Jeg elsker Kobenhavn......

Warning:This blog post will contain loads of pictures..... Last week I was for 3 days in Copenhagen to visit 4 of my students who are doing their intern ship at 3 different fashion firms...I always love to go to Copenhagen and have been there many times in the past (counting it all up it must have been more than 50 times) and I know very good the way round there. The flight on Tuesday was round 10 and I arrived at Kastrup airport a bit more than 1 hour later. It is very easy to go by train to the Central station which will take you there in less than 15 minutes. I had booked a room at Wake Up Copenhagen which is situated right behind the station and it is a very small stroll to go there. The hotel is brand new and around it is a building site but that didn't matter me. The rooms are practical and functional and all rooms have a double bed and a simple bathroom. And they have the Scandinavian , simple touch as the curtains show with a simple design and the clean bedsheets.For me the perfect place to stay.Copenhagen was very into the upcoming Climate Change Conference which will be held from Dec. 7 till 18 Dec. Because of this conference Copenhagen is now called: "HOPENHAGEN" and big posters were hanged everywhere as this on on Radhuspladsen, the Central square in town. Because I know the way round so one of the first things I do when in Copenahagen is go to my favourite (already for many years) Konditori "La Glace" to have a coffee and a Wienerbrod. Unfortunately for you reader I took a picture when the Wienerbrod had disappeared. It is a place not many tourists come and usually it is a place where young and old mingle together and they all have a "sweet taste". So I went there first and at the end I finished my trip there too (which can be seen at the end of this post) Before meeting up with my students for dinner at 7, I more or less walked my way around. Visited my favourite shops as Illum's Bolighus, Royal Copenhagen and Georg Jensen, where all Danish Design can be found. Every year in the Christmas period the "tables at Royal Copenhagen" are worth a visit. This year the Royal Ballet from Denmark was asked to make the designs for the tables after famous ballets as the Nutcracker etc. The tables are set out on a few places in the shop and decorated with all things from Royal Copenhagen. My favourite one was the Mirror table with ballet shoes hanging on the ceiling. Nostalgic feelings came up at the Snowprincess 's table. and because Red is one of my favourite colours I loved the Chinese table. Copenhagen is now really into X-mas mood and it is shown everywhere. Either at the beautiful window stills at the already mentioned shops or at little shops where windows are hanged full with coloured balls.I still love the Wooden Monkies from Kaj Boysen (they were hanging in the window of Illum's Bolighus), one of the famous Danish designers off the past. We have his cutlery already for years at home. For me the Blue design of Mega Mussel -it is based on a traditional old design for Danish china- still works and I would love to have some of it.. but the problem would be where to leave it and where can I find some money to buy it..There is a lot of attention to window design as can be seen on this photo from a still at Georg Jensen. The simple figures do add something to the candle holder from Arne Jacobsen.I always wonder why we don't have that much attention here in Holland. Everything here seemed so cheaply done and not very exiting. Yes.. The Danes have it!!! The smell of warm sugared almond is all over and the colour red is everywhere. At Radhuspladsen a big "Juletrae" is filled with lights and hearts and adds a real festive mood to the city. The Danes are in a way conservative, but I don't mind that... Maybe because I am getting older I feel a sense of nostalgia within myself when I walk around in streets like this. "Jule aften" is celebrated with dancing round the X-mas tree and on the television loads of Nostalgic programs can be seen weeks before. In Holland X-mas doesn't do much to me, but when in Denmark I always get into a kind of mood. But on the other hand sometimes when I see too much beautiful Danish Design I get fed up with it and I always think to myself: do I really need this and usually the answer is NO! I can understand Danish quite well and order my coffee always in Danish. The weather was very cold and I was happy that I wore my winter-coat and my newly finished gloves in hand dyed cashmere/ merino yarn I bought in Glasgow a few weeks ago. I wanted to picture them somewhere in Copenhagen and for me the best place was in the book from the famous writer H.C. Andersen. His statue is opposite Tivoli. To my big surprise H.C. Andersen was wearing a knitted hat from the Danish Save the Children project. On thursday I also discovered that the "Fiskekone at Gammel Strand" was also wearing a warm hat. Walking around also means that you see all the new and old architecture of the town. The newly built Operaen and Skuespilhuset are both built at the waterfront and opposite of each other and are in my opinion really beautiful esspecially on a clear and very cold evening with