life interrupted

Well, well...here I am at home.  My good intentions to write about everyday of my trip are now long gone.  Before I move on to real LIFE, I do have to mention and remind myself how wonderfully lucky I was to have experienced that trip to Copenhagen.  It was such a wake-up and reminder to myself of who I am, what inspires, me, interests me, scares me and makes me happy.  I loved walking around the city by myself.  I soaked up the inner silence and let my thoughts wander as my feet did.  The city was so safe, so down tempo and so inviting.  It felt like one big small town.

I have to say that it fueled my creative side again which was nice as I thought it might be long buried.  My eyes were drawn to see things differently through the lens of my camera and I relished any opportunity to go to galleries and think critically within that context.   I had forgotten how to do that.  It also reminded me that art really does make the world go round and how much I believe in its power to make people think, talk and act.  Art is powerful.

One of my most favourite days on the trip (and now will be up there in the top 20 of my life), was my trip to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.  I was introduced to new (old) artists like Anselm Kiefer:

 

and re-acquainted with old muses such as Yves Klein.

As I wandered the gallery and it's breathtaking grounds:

I was in heaven.  Truly, I thought this place might be heaven and if it was I was going to head straight to church.  The beauty of the art, location, natural surroundings was almost a sensory overload.  It was so lovely to experience it by myself.  Although I have no one to share this amazing day with, I so loved being at peace in this environment.  Most of the grounds that I snuck into behind the museum were empty and I just zen-ed out.   I walked beyond the museum property into the Danish countryside.  As I walked along a small gravel road I gazed at the piercing blue water and sky.  Again, it was visual bliss.

Ok, so you get the idea.  The trip was fab and my favourite bit was the Louisiana.  I missed my family and it is good to be home, but man oh man, did I enjoy the "break."

We are back into the thick of things here.  Awaiting job news, planning a birthday party, fighting off colds, researching schools and getting chilly.  Winter is on it's way!  Brrr, I can hear the heater click away as I type. 

The girls are in fine form these days.  They play a lot together.  They also fight a lot, but it's always short lived.  As L rounds the corner to "2" I see her asserting her independence and saying "no!" more and more.  Ah, the 2's.   I'm bracing myself.  This time I know what I'm in for.  I'll be sure to clean out my flask and make room for it in my purse.

Time to sign off and enjoy the silence before they wake up.  Shush!!

day 4 in CPH

I'm going to rattle of a list of things that I have taken note of while in the Danish capital before I forget. Here goes:

1.  Danes obey street signs.  They are not big jay walkers and they always wait for the green pedestrian light before crossing.

2. Danes are very family oriented.  You see lots of children in restaurants, both fine dining, pubs etc.  I noticed lots of clothing stores and restaurants have toys for children.  It is expected that they are always out in all public places.

3.  Customer service sucks here.  It's very nice that everyone speaks English, but they really don't place priority on being customer focused.  You often have to seat yourself, ask to order, ask for your drinks, ask for the bill etc.

4.  In a Danish hotel a double bed consist of 2 beds put together and you always get 2 single duvets.  It's rather curious, don't you think?  No sharing blankets over here!

5.  Danes are not very friendly.  They won't be outright rude, but they are generally closed off.  I was warned about this and yes, it's true.  Don't expect a lot (read: any) idle chit chat from them on the bus, at the coffee shop etc.  They keep to themselves.

6.  They tend to be a little more advanced in the environmental sustainability department.  Although after saying that, I notice no recycling bins in our hotel room or lobby.  I also haven't noticed any recycling bins on the street.  But, big picture - they seem to have a handle on electricity rationing, green transportation etc.  I don't know enough about their actual local business practices, but Europe in general is further ahead in embracing 'social responsibility'.

7.  Lastly (at least for today), is that the stereotype is true - 'Danes love their design.'  And my god are they good at making everything (form an apple corer to architecture) look stylish.  Case in point - from the great Danish store "Illums Bolghus":

I finally had my first good sleep last night.  Poor Jenna, she limping like an old lady with all the aches and pains of pregnancy.  It's very cool to think that there are 3 of us on this trip.  I wonder who the wee little Leibury is?  So exciting!!

Ok - time to get dressed and hit the road.  Till tomorrow.

Love to my loved ones!!

xoC

reunited and it feels so good

The moment I walked into the hotel where I was to meet Jenna, there she was at the front desk.  We didn't know what time her flight would get in etc., so this was what they call kismet.  It was the last night of the amusement park Tivoli to be open for Halloween (apparently they close for the week leading up to Halloween - something about school holidays this week.)  Anyway, we hopped over to the park to grab some dinner.  I had already been there for a couple of hours wandering the amazing grounds.  It was such a beautiful and magical place.  There were twinkling lights, pumpkins, candy apples, rides, costumes, lanterns and a glowy, fuzzy light permeated the whole park at dusk.  So magical!  I missed my girls even more watching all the children on the carousels and rides.  I even went on the circle swing.  Why not?!?  I did feel quite silly trying to take a photo of myself while flying through the air.

my goofy face as I ride the big swing

the big swing!

Jenn and I found a restaurant located in this building:

We had an odd, typically Danish meal, that was very yummy.  After our fine dining we followed up with some deep fried waffles and chocolate sauce.  

Stores were closed today so I spent the morning wandering around town and did a canal cruise in the afternoon, followed by my trip to Tivoli.

It was another dreamy day.  Jenna is fast asleep and I hope to join her soon.  I hardly slept at all last night.  Grrrr.  I'm hoping for better success tonight.

Sweet dreams.

xo

goddag hej!

Well, here I am in Copenhagen.  It is so surreal to be here - in Europe - in Denmark - in Copenhagen - by MYSELF!!  WTF!  I am currently sitting in my pj's, posting pics to flickr, drinking red wine (that I got from 7-11) and listening to CBC.  Yes, it always goes back to CBC.  Thank god for web radio.    The voice of Jian is never very far away:)

Where to start?  First off, the flight to Frankfurt.  I used to HATE flying.  I mean, it was my top 1 or 2 things that produced great amounts of anxiety and fear.  Well, I gotta say that things have changed.  In the last few years I've mainly flown with my children and let's be honest - that is just not fun.  Not fear inducing, but just a pain in the ass, really.  A shitty diaper just after take-off?  C'mon!  Anyway, the 9 hour flight seemed to go by very quickly.  I don't know if had anything to do with the fact that I haven't been alone for 9 hours in a very long time, or the glass of vodka and "chill pill" I took.  I even watched an Adam Sandler movie?!  Hmmmm, all I know is that I woke up for breakie and we were landing in Frankfurt.  From there I transferred and flew to CPH.  I got in and took a cab to my hotel.  What a great little hotel.  It's brand stinking new so it feels fresh and squeaky clean.  I got upgraded to a double room upon arrival.  It took quite some time to figure out how to use the bath faucets.  Damn sleek Danish designs!  There is a bus shuttle that takes me right from hotel to the main square in the heart of the city.  It runs every 15 min, so it's a handy way to get to the action.

Today I walked from Tivoli :

by the old shipping docks of Nyhavn:

with a quick trip through the King's Gardens and then on to my final destination of Nørrebro:

This once blue collar neighbourhood has now been gentrified and is a hub for artsy folks and funky boutiques.  I loved wandering the streets, meandering my way through the cobble stone paths.  This city is very easy to navigate and I never got lost once or felt in danger.  Easy breezy.  I did see many interesting boutiques and stopped for a delicious cuppa, only to ask a local about why most of the stores were closed.  Apparently they close at 3pm on Saturdays.  Huh?  Saturdays??  Isn't that the working woman's day to get shit done?  Very odd, in my North American eyes.  Nonetheless, I took the opportunity to window shop (cheaper) and take pics of the beautiful city.

I made my way back to the centre of town, the soundtrack of my steps was a combination of Ray LaMontagne, Angus and Julia Stone, Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin and Vitamin String Quartet, just to name a few. Lovely.

