of the trees.
And then, of course, I'd start thinking about the stained glass I'd use for the sky and buildings, the mirrors I'd use for the windows, the slightly thicker tile I'd use to do all the tree lace, and how the materials would feel in my hands as I set the mosaic to board. I'd grout it ... Hmmm .... A dense brick red? Or maybe a deep royal blue.
Another time we were driving through a street of mostly white buildings with all those glittering windows, and I had an impression of a whirlwind of mirror shards emerging out of chaos into orderly rows of wild windows, and then breaking back into chaos.
I miss my sense of color so much it hurts, but these days I am experiencing light in ways I never did when I could see colors. It's interesting how my images react and change when I get color information.
Like when Linda and I were walking through the airport after we landed in Copenhagen. The early afternoon sun was shooting glary streams of light through all the glass walls and ceilings of the terminal, and I asked Linda what the colors were. I was imagining lots of silvery stainless steel and monochromatic grays and beiges. But Linda said no, the colors were mostly deep yellow and white.
I liked that right away. Deep yellow and white felt friendly and warm and inviting. That's just what Copenhagen has been for us, no matter that it's been cold and windy with spells of drizzle and rain while we've been here. Even the customs agent made us feel like she really was happy to see us. Indeed, it was the most pleasant customs I've ever been through, even nicer than getting into Canada.
Danes are the nicest people. If you lose your tour bus ticket but can show the receipt that proves you bought it, the tour bus guy says, "Oh, don't worry," and lets us on the bus. If all you have is a 500 kroner note to buy a couple of espressos that only cost 30 kroner, the clerk says, "Don't worry, I can change that for you," and does it in a way that makes you feel you're doing her a favor instead of the other way around. If you're confused about buying your train tickets to Gothenburg, the ticket agent makes you feel like it's his pleasure to walk you through the basics of train travel in Denmark, and then makes sure you get the easiest route to your destination. If you can't figure out the ATM machine to pull out some Danish cash, the nice Danish man behind you will cheerfully show you how.
Everyone here speaks excellent English, and they are just delighted when Linda and I tell them "Takk! Takk!"
("Thank you! Thank you!" ). And they're all good-looking, especially the men. Linda and I particularly like the guy at the front desk of the Scandic Palace Hotel where we are staying. Not only is he exceptionally good-looking in that "tall, dark and handsome" way, he has a really nice deep voice, and he's been great about drawing maps for us, mailing excess baggage home for us, and bringing iPhones and iPads Into working WiFi order.
We love the food here, too. Breakfast is a typical European buffet of breads and pastries, cereals, cheeses, cold meats, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit and juices, and you can get scrambled eggs and bacon too. The breads are especially wonderful, just as they were in Poland when Andy and I were there 15 years ago. Last night we had baked salmon and salad at a steakhouse next door to our hotel. A simple meal but best quality ingredients and well-prepared.
Today at Tivoli Gardens, we had a late lunch at Fru Nimb, considered one of Copenhagen's best restaurants. The place was lovely, the service was delightfully efficient and friendly, and the Danish open-faced sandwiches were wonderful. They were made on thin slices of dense dark bread, and topped with things like a ham salad, smoked salmon, and even kale and peas with a spread of sherry cream and horseradish. That spread was delicious and I intend to try duplicating it at home.
Apart from the Fru Nimb restaurant, we most loved the flowers at Tivoli Gardens. All the bulbs are in bloom here, and the gardens are full of Easter and spring decorations. I loved how the colors popped out for me in my mind when LInda described the huge flower beds for me. "Here is this big wave of brilliant yellow tulips, and next the tulips are deep red-purple, and finally there are the red-orange ones, it's just stunning!" And in my mind, it was. In fact, when I took another look at that tulip bed, it was like seeing a bright flag of yellow, purple and orange waving to me out of all the grey and khaki.
