Museum

This year, we decided to do something different for Christmas. We wanted to experience cold weather and possibly snow in winter. While the so-called “Winter Texans” flocked south toward the border, we flew north and crossed an ocean to Denmark. We spent most of our time in Copenhagen, which consistently ranks among the top cities in the world for quality of life.

We stayed in a lovely home in the area of Ørestad. It was a short walk to the metro at Bella Center and from there about a 10-15 minute ride to the city center. There were bicycles everywhere, and babies bundled up in thick jumpsuits and wrapped in cozy strollers, renaissance castles, pickled herring, and plenty of varm chokolade. The weather ranged from 43° F during the day to 25° F at night. It was overcast and gloomy and rained half the time, with intermittent moments of sunshine. It was dark by 4 pm. We didn’t get snow. Ironically, it snowed in South Texas while we were in Denmark.

On New Year’s Eve, fireworks exploded throughout the city. They easily continued for over an hour and even lingered for days after. On the first, the streets were littered with cases of exploded fireworks. We have wonderful memories of our Christmas in Denmark.

{Click on any image for a full-screen slide show and to view the descriptions}

Nikolaj Kunsthal was a church in the early 1200s and now houses the Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center.

Statue of Hans Christian Andersen in the Rådhuspladsen (Town Hall Square). Author of The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and my favorite, The Princess and the Pea.

Tivoli Gardens amusement park.

Beautiful archway inside Copenhagen City Hall.

Alexander Nevsky Church, the only Russian Orthodox Church in Copenhagen.

Frederikskirke, or the marble church, has one of the largest domes in Europe with a diameter of 105 feet.

The Royal Guard at Amalienborg Palace.

Rosenborg Castle.

Lion statue at the entrance to Rosenborg Castle. A moat surrounds the castle past this entrance.

The throne room in Rosenborg Castle. I told my husband that clearly we needed one in the house. He just gave me a funny look and kept walking.

Nyhavn, a 17th century waterfront that catered to maritime businesses. Quintessential Copenhagen.

The Church of Our Saviour, a baroque church located in the Christianshavn neighborhood. The church spire is 9 meters high. There are 400 steps to the top with the last 150 located outside. We understand that the external spiral staircase was not open. Something about slippery steps and the possibility of plunging to one’s death.

View from Christianshavn waterfront.

We visited the Assistens Cemetery on a cold, rainy day. We found the resting places of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, architect Finn Juhl, and physicist Niels Bohr. I came across this grave decorated with a yarn-wrapped wreath and pom poms.

Beautiful path along the cemetery.

Finn Juhl’s gravesite. I thought it fitting that this bench would be located next to a furniture designer’s resting place.

On a visit to the Design Museum Danmark, we had the pleasure of viewing a special exhibit commemorating the work of Danish architect Finn Juhl. The exhibit Furniture for the Senses, Finn Juhl 100 featured several chairs designed by Juhl and other Danish architects. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Chieftain Chair designed by Finn Juhl in 1949. Very comfortable.

Double Chieftain Chair by Finn Juhl, 1949.

Sløjfestolen, the Bow Chair, 1963, designed by Grete Jalk.

From left, the Drop Chair, Egg Chair and Swan Chair. Designed by Arne Jacobsen, 1957.

Kirsebaer, a lovely textile designed by Marie Gudme Leth, 1946.

And last but not least, here is a sampling of the delicious food we tried during our stay.

Hindbaer Snitter (Danish Raspberry Bars) and other freshly-baked breads at Torvehallerne.

Breakfast at the indoor market – lattes and hot chocolate.

Freshly-baked cinnamon rolls.

The Welsh Rarebit – toasted rye bread, savoury sauce of cheese, organic ham and baked beans.

Copenhagen street food. Not the best photo (taken with iPhone) but a delicious organic hot dog from a street vendor.

Varieties of fudge at Torvehallerne.

My husband was in Washington, D.C. recently on a business trip. On his way to a meeting, he saw this:

Knowing I would be intrigued, he inquired about the bicycle. The crochet-bombed bicycle is by the Polish artist Olek, one of the artists to be featured in the upcoming “40 under 40: Craft Futures” exhibit. The exhibit will take place in the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from July 20, 2012 through February 3, 2013.

According to the museum’s website, “These 40 artists are united by philosophies for living differently in modern society with an emphasis on sustainability, a return to valuing the hand-made and what it means to live in a state of persistent conflict and unease.”

Amongst other art works in various media, these are some of the knitting and fiber arts-related works you can see and experience first-hand.

Vintage military knitting needles by Dave Cole (image source).

Glass spinning wheel by Andy Paiko (image source). Apparently, this is a fully functioning spinning wheel.

Protest knits by Cat Mazza (image source).

Crochet urban pigeons by Laurel Roth (image source).

Quilted coat by Jeff Garner (image source).

You can read about all 40 artists and view a slide-show preview of the exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s website. Better yet, if you are in D.C., go see it in person. I hope I can.