Beach House forever

Beach House's new album drops today. I've been pre-listening to it all week via NPR, and it is great. Just as I hoped and knew it would be. Beach House is something very special to me. I first discovered them in the first weeks of 2010 when I was living in Aarhus, but crashing at Chris' couch in Copenhagen. We'd cross the snowy Enghave Plads for night coffees, while the winter darkness seemed to swallow us up. But I didn't love them until later that year in Berlin when I had moved there. During the last weeks of 2010, I walked around the snowy city in a sort of haze, and their dreamy, drony sounds mirrored my feelings of being both incredibly happy and also just caught in the thought-frenzy that is the 20s. I know every single song by heart. "Holy Dances" reminds me of walking through the snow one day in Mitte when I had done an interview at a museum. The rattles of the tambourine still sounds like the snow-flakes that were falling from the sky.

In 2012, the album 'Bloom' came out. I was living in Copenhagen, and I was torn between a devastating heartbreak, longing for Berlin and also being sort of happy about living in the Castle and Nørrebro and having a really great job. The music once again struck something in me and mirrored those feelings. The songs of 'Bloom' remind me of spring along the yellow wall of Assistens Kirkegård. Biking around the city, and that nagging feeling in my stomach I had that year.

I listen to Beach House often. I know I can always put it on and go somewhere inside myself. Whether it's joy, melancholy, sadness or something else, the music is there. It's hard to fully describe what it is all about, but I guess that's the beauty of it. "Better Times" is probably the song I've listened to the most in the world. It reminds me of being really sad over a boy, but also biking through Berlin and feeling joy out to my fingertips.

Now they have released a new album. And I am three years older than last time. I'm once again living in a suitcase and perhaps on the brink of a new, great chapter. We'll see. No matter what, I know that Beach House will be a big part of the soundtrack.

Back when summer was here

On Saturday, I was scorched by the sun. I sat on Dronning Louise's Bridge in Copenhagen with my friend Klaudia and we agreed - stupidly - that the sun isn't that sharp in late August. Neither of us were wearing sunscreen. Later that night, my skin burned and I felt like an idiot. The sun hasn't been out since and I almost feel like that sunburn might have been the last one this summer. Things are good, though. I'm very busy freelancing and it's good to be working again after my two week summer vacation. I am also battling a cold that has now been going on for 16 days. I'm getting tired of that. However, the next two weekends will be great; first Berlin then Milan. Life is alright!

On Wednesday, I went to Christianshavn to do an interview. The weather was beautiful and we sat by the canals talking. It was wonderful.

The next day, I was fighting deadlines, and because we had the car, my brother and I drove down to the sea to have ice cream. It was a nice break.

I spent the weekend in the city. On Saturday night, Tine and I hung out and watched movies and giggled and gossiped.

I started my Sunday with breakfast with Kathrine. We ate at Mirabelle in Guldbergsgade, which I can not recommend. Sure, the food was good, but most of it was sold out and the staff was not very friendly. We had to wait 20 minutes for our coffees, which were then lukewarm, and the seating outside wasn't very flexible. But the company was good.

Later, I met up with Klaudia. We sat by the bridge and walked around and came by a flea market hidden in an old barn between buildings (!) where they had lots of old flags. At night, I had dinner with AnCa on her rooftop in Vesterbro, and we spent the night talking about everything, as usual, and looking forward to our trip to Berlin!

Monday morning I had brunch with Karoline in Møllers Kaffe & Køkken in Nørrebrogade. The food was great but way overpriced. I paid 150 kr for two slices of bread, three slices of avocado, an egg, three small sausages and a coffee... (I'm not hard to please, apparently...) However, it was great seeing Karoline who has just moved back from several years in Germany. Glad to have her around more.

Yesterday, I had an interview in the morning and walked through the old streets of Copenhagen. The air was moist and cold, and it was clear that autumn is just around the corner.

Elsinore

I'm spending some time up north while I look for an apartment in the city (shoot me a message if you know anybody with a cheap apartment for sale). The other day I took a little trip to Elsinore to run some errands, and I love walking down the old streets of that little town. The small houses are so quaint. And then there's the water. And Kronborg.

Little town.

My first stop was Kronborg (not pictured...) where I picked up some coffee beans at Strandvejsristeriet which is located in one of those yellow buildings surrounding the old castle. I wasn't too impressed by the beans, though.

Summer means the flowers are growing high in the small cobbled streets.

Look how crooked that house is!

The flowers were high back at the house, too.

Driving into a storm in 1700 metres altitude

Nature is so overwhelming sometimes. As somebody who prefers the concrete jungle, going to a place like the Gran Sasso in Italy gets me every time. Nature is just so marvelous up there. As we drove up there the other day, a thunder storm suddenly broke out, and lightening struck just behind our car resulting in loud gasps. Outside, the cows just kept on walking around with their bell-collars that rang through the thunder.

Everything was sunny in the little town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio.

But as we drove back up to Gran Sasso, the clouds had gathered.

It was a marvelous sight.

The most beautiful place I've been

On Saturday, my father, my brother and I drove around the mountains and up to an old castle ruin called Rocca di Calascio. The ruin was placed on top of a mountain, and from there we had the 360 degree view to all the other mountains in the area; the mountains stretching on as far as you could see. There's something absolutely magical about nature like that; the blue tones signaling the distance, the way you can see the sun play across the plains. It was breathtaking;

On our way up, we came across these charming little cities that look like they're climbing up the mountains.

Rocca Calascio is the old ruin castle and the small ruin town adjacent, which is now being renovated and slowly opening to the public as authentic b&b's and little restaurants. Beneath the ruin town is the newer town called Calascio.

Just look at that!

My father and youngest brother tried to look cool as we were trekking our way up the mountainside.

Pretty good view from those houses!

The old castle. It was also used as a filming location for several movies including 'The name of the rose'.

People turned into small dots in front of that scenery.

I tried the good old tourist trick of 'I'm-just-pushing-the-castle-into-place'...

My father.

Those shadowy mountains...

AE in the ruins.

This is probably one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

You feel a little small against that backdrop scenery...

On our way back, we drove through Castel del Monte, another of my favourite places in the area.

The view back at the house wasn't bad either, as the sun went down being the hills.