Besides flowers, Tivoli Gardens has lots of little shops and special play areas and rides for kids. Even though we had a couple brief rain spells and it was warm jacket weather, the place was packed with families and little kids. I loved watching the kids. They were like little bright flowers peeking out from under all the big people dressed in black. No one seemed to mind the rain, and everyone enjoyed the sun when it peeked out from behind the clouds.
We didn't get much shopping in, but I did buy some copper, bronze and tin birds that will be great for mosaics from a woman who used to live in Orange County and was delighted to chat with a couple of Californians. And Linda added to her refrigerator magnet collection, and took pictures of everything.
In fact, she is creating a video of the trip, and I'm not sure I'm going to survive this masterpiece she is creating. She likes to take "selfies" of the two of us with some interesting focal point in the background. It took four tries before she was satisfied with the one of us in front of the big clock at the train station, and she didn't like the fact that we were too tall to get the big red double-decker tour bus in the background of another selfie. "We have to squat," she told me.
"Squat?!" I was alarmed. "Uh, Linda, that's something I only ask my dogs to do in public." She made me squat anyway.
It was worse with The Little Mermaid. Linda insisted we kneel on the gravel so that she could get all of The Little Mermaid in the background. Good thing Linda was happy with the first shot she took because my knees were creaky and cranky enough as it was.
We topped off today's adventures with dinner at a nice little place a couple blocks from our hotel, Karlas. Their roast pork dinner was highly recommended to us, and we loved it. It came with little red potatoes, cabbage and pickled cucumbers, all delicious, and the pork was roasted to perfection with a crackling crust. Boy was it good, but it was way too much -- we should have split one dinner.
We hated to waste the food, so we had it boxed up and after dropping me off at the hotel, my tender-hearted friend walked over to a nearby street where she'd seen a homeless woman earlier today. After giving her the roast pork sinner, Linda bought a bunch of Burger King hamburgers and passed them out to the woman's friends.
She came back to the hotel feeling sad that she didn't do more, but I told her she'd made a huge difference as it was, and I was glad she'd done it.
Yes, there are homeless people here, but we never saw any beggars -- apparently that is not allowed. Nor litter. Copenhagen is a very clean city. Quiet, too: for a city of its size and significance, the traffic noises are minimal. All the cars are very small, and while there are some busy streets, my impression is most people either walk or bike to work. There are bike parking stands everywhere, and bike riders in all weather.
Saturday 15 April
Some short shots:
The hotel:
We love, love, LOVE the Scandic Park Hotel. Our room is small and the twin beds are pushed very close together, but it's lovely and well-appointed. AND ....we can open the windows!!!! It's amazing how much better you can sleep in a hotel room when you can open the window and get some fresh air. Apart from the room itself, the staff here are some of the friendliest and most helpful we've ever encountered. The breakfast buffets are wonderful and the dining room and bar-cocktail lounge are elegant but comfortable. And the location is just superb for walking around the center of the city.
Packing for disabilities:
I forgot to mention straws. The mild palsy on the right side of my face from the brain tumor surgery often makes it difficult for me to drink from a glass, because I lose control of one side of my mouth. I got tired of dribbling my coffee and wine all over my shirts and looking like a slob, so I started drinking everything from a straw. I'd rather look eccentric than like a slob. I use those little teeny straws used in bar drinks and to stir coffee, and always keep a stash in my purse.
So the straws are one more thing I need to always have on hand, along with the eyedrops, spare batteries, and all the rest of it. It's like carrying around a diaper bag all the time. Ah well.
Functional realities:
"Are you sure you really need your purse??"
Well, maybe not, and it would be nice not to carry it around all the time ...but when I got down to the dining room for breakfast and sat at the table, I realized I didn't have any straws with me so I could sip my coffee without making a mess. I didn't have extra eyedrops with me. I needed to blow my nose and I didn't have any tissue with me.
And so next time we went out, even just down to the lobby, I grabbed my purse. When Linda asked if I really needed it, I simply told her, "Yes, I do."
And that was that.
