Category Archives: Pictures

Min nye cykel (my new bike)

I’ve been wanting a new bike for a while now. Not because I don’t already have two good bikes, but one is too fancy to be left outside, and the other needs some serious work after being ridden hard all summer and has brakes that fade and squeal when they get wet. Besides, it’s always good to have a backup, in case one bikegoes flat,gets stolen, or whatever. I looked for a used bike, but it turns out that fall is a good time to buy a new one, as every bike store is desperate to sell bikes.

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I wanted a “winter bike” — one with internal gears and internal brakes. Neither of these two things are frequently seen in the US, but they’re pretty common in Denmark because bikes are ridden all year and the winters are wet. I also wanted a mountain bike. although I love my city bike, sometimes I want to hop a curb or climb a short set of stairs, and my city bike doesn’t really like it when that happens.

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Ben and Heather

My youngest brother Ben and his wife Heather visited last week. Having just started a new job, I couldn’t take the week off, so I mostly saw them in the evenings. I did take one afternoon off, and took them up to Hillerød to see Frederiksborg Palace.

Frederiksborg PalaceApproaching the Frederiksborg Palace gardenThe Frederiksborg Palace Garden

Loyal readers may recall that Lisbeth and I stumbled on this palace by accident back in June. This time, however, I took a much closer look, both at the garden, and of the palace itself.

Ben (my youngest brother) and his wife HeatherA weird, high-tech doorThe grass didn't meet Ben's approvalApproaching the palaceFrederiksborg PalaceFrederiksborg PalaceFrederiksborg PalaceEntrance of Frederiksborg PalaceStatues at Frederiksborg Palace

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Dublin

Lisbeth and I went to Dublin earlier this month for four days. She was attending a class at the Microsoft Dublin campus, and I just tagged along for the fun of it. Neither one of us had been to Ireland before, and we were looking forward to, among other things, hearing Irish accents and drinking some Guinness.

For the weekend we stayed at Trinity College, which rents some of its dorm rooms out during the summer break. It’s a really nice campus in the heart of the city, so it’s a fantastic place to stay.

Trinity College campusTrinity College campusTrinity College -- the building we stayed in

One thing that surprised me about Dublin is that all the public signs are both in English and in Gaelic. I thought Gaelic was pretty much dead, but apparently there is a movement to keep it alive. In fact, in Western Ireland, English town names have no legality in government documents or survey maps, and English has been banned from use on road signs.

Gaelic -- practically on every signGaelic, practically everywhere

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Gefion fountain, and yet another mermaid

Gefion fountain was donated to Copenhagen by Carlsburg brewery to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1897. It was completed in 1908, and depicts the mythical story of the Norse goddess Gefjon, who was told that she could keep as much land as she could plow in a day and a night. So naturally she turned her sons to oxen, and…off she went.

Gefion fountain Gefion fountain and. St. Albans The other mermaid

The statue is located not far from the Little Mermaid statue, which in turn is not far from “the genetically modified mermaid” — a sort of cubist version, which is shown in the third picture. Here’s a picture of her before she was placed at Longelinie in 2006.

Mermaids, diamonds, and kayakers

The Little Mermaid statue is one of Copenhagen’s biggest tourist attractions, but I haven’t met any Danes that are proud of it. In fact, judging from its long history of being vandalized, it’s safer to say that the Danes are embarrassed by it. (There are plans to move the statue further out into the water, for her own safety.)

The not-so-little mermaidThe not-so-little mermaidThe Little Mermaid -- so humble by comparison

Yesterday I was in the area, and noticed a new mermaid. This one is…bigger, and…considerably prouder. The original one actually looks embarrassed in comparison. Maybe this is a statue that the Danes can be proud of. But on the other hand, it’s supposed to be the “little mermaid”, not the “big, proud, and busty mermaid”. Still, I doubt this one will be decapitated or blasted with dynamite.

After that I took some pictures of the Royal Library, or “Black Diamond” building. It’s in Copenhagen, on the waterfront facing Christianshavn and Islands Brygge.

The Royal Library, or 'Black Diamond'The Royal Library, or 'Black Diamond'The Royal Library, or 'Black Diamond'

From the same place, I captured some passing kayakers. The last picture is an example of some of the modern office buildings on Christianshavn.

Kayakers at Islands BryggeKayakers at Islands BryggeOffice building in Christianshavn

Arson update

Restoration is underway on Lisbeth’s building after an arsonist set a fire in the back stairwell earlier this month. Here’s a picture of the fire, the aftermath, and the canopy that’s in place now.

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July has seen historic rainfall in Denmark, smashing every record set since records have been kept, so that canopy is really necessary.

Southwestern skies

“There’s no way to divide the beauty of the sky from the wild western plains” – Natalie Merchant — Gold Rush Brides

I took these today, driving from Springer to Las Vegas (New Mexico).

Northern New Mexico SkiesNorthern New Mexico SkiesNorthern New Mexico SkiesNorthern New Mexico SkiesNorthern New Mexico SkiesNorthern New Mexico Skies

 

Wide, wide angle

I’ve been wanting one for a quite some time, and yesterday I gave in to temptation and bought a new lens. Apparently the official name of this lens is Nikon 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor, but most people just call it the “12 to 24″. It’s a professional-grade, digital-specific, ultra-wide angle lens.

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This is my first professional grade lens. Everything else I’ve been using is pretty low-end stuff — often costing less than $100 new. This lens is…well, not that affordable…

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I wasn’t incredibly impressed with it at first, but now that I’ve used it for a couple days, I’m definitely warming up to it. If I have complaints, it’s the weight, the limited range, and…well, the price.

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It is a lot heavier than the stock lens, which gives it a nice feel, but I’m more aware of it, especially when it’s in my bag. The limited range means that you pretty much have to carry about an extra lens. This is not a do-it-all lens.

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And no, these pictures are not of Copenhagen. These were taken where my parents live in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where I’m on vacation.

Solstice photos

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I’ve added a “Blue Solstice” page that I rather like.

Before, during, and after the fire

There was a fire in Lisbeth’s apartment building early this morning. It started the back stairwell on perhaps the 2rd floor, and spread to the roof. (Most apartments in Copenhagen have two stairwells — the back one is a smaller utility stairwell, originally for work crews and such, but mostly used to store mops and to take out the trash.) I just happened that I’d taken a picture of that area of the building a few weeks ago.

Before: June 17th3:36 am3:44 am

I was surprised how much damage it did, and how slowly the fire crews seemed to respond. I noticed the fire early on because I smelled something that vaguely reminded me of fireworks. (I’d been thinking about it being the 4th of July all day, so smoke in the air made me think of fireworks.) We watched it for 20 minutes before I decided it was worth trying to take some pictures.

3:47 am3:49 am=

The crews fought the fire from the street side (and these shots are all of the courtyard side), so the first evidence of their efforts were streams of water shooting over the top of the roof. Eventually we could see firefighters using hoses from tall ladders.

3:56 am4:02 amAfter: 4:02 am

One thing I hadn’t counted on was the noise. The sound of breaking glass was amazing, and every once in a while you’d hear the crunching of, I assume, fixtures and furniture falling, and perhaps even floors collapsing.

Another thing that surprised me is that there was almost no shouting or hysteria. If you’d had your windows closed, you might very well have slept through the whole thing. The sirens may have been loud on the street, but in the courtyard they were quite muted.

This morning’s news says that 15 apartments were burnt out, but that no one was hurt. There’s a short news video here.