Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Back in my Own Time Zone

It's good to be home, but it was a great trip! Five days in Copenhagen, eight days in Berlin, and 2 more days in Copenhagen. I'll start with Copenhagen, and report on Berlin later.
Here are things I loved about Copenhagen:
1. The weather was cool and breezy, just what a girl from Tallahassee wants in July!
2. The public transportation system is a dream come true, especially the Metro, where trains come every few minutes.
3. There are few hills, which makes long walks very appealing.
4. Outside the city center it is serene and peaceful with little traffic and wide sidewalks.
5. Hollyhocks grow out of cracks in those sidewalks!
6. Elsinore (called Helsingor) is a short train ride away.
7. You can see Sweden across the Baltic Sea.
8. There is a little mermaid.
9. There is a tree in the Frederiksberg park where parents hang pacifiers that their children have given up, many with fond notes and pictures.

On the downside:
1. Denmark hasn't embraced the idea of clean indoor (or outdoor) air, and the smoke is omnipresent.
2. The area around Tivoli and the Radhus is incredibly congested.
3. The knitting options were limited. The yarns were the same as I can buy here (only more expensive) and the interesting patterns were all in Danish.
4. One knitting shop that looked interesting (in the neighborhood of our hotel) had the sign below in its window. I don't know Danish but I know it means "Closed for July."







There wasn't much knitting time, but I did mke progress on the Diagonal Triangle Top in Bamboo, and a mindless diagonal scarf.

3 comments:

camillaknits said...

Oh, your photos are gorgeous. Glad to see a post here again. My girls love the HCA tale of the mermaid (this is where my standard rant against the 'happy-happy Disney-version' of everything goes)and loved seeing your pic of her. Can't believe a shop could shut down for a whole month, but, then again, we aren't total Socialists in this country and somebody's got to pay the bills! *wink* Cami

Anonymous said...

Welcome back and I love the photo of the hollyhocks (and that colour of background - brilliant)! Apart from the smoke it sounds a lovely holiday.

Anonymous said...

Love those hollyhocks on the yellow wall! Envious on the whole of your travels. Looking forward to hearing more. (I'm like that, envious, but love to see the pics!) Someday...

About shawl/stole wearing... It is such a fine line isn't it? Getting that right mix of knitting and clean-lined clothes helps. I wish they'd never been stylish two or three seasons ago so now they wouldn't be "out".

I find I like wearing them when relaxing at home or when I'm in a quiet public place (sitting, reading, drinking wine, talking with friends), but don't find them practical for actually living - shopping, carring things, etc. Sometimes I tie one on my bag, then use it when I get settled in somewhere.

Nancy, Knitting Wench