For our last day in Copenhagen we planned a culture day. We set off up the lake area which we discovered yesterday, accompanied by cyclists in all shapes and forms.
Our first stop was the National Art Gallery. A traditional building with a very creative extension which houses all the post-WW2 modern art, sculpture and installations. The glassed corridors are used as imaginative display spaces.
Mark set himself up in the Gallery cafe while I sampled Danish/Norwegian art.
The early works were very muted and austere and the later were often very harsh and political, with some surprising exceptions. Munch, the Norwegian artist (The Scream) (1863-1944), played a significant part in modern Danish art, as he was based in Copenhagen for a time.
Across the road from the Gallery is the King’s Garden, which is the setting for the Rosenborg Castle, where the crown jewels are on display.
We wandered towards Nyhavn and found a little restaurant, which served herring and snails.
We arranged to meet Hans, our walking friend, at St Saviour’s Church in the district of Christiania. You can climb to the top of the tower - the long line of tourists put us off that today.
Christiania was a revelation after the order and measured design of the rest of Copenhagen. In the early ‘70s students occupied and claimed a large disused military facility on the eastern bank of Copenhagen and made it a symbol of freedom of expression, which it remains today. Marijuana can be bought and used here, unofficially, and there is radical housing, either renovated military buildings or newly built. There was a music concert in one of the large outdoor bars and lots of people enjoying the green spaces.
Nearby is NOMA, one of the top Michelin-starred restaurants in the world, which is booked out for months at a time. Here are some of the greenhouses they use for growing their top quality produce.
We wandered around the harbour. Markets, houseboats, cyclists galore, the new Kissing Bridge opening up for sailing craft, ferries and some fascinating apartments.
We had a drink near a new apartment development and another across the river is a renovated submarine repair dock.
Tonight Ingelise very kindly invited us to dinner at her beautiful home on the outskirts of the city. A special end to a very memorable time here in Denmark. Maybe next time we will walk in Jutland..
M&M
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