Katja

Hamburg (i)

77 It was on my journey back from a conference in Spain that I stopped by Hamburg in October 2018. Seeing autumn unfold outside the train windows, I never knew so much of western Germany was covered by beech forests on rolling hills. Yellow, and grey in that unique way of beeches. Close to theContinue reading “Hamburg (i)”

missed time

76 While eating breakfast yesterday morning, I listened to the radio. They were talking about the updated Covid restrictions. How retirement homes were recommended to not allow visitors, again, like in the spring. It made me think about missed time. And I felt sad. Again. Because, even though I don’t know anyone who lives inContinue reading “missed time”

Helsinki (i)

75 It was a chilly day in May, spring just arriving. I was fascinated, having just been in Glasgow where everything was in full bloom, the sun had been warm and where reading on a bench in the botanic garden, only wearing t-shirt and jeans, was perfectly comfortable. Not here. Mittens and hat were neededContinue reading “Helsinki (i)”

Glasgow (ii)

74 The Glasgow Botanic Garden is friendly, just like the city, and there’s an approachability. It has a familial feel. Even in the types of plants they grow. A section with ordinary garden vegetables. An unkempt corner of different wild roses. An entire wing in one of the gorgeous greenhouses dedicated to old fashioned pottedContinue reading “Glasgow (ii)”

notes from 2018

73 States of emergency, since March, today restrictions were tightened even further. My mind wanders off in associations, one crisis makes me think of another. In the notebook from 2018: “Hot summer, dry, an extreme high-pressure system stuck, looming over our parched Nordic soils. I find it tough. July, walking through the groves, seeing treesContinue reading “notes from 2018”

home office

72 I engaged in some amateur carpentry this weekend. A cupboard had to be removed when I bought a new fridge in August. On Saturday, I finally got around to repurposing it. I sawed it in half, and put one of the halves on top of my desk. Covered the imperfections of my carpentry skillsContinue reading “home office”

Pagoeta / Iturraran

71 In the municipality of Aia, about 25 km from San Sebastian, lies the Pagoeta Nature Reserve and the Iturraran Botanical Garden. I visited the park as part of an afternoon fieldtrip during a conference I attended in San Sebastian in October 2018. The park has an old farmhouse on the mountain-side and an oldContinue reading “Pagoeta / Iturraran”

Kew (i)

70 Kew Royal Botanic Gardens is, according to their own website, the finest botanic garden in the world, old, huge and in 2003 added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The garden was first created in 1759 and now covers 121 hectares of land. The greenhouses are magnificent to look at. So classy,Continue reading “Kew (i)”

Edinburgh (ii)

69 I bring books to botanic gardens. Sitting on a bench under the hanging branches of this tree, reading “Ancillary Justice” by Ann Leckie, breathing in the fragrant, humid air of the greenhouse – for a moment fooling myself that I could be in an exotic place about to go on an adventure. Escapism, IContinue reading “Edinburgh (ii)”

Belem

68 The botanic tropical garden in Belem is rather large (for being located so centrally), but felt somehow disjointed when I visited in September 2015. It had it’s places, like this small pond with a pavilion being reflected in the water’s calm surface. But the open design didn’t allow for the kind of immersion inContinue reading “Belem”