I was posting this in a few travel communities and thought that maybe some of you people could have good recommendations too!

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I am a bit overwhelmed by the number of hotels in London and I don't even know where to begin to look for a place to stay for a long weekend. So I was hoping you could recommend a nice hotel or hostel in London, fairly central.

I'll be going with my parents, so it shouldn't be the dorm-type of place, but on the other hand, it doesn't have to be luxury. In fact, it would be great not to have to pay so much. I am not really sure about the price level, but was hoping to pay around £ 60-80 or less for a room, is that possible?

Today is the last day that the smallest Danish coin, 25 øre, can be used in the shops. From tomorrow it will no longer be accepted and our smallest coin will be 50 øre.

They said it is too expensive to make and that it doesn't have any "independent purchasing power" anymore. There are 500 million 25 øre-coins in circulation at the moment. I don't even have one of those in my purse right... Wish I had, so I could save it. I feel a bit melancholy about it, though it is just a little coin.

But here is my tribute to the 25 øre. Thank you, little bronze coin.

Feeling: sad

Why are so many Russian lj users adding me? *confused* I can't understand their journals and don't really know why I have become so interesting all of a sudden for the Russian audience?

Feeling: confused

There was a bicycles special magazine in my newspaper Politiken yesterday and there was an article about a guy who has done a blog site as a tribute to bikes in Copenhagen and especially the people riding them.

I think the page is really cute and sweet and the pictures are great - I love how passionate this guy is about cycling. So check it out: Copenhagen Cycle Chic

Feeling: good

During exercise today our teacher played the Lambada song - do you remember it?


The song itself is from 1989, but I think it was popular in the early 90's in Denmark, because I remember we were dancing to it at my confirmation, when I was 13 (around 1993). It's funny because today I was trying to listen to the lyrics and realised it was Portuguese, I never really thought of that before. I could sing along with the lyrics, but I had no idea what I was saying and probably made up my own words to match what it sounded like. I checked the lyrics now, but my Portuguese is not that good... But I can tell it is something of a lost love and crying, hehe.

Feeling: amused

While looking for stories for features, I stumbled upon this radio feature on The Guardian's website (I didn't know they did sound reportages?!) about the geisha culture living a revival in Japan. Would love to do a story like that, but I guess you need to be there, really. Here is the print article.

Feeling: relaxed

Feeling: tired

I thought I should make an update about the book challenge - am not reading as much as I would like to, but still getting some good reads. Actually I have seen more films than read books, but obviously it is also faster! Maybe I should also make a film challenge?

#1 Kiran Desai - The Inheritance of Loss
see this post

# 2 Alaa al-Aswany - The Yacoubian Building
ditto post

# 3 Hanne Richardt Beck - Om så det gælder
A Danish story (I don't think it is translated yet) about three young people in the 1930's and during WWII, about love and friendship and betrayal. I liked the descriptions of the environment and the time period, all in all quite good. The title is a play on words from a Danish hymn called Altid frejdig, når du går - with the lines Kæmp for alt, hvad du har kært; dø, om så det gælder! Da er livet ej så svært, døden ikke heller (Fight for all you love/ die if you have to/ then life is not so hard/and death neither ) It was used during the war by the resistance movement

# 4 Anne Marie Bjerg - På dansk ved...
An essay about working as a literary translater. Was okay, nothing amazing.

# 5 Carson McCullers - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
I got this book from my friend Emli, didn't know quite to expect except that she said it was one of her favourites. I feel like I should have liked it more, and though it kept me captive, I didn't find it amazing...

# 6 Peter Øvig Knudsen - Blekingegadebanden
A non-fiction novel about one of the biggest robberies in Denmark ever and an armed left wing group, who robbed banks to support the Palestine organisation PFLP. It was during the 80's and the trial was in the early 90's, so I am too young to remember it - so it is good to read the story and get to know the background, the writer, a journalist, tries to explain how a group of people can become so fanatic in their beliefs that they are willing to commit these kind of crimes - how did it get that far?

6 / 50 books. 12% done!

Tags: book
Feeling: good

Am writing from my new home, with my new cat Kika on my lap, purring away. It's quite cosy here, I am starting to really feel at home. Drinking lots of tea in the hope that it will make my voice less hoarse, I sound awful!

Feeling: relaxed

Argh, it is really annoying, I thought of the perfect Christmas gift for my mum, a double eyeglass case like this one, because she always brings two glasses. But for some stupid reason you can't buy that in Denmark and when I try to buy it online, all the online shops only ship to the US! What's with that???! I thought I had just found one, but then I got an email back saying the order had been cancelled. How depressing!

Feeling: blah