Being with Copenhagen in winter
It's cold, rainy and dark. It was also dark in northern Sweden in winter, but magical snow, stars and occasional northern lights would make it lighter. The snow would absorb the sounds. The city where I used to live was small and calm. Here in Copenhagen there are so many sounds. When I open the window, all the sounds from the street flood my space. I used to live in Helsinki, another Nordic capital, but I lived in a very peaceful, small island in westernmost Helsinki.
I often think that cities such as Copenhagen are suitable mostly for those who enjoy social and cultural activities such as going to theatres, museums and restaurants. Those were all the things my family and I did when I was a child before we moved to a remote location and after we returned to a big city. I don't know if it's living in a remote location that shaped me into the human being that I am, or it is just my personality. I find it challenging to be in a big city. I miss nature. Here in Copenhagen, as it is perhaps in most cities, the approach to nature is utilitarian. Trees are used as decorations. Occasionally I see some jelly fish in the water and meet a squirrel in one of the nearby green spaces. In smaller cities there is also culture, there are cafes and shops, but somehow it feels lagom rather than overwhelming.
Recently I met a heron by one of the lakes (Søerne). I was walking with a fellow human who needed to catch a train so I couldn't be with the heron for a long time. But I was thinking a lot about this heron. It looked very calm though it was in the city centre. I wonder how it felt. It seemed to be used to humans.
