Hygge

Hygge is a word describing the Danish way of life, or rather a concept of escaping the daily rush to relax and enjoy life's quieter pleasures. Various definitions of the word exist, and can be traced even to the Middle Ages, where a similar Old Norse word meant 'protected from the outside world'. The term hygge was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017.

I particularly like the image at the bottom left :) The stamps, which I have found at the local 7/11-type-of corner shop, seem to depict familiar sayings; the 2nd and the 3rd one I think are international - when the cats are away, the mice play :) - burnt children shun the fire. The first one seems to say: every bird sings with it's beak? It should mean that different people express themselves in different ways i.e. to the best of their abilities. It's interesting, and I am now trying to think of a Croatian saying with a similar meaning...

Nyhavn In Copenhagen

Nyhavn in Copenhagen is the city's most recognisable feature - ok, perhaps together with the Little Mermaid..! On my way back from Oslo (going to Hamburg and then further to the Frisian island of Amrum) I have (finally!) spent a day in this beautiful place, in between night buses. Nyhavn is a waterfront district lined with brightly coloured town houses from the 17th/18th centuries, as well as with historical wooden ships. It is the entertainment heart of the city with its many bars, cafes and restaurants. Now it would be nice to experience that next time around..!

UNESCO - Stevns Klint, Denmark

Continuing the nordic whs trail, another very interesting site...one of the more recent ones, inscribed in 2014. And again from the forum's tag section, and with interesting stamps, thank you Rebekka :)

Stevns Klint is a globally exceptional testimony of meteorite impact on the history of life on Earth. The property provides evidence of the Chixulub meteorite impact that took place at the end of the Cretaceous Period, c.67 million years ago, and is widely believed to have caused the end of the Age of the Dinosaurs - the most recent of the major mass extinctions in Earth’s history. An exceptional fossil record is visible at the site, showing the complete succession of fauna and micro-fauna charting the recovery after the mass extinction.

UNESCO - Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark

 

The Scandinavia's first Gothic brick cathedral, situated on the island Zealand, dates from the 12th century and has been the mausoleum of the Danish royal family since the 15th. Great addition to my collection and lovely Europa stamp, thank you Genek :)

UNESCO - Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland

 

Ilulissat Icefjord is a fjord in western Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, that runs west 40 km from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay just south of Ilulissat town. It is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea, and one of the fastest (19 m per day) and most active glaciers in the world.

The combination of a huge ice sheet and a fast moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord covered by icebergs is a phenomenon only seen in Greenland and Antarctica. The photo shows one of those icebergs in the Disko Bay.

My 1st written & stamped postcards from Greenland, and a Unesco site at that! Thanks so much Radim, it was a splendid surprise..!!

UNESCO - Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Kronborg is a castle and star fortress in the town of Helsingør, Denmark, immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It dates back to a stronghold, Krogen, built by King Eric VII in the 1420s; From 1574 to 1585 King Frederick II had the medieval fortress radically transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. In 1785 the castle ceased to be a royal residence and was converted into barracks for the army. The army left the castle in 1923, and after a thorough renovation it was opened to the public.

Beautiful addition to my Unesco collection with the Europa stamp, many thanks to bimbim :))



Denmark - Map Card

Another great map card this week from a private swap. So many cute little illustrations - there are even a giraffe and a lion, but no donkey heh. Thank you Peter :) (i've just noticed a topless babe in the top left corner lol)

Owl Chicks, Denmark

DK-16911

If you are not an expert on owls try finding out whose baby chicks these are! :D
My fairest guess is Tawny Owl or any of the Strix genus, but if anyone has a better guess feel free to help out..! However, these chicks were in my favourites as they are sooo cute, in a weird kind of way :) i think owls are amazing - but honestly i think birds altogether are amazing creatures. if you dont believe or agree with me i recommend watching the documentary on them by Sir David Attenborough <3