Compound Cats

There are signs all over the compound warning that, if you keep a cat, you must put a collar on him so the authorities can distinguish between those with a home, and the many strays they say live around here.

I don't know where all these strays were during the winter months - they're probably smart enough to charm some human into keeping them inside until April.  In the last few months, they've emerged, however.  And I've been able to get my kitty fix.

Most of them are pretty shy, so I can only sometimes get in a pet.  But, it's still fun to see them chasing bees in the sun and keeping court on the lawn.

Some cat owners, who live in the second floor apartments, have constructed cat-ladders. 

Golden Hour at the Compound

I live in a concrete residence on the outskirts of Aarhus along with 1,000 other international students, young families, and Danish students.  We've started referring to it as The Compound.

When we arrived in January, the grey concrete of the residence buildings and white, snow-covered lawns blended with the white-grey of the Danish sky.  Suddenly, Shakespeare's description of Hamlet's homeland became all too real.

As the seasons have changed, however, patches of green and glimpses of blue sky have pushed me outside to capture Denmark's version of the transformation.  Golden hour - that time of late afternoon/early evening when the sun's angle makes everything glow - lasts a long time in this Nordic country.  For that, I and my camera lens, are thankful.