natursyn.dk

Ever since I moved to Kiel more than a year ago I haven’t posted many pictures on my blog. One reason is that I find the surrounding of Kiel a bit dull because every square meter is managed and taken care of. When you go to the beaches you know that they will look the same year after year due to coastal protection. When you walk in a meadow or a bog everything of interest for nature nerds like me will be fenced behind barbed wires. In this sense Germany is completely opposite of Sweden’s “allemannsretten” where everyone are free to utilize the common nature areas. But then again, Germany is densely populated and people tend to let their dogs loose everywhere.

That said, Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein do indeed have a lot of areas of interest and they are easy to access with a well maintained grid of paths and roads. This past weekend I rode my bike along the Schwentine river, called Sventana by the Slavic people who considered it holy. Beside the nice scenery I was very excited to find a newly restored habitat made especially for frogs. At high noon the frogs were passing their time in the surface of the water without making their ear deafening calls and it was quite easy getting close to them.

Schwentine river

Rastorfer Mühle

Canada geese (Branta canadensis)

Diffuse-leaved Water Buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus)

Edible frog (Pelophylax esculentus)

Edible frog (Pelophylax esculentus)

Fence posts

Banded agrion (Agrion virgo)

An old oak tree

Back when I was a PhD student I lived in Copenhagen for a while. It is a truly unique city with all its young energy and inspiration coupled with century old architecture and traditions. But in the few months I lived there I never truly got to see the city because I felt I was always too busy. So Yiming and I went there for a long weekend in the end of May that coincided with the carnival, a marathon race and nice weather. We went to see some of most typical things of Copenhagen and Danish culture such as Nyhavn, Tivoli and smørrebrød (a kind of sandwich that I don’t fancy at all). One thing you immediately notice as soon as you step out of the train station is the wide bicycle paths with people riding their Christiania bikes (cargo bikes) often with 2-3 kids in it.  As an almost full fledged vegan I also found that there are many more places with wholesome vegetarian food (at least as an option on the menu) than there used to be albeit it can be a wee bit expensive eating out. We also went for a stroll in the Botanical Garden that had a display of beautiful half-spheres in the lake. Highly recommended. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art was also a very pleasant visit.

Danish 'Smørrebrød'

Nyhavn

Tivoli

Light show in Tivoli

Three Piece Reclining by Henry Moore at Louisiana

Kids sitting in a Christiania bike watching Copenhagen Marathon

Copenhagen Carnival

Half-spheres made of glass fiber and dried plant materials in the Botanical Garden

Delicious sushi dinner at Sticksnsushi