STRASBOURG II

After the visit to the parliament, the Danish instagrammers, the Polish and I walked through Strasbourg as the sun went down. It took maybe four times as long to get anywhere because we were all photographing like crazy, but it was good fun and we ended up having dinner by the river.

Here is Camilla of the blog and Instagram CopenhagenByMe.

We walked past this little old lady and her red scarf was just perfection.

It wasn't the best food, but it was a perfect way to end a day at parliament. Just evaluating with new friends and digesting all the impressions. Plus, I hadn't expected we would have so much fun together, all of us instagrammers. That was a nice bonus!

The next morning, we went out for breakfast instead of eating at the hotel. The others had an earlier flight home so we said goodbye and I went out to explore on my own before going to the airport. We had all wanted to go up on the roof of the cathedral the day before, but because people took so long photographing we came too late. So I went up on my own. And it was such a perfect view on a sunny spring day.

I will never - never! - grow tired of looking at towns from above. Especially when they are old and colourful like this one.

Look at this shop front!

That was it from Strasbourg. I can highly recommend a visit if you're in the area and in the mood for old narrow streets and beautiful buildings. Also, once again thank you for inviting me, European Parliament!
The trip was sponsored by the European Parliament. I haven't received any money, and everything I write and photograph is of my own responsibility.

STRASBOURG I

Last week, I spent three days in Strasbourg. Along with seven other Instagrammers, I had been invited by the European Parliament to come see where some of the EU politics is made. It was an interesting experience; what a huge place it is, endless amounts of people walking the halls, talking in little offices, clutching important papers and doing interviews. We walked around, went up to the roof, and sat down to see a plenary debate about the global gag rule reinstated by Trump.

The entrance was this huge round square which is intentionally 'unfinished' in its architecture to reflect that the EU will always be 'unfinished'.

It was fascinating to see the politicians at work. Every speech was translated into all the languages represented at the EU and you could listen along on earphones.

We were allowed up on the roof - something that had been forbidden for several years - and it was spring and sunny and gave an impressive view over Strasbourg:

We were eight instagrammers from Germany, Poland, El Salvador and Denmark. We were five Danes and naturally had to take a band photo up on the roof.

The city of Strasbourg was very beautiful. It's the main town in the region of Alsace and is situated close to the German border. It's been going back and forth between Germany and France before ending up in the latter. So the city was a great mix of the two cultures with German-sounding names and dishes and French atmosphere.

Those old wooden houses killed me!

The day before going to the parliament, I hadn't met the other instagrammers yet so I wandered around on my own. I hadn't slept much because I had to catch the early flight from Denmark so it suited me well to just take things slow and get lost in the old streets. I sat down by a riverside café and read my book, enjoyed the warm sun on my face and ate pâté with my café au lait while a homeless man played heavy metal versions of old songs on a boombox nearby.

Later, I spent a long time in an English bookstore and felt strangely at home in all the French - I spent my first six years in France and haven't been back since I was in Paris in 2007, so it was so so so good to be in France again. Just recognizing stores like Habitat, Naf Naf, Jacadi and Fnac was an experience, and speaking French again was heaven. More on Strasbourg tomorrow!
Also, just to specify, the trip was sponsored by the European Parliament. I haven't received any money, and everything I write and photograph is of my own responsibility.

Lately

It's been one and a half month since I last checked in here and an update is in place. I was hired at the newspaper for the next six months and so my life has been measured out in routines since the beginning of January. It's really nice to have something steady and I love being back at the newspaper instead of working at home. But it makes for a dull photo folder on my iPhone as all I see every day is the rooftops from the office. So here are the few glimpses in my folder that are more than just rooftops;

I went out with the youngest brother in the beginning of January. We had tatar and frites (my favourite dish) in a café in Østerbro and had the best time. I love hanging out with him!

Some days were sunny and I had an afternoon working at home where the living room was flooded with the most beautiful wintery light.

Original Coffee opened up in new a spot in newly renovated Illum; now they have the top corner of the old department store, and the café overlooks busy Strøget. It makes for a great scenery to go along with a cup of coffee.

Two weeks ago it snowed. And it looked magical from my office window.

It also cheered up the yellow courtyard at home. I love looking at that facade from my kitchen window.

And last weekend I went up north to famous architect Arne Jacobsen's first home. He built it in 1929/1931 for him and his family and it was a myriad of beautiful details and solutions. Normally, the house is rented out but because a lease just ended, the company who administrates the house opened it up to the public for the weekend. So lovely!

Oh those windows and that view!

The house was full of corner windows which created a playful way of looking out onto the garden.

Last week, I stayed in my old apartment. Some of you who have followed this blog for a long time might remember The White Castle as I dubbed the apartment due to its flooding of light. My father and his wife live there now and they were traveling so I stayed in the apartment for a week. It was strange being back; I can't believe it's been five years since I moved out, but it was also nice to be back and I kept remembering little things from that time. The view was the same, though, and it was just as nice as I remember.

This weekend was spent in the north with my friend Tine. We stayed at her parents' house while they're on vacation and it was like being back in high school when I hung out there all the time. We relived old times, went for a long walk in the park and watched movies on the sofa. Oh, it was just what I needed after a hectic week.

I finished the weekend with a few hours in the apartment enjoying the last of Sunday's light before heading to the cinema to watch 'Lion' with friends. I cried my way through the movie and can definitely recommend it!