Tag environment

Sunday Memories – Denmark – Fredericia, Odense, Copenhagen (and the hippy bit!)

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Last year, David and l spent our summer holiday driving through Northern Europe. I’ve always wanted to visit the northern countries so we toured through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and back through the Netherlands.

At the time, I didn’t get around to blogging about the 2-week trip so thought I’d write about elements of the journey now starting with Denmark.

Fredericia

This was our first stop in Denmark. We arrived at our hotel and was shown to a minimalist room and although clean not particularly comfortable so ventured out almost immediately.

Upon taking advice from the friendly locals we decided to go for a long walk around a little of the Jutland Coast breathing in fresh air after our arduous drive on the autobahn. It was invigorating and I immediately fell in love with Denmark.

The ambience is relaxing and although it was raining I enjoyed the coastal walk. There are curious outdoor art installations (below) and it was great to leave the car and go for a brisk walk.

We strolled around an area called Kongens Bastion (The Kings Bastion) which the Swedes stormed during 1657 and was rebuilt between 1660 and 1675 and now stands as a good example of a 17th century fortress area.

As we explored the area and nosed around the little Danish town and residential architecture, the soft rain became harder and harder.

On the way back to the hotel we became somewhat discombobulated about the route due to the now torrential rain. Going around in circles up and down the Danish streets of similar housing we became drenched and unfortunately so did the map which we couldn’t read as it disintegrated!

We popped into the local brew house as a reprieve from the odious monotonous rain and was shocked to see people propping up the bar drinking and smoking! This is surprising bearing in mind how environmentally friendly the Danish are. We weren’t expecting a smoky atmosphere. That said, the place was dry, warm, friendly, lively and they had a decent selection of craft beer which is the main thing!

One lady chatted to us and seemed interested to learn about our long trip. We told her we were touring northern Europe and she seemed quite surprised and impressed. I guess not everyone wants to drive through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and back via the Netherlands but although long it is worthwhile.

Odense

I don’t usually bother to name the hotel we stayed in but this was glorious and called First Hotel Grand. The hotel is an elegant 19th century building and offers pure luxury with the town conveniently nearby. The reception couldn’t find our booking initially and to apologise gave us an upgrade. The bedroom was sumptuous and as I had developed a dreadful cold the luxury was welcomed.

Odense is the hometown of Hans Christian Andersen (fairy tales, plays, biographies, travel accounts, etc.). The little iconic house was supposedly where Hans was born in 1908 and is now a museum. As we wandered around the pretty cobbled streets, we saw plenty of statues and art which was inspired by the stories of Hans.

The city centre is reserved for pedestrians with an abundance of bars, restaurants, shops lining the streets. Of course, you can see a diverse selection of historical features such as the Cathedral (Domkirken), museums, local market area, park and quant typical Danish housing. We enjoyed our visit and to be quite honest, would like to return.

Copenhagen

A beautiful city where half the traffic is on two wheels. All ages use bikes here as in most other parts of Northern Europe. If you have young children you use a carriage bike. Incredible!

There is plenty to do and see in this city. We went to The National Gallery (Denmark’s largest art museum), Bakken Deer Park, Tivoli Gardens (a weird looking amusement park in the centre).

We took a bus (hop on, hop off) tour and stopped to view The Little Mermaid one of Copenhagen’s most iconic tourist attractions. The sculpture was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale and unveiled on 23 August 1913 by Danish Brewer Carl Jacobsen.

We spent some time visiting the Botanical Garden which is located in the centre of Copenhagen. There is an extensive complex of glasshouses dating from 1874. The garden contains 13,000 species and is in several sections including 600 Danish plants, conifer area and rhododendron garden. Certainly, all of the above are well worth viewing.

We also enjoyed a boat trip (The Grand Tour from Nyhavn) navigating the city’s famous canals to learn about the Danish capital including Christianshavn, Copenhagen Opera House, The Little Mermaid Statue and Amalienborg Palace.

I loved hanging out at Copenhagen’s Nyhaven, or “New Harbor” which is steeped in heritage with colourful houses, bars and restaurants. Hans Christian Andersen lived here and it is a lovely place to take a stroll or sit with a beer and people watch.