all the lights on. I also saw this simple idea for adding balconies to an old house so you can sit outside in the summer..When in Denmark you always will find buildings from Arne Jacobsen as the Raddison Sas Hotel with the clear architecture and the lobby and dinner rooms are all filled with his designed chairs as: the Egg and the Swan. If I would live in Copenhagen I definitely would like to live here. I had a great meal with my students on Tuesday evening and we talked everything through before on Wednesday I would visit them at the firms for a talk. 2 of them are doing a training at Barbara Igongini and having a very good time over there. It is very avant-garde with a good atmosphere and some of the garments Bas and Ovan designed will be in the coming collection. Marit has just finished here training at Kiilerich and we had a good final talk and she has passed well. Linda had worked for 10 weeks at Moonspoon Saloon and is now working at Weiz. All 4 are doing very well and I am really proud of them and at those moments I really love my job. And than of course.....being a yarn-junkie I had to visit some of my favourite yarn shops.. because...... in wintertime you really can't have enough stash for warm socks, mittens and sweaters. My first visit was to Sommerfuglen and I bought some really nice Shibui Knits sockyarn and not in the colour I had planned to buy.. It is a hand dyed sock yarn in a kind of honey colour. Not something I would normally buy but I have a pattern which is perfect for this colour. When I came in the owner did recognize me from the visit in December 2008 and the shop assistant gave me her Ravelry name. Sommerfuglen is really yarn-heaven and has very interesting yarns which can't be bought in Holland. Next stop: Bette Design. A great shop with loads of yarns but unfortunately I couldn't find a right yarn for my Wonky cowl. Unfortunately there was no Aftenstrik so I couldn't meet up there with some knitters from the Cph group on Ravelry. But on wednesday evening I went for an 'Aftenstrik" to Wilfert's and I had a great few hours knitting, drinking tea with great marzipan/chocolate and talking and having fun. I bought 2 different coloured Firenze skeins for my Wonky and cast on. The yarn is really beautiful and soft and I am sure it will keep my neck warm this winter. The shop is really nice to be in and I liked the wall with little sweaters and the big Golden W above it. Next to that they have done a knitted sweater project to support a small village in the cold mountains of Nepal and there are more than 150 in different sizes and colours. After the meeting at Wilfert's I met with my Danish knitting friend Merete at Kafe Kys . It is my favourite kafe which Bram and myself always visited from the beginning of the opening ongoing when we were in Copenhagen and were nothing has changed all over the years. Because it it X-mas time there is nothing better to warm yourself than a glass of Glögg and I had several which brought me in a real good mood and Merete and myself had a really good time together. Recipe in Swedish can be found here but I am sure with the translation program of Google the translation is not a problem. On Tuesday I had a few hours in the morning to walk round so I decided to go and have a look again at the "Sorte Diamant" which contains the Royal Library. It is a black building on the waterfront attached to a very old building and the result is great. Inside it is also beautiful with curved lines and beautiful Kjaerholm chairs and a painting from Per Kirkeby on the ceiling.and a painting from Per Kirkeby on the ceiling.I ended my morning again at la Glace and finished it off with a piece of Appelsinkage (yes, now I have taken a picture before it was gone). Tasted really like HEAVEN!!!! In the recipe book I found this beautiful text:And I think that really is true.... I came home in the evening round 7 after 3 great days and I am sure I always will say: "Jeg Elsker Kobenhavn".

Reacties

  1. hello, what a beautiful post you have written. i love it. and now i know this about us. we have the same cutlery which really isn't beaten by anything. i hope you are doing well and i enjoyed our evening tremendously too. i hope you are well.

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  2. Hej Jan,
    it was a pleasure to meet you - I am in Småland/Sweden now and brought yarn for 3 Wonkers with me ;O)
    Magic happend and the number one son has got a fantastic place to live in Ams, with a view over the Prinzen Graacht - springtime I will go there and hopefully join a Stich'n Bitch evening with you!
    Mange hilsener Britta

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  3. Hey Jan,
    Such a wonderful description of Copenhagen :-)

    It was pity we couldn't meet, but give a sound next time and we'll arrange something ;-)

    Merry Christmas
    Slavi

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  4. Magic happend and the number one son has got a fantastic place to live in Ams, with a view over the Prinzen Graacht - springtime I will go there and hopefully join a Stich'n Bitch evening with you!


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