And then there was the time we wanted to go downstairs to the front desk real quick to get our iPhone and iPad WiFi sorted out. Linda watched me juggle cane, iPhone and iPad, and suggested maybe I could leave the cane behind for just going down to the front desk. I agreed.
As soon as we got to the stairs, I knew why I should have brought the cane. I was lost without it to mark the steps and find my way, and even Linda noticed how much more help I needed when I did not have my cane with me.
So that's that for the cane, too.
The weather:
We expected high temperatures in the 50s, and I've been comfortable -- indeed, If you're hot flashing like I am this weather is fabulous. Yesterday it was chilly with some rain but mostly sunny, and great for getting out and about. Today, it's raining hard, and we're taking a taxi to the train station to catch our train to Gothenburg.
My images today are very different from the ones I wrote about yesterday. No arrows of glary light and faceted jewel reflections from all those windows today. All those windows are black and neatly framed in white trim and set into row upon row in all the buildings.
Next stop: Sweden, where it's colder.
Easter Sunday 16 April 2017
Final short shot:
I am still swearing at this damn iPad. I had this letter all finished and ready to send off yesterday morning before Linda and I checked out of the hotel and headed to the train station for our train to Gothenburg. I was doing a final spell-check and all of a sudden the entire text disappeared on me. I must have blocked the whole email and then deleted it. So. Here I am in Gothenburg Sweden finally getting the Copenhagen letter off.
Happy Easter, and Happy Spring to those who don't do Easter. More to come, IF this iPad behaves.
Sent from my iPad
Even in the shades of gray and shards of light I see today, Copenhagen is a visual treat. The buildings are old world European with row upon row of multi-pane windows, some with arches, some like bay windows, some just little squares and rectangles. They are like black eyes watching out on the world, and when the sun shines on them, they glow like lamps and glitter like faceted jewels. I see Copenhagen in wave upon wave of clearly defined architectural lines adorned with glowing jewels among eddlies and shadows of mist and clouds. The trees are the only things I see really clearly. They are not yet leafed out, and stand out like black lace.
Seen at eye level from the top deck of our tour bus today, the arboreal black lace is a major element of all my images today. Every now and then Linda would comment on the colors: 'Mary, the buildings here are all a deep golden brick color, really pretty against the blue sky." And I'd have an image of a row of earthy yellow brick buildings with all those multi-pane windows, each pane a glowing mirror of the sun, set against the blue sky full of swirls of fluffy white. All seen through the black lace overlay of the trees.
And then, of course, I'd start thinking about the stained glass I'd use for the sky and buildings, the mirrors I'd use for the windows, the slightly thicker tile I'd use to do all the tree lace, and how the materials would feel in my hands as I set the mosaic to board. I'd grout it ... Hmmm .... A dense brick red? Or maybe a deep royal blue.
Another time we were driving through a street of mostly white buildings with all those glittering windows, and I had an impression of a whirlwind of mirror shards emerging out of chaos into orderly rows of wild windows, and then breaking back into chaos.
I miss my sense of color so much it hurts, but these days I am experiencing light in ways I never did when I could see colors. It's interesting how my images react and change when I get color information.
Like when Linda and I were walking through the airport after we landed in Copenhagen. The early afternoon sun was shooting glary streams of light through all the glass walls and ceilings of the terminal, and I asked Linda what the colors were. I was imagining lots of silvery stainless steel and monochromatic grays and beiges. But Linda said no, the colors were mostly deep yellow and white.
I liked that right away. Deep yellow and white felt friendly and warm and inviting. That's just what Copenhagen has been for us, no matter that it's been cold and windy with spells of drizzle and rain while we've been here. Even the customs agent made us feel like she really was happy to see us. Indeed, it was the most pleasant customs I've ever been through, even nicer than getting into Canada.
