Buttercups and Fairy Miners

Everything is lush and green as far as the eye can see, but after a while there is something that interferes with the green.
Golden glimpse between tall pines. Buttercups. Billions of buttercups.
As if that weren’t enough, the beautiful Icelandic horses adorn the meadow and immortalise this vibrant summer day
That’s what walking is all about:
Beautiful discoveries ❤

There must be fairy miners
Just underneath the mould,
Such wondrous quaint designers
Who live in caves of gold.

They take the shining metals,
And beat them into shreds,
And mould them into petals
To make the flowers’ heads.

Sometimes they melt the flowers
To tiny seeds like pearls,
And store them up in bowers
For little boys and girls.

And still a tiny fan turns
Above a forge of gold,
To keep, with fairy lanterns,
The world from growing old.

By Wilfrid Thorley

A Medieval ruin, A Tunnel System and a Tinker

The party was at 17 o’clock. We can take a walk in the area before our arrival.
My suggestion was based on the fact that “The adventure is waiting for anyone who understands to grab it.” ¹
Knud Rasmussens adventures were great, but small adventures also have their time on Earth especially when time is short 🙂
It was not a sleigh ride on Greenland, an experience Knud Rasmussen would have preferred, but a hike at an old castle tower and through a tunnel system formed by the last ice age.

¹”The adventure is waiting for anyone who understands to grab it.”
Knud Rasmussen

Is it safe?

The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.
When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.
Author Unknown

Is it safe to go there? I ask a woman who comes walking towards me on the bridge. She empties one of her shoes for water and mud.
She was trying to avoid deep puddles, and her foot disappear into a mud hole instead. I can not laugh at incidences like that, I’ve tried them all.
She is warning me for strong wind gusts.
I don’t find it attractive to swim in the icy water wearing a lot of clothes that will pull me down but the walk is great.

The Magical Power of Snow

The hoarse cries of a raven put me in adventure mood. A few kilometres further on, only the creaking of snow under my shoes breaks the silence, This is an amazing day after the blizzard and the light makes my heart sing.
I’m grateful for being alive.

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the withered air
Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden’s end.
The sled and traveler stopped, the courier’s feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, and housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

The Snow-Storm by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Living on the edge…

“If you’re not living on the edge you’re taking up too much space.”
Stephen Hunt

This was his summer cottage. I overheard the conversation between two women passing me when I was going down the hill.
A summer cottage I thought? Knud Rasmussen was preparing for his expeditions as a polar explorer and wrote his travel books, scientific reports, tales and legends in this place.
In the windswept house overlooking the sea, he shared his adventures with us.
It’s a grand tale of a man who always were out on an adventure. In reality or in his thoughts.
Knud Rasmussen died in 1933, 54 years old.
Peter Freuchen, another great polar explorer and friend wrote these words after Knud’s death:

“Knud Rasmussen was a man who endured to be viewed close up without losing in value.”

Did Knud Rasmussen take up to much space?  He only became 54 years old, but he achieved much more than most people do in a lifetime.

Note

Bag byen ligger Knud Rasmussens hus på en 30 meter høj klint

Behind the town lies Knud Rasmussen’s house on a 30 meter high cliff

The House of Knud Rasmussen
Knud Rasmussen – Wikipedia

Walks, that you don’t want to leave

Happy Earth Day!

I have celebrated Earth Day today along with the Fox, the Red-Necked Grebe, Green Frogs, Grass Snakes, Swans and Geese, Bumblebees, Highland Cattle, Sheep and Lambs and a Red Kite.

The forests around Buresø are among the most beautiful scenery I know of in North Seeland.

 

Kort over Skovene ved Buresø

Earth Day

The Benefit of Nature Experience

Isn’t stunningly beautiful, exclaimed the woman, who was walking towards me. She was well wrapped, but under the hood red curly hair was sticking out over a pair of twinkling blue eyes.
She smiled excited and exclaimed, I don’t understand why I have to convince myself to go for a walk.
The outdoor doesn’t tempt me when I’m sitting at home looking out.
Therefore I cheat and persuade myself that 15 minutes will do me good. And it entices me so in the end I take advantage of that hour I have available at midday.

We chatted a bit more about different natural areas that were worth exploring. She exclaimed that she loved the winding paths, and she loved to set a new course every day. I wonder why I felt so much sympathy 🙂

An hour later I met her again still heading away from her starting point. I failed to mention the highly overdue deadline because she seemed to be floating away with a dreamy expression between gnarled old trees and green moss cushions.

New American research from Standford University in California, shows that walks in the countryside provides lower blood flow in parts of the brain that produces the greatest activity with worries and thoughts.

