Little Long Bridge

Little Long Bridge opened a year late but months early.  It opened unofficially the day before I came home from USA 2 weeks ago.  Officially it opens next month, I believe, as a few small odds and ends still need to be completed.  The bridge was to be completed last year.  But tragedy broke out in Holland where the bridge was made.  In 4 sections, a crane had lifted one section at a time and the first one fell onto 2 of the other sections.  Those 3 sections had to be remade.  Once they were completed, the barge sailed up to Copenhagen where a huge crane put the 4 units together.  The bridge is strictly for pedestrians and bicyclist.   I think is it soooooo funny that this bridge is just one football field away from Langebro/Long Bridge.  Up until now, everybody rode, walked or drove across Langebro.  Now they are trying to get non-car traffic to use the new bridge.  I've been on it a number of times already and today I took Jens to check it out.   It's so new that it's not even on Google Earth yet.  Only the foundation can be seen from the sky.   A whole new blog - all about it's construction, is just waiting to be made as I have literally tones of photos.  Consider yourself warned.  But here is a teaser until then.

Once we crossed to the other side of the bridge, we headed in the direction towards the town hall (the tall tower in the background) and stopped just near by for a coffee.  On the way we passed the beautiful renovated building from 1771.

 And here we are at Hotel Danmark, having a break and a coffee - like a coffee break.

 We can afford the coffee.  The rooms start at about $250 per night - ouch.

The King's New Square

I just happened to be taking a walk early last week and passed by Kongens Nytorv or in English, The King's New Square.  In all the years that I 've been here, the square has constantly been under construction and/or renovation or used as a storage/work area for nearby renovations.  There were only 3 months, years ago, when the square was in total picturesque quality.  There was always something to take away from the beauty of the square.  Now with the new metro line nearly completed, opening this September, the square is, as well, nearly completed.... again.  It's been "nearly completed" many times over throughout the years.  Kongens Nytorv is a public square in Copenhagen and centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street called Strøget.  It's one of the longest pedestrian streets in all of Europe.  Kongens Nytorv is the largest square of the city and it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with a major extension of the fortified city.  Naturally, the equestrian statue in the center of the square is of himself.  A very old fashioned type of selfie back in the day.

Gay Pride and Broadway Videos

Here are a 17 quick videos I shot from the 50th Stonewall commemoration and 4 from Broadway,
In no specific order.

The Bridge to Nowhere.

It's really quite unusual - this bridge.   A huge monstrosity of concrete, cables and tracks leading from Malmö, Sweden going to nowhere.

 

Very bizarre if you ask me.   Anyway...….. when we lived in the house, I used to go to Malmö frequently.  On average once every summer.  But with all the hassel of asylum seekers coming in and with the increase of crime, I put it away for awhile.   But I have been wanting to go back for quite some time now.  So this past Thursday, I went.   It's so easy to get there.  I got on my bike and rode over the bike/pedestrian bridge over the  harbor, then the bridge from the harbors edge up to the bridge that goes over the tracks.

Directly behind me is the bridge over the tracks leading to Dybbølsbro train station.  At the end of the bridge, I park my bike and walk down the stairs to the train platform where I push 1 adult to Malmö C in the ticket machine and zip on my way.

This is actually on the side coming home and the red train in the background is going towards the central station.  That's just the way I snapped it.

  

The central station (København H) is just 1 stop from Dybbølsbro station where I started.

  

I get out at track 9 - 10.....

….follow the arrow to track 26.  It says that it is a 15 minute walk.

There are only 12 tracks in the central station.  To get to track 26 you have to go to track 5 and 6.

At the end of track 5 and 6, you have to walk up the stairs to the street level then to the next staircase and go down again to the next set of tracks which is track 26.  Dumb - but that's the way it is.  Track 26 is the end of the line for the Swedish train. There is no track 13 to 25.

Take a look at the departure sign.  Malmö is first on the list. The train was just about to leave.  It's a long walk to track 26 so I had to run.  I almost had a heart attack running up the steps when I got to the end of track 5 and 6. 

 I'm too old to do that. 

Oh, but thank goodness!  I just made it and in a moment, I will be on my way.  But let me just check with the train conductor to double check.  But of course everything is ok - it says right there on the departure screen:  Malmö - now! 26!

