Fuck Denmark

Some time ago I happened to visit the Faroe Islands. The rocky basalt islands are covered by green grass, and inhabited by 50.000 people and twice as many sheep. The nature is awesome, with some and some spectacular places.

The Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Since 1948 the Faroes have enjoyed the high degree of self governance, but they are still under Danish rule in many respects, such as foreign policy. Today the Danish rule is quite mild, but it hasn't always been like that. Throughout history, the Faroe Islands have been treated pretty much as a Danish colony.

On the top of a small hill in Torshavn, there is a basalt obelisk, erected in the late 1800s, to celebrate the visit of the Danish king. I heard that some people accept the monument, and some people dislike it. I was disappointed to see that the obelisk was so clean and untouched. Send some young punks or students up there to decorate the obelisk with some "Fuck Denmark" graffiti, at least.

BTW, I have nothing against Denmark. Copenhagen is a great city >:)

(Pictures taken at Faroe islands a month ago)

Houses of God and cheese and imperial stout

I've been a little bit sick lately, so we didn't go skiing in the mountains this weekend. Today I went for a walk downtown, to return some books to the public library.  The sun was shining, and it was a nice day for walking. Apparently many people thought the same, because the streets were crowded. There were tall people and short people, skinny people and fat people. All of them carrying bags and backpacks with stuff they had bought.

I took a quick tour around downtown. I visited a shop were I bought a camembert cheese, produced by a local farm. Then, in a different store, I bought a bottle of porter and an imperial stout. The porter was from the town were i live now. The imperial stout was imported, brewed in Denver, Colorado, were I lived for a while in the past. It was a great place to live, by the way.

On the way back home, I passed by the old cathedral. On the other side of the street, the Catholics are building a new church. God is absent in both places. He's just a product of human fantasy, unlike the cheese and the beer I bought, which are real.

The old cathedral was Catholic too, from the time it was built 900 years ago, until the last arch bishop fled from the reformation in the 16th century. Now the Catholics are back. That's fine with me. I just wonder why they have to build a new church. We have plenty of churches already. In most of them both the congregation and God are absent. We could rather have given the Catholics one of the existing churches, giving back some of the property they lost in the reformation.

(Picture taken on my walk today. The old cathedral to the right, the new Catholic church, with the scaffolds, to the left). 

Got snow

Many years ago, when he boys were small, I used to ski a lot in our local ski slope. I took the boys to practice in the ski club after school. in the beginning, I had to ski with them, to help them with the lift, and stuff like that. It was fun, and I learned many things from listening to the coaches. Later, when the boys grew older, they didn't need my help anymore, and I was tired of skiing the same old slopes every week.

The last years, I have done my skiing on the weekends in a much bigger resort. When driving little boy (who is not a little boy anymore) to the ski practice, I just sit in the cafe with my computer, working or reading stuff. But this week, I made an exception. Recently, we have got a lot of snow, the white gold. The conditions on our local slopes are excellent. So this week, I brought my skis, on both the evening practice, and this weekend. It was fun to ski the good slopes again. I did all of them, one after the other. Today I had a great day of skiing together with my best friend. Very good >:)

(Picture taken today, from the patio outside the cafe, in the lunch break)

Another day on fat skis

We have got plenty of snow the last week.  This weekend the snow continues to fall. Today I have another day on the fat skis, in the powder,  off piste.  I listen to an audio book on the lift,  "My Struggle" by Knausgård. I'm almost through the first 5 volumes now.  Very good books. Recommended. 

I'm alone, just by myself.  That's great. I like the loneliness in the sparse  birch forest.  It's not that I dislike people, but I need to spend time alone, to relax and get away from all the expectations. That's what powder days are for >:)

( Picture taken 20 minutes ago. I wrote this post on my cell phone )

Happy winter solstice

Yesterday was the darkest day of the year. Today we have started the journey towards lighter and brighter times. That’s good.  Also, my best friend is gone, for a while, and Christmas is coming up soon. That’s not so good. This perverted commercial-religious holiday is the time of the year that I dislike the most. Whatever, I will probably survive, once again. It’s just about switching the brain off, do what people expect me to do, and wait till it’s over. January, please come as soon as you can.

Happy winter solstice >:)

(I have never understood why we chop down trees and put them into our houses with lights and glass balls. They look much better in the forest where they belong. Picture from my collection) 

Crowded

It's so crowded on the mountain today.  It's the annual ski testing weekend, and the Alpine Racing World Cup is visiting.  Last weekend was much better. We even got a day of powder skiing. Some days are great. Some are not so good. That's life.

(Picture taken in the powder one week ago.  The skier is Little Boy)

Wet shoes

I'm out traveling again. Tonight I was out drinking a dark beer with two good colleagues and friends. Last night I had even better times with an even better friend. tonight the rain is pouring down. My shoes got soaking wet when I was walking along the streets. I should remind myself that there are bigger problems in this world than a pair of wet shoes. They probably dry up by tomorrow, or the day after >:)

(Picture taken last night, when the clouds were coming in, but before the rain. Good times.)  

Not too bad

I'm out traveling for a couple of days, to the capital. I don't like it very much so I don't go there very often.

After work I checked into the hotel. Then I went for a walk in the city center, near the King's castle and the parliament building. For a while I walked behind a fat and cute girl. She was more sexy than the skinny girls I met.

I went into a bookstore and bought two books, by Stig Sæterbakken and Michel Houellebecq. Then I went to meet a friend. We had a good dark beer (porter).

It was a nice evening in this city that I don't like very much. Not too bad >:)

(Picture taken tonight when I was out walking. That's the King's castle at the end of the street.)