Copenhagen Winter Wonderland

                   

After the darkest January in the last few decades this week has been quite bright. Of course it is not the sun the source of the light, but finally snow has been covering most of Copenhagen! (http://cphpost.dk/news/lowest-amount-of-january-sunshine-in-26-years.8468.html) 

Copenhageners seem to really enjoy it, having fun together with their many children (they really do have many children). So many snowmen are melting in Frederiksberg park right now because the tempetarure has sadly risen a bit above zero. 

Unfortunately this will make the place a snowman cemetary in a few days. Also, if you have a look on the lakes which are frozen and covered with snow, you have all the data for a duck mobility pattern project! Cool ha?

Happy snowy February :)

Have you been to : Klampenborg Dyrehaven 

It is almost winter, and Klampenborg forest does not look at all as I remembered it in June (of course). For those who don't know, the park is located approximately 17 kms from the center of Copenhagen and it is very easy to access by the dsb rail network. You take the C line from Nørreport, get off at Klampenborg st. and you are there. You can also enjoy a view at the sea before going to the park,  it is right outside the train station. 

However, in the summer it was so crowded and noisy so I didn't have the chance to meet any of the deers in the park, I was very disappointed. 

So I had to visit the park again to meet the deers and I did today!There were so many of them, and not scared of the people at all, so I had the chance to take many pictures. 

#DKstorm

The first autumn storm was strongest ever! 

The DSB trains and buses were delayed all day, police and fire trucks sirens kept screaming around the city. 

What is left now is tree branches on the streets, fallen bikes in every corner and relieved Copenhageners.

And the ones who were lucky and didn't have to go to work today, enjoyed the storm from the inside, sitting beside their windows watching the last tree leaves fall. Damn ! Tree leaves will be back in six months.

Danish cyclists kept cycling even during the strongest wind gusts and it was funny watching their speed difference in the opposite lanes.

In the one lane, wind was blowing in their backs, they were cycling in a crazy speed. However, the unlucky ones with the wind on their faces, in the opposite side, were slooowed dooown. And the window people had a nice time watching both of them.

 

Copenhagen bike love and bike theft.

New discovery! Have you seen these colorful bike parking places outside Magasin du Nord? I just discovered these, and of course I had to take a picture. And then go into Magasin to do some shopping.

But the city needs desperately more bike parking spots and certainly more creative parking spots such as these. 

It may sound almost funny for someone who has not lived in a cycle-city when cyclists say "Damn there is nowhere to park my bike" but it does happen more and more often. 

But there is this theory, which according to it, if more parking places are built, more the demand for parking places is going to be always more so the existing infrastructure will never be enough. 

But to keep it simple, we do need more parking places.

There is this interesting study, on bicycle theft in Denmark, which you can find in this link : 

http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-050713-050037/unrestricted/REL8004_Biketheft_Report.pdf

Interesting facts from this project is that daily there are 55 bikes stolen in Copenhagen and nationally, every 7 minutes a bike is missing. 

Oops.And 75% of all Dane cyclists had at least one bike stolen. There are plenty of available measures to reduce these but still at least Denmark is not well organized in managing this problem. 

At least that is what the statistics say, where all the rates from bicycle theft are increasing the last year.

My bike was stolen last week and I am having a hard time recovering from this, so I am all stuffed with these surveys to know what could I do to prevent this the next time.

Turns out, these are some tips, derived from the above project, to keep your bike within your ownership as long as possible:

1. Choosing a lock. 

The U-locks are the best ones as they are harder to break, unlike the cable locks which are only recommended as additional to the U-locks. 

But the U-lock does not secure your bike on something stable. That is why you need the cable lock, or else someone can just lift and take it, carrying it away. 

Also, a chain is a good, strong alternative to the cable.

2. Choose the parking place. 

It would be preferably one of the bike parking places but if none available (very common) choose something stable to lock your bike on. 

Prefer a place which is in common sight so the thief would be noticed while trying to steal your bike. 

In front of shops and cafes maybe, and less in huge, chaotic parking places near the train stations where hundreds of bikes are parked there since forever.

3. Choose your bike. 

There are two approaches : 

In the first one, if your bike stands out, for example it is colourful, different, well maintained etc, it attracts thieves. Same goes if your bike is expensive. 

But a second approach claims that if your bike is ordinary then it can be stolen and re-sold without being recognized. 

So you will not recognize it even if you see it passing in front of you.  

