The happiest new year!

I would like 2011 to end on a change, and not just give 2012 all the credit for what is to come. After all there would be no 2012 without a 2011. I would like to exit my comfort zone, and pursue some of the many ideas popping up in my head. I would like to end the overthinking and just DO. I did tonight, just a little thing, something I have been meaning to do for a long time. Tomorrow we will see if it panned out, or simply backfired. I am so fired up right now. Grateful for 2011 and exited about 2012. We are going to have so much fun next year!

Happy new year!

♥

 

With love from Copenhagen

Today I was taking my bike for a spin, and as darkness set in all of a sudden light popped up everywhere. In one spot entire facades were lit up in bright colors.

Lit up from below. It could be a temporary installation, a cool safety measure or maybe advertising for the paint company nearby. It doesn't even matter, I just love it. See the slice of orange on the other side..

And further down the road the railway underpass in a pretty dress. That I am pretty sure is a safety thing, making it less creepy to pass by foot or bike. But still insanely cool.

Chauffeurs Union showering the entire block in a red light. I wonder if it bothers the neighbors?

Red asphalt. Crazy. Romantic.

Copenhagen loves me.

♥

Happy holidays

This could have been the jule post to end all jule posts. Instead I am busy running victory laps around the block, celebrating my first blues free month of December... ever. This year I have taken a different approach, not dwelling on anything jule related. It is like I have been living in a parallel world, observing the Martians as they have acted out their rituals, and not participating in any way. Maybe it is that. Or maybe it is because I have taken up exercising, or maybe it is because I quit my job. Whatever it is, it works: it is jul and I am happy. Unbelievable. I wish you all the best and happiest of holidays. Big hugs!

♥

We love our bikes

We start at an early age...

 

... and we take passengers too.

All kinds.

We never get too old to ride...

...and we are always up for a challenge.

We love our bikes.

Always have.

Always will.

♥

Frederiksberg

Going to Vesterbro from Nørrebro I almost always cross through Frederiksberg. It is only a ten minute trip, but even just passing through you clearly get the difference between the three. From the outside the transition appear seamless, but don't be fooled: everything is different. If you have ever seen the classic Danish TV series Matador, you know what I mean when I call it Korsbæk. It is the old world, neatly groomed, with only the faintest trace of graffiti or street art. Dog poop (delivered by small to medium sized dogs only) is properly disposed of, and should you ever forget, there are polite signs to remind you and little stations with complimentary dog-poop-bags on every other corner.

If Frederiksberg was a relative, she would be the distinguished elderly aunt, who eats from the fine china and keep up appearances at all times. She may not have a great sense of humor or even pretend to understand you, but she belongs at the table as part of the family.

Creme de Cafe...

...also known as Creme de Nial.

Worlds collide. In passing I thought this was painted blinds, haha. Such an unlikely mix.

The tiniest hint of rebellion. Maybe we are related after all?

The bicycle highway

Yesterday was the grand opening of the bicycle highway on Nørrebrogade. On any given day there are more people celebrating the city's widest bike lanes than at this event, it was not exactly drawing a crowd... but despite the sparse attendance and the creepy cold it was a crazy beautiful day, with a heavy hit of "hygge".

Balloons, confetti and color... a true blues-buster.

Cushioned seats! Just for the occasion. And a small tent for the performing DJ. I wish I could have made a soundbite for you (I want to learn how to make/add homemade soundbites, do any of you have good tips for that? Help will be greatly appreciated).

Queen Louises Bridge with a minimum of traffic. Weekends are blissfully quiet.

DJ Mike Sheridan, making jaws drop on the electronic music scene from the ripe age of fourteen. Do you see what I see? Look closely... as always the real party is backstage:

Hello birds!

Hahaha, I love Copenhagen madly, did I ever tell you that?

Link: 

Mike Sheridan on Soundcloud

 ♥

Field time

If I was confined to an office chair five days a week, I would wither and die. My best ideas always come when I am playing, and inspiration appears only when I charge my batteries properly. What to outsiders look like aimless drifting is what I call field time. I love my field time:

Swiss Bustart.

C215. The technique of this guy..

C215 in a recent interview. Good stuff.

This reminds me of Dain, perhaps the worlds oldest living street artist, what I would not give to see one of his pieces live. Ah, New York... hungry eye wants more.

Right next to the aboriginals was a wall dedicated to the memory of the legendary Rammellzee, American street artist and hip hop pioneer working his magic in full costume.

The evo griller 1960-2010.

   Style Wars OST Beat Bop Rammelzee vs. K-Rob

And from the garage on Spuistraat, every time I go, a new spot is revealed. If I could only make the parked metal disappear for five minutes, so I could show you the whole thing in one big bite. Crazy yum. Crazy, I tell you.

With the tounge continuing all the way out on the floor, licking the underbelly of a huge black van.

Link fest:

Bustart

A collection of C215 on Flickr

Rammellzee on the blogs here and here.

Calligraffiti (Rammellzee memorial mural)

Crazy love!

Corners unturned

As journeys go this was a quickie, but any destination outside the comfort zone, however short, is inspirational. It's not even that long ago since I visited Amsterdam last, but true to form almost everything about the experience was different. Big cities are full of surprises and corners unturned, one of the many reasons why I love them.

Recently I have found myself occupied with the public space. How much of it has been earmarked for cars (and advertisers), and how we are slowly beginning to question that. In Amsterdam they are not just a few steps ahead of us, it's a whole different ballgame. First: the car is not king, and second the inhabitants have found a way to make the city and the public space theirs. Nothing illustrates that better than the floating bike seats:

Introducing the Zit Paaltje "Zip", bike seats mounted on the classic Amsterdammers.

You can just imagine the happy dance performed when I came across these. And reading up on the story behind them only made it better. From the site: Zip is for the people and not for cars. Zip invites people to consider the importance of the street as a social space instead of a mere traffic domain. By providing comfort and fun, Zip can transform an empty space into an attractive spot.

Jihyun David, creator of the Zip project, have made it temporary and nomad. If you are in Amsterdam make sure to look up the latest location and strike a pose. Crazy good. Crazy up my alley.

Another way of inhabiting the public space is with improvised urban gardens. Sometimes it is just a way to cover a ground floor apartment window for a little privacy, and at other times it is more of a public garden, but it is not confined to back yards and appointed areas, as is the case in Copenhagen. I want to do something about that now. As in right now. Or at least come spring.

Liebe / Love

Vertical garden curtain for ground floor privacy.

Built-in potted plants. Poke some holes in the wall and attach plant holders, a super simple solution.

And even fake mixed with real ones. I am predisposed to love them because of my grandmother, who kept plastic plants in every room in the house. Classic "farmor". You can just tell these were planted by a good person.

One thing that never changes in Amsterdam is the overall laid back feeling. Traffic moves at a human pace, and there is no display of fear. The pushing of unnecessary protective gear is not promoted here, and as a result people move about their business with nothing but wind in their hair. As it should be. Can someone tell me why the Danish Cycling Federation* have not only been allowed, but also succeeded in shocking and bullying my people into overpriced plastic hats that they really don't need? If they really consider our infrastructure unsafe (which it is not), then change that, don't make us dress for it. Seriously.

And just when you thought you had seen everything on a bike...

♥

(to be so very continued)

Links:

ZIP seats

More Amsterdam on CC

*Incidentally The Danish Cycling Federation makes a profit selling helmets and similar "protective gear" in their online shop. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to smell something wrong with that..