Things gradually quietened down for us, following our eventful departure from Amsterdam. On the train we had an entertaining cabin buddy from the US, who had his own method for exploring the world. He takes cruise ships from place to place, and decides from the railing as the boat glides by, which cities are worth coming back to investigate further. We did not quite work out how this practice led him to be in a second class sleeper cabin on a train bound for Copenhagen, but his enthusiasm and his mature age dental braces kept us amused.
We arrived just in time for the tail end of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. The sun was shining, and it seemed like we couldn't go wrong. That was how it seemed - for unfortunately, we chose to attend an outdoor event in Orstedsparken. The park was delightful but the music way too experimental for our sensitive ears.
We were renting a fantastic apartment in the suburb of Østerbro. In a quiet little street called Horsensgade, the apartment belongs to the girlfriend of Jørn Utzon's grandson. People in Sydney might know the name... Utzon Senior was the designer behind the Sydney Opera House.
Katrine was very helpful and accomodating with us, and we really felt at home.
Bicycles are a big deal in this city, and we made sure to sort ourselves out with some wheels. It was great to discover Baisikeli, a local business with an admirable story behind it. Here is one of the founders, Niels, helping Naomi with her helmet fitting.
While we were there, David Suzuki filmed a part of his upcoming documentary on sustainability in Europe with a feature on Baisikeli. We missed the film crew by minutes, but Niels was happy to fill us in. He is a friendly and very chatty fellow. Apparently, over 400,000 bikes are scrapped each year in Denmark. These guys collect the bikes that are still usable, and rent them to the public for a while... with the ultimate goal being to send the bikes on to African communities where the need is great and the supply very limited. So far, it has been a huge success. The rental from Copenhagen pays for shipping and programs in Africa, a truly sustainable business practice. Waste is literally turned into money and opportunity, both locally and abroad.
Right in the centre of the city, there is the bizarre little theme park of the Tivoli Gardens. We amused ourselves walking around, Naomi enjoyed an icecream... we tried to hear more jazz but this time our ears were assaulted by a one-man children's variety show. Strike two.
Away from the stage, it was nice to see how much the locals make use of the Gardens as a place for recreation. The following image is from one of the prettier spots.
We were fortunate to have a contact in Copenhagen. Thanks to Sean, we were able to meet up with Jeannie. She was very generous with us and after an initial outing she organised a dinner party at her place in Nørrebro. It was an intimate evening with many smiles, and it was nice to meet a few new people. Jeannie made some delicious Japanese food, and Naomi baked an apple crumble that I had the pleasure of balancing on my bicycle on the ride across town.
That evening led to another gathering at her friend Steven's apartment. We sat there amongst his impressive photography, and energetically gesticulated the night away with his Nintendo Wii. You can see Naomi in action in the next picture. Playing these games all together, on a high definition projector screen, was a lot of fun indeed.
Both Jeannie and our landlady Katrine were full of suggestions of what to see and do in the area.
It was with much anticipation that we boarded the train and headed 35km North of Copenhagen to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
It was a highlight of our time in Denmark. The grounds and the buildings are really stunning. The architects, so the story goes, spent three months walking around the property before they began to talk about how to best fit the buildings in to the landscape.
Walkways and connecting galleries lead to incredible vistas, both out onto the water and inland towards the forest.
We probably found the building itself more exciting than much of the artwork on display, but there was one exhibit that we really liked. It was about museums in the 21st century, and focused on some places we had seen in our recent travels as well as proposed sites such as the new centre at the Acropolis in Greece.
We spent a full day there, watching children play from the steps of the Calder Lawn until the sun went down. It was quite the destination for families. Some people swam in the sea, others rolled down the hill again and again and again. When the day faded and the rolling became too much, shadow sculptures were the next logical progression.
This scuplture is the reason why it is called the Calder Lawn. On the other side, with a view past the lawn and across the water, is a cafe where young and old alike refuel after a long day of modern art and grassy slopes.
We also enjoyed the various design houses and museums in Copenhagen. The Danish Design Centre was a particular highlight, for its many interactive displays and some interesting and refreshingly different exhibits.
Along the streetfront there was an exhibit featuring wood in Danish Design, and as you can see from the vigour of this young child, everything was there to touch, push, slide and indeed rock.
There is something truly delightful about the Danish wooden children's toys, particularly Kay Bojesen's monkey. We also became very fond of the birds designed in the 1950's by Kristian Vedel.
While on the topic of children in Denmark, we learnt of an interesting custom. Parents wrap the kids up, and they sleep outside - whatever the weather (and it certainly does get cold!) for any daytime naps they may be having. Even at the kindergartens, the children sleep out in the open air. On discussion, it seemed like a good idea. Perhaps a custom to bring back to Melbourne, to try at a later date.
During our travels, I have become very fond of museum bookstores. The bookstore at Louisiana could have entertained me for days, and the one at the Danish Design Centre was also very good. People go there to read the books, while they have a coffee and lounge around on fine furniture.
It was a treat to find myself in one of the books, the trusty 2006 re-issue of the Ecodesign Sourcebook. I tried to encourage the woman behind me (who looked a bit like Marcus' mum) to buy a copy, but she wasn't convinced.
Aside from museums and galleries, we spent a lot of time moving through the streets. At one point, I saw the following bicycle. This is taking the concept of "green transport" one step too far!
The bike was parked, rather permanently, on the way to Underwood, Ink. where Jeannie's friend Rebecca worked. She took advantage of a quiet afternoon at the bar to sit down with us for a chat over coffee. It was a cute place, following (as the name suggests) a literary theme in its decor and intellectual air.
We also passed by the following dog on our way to the station, where we would go to catch the fantastically broad S-train. He would lean his thin pointy head through the bars of the balcony, and peer up and down the street with a relaxed dignity that was, to me, quite endearing.
Modern architecture is making its mark on the city, with the new opera house by the water and buildings such as this one near the central station. The multiple layers of steel patternwork had a striking effect as you walk by.
We saw the Opera House on a boat cruise that was recommended by Jeannie. It began in Nyhavn, and went on a slow loop out through the surrounding waters as far as Christiania.
It was really a really nice activity, particularly as our time in Copenhagen was coming to a close and some of the sights were familiar to us from our travels on land.
We were also able to take in once more the dramatic and dynamic skies. It seemed perpetually about to rain, and there is enough of John in Naomi for her to be giving warning each day as we headed out. "Those clouds look like rain to me".
And indeed once or twice, these predictions came true.
Overall, Copenhagen was a city that resonated very strongly with us and I am sure that we will return for a longer stay at some stage in the future. Thanks again to Katrine and to Jeannie and Steven, for making our visit that much more memorable.
Our final image to share with you, is of the power point in Katrine's apartment. It seems to be as happy to be there as we were :)
