Pictures Paint A Thousand Words...

Too Beautiful!

Nyhavn... I did it!

I finally did it! I walked for 30 to 45 minutes from Fisketorvet (a shopping mall) to Nyhavn. I chose the path along the waters. There are ultra-urban buildings on both sides of the water built with reflective glass windows which, I am sure for the reason of lessening the impact on the environment.

It is also very refreshing to see office people having their lunch under the sun. Well, understandably, the sun here is less harsh and with the chilly air from spring, outdoor dining seems like a great idea here. The sun is so welcoming that I could hear a man humming a happy tune while riding his bicycle.

Along my journey also, when I am passing Christianhavn on my right and the Black Diamond on my left, I saw some young folks doing the “Danish Plunge” as I would call it. The people here are really enjoying the summer and they will go swimming in the harbour area as they claim the water is very clean. The folks are so comfortable stripping and throwing themselves into the water.

Finally, when I saw the sign “Havnegade”, I knew Nyhavn must be nearby. I celebrated my sight on Nyhavn with a self compliment on how I manage to do it again. Nyhavn is so vibrant with cafés, bars and restaurants along a canal. The place is packed with people dining alfresco style with their sun-glasses and chilled wines or beers. Street musicians play their best tunes hoping for a fat tip.

I did not have a coffee there nor did I dine while people-watching. All I did was, sitting on a bench to rest my legs and savour my sight on the gorgeous-looking people of Nyhavn. Men and women alike are looking at their best here!

The Copenhagen Post

I am now in Copenhagen, a sudden change to my plans to be in Melbourne. I always like a Scandinavian city and my trip here has proven a rewarding one to me. I am now staying in a newly-built, ultra-contemporary and intelligently-designed hotel on an artificial island. The hotel is surrounded by a wharf-area feel and the water in the harbour is so calm and canoe-friendly. I especially like walking under the sun in cool air along the harbour.

The area where the hotel is located is quite heavily under construction by European standard. Despite the growth activity in the area, you hardly feel the air being contaminated or the noise level increases. The subtler way of construction is proven to be possible here! The buildings are erected on reclaimed lands and the architecture of the buildings seem to be in harmony with the waters. I would love to live in one of these modern structures. I can envision how the future of other cities will look like with Scandinavian designs taking the lead.

If our part of the world is still rambling on our parlimentary circus scene, this part of the world is hitting on why ads or visuals of male nakedness (especially male genitals) are so limited in the public realm. Of course, compared to female nakedness especially on the top half portion of the body. The discussion was feature on The Copenhagen Post, and females here actually felt that it is not being fair with only female exposé and demand more male exposé as well. Being an equitable and open-minded society like the Scandinavians, such an issue is not a taboo at all. I think I am perfectly susceptible to this kind of discussion as it is so refreshing to hear such point of view.

I plan to go to Nyhaven later to check-out the café scene there. I can do my reading there since I brought along Off The Edge, the April Post-Election issue. But that all depends on whether I still have the energy to walk to the other end of the city. Perhaps, I can save it for some other time or perhaps just do it since the weather is unbelievably nice out there.

Moscow, Russia

The month of May has much significances in my life. It is the birthday month of my both deceased parents with their birth dates, exactly two weeks apart. It’s also a month when some of my closest friends celebrate their birthday. It also marks the beginning of summer where, people in this part of the world may not appreciate much but means a great deal elsewhere. I can only think of it as how fast time flies before we hit the second half of the year.

Last month, I have had the privilege of visiting a new city, Moscow. I am not a fan of Russia but I must admire their fight to remain as a major world power.

Before my trip to Moscow, I did not have any expectations but only to visit the Red Square and St Basil. I thought, it is really a good enough reason for me. When I watched “Human Trafficking” and the Russian mobsters in the movie, I told myself, I will never be safe going out in this country. Hence, I would feel happy if I could just stay in my room and read the books that I had brought. The hotel is well-equipped with restaurants where I can have all my meals in-door. Well, that was my plan, at least.

When I checked in to the hotel, I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of my great friends. We have not been meeting for quite sometime now and it would be a great reunion, catching up on our stories and lives. After a little waiting and resting, we finally met and had dinner at a crowded German Pub restaurant downstairs. It was nice fun soaking with sisterhood camaraderie.

The next morning, a group of us made our way to the Red Square. We took the underground train and the journey was proved to be a chaotic one. The signs are in Russian and even with map in hand and a guidebook, we failed to find out exactly which direction of the train we should be boarding. It was frustrating and people around were obviously not-too-linguistically-gifted in English. Somehow, with a bit of instinct and good sense of direction, we finally found our way. The escalators in the station are so long and made me wonder how deeply-underground it is, the train system here.

Walking towards Red Square enabled me to give an opportunity to Moscow to reveal herself to me. As I walked through the streets of Moscow, I saw a lot of frowning people, old Volgas (Russian car) and I could hardly sense a European city here. Perhaps lacking something I would call, class sophistication. The only good memory of Moscow as a great city for me is, when I watched “War and Peace” a breakthrough Hollywood war movie starred Audrey Hepburn and her then husband, Mel Ferrer. I think I prefer to remember Russia in “War and Peace” than by my very own encounters.

Feeling Preach-y

1) Memorable encounters are too precious to be ignored like most of the things, we, as human beings take for granted for. Whether it brings you joy, new realization or sour after-taste, they have to be recorded, captured in the rawest, truest form. Each of us, whether we’re farmers, soldiers or teachers have our own unique encounters. Call it an indulgence of self-worthiness, for I believe, our encounters are consciousness worth telling…

2) When I have LESS, I have nothing MORE to worry...

3) Stories are meant to be told but great stories are meant to be remembered.

4) Strive to complement rather than to compete.

5) Survivors are all of us, we all have tips to share!

6) One Planet Living - go find out what it is!

7) Conspicuous consumption, we can do without.

Enjoy!

Stephanie