Friends and Adventures

Some photos from when Becca came to visit a few weeks ago and we went to Malmö. Brendan has been here and we've been enjoying lovely weather over the weekend. Today we had a really nice (Danes love this adjective) tour of the main sites in the city centre for our Danish Culture Class. I discovered our guide was a planning student - a friendly one, awkward and charming. I think the phrase "shared space" tipped me off.

Brendan is leaving early tomorrow. How lovely it is to be again with a friend who knows you so well... Even when they get on your nerves, they put you in check and make you realize things about yourself that will always be true. Miss you, all.

Maritime

Brendan is finally here! After even more delays, we are finally ready for some adventuring in the city. :)

Louisiana II

Gleaming Lights of The Souls by Yayoi Kusama

I just found out today that Brendan is finally coming to Copenhagen tonight! He has been stuck in Istanbul since last friday, with multiple trips back and fourth to the airport and a two day stop in Vienna. Sorry, Brendy. Please bring sunny weather for him, Copenhagen!

Louisiana

Preemptive Summer

Tory, Ali, Mette and I had a picnic the other day. We sat on ratty but cozy blankets that kept us warm as the sun disappeared. Panzanella galore!

p.s. Kodak film sucks. Now definitely a fujifilm devotee.

Little Friend

new backpack! new roll of film! more soon.

Weekend

A lot of the photos from Berlin turned out like this. This was when I was still leaving the camera on "bulb" a lot... But I think this is my favourite photo from the diana yet. There is something here that makes me imagine and be amazed by the magic of light and particles that can happen inside a little box.

I wrote my GIS exam on Friday. Afterward, Nicholas and I got some pretty delicous lunch and saw the Queen wave at Rådhusplasen for her birthday. This is one of the national "flag days" every year and hundreds of people and hundreds of red flags show up to wave back at her! It was so crowded in the streets around Rådhusplasen that we had to get off our bikes and walk.

Later, I went to a BBQ at Tietgen... the most beautiful student residence ever. It is pretty much the polar opposite of the typical North American residence experience. I ate SO much meat - probably more than I've eaten in the whole last two months. I also drank too much beer, kind of leaving me feeling like a really fat and smelly eastern european man the next day.

Saturday was a party at Ali's where internationals and Danes mingled, had yummy party snacks and even a danceparty! I met some really lovely people. After trying to carry Mikhael on the back of my bike and failing terribly (and losing a shoe at an intersection), we had a Canadian (3/5 French) shawarma party.

I've been listening to the new Broken Social Scene album a lot a lot a lot... I don't know how I feel about it, but Texico Bitches is a pretty great song.

Berlin (Analog Edition)

yes a little late... i got some rolls developed and was a little confused. also explains why i had a blank roll of film two months ago...

Happy Birthday!

Today is one of those days when I really miss being at home and a daily part of my friend's and family's lives. Especially today because it's my mother's birthday. My mother has never ceased to amaze me. She has taught me to be independent, honest, and most of all kind.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Folkekøkken

Hyperboräisch by Sigmar Polke.

Update!
I no longer have access to the internet in my room because my ethernet port is bust... which makes it somewhat difficult to blog regularly.

This evening, upon the suggestion of many friends, I decided to volunteer at the folkekøkken in Christiania. Every thursday a group of about 10-15 people get together to cook a vegetarian dinner for 50-100 people. In a tiny café kitchen, with an even tinier stove, with food from donations or dumpsters we created a beautiful meal! Okay, so perhaps this week's wasn't a major gastronomical feat because the main organizers were not present, but I was pretty damn amazed (and proud). I met people from all over (even a girl from Toronto) today, most of us being beginner-advanced amateurs in the kitchen. I think the best part was spending time with these people, chopping potatoes (so so many) with a complete stranger and feeling completely at home. There was something I experienced tonight that really hit me. I can't wait to do it again!

Becca came to visit last week from Scotland and we did so much! We:

- visited Kronborg castle in Helsingør, 30 minutes north of CPH - learned about the Swedes brutally stealing everything (or how biased our Danish history lesson was), saw mediocre neoclassical paintings, saw the sea!
- saw lots of lovely Danish-designed homewares at Illum Bolighus and met Becca's soulmate teapot
- took a daytrip to Malmö in Sweden - bought a fjällräven backpack, bought safari pants, listened to singsong Swedish, ate a bagel!
- visited Louisiana, (10 minutes from Helsingør) - saw Giacomettis, discovered Sigmar Polke, Ian McKeever and Yayoi Kusama, remembered how incomparable seeing art on the internet is to real life
- celebrated spring with fresh cut daffodils for 15kr ($3 Canadian)
- discovered that one jar of "asian" red curry paste from the Danish grocery store lasts about two dinners

I actually think the highlight of our adventures was finally eating smørrebrod at a café beside the train station in Helsingør. It was cozy but certainly not fancy, cheap and best of all - filled with the friendliest old people!

Since then I have been pretty busy making plans for the summer, trying to find work and studying for my GIS exam next friday. To everyone preparing for exams back home: Bonne chance!