Assorted photos from my life right now. Copenhagen is going through its spring routine. I try to rehabilitate from a year where I haven't been able to move around much. At least it seems that I will be able to recover fully. The earlier diagnosis that my foot was wrecked was wrong. So I am out walking on sore feet and biking every day.
The first image is Rantzausgade where my grandfather grew up as a classic riff-raff proletarian boy of the 1920s (he later became a very respectable man with a degree in literature and such).
Then it is Rundetårn (round tower) and a wall of the old university library… in between are the central public library where I, thanks to a recommendation from Clarice Boomshakalaka Bouvier on the Diaspora network, lend the Tom Robbins novel, Still Life with Woodpecker.
Very much a novel as they wrote them when I was younger... absolutely recommendable.
The Tom Robbins book from the library was almost falling apart, but my wife, who is an incredible craftsman well stocked with tools and materials and who as a teenager worked in an old fashioned bookbinder, of course had some bookbinder tape - so I repaired the book after her instructions. Now it will be readable for years to come.
Then two pictures of my wife bicycling in high heels - just to prove that this is both common and doable (I heard two American girls here in Copenhagen totally flabbergasted of the fact).
The thing about bicycling is that you do not need to have a special costume to use it. Just jump in the saddle and go. I have been riding bicycle in white tie many times (as my wife is a very distinguished person). No problem.
And last… my potent rye sourdough trying to escape.
- See how i use the sourdough to bake Danish rye bread
- And here's an introduction I wrote many years ago about this stable of Danish cuisine
I hope you are okay @Katharsisdrill as we've not seen you about, perhaps you'll see this :)
I am fine, but... I'll make a post about why.
I must visit Copenhagen some day. I have been to most countries in Europe, but not Denmark yet. Cycling is a great way to see a city. We did a nice bike tour in Berlin.
Lot's of people come here for bicycle vacation - a bit less during covid of course :) Luckily it seems that many places have started organising that form of tourism. I would like to go to Wales and bike in the footsteps of Phill and his friends :)
Wales could be much more energetic cycling, but mountain biking is big there.
Yes, it is hilly, and I suppose it could also be quite wet. Ha, I can imagine being soaked on a mountain peak with three angry shield maidens :)
Mountains - Check
Rain - Check
Shield maidens? Yet to be confirmed.
Oh... the shield maidens I will bring myself.
I've found that cowboy boots work really well for biking too. The heel keeps the pedal in place.
It's funny how many people wear their biking costumes!
Good for horse riding is also good for iron horse riding. I think the dressing up is like a ritual and that when the are out on the roads they like to imagine that they are heroic athletes. The biking sport is a crazy endeavour that easily lend itself to heroic myth. A bit like I, when I was a child and had to walk long distance always started to imagine that I was a foreign legionnaire traversing a desert. Somehow that helps.
Yeah biking in high heels or a suit is not common at all in North America. In Europe biking seems to be more of a way of life and much more daily transport whereas in N. America it's more for exercise. There are exceptions to that of course but, in general I mean.
Yes, that is also my impression. There are many Americans here, and I talk to them quite often on the street to show some hospitality. Scandinavians can get through as rather reserved or introvert. There are also exercise cyclists here who like to play Tour de France, but they are a small minority in the cities. You see them mostly on country roads. Here's an old clip from the City Hall Square with people cycling in all kinds of garments including suits:)
Sounds like I would fit in there lol😁
Bicycle culture is quite different around Europe and the world in general. The Netherlands has very interesting cycling culture. There it is definitely a way of life. I've never seen so many bikes and such great infrastructure for cycling as I have there.
The Netherlands are probably the bicycle nation no. 1. Denmark has seen a decline in bicycling since the nineties, and our politicians don't prioritize it even though there's a solid culture to build upon. Not really sure why as every kilometre on bike saves society a dollars, while every kilometre by car costs one dollar.
In Copenhagen we still have a solid bike-culture though.
N. America was built around and for the car so cycling infrastructure and habits are slow to progress.
With the climate talks and carbon reduction targets that countries are begining to agree to, you would think that more countries would incentivise cycling.
It's a good thing to hang onto.
Should be a nobrainer, but cars has been the status symbol for decades and that makes it hard for people in power (who always are attracted to status and might) to change things. But so many arguments back up more cyclists. Apart from CO2, particle pollution, traffic accidents, health of the drivers, noise pollution etc. there's also a lot less space needed for bicycle traffic.
Here's some footage from Copenhagen and in almost every frame (best seen in the shots from above) there are more people in the bicycle lane than in the car lanes. Most of those cars, especially in the rush hour have only one person inside.
Very true.
That's a neat video. That's a lot of bikes!
I love this post. The thing drew me in and led me on and ended with a bang.
Great to hear that it seems you'd recover fully soon. You mean you really had a wrong diagnosis that your feet was wrecked? Was it a doctor's mistake or what?
A wrong guess on his part. Luckily - as the reality is not as bad as he guessed. But he also made sure I was scanned and examined, so I am content - just shit tired from getting back to doing exercise...
That's great news in general. Cool. Sorry about the exercises, let's be happy that it is something that does you good so the stress/inconvenience is worth it🤓👍