Christiania – The hippy bit…

The most memorable visit though was to the hippy area of Christiania. During 1971, this place was an uninhibited military area and taken over by squatters and converted to a ‘free city’; a self-governing neighbourhood run by their own laws independent of the government.

As you wander around this curious community, you see the idiosyncratic buildings and restored shacks with chilled out residents who installed their own bars, shops, art galleries, meditation facilities and music venues and are openly smoking and selling marijuana from permanent stands.

However, they have ruled against cars, stealing and hard drugs.
Oh, and no photography as we found out.

Denmark
As you may have read on a previous post I read ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ by Helen Russell and I’m fascinated with how the Danish live their lives. It is incredible to see how many people use bikes in the city centre with special lanes catering specifically from bicycle traffic.

Copenhagen is said to be one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world and has been praised for its green economy.

By 2025, 75% of trips will be made on foot, bike or public transport. Priorities include becoming carbon neutral, sustainable drainage systems, recycling rainwater, green roofs and waste management systems are just a few of their targets.

When you visit this city, it is extraordinary how they are implementing these environmental factors with historical and modern architecture (solar panels), attractive public grounds with engaging human interaction activity derived from careful planning and associated infrastructure.

A wonderful place to visit, I highly recommend Denmark and I hope to return soon.

Walking Ideas (whilst we can)

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I thought I’d better start with this topic because it is important. Especially at the moment. Disclaimer: I’m not a qualified health professional, so these are my ideas.

I’m focusing on coping mechanisms over the next few weeks which I hope will be helpful. Rather than wallowing in thoughts, as prone to do, it is better to be proactive.

A family member suggested I write again, so here goes. The best way to prepare is a plan so I’ve made a list of stuff (see yesterday’s list) but may also be inspired by some online education, virtual tours with an imposed virtual social life. This is going to be a tough period but we have to make the best of it.

As I’m trying not to struggle mentally, I feel it is vital to plan, in some gentle way, what you can do in the coming weeks. Even if you aren’t into the natural environment, now is the time to make changes to your routine and try ways of getting some fresh air and find your ideal space and interests. It’s easy to sit around and become bored so google some local green spaces or just check out some old maps you’ve probably got lying around. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been struggling too!!

As we can still go out, in some capacity, we should. Obviously, avoid busy places. Although, they don’t exist anymore. I’ve been going to the local park, woodland walks and wandering around the village.

The local park has a beautiful tranquil lake with plenty of space, away from others. It’s a few minutes’ drive so I usually take Oscar, a friend’s dog, as it has elegant wild grassy slopes, flowers, trees, fields, streams and is not too muddy. A great place to be mindful with magnificent views across the lake.

However, yesterday, I just went for a solitary walk through my local woods. This is great because it is a 5-minute walk from my home. Nothing like a woodland walk to calm your worries. I didn’t go with my friend’s dog so just walked along the top path near housing. It was quite special hearing the birds, seeing the blossom, walking through copious amounts of mud, taking photographs and not seeing anyone. It felt good for the soul and safe. I was going to go back along the road but realised the school would be finishing so turned around and ventured back the  way I had come. I tend to walk for about an hour, quite briskly to get the old heartbeat up. I take my phone, but only because I nearly got lost in our local woods a few years ago. Apart from emergencies, I tend to ignore it and I’d rather not have it on me.

Of course, not everyone has a park or woods near them. I would suggest a speedy walk along the pavements. Try to go when it is quiet (early morning/evening). I’ve had people walk round me into the road so as not to walk past me!

Walking can help mental health and overcome feelings of anxiety and creates a feeling of being with nature in a natural environment. It is useful to see what is around you and listen more and notice more than you normally do.

Most people have parks, woodland or green spaces near them which will have a positive effect. Go on, give it a go.

Tips:
Look on local maps and explore local green spaces
Walk for at least half an hour
Don’t look at your phone
Enjoy the peace and quiet
Submerge yourself in your surroundings – Be mindful, visually and be aware of the audible range

Singapore day 1

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We finally arrived very weary but excited at Singapore. From the first moment of arriving, I knew Singapore was a magnificent place.

Driving out of the airport along the wide, tree lined avenues is gratifying. The trees are beautiful, glistening in the sunlight and Singapore enjoys a wonderful array of natural beauty mingling with old and new architecture.

After a much needed shower and freshen up at the hotel, we started to explore this glorious city. We went in a nearby mall and I bought some much needed shorts for me from Marks & Spencer! Then wandered around admiring the varied architecture and went eventually into the art exhibition Presidents Young Talents 2018. The topics of the immersive and mindful paintings, sculptures and new media are instructive and innovative. I personally enjoyed their intellectual endeavours.

We strolled into the first exhibition room where there were a group of people, animatedly English speaking westerners, laughing and talking. I looked at the sculptures and media then heard an almighty crash behind me.

“Sorryeeee, sorry, that was my fault.” A woman drawled anxiously. The man said it didn’t matter when it clearly did and sounded distraught.

I carried on examining and looking at the works whilst pretending to ignore the calamity behind me and then wandered upstairs leaving the poor man taking photos of the debris.

Upstairs the lively people continued to giggle and chat during the remainder of the exhibition. I felt irritated and realised they clearly didn’t care they’d caused so much havoc and distress.

The exhibition overall was simplistic in some ways and clever and innovative as well. I enjoyed the creativity of the work which is refreshing to see in contemporary art installations and media.

We continued to explore and found the famous Raffles Hotel and I enjoyed a Singapore Sling cocktail. Yes, I realised I was going to thoroughly enjoy Singapore which is a splendid city. The people are friendly and very helpful too.

We had endured flying throughout the night so was very tired. We popped back to our hotel for a cup of tea, break and planning before going back out for dinner and drinks. I decided that we should frequent a couple of bars and then have an early night.

The bars were researched online by hubby and very good. We drank some superior craft beers and then went home for a much needed full night’s sleep. Tomorrow the sightseeing really starts. Ho hum…

Minimalism – Wardrobe Declutter

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As with all things relating to minimalism, it is best to activate over time.  This is why I’ve taken so long re-organising the wardrobe.  The home was never really cluttered but when I discovered minimalism, I decided there are ways to clear the home and have less stuff.

My focus became to cut the clothes that I don’t wear.  With this in mind, I took everything out and organised into 3 piles (Out/In/Maybe).

Over the last few months the maybe pile, has been radically reduced and when I had less clothes, I bought some white coat hangers and organised the wardrobe so that it was not only arranged by type but colour too.

Although this goes against the minimalism ideal, for me it made everything tidy and saves so much time in the morning when I am deciding what to wear.  Honestly, the wardrobe has never been so tidy and it is lovely and does save an enormous amount of time.

So for me the key points are:

  • Deciding to reduce (IN/OUT/MAYBE)
  • Organise by type (skirts, trousers, tops, jumpers)
  • Colour co-ordinate
  • Don’t worry too much about the Maybe Pile because you can consider and reduce over time

Do recycle items and pieces of clothing that are good enough should taken the charity shops.  As a nation, we throw away enormous piles of clothes, so this is the sensible thing to do and best for the environment.

Also, attempt a one in, one out policy and stick to it.  My proposal is to buy better quality clothes but a lot less and mix and match more.  During the colder times, scarves are great to jazz up clothes plus colourful, matching jewellery too.

Anyway, I hope you like my tips and here’s to a clearer wardrobe which will save you time and money.

The idea of simple living…

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After reading books like Stuffocation and articles about minimalism, I have started to embrace living more with less. Decluttering the home is how it starts but it soon spreads. It has changed my mindset. I now think more about what I buy, eat and how I spend my time. It hasn’t been easy and there is still too much stuff but it is going… We don’t need copious amounts of stuff and everything becomes less stressful without life’s clutter. As a student, I preferred time to money. I remember lending the book Walden (Thoreau) to family but they found it “boring to be honest” and didn’t get the message.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”

The minimalist ideology provides an outlet to clear life’s path of clutter and leaves space for time, experiences, fulfilment and happiness. Most importantly it challenges you to think about the environment, waste and well, everything. I’ve decided to only purchase necessities this year and will keep you updated. However, I will experience life to the full – are you? FB_IMG_1456763530215