Gregory Bratman and his colleagues conclude from their research that even short trips are changing the brain and have a measurable impact on negative thoughts

Photo by Hanna Greenwood

Photo by Hanna Greenwood

Er der ikke fantastisk smukt, udbrød kvinden, som kom gående imod mig. Hun var pakket godt ind, men under hætten stak det røde krøllede hår frem over et par tindrende blå øjne. Hun smilede begejstret, og udbrød: Jeg forstår ikke, hvorfor jeg skal overtale mig selv til at komme ud og gå. Vandreture frister mig ikke, når jeg sidder hjemme og kigger ud. Derfor fortæller jeg mig selv, at jeg skal bare gå i et kvarter, og ikke den time, som jeg har til rådighed til mig selv midt på dagen.
Vi sludrede lidt mere om forskellige naturområder, der var værd at udforske. Hun poienterede, at hun elskede de snoede stier, og helst gik en ny vej hver dag. Hvorfor følte jeg så stor sympati?

En time senere mødte jeg hende igen stadigvæk med kurs væk fra hendes startsted. Jeg undlod at omtale den stærkt overskredne tidsfrist, for hun så ud til at svæve afsted med et drømmende udtryk mellem de viltre træer og de grønne mospuder.

Ny amerikansk forskning fra Standford University i Californien, viser at ture i naturen giver lavere blodgennemstrømning i de dele af hjernen, som giver størst aktivitet ved bekymringer og tanker.

Gregory Bratman og hans kollegaer konkluderer på baggrund af deres forskning at selv korte ture forandrer hjernen og har en målbar effekt på negative tanker

_________________________________________

God tur og husk madpakken ❤

The Tavignano Gorge on Corsica

We called it the Rain Valley, the Tavignano Gorge.
One day we drove through Corte, Corsica’s former capital and passed a view to a beautiful looking valley.

From the car I could see a path winding its way in the mountainside. The valley was sparkling green and beautiful. That kind of sights inspires me and as soon as we got back to our base I began to study our maps.
Next day we found our way into the wilderness and the Tavignano Gorge was spectacular lushly.

I was reminded of the Tavignano Gorge when McEff published the post from Andalusia: Chasing the Storm.  A walk or some might call it a climb between the towns of Lanjarón and Órgiva. There are pictures in that post where you can see a trail, the GR 7 cuts across the cliffs of the gorge. I think our trail was paved, compared with the Andalucian GR7 trail.

Vi kaldte kløften for regnvejrsdalen, theTavignano Gorge.
En dag, da vi kørte gennem Corte, Korsikas tidligere hovedstad, passerede vi en meget smuk udsigt til en dal inde mellem bjergene.

Jeg fik øje på en sti, der snoede sig vej inde på den frodige bjergside. Sådanne syn inspirerer mig, og så snart vi kom tilbage til vores base begyndte jeg at studere vores kort.
Næste dag fandt vi vejen ind i Tavignano kløften, der var spektakulær frodig.

___________________________

You can see more details in Walks on Corsica: 70 Selected Walks on the Coasts and in the Mountains of the “Island of Beauty” by Klaus Wolfsperger

The Tavignano Gorge is worth a visit even when it rains!!! Quote by me 🙂

The Habour

Some years ago, I took the train every morning from Hillerød towards Hundested to work.
At Christmas, I could see a Christmas tree brightened up the harbor area from my window. It was lashed to a crane in the harbor. An evocative sight.
The harbor is the focal point of the town.  In summer, the town is filled with travelers, but I like it best in winter. Nature becomes more present due to sea storms and the changing light from the sea. Maybe I’m biased by my penchant for ships and water, but the harbor is a very exciting place.

If the weather was fine finishing work hours, I walked up past Knud Rasmussen’s house and further along the coast down to Kikhavn. From here I went along small country roads to the nearest train station. Always late supper 🙂
In the year 2013 Hundested was selected as the best port in Denmark because of the many wonderful activities.

Hundested Havn

DSC02749-2

Hundested

 

Knud Rasmussens Hus

Knud Rasmussen planned his next polar expedition from his study with a tantalizing view over the sea.

Her sad Knud Rasmussen, og planlagde de næste ekspeditioner til polarområdet  med udsigt til Kattegat fra arbejdsværelset.

DSC02798

DSC02806

Spodsbjerg Fyr

I nogle år tog jeg toget hver morgen fra Hillerød mod Hundested for at arbejde.