 

I stopped for dinner at Cafe Europa.  It was a lovely, authentically Danish cafe.  I feasted on the:

FISH PLATTER
Shrimps from the island of Rømø & crispy bread, Ceviche of sea bass, spiced herring from Christiansø with potatoes, smoked salmon with spinach & Hollandaise sauce, tuna mousse with lime.
Bread & butter.

Yum.  I stopped at 7-11 for my bottle of vin (class-ay) and headed back to catch my hotel shuttle.  Oh, I forgot to add that I did do a wee bit of shopping.  I picked up the oddest little things.  Drew - you would think it is so typically Cherry.  Odds and sods - cupcake liners, tights, cute Band-Aids etc.  It's that damn Danish design that makes everything look good - even mundane objects.  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for that.

I'm now waiting for my family to get home so I can Skype with them and see their beautiful faces.  I love traveling.  It reminds me of who I am, what I love and most importantly, who I love.  xoxoxox to Bobes, Annie Bannannie and Lilooshka.

more CBC loving

Just got us tickets yesterday for Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe Christmas.  See, CBC dorks!

nipping at my feet

Autumn, that is.  Even though our temps have been fairly warm, there is change in the air.  A slight crispness.  I've found myself starting to put some of our summer clothes away and bringing out the warmer pj's etc.  The nights are definitely cooler and my little birdies complain about being cold in the mornings.  I'm sad to see this summer leave.  It just may have been my best ever.  It was everything I wanted it to be.  We seized each sunny day and played hard in the yard, tending our garden, going on vacations, blowing bubbles, running through the sprinklers, watching sunsets, eating loads of berries, watching fireworks, making popsicles, swimming, and generally having the time of our lives.  We embraced 'Carpe Diem' this summer.

Fall used to be my favourite season, but after a summer like this one, it's so hard to say good-bye.  There are lots of fun things to look forward to this season.  Pumpkins, learning to knit, making soup, sweaters, leaves, and the sense of a new beginning.  A starts a new school in a few weeks, we are heading back to Saskie for a visit and then I'm off to Copenhagen for some girl time and solo traveling.  It ain't so bad, I reckon.

My delicious littles are full of life and oh so loud these days.  Since the windows are open at our house most days, you can hear us down the block.  We are one loud family!  I know I actively contribute to that.  I love throwing on some tunes and having an impromtu dance party.  The girls are always up for it.

Oh summer how I will miss...
laying in your cool wet grass
watching you paint the sky before dark
feeling your warm rays on my back
waking to your beautiful morning light
making our days long and full
warming our nights
giving us an excuse to eat ice cream every day
letting me play with my girls in a carefree summery way each and every day

Gold Ears National Park

 

Golden Ears Park

Lake Mesachie

Lake Mesachie

my shadows

I escaped to the coffee shop.  It's been a looooooooooooong weekend and I haven't had a moment to myself.  Ok, that's not entirely true.  Friday was 'date day' and the hub and I had one fab date.  The weather was begging for us to frolic in the sun, sip on a patio and rest by the ocean.  Not bad at all.  I feel so lucky and fortunate to be able to take the time to spend with each other.  We always return a little more balanced and happy.

Back to my (cute) shadows.  The girls are both at a particularly needy phase and all they want is "mommmmma, mommy, maaaaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaa, MOM..." This morning I went to drop off Annie at my in-laws for the day.  She was jazzed the night before, the morning of, and when we got there and I was ready to leave, she had a major mommy moment.  We tried everything; McDonald's, the playground, a movie, the berry farm etc. and nothing would trump mommy. So, we got back in the car and drove back to Kits.  Despite the fact that we will be spending all day together and we spent all day yesterday together, we were reunited once again.  Ania reminded me that I won't always be the center of their universe, so enjoy it while it lasts.  She's so right, but damn, sometimes I just want to go to the bathroom by myself!!! Poor Drew has been completely shut out as they each cling to my legs and howl for "maaammaaaa."  This too will pass...right?