Walking From a Castle to a Mountain on an Icy Day.

Athene and me

“The days are short,
The sun a spark,
Hung thin between
The dark and dark.”
From the poem; January by John Updike

The summer was lovely and a light breeze made the walk enjoyable for my friend, Joanna and I. She has a high metabolism like me, like a hobbit, and we didn’t get far before we had our first meal on a bench in the garden of Frederiksborg Castle.

Today* the temperature is slightly difference to put it mildly. There is frost in the air and severe wind but the sun is shining.
I have layer upon layer until there are no more space under my jacket. Nevertheless, I take a short break on a bench beside Athene.

My walk is about 15 km long and I don’t have much time before darkness set in.
I buy a bottle of water in a shop but I cannot open it. My fingers are already frozen. I slip the bottle into the rucksack and continue the walk past the spectacular little castle, Badstuen and Louise’s Island.

The small buildings on the Island in Ødammen was built by Frederick 7. as a miniature version of a Norwegian manor.
I walk through the village Gadevang, and soon I’m on my way up towards the mountain, Fruebjerg, in the forest, Gribskov. The sun is setting and the sight towards the coast is magnificent. I love this view. However I have a train to catch so I hurry down the mountain and through the forest to the train station.
There are ten minutes until the train arrives! I can not remember the last time I’ve been so cold. Well, maybe when I skated as a child 🙂

Curious to learn more? Frederiksborg Castle

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Sommeren var dejlig, og en let brise gjorde vandreturen behagelig for min veninde og mig. Vi har et højt stofskifte, ligesom en hobbit, og vi nåede ikke langt, før vi indtog vores første måltid på en bænk i parken ved Frederiksborg Slot.

I dag er temperaturen anderledes for nu at sige det mildt. Der er frost i luften og hård vind, men solen skinner. Jeg er iført lag på lag indtil der ikke er mere plads under min jakke.
Alligevel tager jeg en kort pause på en bænk ved siden af Athene.

Min tur er cirka 15 km lang, og jeg har ikke meget tid, før mørket indfinder sig.
Jeg har købt vand i en kiosk, men jeg kan ikke åbne flasken. Mine fingre er allerede stivfrosne. Jeg pakker flasken ned i rygsækken, og fortsætter turen forbi det spektakulære lille slot, Badstuen og Louises Ø.
De små bygninger på øen i Ødammen blev bygget af Frederik den 7. som en miniature udgave af en norsk herregård.
Jeg går ud gennem landsbyen Gadevang, og snart er jeg på vej op mod Fruebjerg, inde i skoven. Solen er ved at gå ned, og synet mod kysten er storslået. Det er højdepunktet på turen bogstavelig talt, og i overført betydning. Min vandretur fortsætter i hast mod togstationen, Kagerup.

Her må jeg måtte vente i 10 minutter. Jeg kan ikke huske hvornår jeg har været så nedkølet. Jo, måske dengang, da jeg løb på skøjter som barn 🙂

Frederiksborg Slot

* My walk took place in 2016, but the weather today is very similar to that cold day ❄️
Wish you a wonderful walk out there and remember your packed lunch and the mittens 🥕😊

Closer to Nature

The weather is cold and grey. The rain is pouring down. What’s the point in going outdoors? I did and if you go close enough you’ll see many colours, amazing shapes and birds.

This post is back from 2016 but the condition is unchanged 😊

‘… Grasshoppers, birds, fish and plants live
With natural colours as protection forever!
Chameleons are something different though
Capable of changing colours as to situation!

Even seasons have colours for a change
Winter darkness, summer brightness,
Autumn brownness and spring greenness
Indeed are beautiful and inspiring all lives!

Refraction of colourless water reveals 7 hues
As seven colours of rainbow at the raining times!’

An Attire Of Colours In Nature! by Ramesh T A

A Bottle of Magical Light

This picture is from today’s walk. The most sunny minute of the day. Tomorrow there are warnings out for heavy rain all day.
It would be nice to borrow Frodo’s gift from Galadriel: “A light to you in a dark place.”
But the bog was wonderful and there was no sign of Gollum 😅😊

Have a happy time out there and leave only your footprint ❤️

Where did it go?

Where did it go the little funny white throated dipper. I had no hopes of seeing the bird in this landscape.
All I wanted was to enjoy the peace and the vast landscape along the stream.
If I should catch sight of it and see it nodding and dancing, diving and flying low over the water then I would certainly be happy.
But there were other more focused birders, with telephoto lenses so big they were squishing under the weight. I did not envy them in the cold.
I hope they got what they came for. I got the joy of a wonderful white landscape 🤗

On a Snowy Path Today

What’s the Weather like in Winter

Roger asks me how the winter is in Denmark.

I can tell you that the Danish winter has changed significantly. And that probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone. What is interesting is that it has happened so quickly.

The pictures are from 2012 and since then it’s getting longer between the really hard winters!
If you want to photograph snowy landscapes, you have to be quick with the camera.

Those snowy days on the pictures is every child’s wish for a real winter. It was indescribably beautiful and fun to be out and about.

The Majesty of the Mountains

The grandeur of the mountains can be overwhelming at times. Especially if bad weather sets in. Perhaps that is why the Norwegians are so fond of their cabins. With a cabin they are able to seek shelter and ‘kose sig’. ‘Hygge’ in Danish 🤗

We have never brought our tent with us in the Norwegian mountains, but always used the exceptional cabin system, which is widespread throughout Norway. Furthermore, it gives you the opportunity to meet the Norwegians. It’s never boring!

We have met many walkers and exchanged stories and experiences. We have met Norwegian hunters, Card Players and many incredibly nice cabin people. We are filled to the brim with lovely stories, and yet I always yearn for new ones. Isn’t that what it is all about?

Old birch tree by Sognefjorden

The birch tree
Artist: Thomas Fearnley
Date: 1839
Painting

Norwegian Highlands in Sunrise

The Norwegian painter, Hans Gude, 1854.

Card Players

Artist: Harriet Backer
Date: 1897
Visual artist, Painter
Born 1845 in Holmestrand, died 1932 in Oslo

Norske Fossen

Artist: Thomas Fearnley

The hunters on the way home

We soon arrived at the hut. The boy had gone ahead with the dogs and had made a skilful fire on the fireplace.

Illustration to “En Tiurleg i Holleia” in P. Chr. Asbjørnsen, Norske Folke- og Huldre-Eventyr i Udvalg. Copenhagen 1879
Artist: Hans Gude
Date: 1878 or 1879
Designation: Drawing

Note

The Norwegian Trekking Association

On a Hazy Day Like Today

Hjortekæret by Hanna Greenwood

The End of a Cracking Day

Weather Change