Danes are the nicest people. If you lose your tour bus ticket but can show the receipt that proves you bought it, the tour bus guy says, "Oh, don't worry," and lets us on the bus. If all you have is a 500 kroner note to buy a couple of espressos that only cost 30 kroner, the clerk says, "Don't worry, I can change that for you," and does it in a way that makes you feel you're doing her a favor instead of the other way around. If you're confused about buying your train tickets to Gothenburg, the ticket agent makes you feel like it's his pleasure to walk you through the basics of train travel in Denmark, and then makes sure you get the easiest route to your destination. If you can't figure out the ATM machine to pull out some Danish cash, the nice Danish man behind you will cheerfully show you how.
Everyone here speaks excellent English, and they are just delighted when Linda and I tell them "Takk! Takk!"
("Thank you! Thank you!" ). And they're all good-looking, especially the men. Linda and I particularly like the guy at the front desk of the Scandic Palace Hotel where we are staying. Not only is he exceptionally good-looking in that "tall, dark and handsome" way, he has a really nice deep voice, and he's been great about drawing maps for us, mailing excess baggage home for us, and bringing iPhones and iPads Into working WiFi order.
We love the food here, too. Breakfast is a typical European buffet of breads and pastries, cereals, cheeses, cold meats, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit and juices, and you can get scrambled eggs and bacon too. The breads are especially wonderful, just as they were in Poland when Andy and I were there 15 years ago. Last night we had baked salmon and salad at a steakhouse next door to our hotel. A simple meal but best quality ingredients and well-prepared.
Today at Tivoli Gardens, we had a late lunch at Fru Nimb, considered one of Copenhagen's best restaurants. The place was lovely, the service was delightfully efficient and friendly, and the Danish open-faced sandwiches were wonderful. They were made on thin slices of dense dark bread, and topped with things like a ham salad, smoked salmon, and even kale and peas with a spread of sherry cream and horseradish. That spread was delicious and I intend to try duplicating it at home.
Apart from the Fru Nimb restaurant, we most loved the flowers at Tivoli Gardens. All the bulbs are in bloom here, and the gardens are full of Easter and spring decorations. I loved how the colors popped out for me in my mind when LInda described the huge flower beds for me. "Here is this big wave of brilliant yellow tulips, and next the tulips are deep red-purple, and finally there are the red-orange ones, it's just stunning!" And in my mind, it was. In fact, when I took another look at that tulip bed, it was like seeing a bright flag of yellow, purple and orange waving to me out of all the grey and khaki.
Besides flowers, Tivoli Gardens has lots of little shops and special play areas and rides for kids. Even though we had a couple brief rain spells and it was warm jacket weather, the place was packed with families and little kids. I loved watching the kids. They were like little bright flowers peeking out from under all the big people dressed in black. No one seemed to mind the rain, and everyone enjoyed the sun when it peeked out from behind the clouds.
We didn't get much shopping in, but I did buy some copper, bronze and tin birds that will be great for mosaics from a woman who used to live in Orange County and was delighted to chat with a couple of Californians. And Linda added to her refrigerator magnet collection, and took pictures of everything.
In fact, she is creating a video of the trip, and I'm not sure I'm going to survive this masterpiece she is creating. She likes to take "selfies" of the two of us with some interesting focal point in the background. It took four tries before she was satisfied with the one of us in front of the big clock at the train station, and she didn't like the fact that we were too tall to get the big red double-decker tour bus in the background of another selfie. "We have to squat," she told me.
"Squat?!" I was alarmed. "Uh, Linda, that's something I only ask my dogs to do in public." She made me squat anyway.
It was worse with The Little Mermaid. Linda insisted we kneel on the gravel so that she could get all of The Little Mermaid in the background. Good thing Linda was happy with the first shot she took because my knees were creaky and cranky enough as it was.
We topped off today's adventures with dinner at a nice little place a couple blocks from our hotel, Karlas. Their roast pork dinner was highly recommended to us, and we loved it. It came with little red potatoes, cabbage and pickled cucumbers, all delicious, and the pork was roasted to perfection with a crackling crust. Boy was it good, but it was way too much -- we should have split one dinner.
