The Danes are supposed to be some of the happiest people in the world, and since I’m sort of the curious type, I thought it would be fun to see what makes them so happy. I must confess this all started when my wife gave me The Little Book of Lykke, by Meik Wiking. This book has lots of take-aways that can enrich your life. So with some new ideas to live by, off we went to Copenhagen for a taste of the Danish good-life. Of course I had my camera with me, and the book turned into a convenient excuse to practice my hobby in a new location.
Bicycles rule in this city, and probably the rest of the country. It’s also part of the secret sauce that makes the Dane’s so happy. They also like to walk when they’re not riding mass transit. Sometimes they even run as we see in the image below.
I was surprised at the fashion statements we regularly saw as we walked around Copenhagen. It ranged from haute couture to a French fry motif sweat suit.
And on the subject of fashion, this mime captured the attention of pedestrians as they passed by. It just so happens I saw the same guy kicking-off happy hour after he stepped outside of his cubicle later that day.
At times, the fashion and the public displays of affection in Copenhagen reminded me of Paris.
Sometime you stumble upon a setting where the lighting is great, and the leading lines are compelling, but you need the right human element to make the picture. Such was the case as I waited in this famous round tower in Copenhagen, but that subject never showed up for the party.
The next best opportunity was this kid who was making lots of noise from above as he descended the spiral ramp. All of a sudden he spotted me and stopped in his tracks while trying to make sense of the photographer who was blocking his path. He paused for a second, and then unleashed another burst of energy, and made more noise as he continued his spiral descent. I took two steps away from the wall so he could pass by and pivoted to take a second shot. If only I had slowed my shutter speed to blur his movement! In any event, this ended up being my favorite shot inside the tower.
We had just entered the train station for a short ride back to our apartment when we stumbled upon this woman posing on the floor. It must be a cultural thing I don’t understand, but I often see these types of shameless poses among a certain group of tourists traveling the world. Maybe they feel the same way about the kind of pictures I like to take?
If so…touché.