denmark all images courtesy of jaja architects young danish firm jaja architects has won a design competition for a 6,800 m2 mixed-use building in vanløse located just on the outskirts of the center the new office and shopping complex will act as an important gateway to the core of the city the site is programmatically fragmented and diverse: small single-family homes stand next to large apartment blocks and construction sites for future shopping malls and high rises are well underway the design of ‘cornerstone’ was not to blend in to its environment but to become an iconic public landmark that invites the residents in to utilize the public spaces provided the project features a large open plaza leading up to the entrance a wide staircase under the peeled-up cantilever that provides seating and an outdoor space at the back on a raised building base ‘cornerstone’ is expected to be completed in 2011-12 AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style the Vanlose Stairway of Van Morrison's song was always a majestic affair; not quite the full Scarlett O'Hara but certainly something with a little grandeur not much more than a flight of stairs running to the fourth floor of a plain apartment block in Copenhagen but when I looked up the picture again this week I was struck by the building's ordinariness: pale brick Morrison stayed at an apartment here with a girlfriend named Ulla Munch She inspired much of the material from his 1982 album Beautiful Vision Morrison referred to this song as "a Twenty Flight Rock" – a nod to Eddie Cochran's fabulously euphemistic 1957 hit about climbing 20 flights to see his "baby" only to find on his arrival that he is too tired to "rock" Van's stairway song is a little more spiritual – sewn with references to Krishna too: "And your stairway/ Reaches up to the moon," he growls "And it comes right back/ It comes right back to you." Here alongside the moonlit wooing and the spirituality there is even room for a few references to John Lee Hooker's Send Me Your Pillow and Little Richard's Send Me Some Lovin' one of the most frequently performed songs at his shows refers to it as "this dark horse of a song" – a way to describe the surprising appeal of a song that was never a hit Beautiful Vision is not one of Morrison's most critically feted albums In his recent book Listening to Van Morrison Greil Marcus numbered it among the 15 Van albums he would happily write off consigning it to "the endless stream of dull and tired albums through the 1980s and 90s carrying titles like warning labels … a string of records where Morrison seems to attempt to reduce whatever might be elusive and sui generis in his music to parts that can never recombine into a whole." but Beautiful Vision has never struck me as dull; on the contrary its particular strangeness has always proved appealing – an exploration of Celtic heritage spirituality and the writings of Alice Bailey Its most commercial track is Cleaning Windows a wistful tale of a stint as a window cleaner that marries the pleasures of physical work and sensory delights – bakery smells and smoking Woodbines – to a time of expanding artistic and intellectual vision listening to Jimmie Rodgers on a lunch break hearing Leadbelly and Blind Lemon on the street seems to me an attempt to explain how a spiritual emotional life does not exist in isolation how the lemonade and Paris buns are as stirring as the Kerouac and how the memory of both can be tethered to those "wrought iron gate rows" This has always been what I loved about Morrison: more than any other songwriter he seems blessed with a transformational power with the ability to bring a beautiful vision to even the most humdrum objects and events – the "clicking the "decent sherry" and the "drop of port" and "this letter-box behind this door here …" perhaps it is simply the strange and beautiful majesty of finding the Gita blank windows of an ordinary apartment block in Copenhagen POLITICO’s reporters are speaking to voters to find out what will convince them to head to the ballot box (or not) in the European election in June COPENHAGEN — In Vanløse community center one Friday night in April 30 local residents gathered to grill three candidates for June’s European election.  Fueled by hummus sandwiches and mugs of strong coffee was concerned about Hungary undermining the rule of law in the EU He jabbed a table with his downturned index finger as he called for an end to corruption within the European Union institutions this one younger and with a Social Democrat badge pinned to his sweater,  stood up and called on the EU to do more to rein in the social media giants he said were blighting young lives.  