I show my ticket to the conductor and ask, "This is the train to Malmö - right?"

"Yes", she said, "But this is the Swedish train.  You have a Danish train ticket to Malmö departing from track 6 at 10:07"

Everybody laugh at the stupid tourist - bawaaaa ha haaa ha haaaa…

Yep, the conductor knew what she was talking about.

Ok so back up the stairs and then down the stairs and.....

 …..and finally here is the train.

As we leave the central station, I point my camera out the window and take a photo of the station where I started from: Dybbølsbro (above).

On the other side of the train is the bridge that crosses over the tracks where I rode my bike (below).  It's that orange brick building where the bicycle ramp starts/ends.

Now we are leaving Denmark and approaching the bridge to nowhere.  The land in the background is Denmark.  The tall buildings on the left is where the train passed.  The white tall building in the middle background is just a few minutes from where we live.

We are just about to drive onto the bridge.  Way off in the distance is a beautiful tall sail ship that I snap.

Now on the bridge to nowhere looking back towards Denmark.

Looking towards Malmö

This is the first stop in Sweden after crossing the bridge.  They announced that all passengers should have their passports or documents ready for border control.  Normally they don't check but there has been lots of foreigners trying to sneak in a few years ago.  I haven't taken my passport there the last many times that I been there.  But I didn't want any trouble having all this brown skin and big schnoz.  But nobody checked, so I just admired the way cool spaceship-looking water tower.

The next stop was a brand new stop and then the stop after that is where I needed to get out - at Malmö C.  This is not a new stop but the entire station has been revamped and the tracks rerouted and now it's underground.  Very moderen and spacious.

 Projected artwork on the walls.

And then up the escalator to the new arrival hall.  It's about 9 years old now but new for me.  It looks like it opened yesterday - so nice and clean.

I am wowed when I get to the top.  The new addition all in glass.

I spent the first ½ hour just checking out the station.  I had to find out what they did with the old arrival/departure hall.

 Wow! The turned it into a food court with international flavors and it smelled so delicious.

  

I remember the old blue glazed bricks from the very beginning of the original structure.  So glad they kept it.  It was all very wonderful what they have done to create something new and use the old.

I was very surprised to see all the rainbow flags - what's that all about?

Just outside of the new glass arrival/departure hall is this new lime green scream modern building.  Totally wild !

Here is the front side of the original buildings snapped from the bus terminal.

Look both ways before crossing the street to be sure a bus doesn't mow you down and you will find the beautiful waterway offering you a boat ride throughout the city.

I have thousands of these photographs of the city but here they are again.  I never tire of it.

Frans Suell, 1744 - 1818, was a very important business man for the development of the city.

 

 The steeple from St. Peters Church dating from the 1300's.

So surprised to see all these rainbow flags.  I haven't heard anything about a gay event going on in Malmö.  Of course my husband and I have been out of the loop for a number of years thanks to a stupid disease.

Town Hall

 King Karl Gustav X

 King Karl Gustav X

 Where I had some lunch - shrimp salad and a beer - only 1.

All that water sprinkling made me have to look for a toilet here and now!  At the end of one of the pedestrian streets was a booth with rainbow flags.  I popped into find out what the flags were all about but really I wanted to know where there was a toilet.

It turns out there was a gay pride parade in just 2 days - That would be today as I write this.  Had I known that, I would have waited to go to Malmö today.  But glad I went when I did as it has been the only full sunny day here in Copenhagen/Malmö since...……… well I can't even say when it was, it's been so long ago.  So I was in Malmö on a very very beautiful day.

At the moment, this is still the tallest building in Scandinavia.  It contains both apartments and offices. It's called the Turning Torso.  No matter from which angle you look at it, It looks like it's about to fall over.  You can click this link to read more about the building.

 

Lilla Square is nothing but cute buildings side by side with places to eat.  I wanted to stay and eat but I had to get home before pumpkin time.

 

I wanted to pop into this amazing bar but I am taking a break from alcohol to make sure I am not in need of help - plus I already had a beer for lunch.  Bad boy. 

But I couldn't stand it.  I had to go into one more café and buy at least an iced-coffee for the road.  I notice stairs going up to the loft so I sat there and enjoyed my last ½ hour before getting back onto the train to nowhere.

That's my knee at the lower left.

Wont you join me next time?