Light in the city

It's no secret that my once great love for Copenhagen has faded considerably since my year in Berlin. But I can't help feeling small rays of love for this place slicing their way through me these days as the sun is shining from a blue sky over the freezing city. There's something magical about winter light. Maybe it's because you're desperate after any little prickle of sun after months of darkness, but it seems so much sharper, more intense and beautiful. So on top of a great day, I had to photograph my daily ride home on Dagmar, going over the frozen lakes as the last bit of sun descends. The fact that it's several degrees below zero is soon forgotten...

 Dagmar!

Pink clouds outside my window

Serge♥Jane

Listening to Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. So cool. So wonderful. So French.

Watched

Thelma & Louise yesterday. After getting a little too drunk Friday (what's new?), I made Saturday a quiet night. Cocooned in the sofa watching girl power movie, eating candy and feeling warm. Perfect. Today, I woke up by a guy shovelling snow on the street outside (on a Sunday morning, 8 am!). There was only a modest layer on the ground, it barely covered, but it was there. I'm not a snow-fan. Had brunch in Vesterbro with Kat and Anna. Kat is leaving tomorrow, and I'll miss her laugh and her wonderfulness so much. Later I headed north to attend Tine's goodbye party. Everyone's leaving.

Random January (mostly food)

12.01.2012 19.56: Kat and I defy the cold to go have burgers (with mozzarella and olives...!) at Kalaset (Vendersgade 16).

22.04: Followed by coffee at the Laundromat Café (Elmegade 15)

16.01.2012 19.57: Mette and I go to the movies one afternoon to watch a very kliché-filled movie. Afterwards, we bike through the night to go have soup at Soupanatural (Sankt Peders Stræde 31)

 18.01.2012 19.27: One rainy Wednesday night I head to Vesterbro to see AnCa. We have sushi and Club Mate (yes!), curl up in the sofa and talk about Berlin while laughing a lot. As always.

 23.01.2012 21.02: Anna and Kasper make chicken and mash, and we have late dinner and white wine.

 26.01.2012 16.47: My mom visits bringing cupcakes and good news.

 19.30: Later we go to Folketeatret to see 'Om Baronessen' - a very good play about Karen Blixen and her young lover, Thorkild Bjørnvig, whom she practically devoured... Very very good!

 Outside, they had this old thing hanging, and the font went straight to my heart.

 27.01.2012 21.01: Last night, Mette threw a belated birthday party for the girls with lots of (homemade!) cake and cocktails. Lovely!

Today 14.10: Slightly hungover, I drink coffee, check the newspaper and enjoy the Saturdayness.

Walk

The air was below freezing point as I walked down Nørrebrogade, turned, turned again, looked up into the white fog coming out of my mouth, looked at windows, looked at people, shuttered a little from the cold, stopped to stare at the lake, went on, thought big and small thoughts and had my hands in my pockets. I rarely do it, but sometimes it's perfect walking in the night.

 Came by this window belonging to a vintage shop. Cluttered?

 Schleppegrellsgade was neat with the lights in the trees. Dare I say it? Did I send a little thought to Berlin?

 I had forgotten the magic of standing at the Nørrebro side of the lakes. Where the noise of the cars on the other side is weirdly distant. Where it's merely a soundcurtain while the lights blink down on the water.

Coffee afternoon and kids

The sun is shining from a blue sky these days, and the temperature drops below freezing point. It's so cold! I sleep with double covers, in sweaters and all, and I still don't feel quite warm... But it's beautiful, and this afternoon, as I was standing in Balders Plads waiting for Mette and Iben to join me for coffee, just as the sun dropped behind the houses in the distance, I heard birds singing and felt for a moment that spring wasn't far away. I love how I always manage to talk myself into feeling it's spring when clearly it's not. But there it was. A few minutes later, we were sitting inside sipping coffee, eating our way through a very generous - and delicious - cheesecake and talking about everything. The perfect way to spend the time of day where light becomes dark.

 The last afternoon sun lighting up the top of the buildings. I love winter light.

 Røde Roses Kaffebar, Balders Plads 65, 2200 Nørrebro.

 Beautiful plate, beautiful cake.

 It felt like sitting in a living room, very cosy with children running around.

 We started drawing and attracted some 5-year-old girls that wanted to sit with us and draw. They drew earrings, we drew patterns and accidentally cursed a lot...

 The little nook under the stairs reminded me of playing under my grandparents' staircase when I was a child. It was strictly forbidden for grown-ups, and the code word for getting in was always 'banana split' for some reason...