As the meeting attendees prepared to head out in the April rain ran through her key issues ahead of the European election Europe needed to unite in the face of Russia and China to prevent Moscow and Beijing dominating and creating a new world order a consensus spread among the assembled that Denmark’s long standing tough stance was still the right way to go — and Europe would do well to follow.  Social Democrat MEP candidate Christel Schaldemose “I do believe that migration will be a hot topic not just now but also in the coming years,” he said.  Denmark — under Social Democrat Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her center-right predecessor Lars Løkke Rasmussen — has pursued some of the toughest immigration policies in Europe over recent years. Denmark’s policies were initially seen as extreme in countries such as the United Kingdom Sweden and Germany but over recent years lawmakers in those states appear to have moved closer to Copenhagen’s line Denmark has integrated an increasingly harsh stance on immigration Denmark revoked residency permits for Syria refugees declaring some parts of the war-torn country safe for return before backtracking after international backlash the country passed a law that could allow refugees arriving in Denmark to be moved to asylum centers in partner countries a proposal which the European Commission criticized It also looked hard at detaining asylum seekers on a remote island In the coffee shop outside the community center a 23-year-old local resident working behind the counter said she thought Frederiksen had been a good prime minister and immigration and integration policies were not something that now worried her as a voter.  but I think she’s doing pretty well,” Høj said.  That such policies passed without dissent at the community center in Vanløse underlined how they have been accepted by many lawmakers and voters.  The three candidates for European Parliament — Christel Schaldemose of the Social Democrats Anders Vistisen of the far-right Danish People’s Party and Villy Søvndal of Green Left — agreed with the crowd.  mentioning immigration would have led to a big discussion,” said Schaldemose “It is now as if there is a common understanding on this important issue There is a consensus behind what we are doing in Denmark.” Frederiksen’s resolute support for Ukraine has won plaudits at home and abroad and she was seen as a largely effective operator during the COVID pandemic Her name was previously raised as a potential head of NATO and latterly as a strong candidate to take over one of the top jobs in one of the European Union institutions The latest opinion polling for the European election looks good for Frederiksen Her Social Democrats are leading with 24 percent equating to four projected seats (of 15) in the European Parliament and a gain of one seat from 2019.  In recent interviews, Frederiksen has declined to say whether she wants the European Council presidency, leaving the door open for her potential candidacy But Frederiksen’s domestically popular tough immigration stance could prove to be a weakness with some of her European Social Democrat colleagues whose support she needs Social Democrats in Europe — in countries like Sweden — have traditionally favored a more open border regime and been reluctant to pursue policy which would see more asylum seekers detained at the EU’s outer edge or held in detention centers within EU states.  it could help Frederiksen get backing from other parties for other top jobs as the EU’s migration policy has generally shifted toward politically right-leaning policies like Denmark .  ”I think she will have a lot of traction with leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orban Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and others who are tough on immigration,” said Marlene Wind a political scientist at the University of Copenhagen “But among the Social Democrats in Europe she might have some challenges.”  Frederiksen has not only embraced these laws When Denmark took in Ukrainian refugees after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 its parliament voted to amend the law to exempt Ukrainians from restrictions it places on other migrants.  a new shopping mall and a train station that zips residents into the city has not been identified as one of those communities.  Local and international critics of Denmark’s migrant-focused legislation have often been biting At the recent Party of European Socialists conference in Rome leftist big shots Pedro Sanchez of Spain and Antonio Costa of Portugal seemed to get a much warmer reception from the crowd When she stopped speaking there were noticeably fewer cheers than after Sanchez then immigration minister Inger Støjberg launched the idea of moving a subsection of failed asylum seekers —who had committed crimes for example — to a tiny isolated island off Copenhagen.  