The Winter Garden…
Inside the Glypoteket in Copenhagen is a beautiful tropical winter garden with a gorgeous glass dome.
We woke up in Malmö this morning. One of us was rather rudely awakened at 7:30 AM by their husband, but we won’t name any SPECIFIC names to protect any innocent parties. The rude awakening set into motion the usual series of morning events, which include: loud complaining about the time of day (denial), resentful statements towards a loving spouse (anger), angry thrashing in the bed (also anger), exaggerated malaise (depression), pleading for just another 10 minutes (bargaining), finally acknowledge being awake (acceptance). Then, there was a sorrowful march to breakfast.
After un-named parties had finally consumed their coffee, we made our way to Malmö Central station, where we boarded a train to København (Copenhagen), Denmark! That’s right folks! We’re back in Denmark! Josh could smell the brisket wafting from the meat-packing district across the Øresund!
We arrived at our hotel, and whaddya know, without two MASS CROWD events in the city, they were able to able to check us in early. In fact, they kindly upgraded our room! This upgrade also gives us access to a lounge that has free drinks and snacks every day from 3 pm to 9 pm! This includes beer and wine! You’ll never guess where we are writing this blog entry from!
After check in, it was time to wrap some things up. There are some things in Copenhagen that were left unseen. We need to see them before we leave. FIRST, we went shopping. We walked down the pedestrian street (Strøget) and got some souvenirs and postcards! We ate a gigantic cone of fries with chili mayo and then waddled our way over to the Ny Carlsberg Glypoteket, a sculpture museum. The museum is full of sculpture art that was collected by Carl Jacobsen (the brewer of Carlsberg beer!).
We had tremendous luck, because today the entire museum was free to the public! Everyone could wander on in to the museum and look at all the amazing sculptures. We marveled at the Rodin sculpture collection and viewed the special exhibition on Kai Nielsen (designer of the famous sculpture of a mother in the winter garden of the museum). We decided to split up to enjoy different sections of the museum. One of us had a lovely time enjoying the museum. The one of us who was rudely awakened by their spouse at 7:30 a.m. got lost in the museum and had a nice cry before finalizing realizing the art exhibit they were trying to find was closed today.
There was a pretty cool exhibit featuring ancient Egyptian scupltures and stelea. I noted that they were mostly from the late period and the Hellenistic Egyptian period (Ptolomaic - after it was conquered by Greece). There was a special exhibition by a Palestinian sculptor that was interesting, but I felt a bit like I was walking through something you might have experienced from the character “Maude” in “The Big Lebowski.” It was very interpretive and kind of strange. It did not draw me in. I spent most of my time translating what Arabic I could to distract from the jarring light show and sounds.
There was a really cool exhibit on sculptures of the early Mesopotamian and Cypriot cultures. I was particularly excited about my first encounter with a physical example of cuneiform on one of the stelae! Reading cuneiform writing is a fascination of mine, and I have plans to purchase a few starter books on Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian. That’s right folks, those THREE languages and more used the cuneiform writing. Not only that, but there are historically distinctive forms of the written languages referenced. Oh, did I mention yet that sometimes Akkadian and Babylonian used Sumerian words to make up the syllables of their own words or to indicate certain vocabulary or….you know what? That’s probably enough! LOL It was cool to see cuneiform that was not annotated on a page! If you think this is cool too, check out any video featuring Irving Finkel from the British Museum on YouTube. The man is a truly amazing specimen of human being: wise, learned, and hilariously funny!
After the Glypoteket, we took an absolutely lovely bike ride over to a gorgeous Danish nature preserve called Amager Fælled! This preserve is located a bit further afield in the suburb of Amager (towards the airport) and contains meadows, fields, and forests on a HUGE parcel of land. There are trails for hiking and biking, and there are even cattle wandering over the land! It was a gorgeous way to escape the city for a little while and get a look at some amazing Danish environmental preservation. Also, what’s more “Huffowicz” than a bike ride?! #amirite?
We pedaled our way back to the center of Copenhagen during rush hour. There were bikes EVERYWHERE. Bike lanes were full and hectic. We took it easy. No need for any risky moves that might put us or someone else in danger. Folks were riding home from work or heading out to meet friends and family. The sheer volume of bikes was astounding, and it was amazing how everything flowed so well!
We came back to the hotel to write some post cards and hang out in the lounge with all the free snacks and beer! Before we knew it, it was dinner time, and we were off again to “MEAT VALHALLA” (aka War Pigs Brew Pub). We have been there 3 times since we have been in Denmark, and we freaking love it! Today they were brewing! When you walked in, you could smell the wort in the fermentation vessels at the rear of all the tables. It smelled JUST like the wort that I make in my own kitchen to brew our beers at home, so I instantly recognized the smell! The aroma of the beer and the hops and the bbq were perfect together. The place was PACKED with people! Jessi got her .25 lb of brisket with coleslaw, and I got the .5 lb with mac and cheese. Somehow a slice of key lime pie found its way onto our tray! <exaggerated gasp of surprise> It was delicious! Delicious beer was had (brewed on-site) and there may have been some rye apple whiskey drinks.
Then we came back to the hotel lounge for a relaxed evening of snacks and blog writing. Tomorrow is our last day in Denmark, and we will be flying home on Friday. We’re both excited to get home AND crushingly disappointed to be leaving. Tomorrow will be our opportunity to wrap up a few things in Copenhagen. More on that tomorrow!
