pretty, quiet, lights out

there was a fire friday night. one of the fields next to our little village (moshav) had set on fire. everything is crispy dry these days, so it happens easily.

not exactly sure why, but for some reason the electricity was cut off during all the balagan (a lovely hebrew term for mess). so, as the evening darkened we pulled out the candles. the boys were amazingly cool about it, probably too young to get scared from the darkness and the shadows of the candle lights playing on the dark walls.

it was pretty, it was quiet, and the stars on the sky were so clear, as no light from earth faded their shine.

we went to bed early. and then, just after midnight, the light came back on in the bedroom. it had been left on as we had tested the electricity in the afternoon. for a second i thought it was morning, and it felt really good to be able to just turn off the light and go back to sleep.

aquatic

we went to the aquarium with the kids on one of those rainy, danish summer days that calls for indoor activities. but i'd have gone anyway. i love aquariums. and i love being under or in the water even more. this aquarium north of copenhagen is pretty small, but they are building a new, set to open in 2012, i believe. it looked amazing from the model displayed in the foyer: partly under the ocean, big, great facilities. that will definitely be on my sightseeing list in 2012.

i already used my favorite photo from this day. it's pic #5 in the white post. oh, and talking about colors, did you see the yellow post from kristina at no penny for them, who joined isabelle from lou et tom in her gorgeous yellowness? i think i just might go yellow myself next week. just need to enjoy another weekend with kids and plans.

wishing you a happy weekend too!

round n' round, up we go

rundetaarn - the round tower - was built in 1642 by the danish king, christian IV, the man behind several architectural projects in copenhagen in the middle of the 17th century. it was created to as an astronomical observatory, and offers a great view of the center of copenhagen, and even all the way to sweden on good days. in order to get to the top, you have to walk up through a helical corridor, no stairs, just round and round, all the way to the top. like walking through a giant snail's house. alas the name. the round tower is connected to a church building, and what used to be a library, but today offers art exhibitions, concerts or other cultural events.

i went their on a solo date with D, who - as the true israeli he is - had to call a friend back home and tell him about the view. i chose to just view. and take photos of course, but that's really just another way of viewing, isn't it? oh, yes, D took a few photos too, so that would be me, that 3rd photo.

white

:: from friends' houses, the wood house, danmarks aquarium, and botanisk have ::

botanical garden copenhagen

one of the great things about visiting denmark is that i get to spent some time with my kids alone. leaving one (or two) behind doesn't make me feel like i let them miss out on the fun: there are grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts around to spoil them. D feels the same and so, some days we'd split, each taking a kid to a special place. but the place really isn't the important thing, it's the time spent, just one parent and one kid, a real date.

one day i took J to glyptoteket, which was wonderful and such a great place to be: we talked about the statues (the ancient egyptian with animals, and humans with animal faces, totally fascinated him). of course i forgot my camera that day, but i didn't forget it the next time i went on a date with one of my boys.

this cloudy day i went with N to the botanical garden in copenhagen. this amazing garden was build and planted in 1874. it has a beautiful palmhouse from the same year, and even though i was at first a bit bummed about the weather that day, i soon felt that the heavy clouds really made the whole scenery even more spectacular. and hey, i had the cutest date, so who cares about a few raindrops?

shadows and light

:: from the wood house, my brother's garden, and copenhagen zoo ::

interlude

i am not sure how many days it will take me to settle in back home, to sort things and prep the kids for kindergarten. and just in general get myself tuned in to daily life.

so, just in case, consider this a little interlude featuring my sweet and beautiful younger brother on piano.