Country #65: Carlsberg and a Danish

On a recent 4 day break from "work", we did as the Europeans do and hopped on a cheap-o airline, Transavia, for a long weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark. I really enjoyed it and will write all about it soon, but in the meantime, here are some photos...

UPDATE 09/06/07: OK, maybe "soon" actually meant six weeks later, but better late than...nah, can't do it. But I did want to blog about how really great Copenhagen was. Initially I chose Denmark for a variety of reasons. It was easy and cheap to get to from Amsterdam. I had heard good things about it from fellow travellers. And most importantly, it would be country #65 on my list. But, I never expected to like it as much as I did. For starters, with the exception of one freak rain shower, nay, deluge, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, the weather was perfect. After 3 weeks of consistent rain in Amsterdam ("the wettest summer since 1938" was an oft-repeated catch phrase), I was delighted to see blue skies. So delighted, I have a whole series of photos of nothing but sky. You would have thought I had just emerged from a year's imprisonment in a cave. I would have happily settled for nothing more than blue skies, but Copenhagen actually had a lot more to offer. It is such a cool, hip city without any of the attitude and pretensions that normally come with that much artsiness. There are world class museums, interesting public arts projects (including my favorite, an anti-littering campaign that had a massive crumbled coffee cup, a discarded pizza box, a crushed soda can and a strewn newspaper scattered throughout the city), imaginative architecture and an amusement park that would wake up the child in the most jaded of adults. Oh and there is also that mermaid that hogs up all the attention.

We were there for a total of four days. During that time, we visited the Carlsberg Glyptotek Art Museum, where I could have spent days. The museum, along with most of Denmark's cultural institutions is sponsored by the Carlsberg foundation (leading us to ponder what our museums in the US would be like if Budweiser was sponsoring them), and has an amazingly well rounded collection. What impressed me the most was how they were able to integrate modern art and ancient art in one room and have it make total sense. By the time we got to the second story with its collection of impressionist paintings to rival most collections in France, we were in high speed mode and did not devote the time there we should have, but we had castles to see, dammit. We ran across town to the Rosenberg Castle, which was in a word, meh. Only two rooms open to the public and a huge renovation banner marring the view from the outside. Undaunted, the following day, it was off to Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerod, which was quite beautiful, completely open to the public and had an audioguide that provided a crash course on the history of the Danish aristocracy. Then it was hustle, hustle, scurry over to the town of Humlebaek for its modern art museum, the Louisiana, which was simply spectacular. All the big names in modern art, and quite a few I never heard of, were well represented. The building itself is gorgeous. It is open and airy, with great views of the Oresund strait all around. It was at this beautiful museum that I learned that Shawn... kind, generous Shawn... will sell me out in a New York nano-second if it means he gets to evade the guards at closing time. As soon as I heard the dreaded closing announcement, I turned to say something to him, but all I saw were the soles of his shoes as he ran to ride behind an exhibit. And I swear he directed a guard in my direction, because I was out of there at 5:01, while he got to continue leisurely browsing.

All that rushing and scurrying does build up a thirst, so, we had no choice to partake of some of Copenhagen's nightlife. My favorite drinking hole was the laid-back Elephant and Mouse. It was a challenge to find, since in lieu of a sign, it simply has a plaque with a picture of the pachyderm/ rodent combo above its front door, but it was worth the effort. Back when Carlsberg made its elephant beer, you could get a pint poured from a large elephant's head at the E & M, but since Carlsberg discontinued it, the bar owner took personal offense and now only sells local micro-brews, even from the elephant's trunk. The bartenders even made great efforts to teach us a warm Danish toast. Bund eller resten i haret . It translates to: Bottoms up or the rest is in your hair. More of a threat than a toast, really.

Yet as great as the E&M was, it did not compare to my favorite spot in Copenhagen, Tivoli Gardens. Opened in 1843, Tivoli is an amusement park that manages to be both timeless and modern at the same time. The feel of it evokes women walking around in petticoats and parasols accompanied by dapper men in waist coats, but the rides, restaurants and attractions are completely modern (they even have a Wagamama). They are eco-consious. If you buy a beer, it comes in a sturdy, washable plastic glass, that you pay a deposit for. When you are done, you place the glass in one of the many machines spread throughout the park and get your deposit back. What a simple yet, brilliant idea. Imagine if we could do that in our stadiums and parks. And talk about romantic... With the entire park beautifully illuminated and free outdoor jazz concerts taking place, as a result of the Jazz Fest, everyone was in love that night. Either that or just cold, because when that sun set, the wettest summer since 1938, did not look so bad anymore...