I am not an expert on this, but in my opinion, keep expensive bikes either at home, or locked with super-secure locks, on super-secure parking places. 

As super-secure things (locks or parking places) generally don't exist then, just don't make big investments on bikes. And if you do, maybe use a registering system or some kind of GPS technology to keep them safe.

4. Don't forget to take your lights off the bike.There is no way that you will find them where you left them.

Source : Free Wheels, An 

Assessment of Bicycle 

Theft in Denmark

Photos by me !

Keep Copenhagen weird

Picture 1. Can you explain what happened?

Yesterday was again a surprisingly sunny autumn day, so the streets were full of Copenhageners enjoying the opportunity to stay outside while it neither cold, nor rainy. It always impresses me in this city, people really admire the nice weather (we all know why) so in the summer or especially in rare sunny winter days, there is no one left inside. And the city can actually cope with all these people walking on the streets, with the pedestrianized center always ready to host more walkers, spreading them around the center. 

So I came across the situation above. It is a bike. On a tree. Is it parked on the tree? Was it a bet? A prank? Probably I will never get an answer to these questions so I will make a scenario myself.

 I will spend (or waste) some more time thinking how did the bike end up on this tree and I will post it next time (or sometime).

KU Biocenter

Have you been to KU Biocenter?  It is the Biologist's place to study. Very nice, right next to Rigshospitalet and Fælledparken. I am not a biologist myself but I can feel the atmosphere as the "crazy lab" people are walking around, obviously sleepless, in their cozy pajamas, even in the weekends. 

That's a glimpse in the biologist's life, you can't leave these bacteria without food even for one day, can you?

Picture 1. There is something wrong with the bio-people, I can tell.

Map: That's where it is, the Biocenter.

Picture 2. Cozy enough. Hyggelig! 

Picture 3. Scary bio stuff.

Picture 4. That is hard work. Go read some papers !

Cycling in Copenhagen

Picture 1. Glin glin !

In Copenhagen you don't walk. You cycle. The city is not only implementing a vision but also advertising itself and becoming more popular day to day for its ambitious initiatives. These are aiming in forming a city for people, with less private cars on roads but more public transportation and cycling.

And Copenhageners do really support these initiatives as they are happy to use their bike during any weather conditions, even in the cold freezing winter days. 

Picture 2.That's what I am talking about.                 

Picture 3. Down the stairs...

Picture 4. ...and into the train.

So, now the city is among the few and can proudly present a mobility system where almost 33%* of all trips is made by using the most flexible, simple and lovable transport mode: the bicycle !

*Source: Copenhagen Bicycle Account 2010

Picture 5. Even Brad does it.

Picture 4. Life is too short for traffic

Picture 6. You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic!   Picture 7. I found this one interesting, it is somewhere in Denmark                                                                                                                      but I had no luck finding where exactly.

Dear Autumn Leaves,

                      Picture 1. The leaves.                            

Thank you for making Copenhagen so colorful these last days! It may not last for long, and we may not able to enjoy these days due to the weather, but today we all had a great surprise. It was a promising rainy morning. I got all dressed up as if a big storm was coming, but the moment I went out with my fancy, rainy clothing, the rain stopped. "Okay, but it is Copenhagen, for sure it is going to rain in the afternoon" But that was so wrong ! The day became less and less cloudy, transformed a great potato-holiday day (I may clarify this).

So I took some (great) pictures of ... leaves ! I know, I know, it is exciting. 

And of course, I almost forgot:

Kulturnatten 

So last Friday, October 11th it was, the city was full of people, I mean like overflowing from people, queueing to go into museums and enjoy a long list of events taking place on that night of Culture. And if you tried to find a ticket (badge I should say) on that day, you would certainly fail. I did manage to get tickets the very last moment but as far as I know, I was one of the few ones. 

And another important point. Plan your night of culture! I mean, buy a programme, be informed about the events and make a plan for the night. Guess what. I didn't! So I almost didn't even use the badge. Well, I only visited the "Exciting" post office museum (whoa), and went up the Round Tower (for the third time). Also, I made lots of soap bubbles thanks to the European Environment  Agency which was giving away these soap for bubble making (I have absolutely no idea how do I call this).

                                                          Picture 2.  Kulturnatten leftovers.

                                                 

* the potato holiday: kartoffel-ferien was called like this because children would leave the school for a week to help harvesting the potatoes. Potato holiday it is then !

Picture 3. The leaves.                           Picture 4. The tree.