Author: janoseagle

What’s Your Sign

Long before public schools, shopkeepers would use graphic signs that showed what you can find in their shops. Need a Book, look for a book hanging outside a shop. Looking for shoes, look no further than this shop.CPH1_Bicycle rentals and repair
CPH1_-2An unusual sign outside of a Barber Shop. I’m not sure what the significance of the boot is, but the red and white stripes harken back to the days when Barbers also did blood-letting and other surgical procedures. In addition to getting a quick trim, the friendly Barber could also pull a bad tooth.  CPH1_-38That’s not a pretzel but a Kringle. A Danish pastry filled with almond paste and custard  and topped with sugar and almond flakes. The crown on top signifies that bakery is approved by the King.CPH1_-39A Locksmith works here.CPH1_-40

CPH1_-66BooksellerCPH1_-80Restaurants in NyhavenCPH1_-105CPH1_-107Tattoo Parlor
CPH1_-271British Style PubCPH1_-273Krog’s Restaurant opened in 1910 and is considered one of Copenhagen’s best and most beautiful restaurants. CPH1_-275

LINKS

The Sailor’s Grave

Charlie’s Bar

Krog’s Fish Restaurant

by janoseagle

Nighttime Magic in Tivoli Gardens

     If you happen to be at Tivoli Gardens at night be sure to catch their laser, water, light show called Illuminations. The version that I saw was a celebration of Summer.CPH1_-263CPH1_-262CPH1_-261CPH1_-260

CPH1_-257     Tivoli’s Carousel features both tall and small animals so that you can choose your vantage point.CPH1_-35     A wall of Elephants as you exit the park. CPH1_-32The Trolley cars have been an institution at the gardens since 1969. Hop on one to get a tour of the gardens.

by janoseagle

Getting Dizzy in Tivoli

Tivoli Gardens has a number of fun amusement parks rides. I tried to catch the dizzying fun on 2 late night visits during my trip. These were all shot with a tripod and the Sony A6000 with the kit lens. I took multiple shots at different exposure times to play with the light.

BALLONGYNGEN

A classic Ferris Wheel with riders in Hot Air Balloons

13.0 sec at f/13, ISO 100

28mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

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HIMMELSKIBET

80 metre high swing carousel

20.0 sec at f/22, ISO 100

16mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

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10.0 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

27mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

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10.0 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

27mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

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THE MONSOON

5.0 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

27mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

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AQUILA

Aquila is also the name of the constellation of the Eagle, which famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe observed in the late 1500’s.

2.0 sec at f/4.5, ISO 160

28mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)CPH1_-25

ASTRONOMEN

Take flight in miniature spaceships

13.0 Sec at f/3.5, ISO 100

16mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)

CPH1_-2313.0 Sec at f/3.5, ISO 100

16mm (E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS)CPH1_-22

LINKS

Tivoli Gardens Attractions

 

by janoseagle

Tivoli Gardens

In 1843 the King of Copenhagen granted Georg Cartensen, permission to open Tivoli Gardens. The exotic and elegant gardens were opened to guests for the first time on August 15, 1843. Fairytale write Hans Christian Anderson was among the first visitors and some say this visit inspired him to write his story, “The Nightingale”.

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The stories of Hans Christian Andersen are featured in one of Tivoli’s popular attractions, The Flying Trunk or Den flyvende Kuffert. You may sense a similarity to Disney’s It’s A Small World.

Amusement parks had gotten a reputation of being somewhat seedy, but Tivoli was a clean and orderly park with lush flowers, family friendly rides and a fun festive atmosphere. Art Linkletter visited Tivoli in 1952 with Walt Disney and remembers Walt writing down notes about the gardens, seating, rides, food and all of the details that would inspire Disneyland a decade later.CPH1_-11CPH1_-10CPH1_-31CPH1_-30CPH1_-29Among the Bamboo Garden is the Japanese Pagoda, built in 1900. Originally it was known as The Chinese Tower until 2009, no one knows why the name was changed. Tea and refreshments are available for purchase inside.CPH1_-28In 1874, thousands of electric lights lit up the night in the gardens, There are approx. 2,800 bulbs on The Japanese Pagoda. The Pagoda was the first of the park’s buildings to get LED bulbs. The twinkling light bulbs are often referred to as Tivoli Lights. CPH1_-264The Moorish Palace in Tivoli is home to luxury Hotel Nimb designed by Knud Arne Petersen. In 1909 Wilhelm and Louise Nimb, who had created a restaurant empireOlder Posts in Copenhagen were brought in to manage the restaurant Divan 2, which still exists.CPH1_-19In October 2015 Hotel Nimb was awarded “Hotel of the Year” by Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) from 520 hotels across 82 countries around the world.CPH1_-20

Links

Tivoli Gardens

Nimb Hotel

Older Posts

by janoseagle

”Then one day, when you least expect it, the great adventure finds you.” – Ewan McGregor

I have to admit that I have had some amazing opportunities because of my job. This past few months I have had the most wonderful travel adventure. 10 weeks, 12 countries, 2 oceans, 3 ships and thousands of photos. If you have the chance to travel to Northern Europe I recommend flying Scandinavian Air (SAS). The cabin crew was great, the food was better than I had ever had in the air and FRESH BAKED BREAD! You heard it right, FRESH BAKED BREAD. During both meal services, they pass around hot rolls. There must be a tiny bakery in the back of the plane somewhere. There were a couple of stewards in chef’s coats passing out the meals. Not expected but appreciated.

The only downside of my flight from Newark to Copenhagen was my seat neighbors. I try to book a seat the furthest away from anyone else, this flight happened to be full and my seat was 2 rows from the back of the plane. A young mother and child began hovering around my row while an austere Dane paced the cabin pointing out certain seats. When he finally took his seat next to me, with his wife on the opposite end of the row, the stewardess approached me. She said there was an empty seat further forward in the cabin and would I mind moving. I immediately said yes and then she informed me that the seat was not an aisle as I had been sitting in. I said that’s okay, what’s an 8 hour flight sandwiched in between complete strangers. As she helped me with my carry-on she thanked me and told me that I saved them a lot of trouble from the couple next to me.

As we prepared for landing, she asked me if I was travelling onward or staying in Copenhagen. I said I would be in Copenhagen for a few days and she hurried away as we got ready to land. Once we were on the ground she came back holding a trash bag full of something and handed it to me. Thanking me again, she had assembled a goody bag of wine and beer. That couple must have been real pains in the ass, and who am I to turn down free booze.

This was my third trip to Europe having previously visited Amsterdam, Hamberg, Bremerhaven, London and Cadiz. This time I started out in Copenhagen and then returned for a week’s vacation after work was done.

The first day of any trip, I make a point of getting the lay of the land.  Research, Google Maps, Travel Books, Rick Steves are all part of the planning process. In my opinion, the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus has been a great way to get an overview of the city and plan where I want to visit more in depth during my stay.CPH1_-3     Copenhagen is an incredibly walkable city and has great public transportation. Since buying a car becomes with an 180% tax, most residents walk, ride the bus or bike. My hotel – The Richmond was centrally located right near the train station and Tivoli Gardens. CPH1_-255

CPH1_-214      The weather in June was great, unlike the 90+ temps back home, Copenhagen was very comfortable and cool. The days were long and by long I mean sunrise at 4am and sunset at 11:30pm. I found that most people spoke English very well and everyone was friendly and helpful.

After 8 days in Copenhagen, there was still so much to still see. A return trip is definitely in order.

 

Links:

Richmond Hotel

Scandinavian Air

Hop On Hop Off Bus

Visit Copenhagen

by janoseagle

Yo Ho, Yo Ho – A Pirate’s Life For Me

Boom (1 of 1)

June 14th – 16th, the seaside city of Cocoa Beach was invaded by pirates. The annual Cocoa Beach Pirate Fest attracts pirates and fans from around the world.

Raquel and her little cannon
Raquel and her little cannon

Demonstrations included period firearms and cannons

A Pirate named Brave
A Pirate named Brave

A pirate encampment allowed guests to see how pirates may have lived off their ships.

Steadfast Steel
Steadfast Steel

The group Steadfast Steel gave demonstrations of swordplay and combat.

Steadfast (1 of 1)-2

Pearl (1 of 1)

The lovely but deadly, Pearl

Pearl (1 of 1)-3

Undead Pirate
Undead Pirate

by janoseagle

Chicago – That Toddlin’ Town

Foyer TouristChicago, Chicago, that toddlin’ town… The city of Chicago has some really unique architectural history. The Cultural Center located near the Loop and Millennium Park. when it was completed in 1897 it served as the city’s central library.

Tourist DomeThe center of the Grand Army of The Republic Memorial hall is a massive Tiffany dome. This massive installation is the world’s largest Tiffany dome and went through a major restoration in 2007.

Library OwlChicago’s Harold Washington Library replaced the Central Library (now the Cultural Center) in 1987. The roof is adorned with 7 Acroteria or archiectural ornaments. On the corners and center can be found large sculptures of Owls, the symbol of the goddess of knowledge, Minerva. This Great Horned Owl sits over the center of the State Street entrance on Printer’s Row.

Peacock JewelersAnother bird hanging around the loop is the majestic peacock. The Jeweler’s CD Peacock store at State St. and Monroe. The House of Peacock was the first retail jewelry store in Chicago and catered to such big names as Mary Todd Lincoln, Marshall Fields and Mick Jagger. Hotel Sconce

Carson Pirie 2One of the coolest facades in Chicago has to be the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building. Built after the great Chicago fire, the Sullivan Center as it is known today, was built as a major retail center. Today, the building hosts a Target on the bottom floors, but the ornamentation is still intact. The ornate floral details are bronze cast iron and were meant to appeal to the female clientele.

Carson Pirie

FaceMetropolitan Capital Bank on the Magnificent Mile features details from the Prairie School of the Arts and Crafts movement, Frank Lloyd Wright once had a studio at Chicago’s Tree Studios artist’s enclave.

Whacker DriveAt one time, the Jeweler’s Building at 35 Whacker Drive was considered the tallest building in the US outside of New York City. Movie fans may recognize the building from Batman Begins and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Water WorksThe Chicago Water Tower was one of the few buildings to survive the great fire. It’s tower was built to house a massive pump that would pump water directly form Lake Michigan. Built from Joliet limestone, it stands 154′ tall, Oscar Wilde said it looked like “a castellated monstrosity with pepper boxes stuck all over it.

Gargoyles TribuneThe Chicago Tribune Building completed in 1925 is adorned with gargoyles and grotesques designed by American sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan.

by janoseagle

The Boston Opera House

OperaHouseThe Boston Opera House began it’s life as a Vaudeville Circuit Theatre in the 1920’s. It was designed as a mixture of Italian and French architecture. By the 1960’s it was a movie house until the Opera Company purchased it.

OperaHouse2In 2002, a major renovation occured that involved a rare assembly of old-world craftsmanship and highly-skilled trades went to work restoring sculptural plaster, gold leaf finishes, Carrara marble, paintings and tapestries, grand staircases, chandeliers, walnut and oak paneling. The restoration included replication of historic carpet, seating and silk wall panels. When the historic patterns for the silk wall panels proved too large for modern looms, a loom was custom-built to create the historic pattern.

OperaHouse3

 

by janoseagle

Never Again

BoylstonOn Monday April 15th a tragedy like no other befell my beloved Boston. A week later the site of this horrible event is still deathly still, normally the busy center of the city.

Memorial 2Strangers from all over the world gathered to lay momentos and prayers. Boston Strong echoed across the land, even those damn NY Yankees paid us tribute.

NiketownA pile of chalk outside the closed Niketown store, allowed anyone that wanted, to leave a personal message of hope and support.

MemorialOne of the memorials was growing steadily and had to moved to a new location. Every piece of tribute was carefully replaced several blocks away. Stuffed animals, worn out running shows, Marathon medals, flowers, prayers all laid out with perfect respect.

DucklingEven the little ducklings of Boston’s Public Gardens showed their support. Duck You !

by janoseagle