Winter, Chapter 3: Of Frozen Lakes

Above: skaters on Peblinge Sø in Copenhagen last week.

We made our trip to Copenhagen on another sub zero day. It was windy too, as it seems to always be in this city. Walking into the freezing wind from Nørreport station to where we were headed in Nørrebro, was… I don’t remember. I think my world might have shrunk to the one spot somewhere inside my 2 scarves that was a bit warm.

Then we hit Queen Louise’s Bridge (Dronning Louises Bro).

The lakes flanking the big bridge had frozen over.

And there were people on the ice.

The odd patches of rippling water were slate on Peblinge Sø’s otherwise frozen surface. People, inelegant dark grains on that field of white. Swans, stately ice sculptures despite their bold greed.

In the distance, the sun was losing its battle with the clouds. But not before it swept across the lakes with a final burst that warmed you right down to the marrow.