and they must feel that,” Stojberg wrote in a social media post.  The “ghetto policies,” which Prime Minister Frederiksen has persisted with after taking power at an election in 2019 have radically changed areas like Mjølnerparken many of the blocks were shrouded in scaffolding and plastic as an army of workers revamped decades-old housing stock The noise of stone cutting machines merged with the sound of skateboard wheels and toddlers’ shouts in an adjacent park.  Old furniture was piled close to the entrance of one of the buildings where long standing residents have been moved out The building will be upgraded and higher rents changed to new tenants The government says this will improve the outlook for residents “For the people who lived here for a long time and had to move this destroyed a lot of memories,” said Camellia Thorsson a 24-year-old health care worker and local resident who was out with her nine-month-old baby in the park.  she felt the spirit had survived the changes Thorrson still loved the area.  She gives the example of her parents in law who had to move They didn’t have to move far but they faced uncertainty over when the move would happen and they got one room fewer than they expected But she added that if the government’s “ghetto laws” reduced criminality then the short-term disruption would be worth it.  you want to live in a peaceful area,” she said.  the retired railway worker in the community hall agreed with Thorsson and Social Democrat MEP candidate Schaldemose who she said was right to highlight migration as a key issue in the months ahead.  The EU and Denmark needed to seek firm control of their own borders and also support investment in struggling economies in areas like North Africa where climate change was placing increasing pressure on local populations “Climate change of course will move many people around the world,” she said “We need to ensure they have something to live off in their own countries,” she said.  For more polling data from across Europe visit POLITICO Poll of Polls. Like other socialist parties in Europe, Sweden’s center left has lost ground to the far right. It’s hoping to turn that around. It’s feared Russia could use the church as cover for future intelligence or sabotage operations. Shootings by Swedish gang members in other countries ups pressure on government in Stockholm. A surge in gang violence during a brutal summer spells trouble for the ruling parties. Three men accused of a suspected gangland triple murder in Copenhagen have been remanded in custody as the case which has gripped Denmark got under way in court on Thursday (9 March). Philip Rasmussen, 19, Suhaib Jaffar, 23, and Mike Patrick Winther, 24, members of a biker gang called the Vanløse Group, were found lying dead on beds and mattresses after six shots were fired in the early hours of 11 November 2015. Police say that the men's killers "liquidated" the victims using a revolver and a shotgun after they climbed scaffolding to get into their apartment. There were no signs of a struggle, the news agency Ritzau reported. One of three men accused of the murders is a member of the rival Bandidos biker group. Defence lawyer Berit Ernst said: "He denies the charges, and we are looking forward to presenting our side of the case." A fourth man who was accused of taking part in the killings committed suicide in custody in June 2016. The other two accused men also deny the charges. There are expected to be up to 20 court hearings before a judgement, scheduled for May, the Local reported. © Copyright IBTimes 2025. All rights reserved. you know I'm missing[Refrain]Missing you from the Vanlose stairwayHold it right there (Vanlose stairway Vanlose stairway)[Harmonica Solo][Bridge]Oh baby sometimesLord it reaches right up to the moon(Higher and higher and higher and higher)Lord it's gonna come right back on youIt's gonna come right back on you (Come right back on you)[Verse 3](Send me)Send me send meSend me some loving(Send me)Send me you knowYou know what I'm missing[Refrain]Way up on the Vanlose stairway (Vanlose stairway)Vanlose stairway (Vanlose stairway)[Part II: Trans-Euro Train][Verse]Yeah I'm gonna stop 'cause you gotYou got a railway carriage charm (You got a railway carriage charm)You got a railway carriage charm (You got a railway carriage charm)I'm on a trans-Euro train (I'm on a trans-Euro train)I'm on a trans trans-EuroI'm on a trans-Euro trainI'm on a trans-Euro I'm on a trans-Euro trainI'm on a trans-Euro train[Outro]Look out my window (Look out my window)See a sign on the wall (See a sign on the wall)It says (Says)Kilroy was here (Kilroy was here)Kilroy was here (Kilroy was here)Kilroy was here (Kilroy was here)Kilroy was hereKilroy was hereKilroy was hereEmbedCancelHow to Format Lyrics: To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning