Copenhagen Cool

If the last trip was all about sun, the most recent one to Copenhagen was:

Brrrr. Cold. But the snow made for a very picturesque two days in the Scandanavian city.



My friend Matt (who some of you may know -- we worked together at the National Building Museum and he just recently moved to Glasgow) and I hopped the five hour train to the cool capital of Denmark, finding our way through city streets and neighborhoods, like Nyhavn above, with a handy map and guidebook.


The architectural historian and avid reader that he is, Matt made an excellent tour guide ("tak," Matt!:)) who brought us to the dome of the Marble Church (view from the top above) and City Hall (below).


We also visited the Royal Library, whose modern, waterfront addition known as the Black Diamond is in stark opposition to the 1906 building shown below.


We strolled through snowy Rosenborg Have Garden (below) and also visited several museums: the Danish Design Center, the Danish Architecture Center, the Danish Museum of Art & Design, and the Ny Carlsbert Glyptotek.


Without many tourists around, it made for an authentic visit that revealed the true and cool nature of this hip and happening place. I would definitely go back during the summer months to experience the canals, parks, and streets under warmer, brighter, and dryer conditions.

A Perfect Ten on Tenerife

Katja and I spent a wonderful six days in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. We accumulated our Spanish skills and got by with hola, adios, buenos dias, gracias, por favor, agua, and other elementary words. The fact that most things were printed in multiple languages and the majority of people spoke English or German was also helpful. But relaxing on the black sand beaches (black because it’s a volcanic island) didn’t require much Spanish anyway. We soaked up the sun, swam in crystal clear waters, enjoyed warm breezes, and inhaled the ocean air to much delight.

Our few day/afternoon trips included a visit to the Auditorio de Tenerife in the capital of Santa Cruz. I think I drove Kat crazy with my eagerness and desire to visit this building. The one hour bus ride was worth it: the building is extraordinary. Too bad 99 percent of the people I questioned about this auditorio (how to get there, was the building open to the public on non-concert days, etc.) had hardly heard of it. Its wave, or wing, is breathtaking and only matched by its location: on the harbor overlooking the ocean, sharing the same spot where Christopher Columbus made a sojourn on his way to the Americas.

Walking around the bustling streets of Santa Cruz I noticed another architectural work underway, a cultural museum/center by the Swiss architecture firm and 2001 Pritzker Prize winners Herzog and de Meuron. They designed the new de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Tate Modern in London, and are actually working on a project here in Hamburg scheduled for completion in 2009. Tenerife’s tourism industry must be doing well for this small island to be able to commission these great architects and ambitious projects. I hope Canarians will embrace the beauty and power of architecture as their officials seem to have done.

Outside of the capital, in La Laguna and Vilafor, for example, the architecture was more modest and typical Spanish. Surrounded by such natural beauty, it makes sense in a way to bow to the impressive volcanic peaks, cliffs, and endless sky and ocean (based on my previous two paragraphs, am I contradicting myself here?). One outstanding natural wonder is the tallest point in Spain – Mount Teide reigns at 3,718 meters above sea level. We took a half-day trip to the mountain, which rests above the clouds and offers magnificent views of the mountain-side towns and tips of the other Canary Islands.

A trip to Los Gigantos proved somehow less impressive, but perhaps that’s because we expected the almost two-hour bus ride to only take about 25 minutes. When we got back to the hotel, we were happy to grab a chair at the pool and enjoy our last day in the warm weather.

Other highlights included celebrating at the Banana Garden with flamenco dancing, pina coladas, dancing, and sparklers; playing tennis, but otherwise being totally lazy; getting a massage on the beach; and just spending time and laughing together with Katja.


If you made it through this long entry and are still interested in more photos of this beautiful island, additional shots are on Flickr (click on the box on the right hand side of this page).

Adios amigos!

TENerefic

I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate my birthday than on the beautiful island of Tenerife (except, of course, if you all were there). Below are a few pictures. I'll write more about the trip soon. Hope you are all well. Thinking of you. --Julia

From the top: beautiful sunset view from our hotel room, with the island of Gomera in the distance; me and Katja at the Banana Garden, where the clock struck twelve into my birthday; view of Mount Teide, the tallest point in Spain; me and Kat on the road to Mount Teide; one picture of the Auditorio de Tenerife, one of my favoirte excursions on the trip; Los Gigantes, a set of cliffs; lastly, Kat and me at sunset on the eve of my 30th (that's right, I'm 30!).

I heart puffy coats

It’s been cold and snowing, so a puffy coat (a la M and K) is just what I needed. Going past my knees and with a hood, it’s kind of like walking around in a sleeping bag. And on sale for only 20 euros, it’s a worthwhile investment to keep me warm this winter.

Next week, though, I'm shedding the new puffy coat and going on vacation to “the island of eternal spring.” Kat and I are going to the Canary Islands, a group of seven islands off the coast of West Africa and belonging to Spain, in part to celebrate my birthday. We’ll be in Tenerife, the largest island, soaking up the sun on the southern tip for six days. Besides going to the beach, playing tennis, and visiting the tallest point in Spain, Mount Teide, there’s architect Santiago Calatrava’s Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Cruz. This exemplar work of architecture in concrete was featured in the National Building Museum’s exhibition Liquid Stone and I’ve been fascinated with it since. Two concerts are offered during our stay, so I hope we can make it to the northern end to experience this amazing building.

Food Glorious Food

I just realized that all these pictures are of food. Yum.

1. The first picture is of Arko's window display. Arko makes delicious chocolates, marzipan, and other sweet treats. Inscribed on this window is "the bean makes it!" (which is really an ad for Columbian coffee, but because my sisters and I call each other beans, I took it as a personal message. :)) This photo was inspired by Matt's picture of the day.

2. This picture is especially for E. E, it seems that the mirror trick is internationally known. :)

3. More glorious food -- this is the candy aisle at the super market. Talk about tempting!

Not Exactly DC's YMCA

I started exploring a bit (as you can tell from yesterday's pictures of the Rathaus; the harbor; my lunch, a bratwurst; and a shout out to B with the boutique down the street from where I live). I'll make an effort to identify photos next time, to give you a better idea of what you are looking at.

I've also been doing life stuff like opening a bank account (turns out I had an extra 250 Euros in a previous account -- score!), looking for a cell phone, and finding a gym.

The gym recommended to me was Elixia. It's a little farther away and a lot more swank than I'm used to after belonging to the Y a few blocks from my Dupont Circle apartment. It's housed in an old factory building (see photo below) and includes a pool, a few saunas, massage, lunch bar, tanning salon, and oh yeah, workout stuff. I think it'll do. :)

| Pictures of the Day

Welcome to Europe and Willkommen in Hamburg!

It’s 5:15 am and I’m experiencing jet lag on Wednesday morning the 7th of February. Which means, I made it! I’m here in Hamburg, Germany.

My last day in DC was filled with a few hours of work (since my last post, I’m officially employed again), last minute coffee with JD, a lunch time visit (and Dunkin’ Donuts trip -- yum) with MS, a smooth ride to Dulles with Nins, a couple of stolen credit cards, and encouraging phone calls and text messages that I so appreciate. Never without family, good friends, and a little drama (I cancelled my cards at the airport after about $800 worth of damage…not sure how exactly they got stolen between 11 am and 4 pm), I stepped on my half-empty United flight and set off with a beautiful sunset as my backdrop.

Many of you know I’m not a good or happy flyer (this puts it mildly) (B, don’t tell my secrets!) and I am thankful for everyone’s thoughts, well wishes, and prayers as I jumped this last hurdle to make it here to Germany. My flight companions and I had at least two or three seats to ourselves and I was able to spread out in Economy Plus (which I must say was noticeably more comfortable) between seats 22A and B. My flight attendant was genuinely upbeat and relaxed, which helped put me at ease, as well. The seat screens showed our route – a direct shot east from DC to Brussels, around the almost-fattest part of the Earth.

I slept most of the way, but I did wake up for food. About a year ago I once ordered the vegetarian meal on a United flight; ever since I’ve been served the special meal on this airline without requesting it. I ate the vegetable concoction and vegan chocolate chip cookie before dozing off again. Before I knew it, we were flying over Paris. When we landed in Brussels, the captain announced “Welcome to Europe” and I experienced a sense of ease, accomplishment, excitement, possibility, and comfort. I was in Europe. I was going to live here, something I’ve been wanting to do for years.

There’s so much more I want to write about being here, leaving there, how thankful I am for my friends and the support of my family, and more, but this post is getting a bit long and my battery is running low (and I have yet to find the adapter I packed). So I will end with a big thank you and my appreciation to you all. I hope you are reading to receive it!