Tag Archives: unidentified people

Art, Design, and Autumn in Aarhus, Denmark

48 Hours In A Lovely Small City

After leaving Kolding and our wonderful visit to the Trapholt, Museum, we took a less than two-hour drive north to Aarhus to see yet another Danish museum that is primarily dedicated to modern art and design.

Before our arrival, we hadn’t known that Arne Jacobsen, one of our favourite Danish designers, was one of the architects for the City Hall and Clock Tower opened in the early 1940s in Aarhus during World War II.

We had intentionally chosen an apartment that was a short 7-minute walk to the museum, allowing us to park the car and not worry about driving in the city. Mark took a few early morning walks while I was still sleeping, so a sprinkling of his pictures are included below.

The AROS Museum’s contemporary interior is housed in the 2004-built fourth version of the museum. The original was founded in 1859. Due to copyright issues, you will notice that I have not included any images of the artwork within the galleries.

The ring of coloured glass on the top of the building is a walkway that allows you to have a full view of the city all around you.

The exterior of the AROS Museum in the heart of Aarhus, Denmark.

Coloured glass rooftop walkway at the AROS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark.

Stepping through the doors of AROS, we were presented with an array of levels and lashings of bold phrases painted on the walls.

Interior of the AROS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark.

Accessibility is never an issue within this museum since there are glass elevators as well as curved ramps of easy-to-use stairs.

Spiral ramps connect the interior levels of the AROS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark.

AROS also has a multi-area cafe and shop on the ground floor.

Entry to the restaurant inside the AROS Museum in Aarhus, Denmark.

As we left the museum that evening, I turned around to see what the building would look like when it was lit up at night. It was equally as delightful as during the daytime.

Night view of the exterior of the AROS Museum with its landmark coloured glass walkway atop the building.

Below are some of the wonderful discoveries that Mark made on his morning walks. Enjoy!

Public art in Aarhus, Denmark. A metal sculpture of a man in a suit with his bicycle.

The near-empty canalside streets of Aarhus, Denmark in the early morning.

A wonderfully funny pedestrian crossing light with an illuminated Viking in a helmet carrying a battle axe and shield.

©Deborah Harmes. Painted signage — “it’s over” — on the wall of a passageway leading to an exit.

COPYRIGHT
©Deborah Harmes 2007-2019 and ©Mark Harmes 2007-2019
©A Wanderful Life 2007-2019
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.

The Beauty of Black and White

There is no distraction — no tug at the corner of your eye to look over at the bright red — pay attention to that glossy blue — or wonder why in the world someone thought that ochre yellow was an appropriate choice for a particular item of furniture.

So old school am I — remembering the acrid smell of darkroom chemicals — missing the magic of holding my breath ever so slightly as the image emerged on the glossy sheet of photo paper. Dip, swish, rock the tray, wait for the magic — ahhh — remove, submerge, rock the tray — image set now — remove, submerge, rinse-rinse-rinse then hang to dry.

It’s all done with sliders in a software program nowadays — has been for quite awhile. But even as I slide those wee buttons about, fine-tuning the addition and subtraction of light, the inky tones of black and white still sing to me. Today is one of those days.

Enjoy!

Two people walking up one of the steeper historic streets in Quimper, Brittany, France. B&W

Half-timbered and stone buildings in the old medieval city of Quimper, Brittany, France. Black & white. B&W

An elderly woman with a wheeled walker in a quiet street in Quimper, Brittany, France. B&W

A busy intersection in Morlaix, Brittany, France. Black and white. B&W

Layers of stone construction in houses, churches, and a viaduct in Morlaix, Brittany, France.

COPYRIGHT
©Deborah Harmes 2007-2018 and
©A Wanderful Life 2007-2018
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.

Impromptu Livingroom in the South of France

So your wife has left you and your friend to look after the baby, but it’s a festival day in the South of France and you don’t want to be stuck inside the apartment. What do you do?

You pick up the sofa, a table, and some odds and ends and set up an impromptu livingroom at the edge of all the upcoming action. With the baby safely tucked into a pram, you can sit in the shade and watch the festival unfold.

Barcelona Nights Out: Photo of the Day – Shoppers and Diners

In contrast to our own home town here in the South of France which practically rolls up the sidewalks on weeknights, you certainly can’t say that about a weeknight in Barcelona!

The photo below was taken on the very busy Passeig de Gracia at night. Note the happy women taking a break on the bench surrounded by all of their shopping bags as other people continue to stream by.

Two unidentified women rest on a bench as people walk by at night on the busy shopping district in Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona, Spain.

Strolling, laughing, running into friends, people are definitely out an about and not racing to get home and sit behind closed doors.

Happy Barcelona, Spain citizens out and about on a week night on Passeig de Gracia

And in this photo, people are just beginning to think about going out to dinner and filling up the tables at the very early hour of 8:30 PM.

Diners begin to slowly fill the tables of a sidewalk cafe in Barcelona, Spain.

We found an upscale ‘toy store’ for grownups called Vincon that carried everything from fabbo art and office supplies to a stunning array of kitchen goods. I had what we called (in Deb and Mark verbal shorthand) ‘a tile store moment’ when there was actually so much in that store that I didn’t know where to look first! I managed to get some shots that weren’t filled with people (and trust me, that was quite difficult), but the store was absolutely packed. At the front entry there were a row of waiting room style chairs for the people who were sitting and patiently waiting for someone else to finish shopping so they could go home.

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Barcelona is an amazingly vibrant city and I can’t wait to go back!

Barcelona Days Out: Street Photography

Sometimes a single image says rather a lot and since I started my photographic life as a journalist, street photography still appeals to me.

On a Saturday afternoon in Barcelona, Spain, two women spend their afternoon in very different ways. I stood and watched for several minutes, and neither of them appeared to notice or acknowledge the presence of the other one. It was, however, an interesting juxtaposition of day-to-day action and lifestyle.

One further somewhat surprising note, I noticed quite a few people taking pictures with an iPad on this trip!

Two women in Barcelona, Spain spend their Saturday afternoon in very different ways.

POSTSCRIPT
I’ll be back in 24-48 hours with some stunning architectural shots from Gaudi’s Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera. The late afternoon light atop the rooftop terrace with its alien-like chimneys and vents was glorious!

Alien-like chimneys and vents adorn the rooftop terraces of Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera.