Louisiana Modern Art Museum, Denmark
Summer is over and Autumn is officially here. I like the transitional seasons, Spring and Autumn. I am not a big fan of Summer however this past Summer I went on a trip to Copenhagen and Stockholm. I was surprised at how good the food was, even the seafood which I usually avoid. Meals were expensive when compared to the U.S, but the experience was well worth it.
In Copenhagen I visited the Design Museum Danmark (Denmark). They had a great exhibit about the origin and influence of Bauhaus Design. Also on exhibit were different forms of Danish Design: print, graphics, appliances, technology and furniture. The exhibit on Danish chairs was visually impressive. I also went to the Louisiana Modern Art Museum outside of the city. It is near the water with both outdoor and indoor exhibit space. People were swimming and having picnics on the museum grounds. It was an interesting experience.
The weather was almost as warm there as it was when I left New York, mid to high 80s, without the humidity. The natives weren’t used to those temperatures. Summer is usually much cooler. Most of the buildings were not air conditioned and that took a bit of adjustment on my part. There are plenty of bike lanes and lots of people using them for transportation, pedal bikes, electric scooters and electric bikes. People there are conscious about climate change issues. I think the high tax on motor vehicles helps a great deal in keeping cars off the roads. On a canal tour we went by the city’s zero emissions incinerator which burns trash for energy. There isn’t enough trash in Denmark to keep it running so they have contracts to burn trash for other European nations as well.
In Stockholm I visited the Vasa Museum. On exhibit there is a war ship that sunk off the coast immediately on its attempted virgin voyage in 1628. The ship was discovered and raised from the water, intact, during the 1960s and put on display. It was an impressive feat to move such a large body with little or no physical damage. Water functioned as a time capsule. I also went by ferry to Birka Island in Sweden, a trading post for the Vikings. Early Christians discovered the island and robbed the Viking graves so there aren’t many artifacts to be found. The ferry took about 2 hours. It was very scenic, but the sun was hot. The island was beautiful though and worth the travel time.
People in Stockholm and Copenhagen were curious about what is going on in with leadership in the States. They sympathized with our predicament and mostly just shook their heads slowly in disbelief. While in Stockholm the story about the President of the United States trying to intervene on the behalf of the Hip Hop Artist, A$AP (Rakim Mayers), who was arrested for suspected assault in Stockholm, was big news there. POTUS offered bail money so the artist would not have to wait in Swedish jail for trial, not realizing that there is no bail system in the country. The natives were laughing at us.
Ten days went by very quickly and it was time to go home. I have to thank Brownie for convincing me to make the trip. Below is a video of photos I took on the trip.