euro trash

Some might think it strange to covet a garbage bin. Those people have probably never seen a Vipp.

I first laid eyes on one, the Vipp 13 to be precise, in the bathroom of our rented apartment in Copenhagen. A thing of beauty that came with its own special roll of Vipp 13 liner bags, I knew at once that this was no ordinary trash can.









The first Vipp was designed in 1939 by Holger Nielsen for his wife Marie to use in her hair salon. Today, the family owned company is still going strong and has also branched off into kitchen tools and the like but it's that simple pedal bin that has earned them a place among the icons of Danish design.

six to eight black men and other festive delights

Hard as it is to believe, our great escape is almost up and around these parts it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Well, like Christmas if it involved an old Turkish bishop who now lives in Spain accompanied by 6 to 8 black slaves -- I mean helpers known as Zwarte Piets. Sinter Klaas and his, err, helpers, terrorize dutch children with the possibility of a severe beating culminating in a potential kidnapping. At least the treats are lekker! If you're not familiar with the wonder that is Sinter Klaas time in Holland, you really must read David Sedaris' treatise on the subject. This is one aspect of the motherland that is best left across the pond or even better, the middle ages ...



In other holiday news, we've been taking in the festivities as we go. First was the spectacle that is Tivoli, a Danish wonderland theme park (Michael Jackson and Disney have both tried unsuccessfully to get their grubby paws on it) transformed for Christmas. Glogg and aebleskivers were enjoyed by all.




Finding the Danish seasonal crafts and handiworks a little lacking (sorry Madsens), we made a special side trip to Osnabruck to take in what the German tourism site describes as the third best christmas market in the region. While it was nigh on (egads!) 19 years since I first took in the wonder of the Osnabruck christmas market, I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint. Gluhwein, sauteed mushrooms and rauchermanner oh my! I hope my family feels the same way when they open their gifts this year.





Time is a ticking and we are getting in the last of our euro-cultural art/design/wine/food indulgences before heading back across the pond to face the musical score of daily drudgery and piper paying. Back to it! Tot zeins.

for the madsen sisters

Thinking of you as I wait out my glogg and aebleskiver hangover from yesterday.

wonderful wonderful copenhagen

Scene around town

It's been a decidedly blustery and rainy week which has put a damper on picture taking, but not our enthusiasm for exploring this stately old town. Considering its design heritage, I was expecting a more ostentatiously fashionable exterior but (based on a week's impression anyway) people and buildings are attractive but not showy. Polite but not overly warm. (maybe that's just my dutch bias showing) all in all a lovely city.

our 4th floor loft apartment - found it on craigslist. I don't know if we're just lucky or whether every danish apartment has a finn juhl sofa and eames chairs...





out and about









the Stroget - a big pedestrian shopping area near our apartment:

one night in copenhagen

i don't know how we'll be able to keep up this pace for another month.

luxurious convenience

Hot off the reservation presses - thanks to our wonderful friends (including Jack, Kirst and a few others who may or may not at this moment be living to regret the toasted marshmallows with bourbon chasers) we'll be taking a time out to live life in luxurious convenience in the not-so-distant future.

hail hygge!

live at the pumpehuset

Warning: friends and family who are sick of hearing me talk about the swell season - read no further. It's no secret I have a bit of a thing for these two. We got tickets to see Martha Wainwright at the Regency Center in San Francisco last year and were a little annoyed to see she was opening for this band called the Swell Season. I mean Martha Wainwright as an opening act? (apparently Martha does have less of a following in SF than here in Canada - I still remember her kicking at her amp and shouting into the mike um excuuuuse me? is my playing interfering with your f@$%ing talking?)

Anyhoo, so after Martha does her thing, out comes this dorky irish guy with a beat up guitar and a waify little euro-hippy chick and the crowd goes wild. They blow the roof of the place. We've been hooked ever since.

You've probably seen their little indie flick, Once or maybe seen them perform and win for this song at the Oscars. Boomp3.com

In a few short weeks we'll be following them to Copenhagen to see their show at the Pumpehuset. At least I think we got tickets, my danish is pretty abysmal.