the lovely town with the unfortunate name

Ladies and Gentlemen: Middelfart.

epic sandwiches

Do you see how big this sandwich is? I don't know if I managed to accurately capture the enormity of this masterpiece with a photo, so let me attempt to convey it with words. Between two unassuming slices of toasted, fluffy bread, a jungle of green grew upward, and within this jungle of green, three mastodonic slabs of pork with crispy fried and salted rinds were skewered into place, smothered in a curry mayonnaise. Pickles and slivers of apple cascaded down onto the plate, some leaping off onto the table, while a pile of artfully roasted baby potatoes glistened in the corner. A pool of curry mayo was provided for emergency purposes, as the whole tower leaned threateningly to the right. I was awestruck. This was perhaps, the Everest of sandwiches.

Still full the following day on the way to my grandad's hometown of Esbjerg, I stopped in the charmingly named town of Middelfart, to see my friend Sue— and it was lunchtime.



This must be how the Danes stay warm!

morfar

The week before I left for Denmark, I received the news that my grandad is ill. In some way I suppose I sensed it, and wanted to visit his homeland to connect with him in some way— to see what he has seen, eat what he has eaten and feel what he might have felt. I used to see my grandparents all the time when I lived in San Francisco, but now that I have moved to Istanbul, I haven't seen them in over a year. My grandad is one of my most favourite people; his strange sense of humour, his wry grin, his honesty and vast knowledge of swear words in both Danish and English are just a few of the things I love about him.



Grandpap, I'll be seeing you in a little while.
Jeg elsker dig.

danish perspective

oh the lines of danish design!

As a lover and enthusiast of fine design, I could not resist hopping into the Dansk Design Center, a veritable wonderland of minimalism, line and colour.




Good design comes in small packages— the little Dansk Design Center packs in a visual fiesta worth fitting into your day. The DDC is located across from Tivoli Gardens on Hans Christiansen Andersen Boulevard in Copenhagen.

harbour

Denmark is composed of one main peninsula, Jutland, and many, many islands. Upon one of these islands, Zealand, sits the majestic capital, Copenhagen— København to my grandad and the rest of the Danes. Water is never far from reach, with many beautiful canals to explore and grey, biting seas.

the greys of copenhagen

I was unprepared for just how cold Denmark is in November. I know it's Scandinavia and it's almost winter, so I had packed every sweater I could fit into my little suitcase, but my goodness! The thought of sketching outdoors made me shudder, and I was not in the mood to draw— which I feel bad about now but you just can't force it.



Even in the freezing rain, Copenhagen is stunning. It's quite a big city, and with the daylight hours being so short, I pretty much ran through the streets to try and see what I could in the time I had, while I could still feel my fingers and toes!

tivoli

Right smack in the middle of Copenhagen lies the enchanting land of Tivoli Gardens. Even on a grey, drizzly day, the sight of painted wooden horses and the smell of candied apples is enough to make anyone feel like a kid again.

wet and grey and oh so lovely

Hej Danmark!

one pigeon, two pigeon

I suddenly realised that I completely forgot to post the finished pigeon portraits that I showed you the beginnings of in March. Ta-dah!

a single glance

"If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul."
– Alphonse de Lamartine

three sketches

I've been such a busy bee for the past two months that I've had little time to get out and sketch. Fortunately I've got my Denmark trip coming up, which gives me an entire week of exploring and sketching, snapping photos and enjoying hot tea in the cold... I'm so ready!

outside istanbul

life carries on

flight