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Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina).


Animal graffiti.

In Defense of Bad Weather

All week long people have been apologising for the weather. It's been raining severely for at least a portion of every day that I've been here. But the thing is, I really don't mind. And it is certainly not ruining my stay here.



Consider, for instance, that some of the most dramatic scenery emerges in bad weather. The gathering of storm clouds. The mist rising over the glens. The waves crashing onto rocky shores. Tall grass windswept. These things cannot be captured - or seen, for that matter - without this so-called "bad" weather.In the rain, colours look brighter, more saturated. The smell of flowers grows more intense, Textures come out that are not otherwise visible.



In bad weather, you get to know a place better. Any spot can look charming in the sunshine and under blue skies. But how will it look in the rain and under the shadow of storm clouds? Some places are rather depressing as soon as the weather turns bad; others are breathtakingly romantic.



They say rain is good for your complexion, that it makes your skin radiant and restores elasticity. Just think: Every time you are out in the rain, you are really getting a beauty treatment.



In the rain the country roads are mostly empty - ideal for cycling in peace and tranquility while enjoying views unobscured by cars and tourists.



It's a clichéto say there is no such thing as bad weather, and I don't really believe that anyway. There are tornados, hurricanes, lightning storms, blizzards. But some heavy rain? I get my camera, check my brakes, wear waterproof clothing, turn my lights on, protect my equipment inside a bicycle bag, and enjoy the ride. No need to apologise, Ireland - the weather is lovely!

Copenhagen panoramic views from Christianshavn

Confession time. I do not really like heights. I mean, I appreciate panoramic views but an open-air setting, in a balcony or a tower on top of a very high building? Oooooh, that makes my knees wobble. Nevertheless, I still push myself every time because I have the gorgeous views at the end of the climb in mind.

You can see the architectural wonder, the Oresund Bridge that connects Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Malmo) from the top of the Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn. The tower and spire stretches to 90 metres.

So when I stopped over at Christianshavn my goal was to really just explore the area quickly and then go to Christiana, the infamous autonomous enclave in Denmark. However, while walking around I saw the beautiful tower of the 17th century ‘Vor Frelsers Kirke’ (Church of Our Saviour). The spire on top of the tower I believe was finished half a century later.

I love the black colour of the impressive corkscrew spire against the eye-catching gilded railing and balusters of the external winding staircase that leads to the top. The gold colour flutter playfully against the sunlight. The spire looked so pretty from afar so out of curiousity I decided to inspect it closely.

Climbing the church’s tower wasn’t really in my plan but when I looked into my cOPENhagen card booklet, it states that it’s one of the free attractions. Well, it is not free to the general public but if you buy the cOPENhagen card your entrance fee to climb the tower is waived.

I was tempted. Soooooooooo tempted. And before I knew it I was climbing the stairs to the top!

Come follow me and see the beautiful views of Copenhagen from the top of the Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn through my pictures below =)

There are 550 steps to the top of the tower, the last 150 steps are the external gilded staircase.

I did not really go all the way to the top because the human traffic was dizzying me. Plus the fact that the more you go up, the more you realise that there is nothing up there anymore except for that spire and the golden ball. I was probably just a few steps away to the golden ball! But the thought just kind of stays with you especially when you look around you, and uh, below..... ugh help! Haha.

Why do I keep torturing myself from these height-related activities?

The climb is highly recommended because the views up there were just amazing. You cannot get this higher in Denmark I believe, plus it is open-air!

Do take note that it can get crowded. I was quite lucky as I did not have a mass following when I went up, however, when I went down, the narrow wooden staircases were packed. Children and adults were queued up and moving slowly to go up the tower.

Lucky

Overheard while doing errands in a local suburb:

Woman Walking Out of a Gym: Oh, what a nice bike!

Woman on a Roadbike: Thank you.

Gym Woman: How lucky you are to have time to bike. I wish I could, but after work and cooking dinner I'm just exhausted.

Bike Woman: Oh I'm sorry. But it's nice that you get to go to the gym, isn't it?

Gym Woman:Sure. But, you know, I have to. It's such hard work!

Bike Woman:How often do you go?

Gym Woman: Hmm... Four days a week I guess?

Bike Woman: Oh wow. And how long is your work-out?

Gym Woman: Usually an hour. Sometimes the pilates class is an hour and fifteen minutes.

Bike Woman:That's impressive. And how long does it take you to get there and back?

Gym Woman:What? Oh, I don't know. Let's see... maybe 20 minutes in the car?

Bike Woman: Each way?

Gym Woman: Yeah, I guess so.

Bike Woman:Well you know, my bike rides are only 2 hours long - you can ride a bike instead of going to the gym if you want and it would be the same.

Gym Woman (giggles nervously): Really? No, that can't be right. I'm only at the gym for an hour. Plus I haveto work out or else I gain weight like crazy... You're lucky you're so thin...

It's hard not to feel defensive when receiving backhanded compliments about how "lucky" we are to have all this supposed free time to ride a bike. I've gotten plenty of comments like this. But I have never, not once, heard the same reasoning applied to people who go to the gym on a daily basis. After all, the gym is "hard work" and going shows that the person is disciplined and responsible about staying fit. Cycling on the other hand, apparently shows that we have too much leisure time. It is not logical, and it is not "fair," but the perception is nonetheless there, and I think it goes a long way toward explaining why non-cyclists dislike cyclists - roadcyclists in particular. Lucky us indeed.

Deerleap circular

With Harry and Esther. Fine, not too cold, bright. big puddles, but generally good underfoot. Just over 4 miles.


After a caffeine and scone boost at the Wildlife Centre's café, we walked to Deerleap car park , and along the track.

There is sun, somewhere

Then we turned right to follow a track through the woods, carrying straight on at the first junction, and eventually turning right.



None of us has seen ponies here before, but there were three, all with magnificent winter coats.



It was simply a question of following the track until we arrived back at the gate. From here it's about a mile back, retracing our steps.



Reflections and puddles:













of the route

Dried Leaf in Snow

I found this little redbud tree leaf trying to hang on to it's tree in the snow and wind yesterday.

Family Time in St. Clair

Today some of my family came over to St. Clair to visit with us. My older sister Lisa and two of her children, Katelyn and Dillon, came. My mom came with my niece and nephew, Kyanna and David. And my cousin Balinda came too. I haven't had a chance to visit with Balinda in about ten years so it was a real treat to catch up with her. They have a fifth-wheel and travel too, so we are going to try to coordinate something together. We taught them to play Mexican train and we had a hard time quitting once we got into it. It was a really wonderful day!