Month: January 2017 (page 2 of 2)

The Flowers of Copenhagen

I have always loved flowers and I adore the flower shops in Denmark. Simple, yet elegantly arranged, candles lit in the windows and on stands outside. The flowers aren’t just contained within the stores, they spill out over the thresholds and into the street.

Without fail, I spot something unusual, like wreaths that have bulbs, ready to burst open, wired directly to the the frame. Or, hydrangea petals glued around a star shaped stake; placed in a pot amongst moss, bulbs and miniature candles. It’s invariably an array of colour and smells. A feast for the senses and a true delight!

Tivoli at Christmas

This is not the first time we have visited Tivoli at Christmas. It is always on our list of “To-Do’s”, when we go to Denmark.

Already a magical wonderland to begin with, Tivoli transforms into an enchanting fairytale world during Christmas. The smell of hot apple cider and Æbleskiver, permeate the air. Stalls selling hot dogs and Christmas roast pork sandwiches are dotted along the paths as well as cabins selling Christmas goodies.

This year we visited the Honningkageslottet (Honey Cake Castle). Here you could not only “watch” the elves make the honey cakes, which is made using the honey harvested from Tivoli’s bees, but you could also buy a honey cake to decorate yourself. We bought one to eat and one to decorate. The smell of honey, spices and chocolate infusing the air was intoxicating.

Whatever season we visit this fairytale land in, I am always amazed at the gardens and hanging baskets. I know they work tirelessly to keep it looking so magical. The planning that goes into the design layout is months and months of work. It is a feast for the eyes.

Tivoli will pick over a thousand trees for Christmas. All of them will be adorned with lights in the forest, before they are cut down; so they are ready to be placed amongst the gardens upon their arrival. The smell of all that fresh greenery walking around that Christmas tree farm, well it would just be Heaven!

Louise Bourgeois at the Louisiana

A trip to Denmark, never feels complete unless we get to walk through the breathtaking halls of the Louisiana Museum. It holds a special place in my heart. Strolling through the sculpture gardens; staring at Sweden across the sea; absorbing all the light from the floor to ceiling windows; taking in the architecture and the lighting, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

This was a special trip for me, as we were going to see the Louise Bourgeois Exhibition. I have long been an admirer of her work and to see her Cell series put together like this was hair-raising. It featured all 25 cells and was the first exhibition to do so. To be able to touch and see what she had touched, seen and created, made the experience a deeply moving and intimate one. I noticed on a few of the cells, her hand writing scrawled across the upper part of the doors, labelling them as the “top”. There was a realness to these nooks, they existed within their own worlds. Worlds that we were, at once, a part of and an intruder. I was overjoyed that we had the chance to see this particular exhibition.

Louise Bourgeois, Cell I

Louise Bourgeois, Cell I (a peak inside)

Louise Bourgeois, Cell VI

Louise Bourgeois, Spider

Louise Bourgeois, Spider (detail)

Louise Bourgeois, I Give Everything Away

Louise Bourgeois, Cell XXVI

Other highlights on this visit were the Daniel Richter paintings and work by the Spanish artist Juan Muñoz. Of course we made a pit stop to step inside Yayoi Kusama’s Gleaming Lights of the Souls. It is always worth the wait to go in to that magical little room.

Juan Muñoz, Half Circle

Daniel Richter, Tarifa

Daniel Richter, Alles Ohne Nichts

Daniel Richter, Amsterdam

Daniel Richter, Winter Journey 4

As always it is a treat to stop and eat lunch at the Louisiana. The fire was lit, and there was a beautiful view from the windows of the ocean rocking and rolling at a steady pace just beyond. The air was damp and clean. We feasted on sparkling apple juice and Christmas sausages with the most divine orange sauce; bowls of Jerusalem artichoke soup; and a variety of salads and fresh bread. It is simple, yet elegant.

Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Powerless Structures, fig. 11

Copenhagen Hot Chocolate

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl

The American Pie Co.

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl

Sort Kaffe & Vinyl

Baresso

I adore hot chocolate and it tends to be my breakfast drink of choice while in Copenhagen. These were just a few snaps I took at some of my favourite places to have this comforting concoction of velvety chocolatey happiness. Very hygge!

First Walk

The temperature dropped so low last night, that we awoke this morning to a fairyland encrusted in sugar. It has been too wet to run through the woods the past few days, but with the world hard with frost underneath my feet, I took my first walk into the woods in this new year.

It was beautiful! The air was so cold and fresh, the light was so purely white. The ducks were skating across the pond. The robins were singing and swooping from branch to branch. Pure magic.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We weren’t very far into this New Year when we heard about what had happened in Turkey. All of their hopes, wishes, dreams and desires for this new year were lost in a cowardly act. I pray that things get better this year, that we hold on to hope and continually strive for the light. For as the great Leonard Cohen said, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in”.

May this New Year bring you all many blessings, happiness and love! xx