We hated to waste the food, so we had it boxed up and after dropping me off at the hotel, my tender-hearted friend walked over to a nearby street where she'd seen a homeless woman earlier today. After giving her the roast pork sinner, Linda bought a bunch of Burger King hamburgers and passed them out to the woman's friends.
She came back to the hotel feeling sad that she didn't do more, but I told her she'd made a huge difference as it was, and I was glad she'd done it.
Yes, there are homeless people here, but we never saw any beggars -- apparently that is not allowed. Nor litter. Copenhagen is a very clean city. Quiet, too: for a city of its size and significance, the traffic noises are minimal. All the cars are very small, and while there are some busy streets, my impression is most people either walk or bike to work. There are bike parking stands everywhere, and bike riders in all weather.
Saturday 15 April
Some short shots:
The hotel:
We love, love, LOVE the Scandic Park Hotel. Our room is small and the twin beds are pushed very close together, but it's lovely and well-appointed. AND ....we can open the windows!!!! It's amazing how much better you can sleep in a hotel room when you can open the window and get some fresh air. Apart from the room itself, the staff here are some of the friendliest and most helpful we've ever encountered. The breakfast buffets are wonderful and the dining room and bar-cocktail lounge are elegant but comfortable. And the location is just superb for walking around the center of the city.
Packing for disabilities:
I forgot to mention straws. The mild palsy on the right side of my face from the brain tumor surgery often makes it difficult for me to drink from a glass, because I lose control of one side of my mouth. I got tired of dribbling my coffee and wine all over my shirts and looking like a slob, so I started drinking everything from a straw. I'd rather look eccentric than like a slob. I use those little teeny straws used in bar drinks and to stir coffee, and always keep a stash in my purse.
So the straws are one more thing I need to always have on hand, along with the eyedrops, spare batteries, and all the rest of it. It's like carrying around a diaper bag all the time. Ah well.
Functional realities:
"Are you sure you really need your purse??"
Well, maybe not, and it would be nice not to carry it around all the time ...but when I got down to the dining room for breakfast and sat at the table, I realized I didn't have any straws with me so I could sip my coffee without making a mess. I didn't have extra eyedrops with me. I needed to blow my nose and I didn't have any tissue with me.
And so next time we went out, even just down to the lobby, I grabbed my purse. When Linda asked if I really needed it, I simply told her, "Yes, I do."
And that was that.
And then there was the time we wanted to go downstairs to the front desk real quick to get our iPhone and iPad WiFi sorted out. Linda watched me juggle cane, iPhone and iPad, and suggested maybe I could leave the cane behind for just going down to the front desk. I agreed.
As soon as we got to the stairs, I knew why I should have brought the cane. I was lost without it to mark the steps and find my way, and even Linda noticed how much more help I needed when I did not have my cane with me.
So that's that for the cane, too.
The weather:
We expected high temperatures in the 50s, and I've been comfortable -- indeed, If you're hot flashing like I am this weather is fabulous. Yesterday it was chilly with some rain but mostly sunny, and great for getting out and about. Today, it's raining hard, and we're taking a taxi to the train station to catch our train to Gothenburg.
My images today are very different from the ones I wrote about yesterday. No arrows of glary light and faceted jewel reflections from all those windows today. All those windows are black and neatly framed in white trim and set into row upon row in all the buildings.
Next stop: Sweden, where it's colder.
Easter Sunday 16 April 2017
Final short shot:
I am still swearing at this damn iPad. I had this letter all finished and ready to send off yesterday morning before Linda and I checked out of the hotel and headed to the train station for our train to Gothenburg. I was doing a final spell-check and all of a sudden the entire text disappeared on me. I must have blocked the whole email and then deleted it. So. Here I am in Gothenburg Sweden finally getting the Copenhagen letter off.
Happy Easter, and Happy Spring to those who don't do Easter. More to come, IF this iPad behaves.
Sent from my iPad
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