Ved juletid kunne jeg se et juletræ lyse smukt ud over havneområdet fra mit vindue. Det var surret fast på kranen nede i havnen. Et stemningsfuldt syn. Havnen er omdrejningspunktet i byen.
Om sommeren er byen fyldt med feriegæster, men om vinteren er byen bedst. Naturen bliver mere nærværende i kraft af havets storme, og det skiftende lys. Måske er jeg forudindtaget med min hang til skibe og vand, men havnen er til stadighed et spændende sted, også om vinteren.

Hvis vejret var fint, når jeg skulle hjem fra arbejde, gik jeg op forbi Knud Rasmussens hus og videre langs kysten ned til Kikhavn. Herfra gik jeg ad små landeveje til den nærmeste togstation. Altid sen aftensmad 🙂
I året 2013 blev Hundested Havn valgt som bedste havn i Danmark på grund af de mange dejlige aktiviteter.

_______________________________

Nordkyststien – Fra Hundested til Gilleleje

Sejl til Hundested Havn

Hundested Fiskerihavn

 

An Island in the Lake

Oh! Look Daddy. There’s an island out there and the father replied: Then we have to have a boat to get there don’t we …and the little boy agreed with a sigh sending a long gaze towards the little intriguing island.
But I could have told the English family a story that would make the boy insist to stay put to darkness fell.
Some years ago I was on my way home from work in the late afternoon. The day had been very warm and all living beings craved for coolness.
I drove in through the big red gate when I saw two large stags going into the water that encircles the small island. They walked at first and then began to swim. I was all alone not a soul was in sight.  Somehow that increased the experience
I forgot everything around me while the stags went ashore on the island and broke the silence in trying to close down the few trees growing there.
The high bang when the antlers struck the trunks made me think of teenagers partying on Saturday night except that it was Friday and no music was heard.
I was completely absorbed by the scenario when twilight suddenly surprised me.
Now I wanted to get out of the forest before it was completely dark, and I began my ride towards the hunting lodge. There were still no people, and the late summer evening was quiet.
But suddenly I could hear small ‘mib’ ‘mib’ ‘mib’ ‘mib’ sounds. This was very exotic, and I felt myself transported to the African savannah. The heat of summer, fragrances and smells that flowed towards me from warm grasses and animals, and now I saw in silhouette against the evening sky and the hunting lodge a giant herd of animals passing in front of me. I stood there and enjoyed it to the full. The herd grazed nudge and struggled. Lambs and calves called with ‘mib’ ‘mib’ sounds after their mother. The experience was unique and is easy to recall in my mind and heart.
I changed my bike ride home  to residential streets 🙂

Jægersborg Dyrehave

Nøj! Se far, der er en ø ude i søen, og faderen svarer: Så er vi nødt til at bruge en båd for at komme derud, ikke … den lille dreng sukker dybt og sender et langt blik mod den lille fascinerende ø. Men jeg kunne have fortalt den engelske familie en historie, der havde fået drengen til at insistere på at blive til mørket faldt på.

For nogle år siden var jeg på vej hjem fra arbejde en sen eftermiddag. Dagen havde været meget varm og alle levende væsener tørstede efter kølighed.

Da jeg kørte ind gennem den store røde port, så jeg to store hjorte gå ud i vandet, der omkranser den lille ø. Først tøvende og derefter begyndte de at svømme. Jeg var helt alene og ikke en sjæl var i syne, det gjorde kun oplevelsen mere intens.

Jeg glemte alt omkring mig, mens hjortene gik i land på øen og brød stilheden i et forsøg på at fælde de få træer, der vokser der.

De høje brag der kom, når geviret slog mod stammerne fik mig til at tænke på teenagere, som fester lørdag aften kun med den undtagelse, at det var fredag og ingen musik.

Jeg var helt opslugt af scenariet, da tusmørket overraskede mig.

Nu ville jeg ud af skoven, før det blev helt mørkt, og jeg kørte op mod Erimitageslottet. Der var stadigvæk ingen mennesker, og sensommer aftenen var helt stille.

Men pludselig kunne jeg høre små ‘mib’ ‘mib’ ‘mib’ ‘mib’ lyde. Det lød meget eksotisk, og jeg følte mig hensat til den afrikanske savanne. Dufte og lugte strømmede imod mig fra varme græsser og dyr, og nu så jeg i silhuet mod aftenhimlen og Eremitageslottet en kæmpe flok dyr passere foran mig.
Jeg stod der, og nød det i fulde drag. Flokken græssede puffede skubbede og sloges på skrømt.
Lam og kalve kaldte med ‘mib’ ‘mib’ lyde efter deres mor. Oplevelsen var helt enestående og er god at huske ❤

Min cykeltur hjem blev ændret til de oplyste villaveje 🙂