Thursday, September 28, 2017

Bremen -> Copenhagen

I think one key difference between Americans and Germans is that Germans in general  don’t have the same obsession with self-made financial success; they have less entrepreneurial fervor and view wealth acquisition differently. They expect their possessions to last for decades. They work 35 hours a week on average and get a decent salary with full benefits; even the poor have decent quality housing and living standards. And they get healthcare: the universal health care system seems to work well here.  Everyone pays high income taxes, up to 50%, but everyone benefits. High taxes are a fundamental component of society. I’m sure people complain about it, but they also reap the benefits.

Took the train from Bremen Hbf to Hamburg Hbf, and from there, took another train to Copenhagen. Or I thought it was just a train. Halfway through the train stopped, and everyone got off—but I was confused because they left their luggage on the train. I had thought there was a bridge crossing over the Baltic Sea, but there wasn’t—the train had rolled right into a ferry! Memories of Capri immediately flooded into my mind, but the ferry ride was quite short and I was fine.

I met Sojin at the Copenhagen main station and we took the train to her host family home outside the city. I didn’t realize they don’t use euros here, so when I first saw that a train ticket cost 180 kroner I was quite alarmed.

It was wonderful to talk and catch up on our lives over a home-cooked meal. We made pasta with tomato sauce, chopping up onions and garlic and tomatoes and adding salt and pepper and cheese, with home grown grapes for dessert.

Hung laundry outside—before it rained with lightning and thunder. Oh well.

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Friday, September 29, 2017

A Day in Copenhagen: gardens, castles, food, palaces

Copenhagen is very expensive. It is also the most bike-friendly city in the world—there were plenty of bikes on the roads. People carried their bikes straight onto buses and trains.

I really like the small town, colorful feel of Copenhagen, and it was wonderful spending the day with Sojin exploring the city (zones 1-2; finally starting to see how the public transportation system works here) on this beautiful blue-sky day. We strolled through King’s Garden, the oldest national palace garden, outside the Rosenborg Castle, built by one of the most famous Scandinavian kings, Christian IV, in 1606 (there’s a lot of castles here):

Went inside the botanical garden, which felt like a greenhouse. Surrounded by green tropical plants, I felt at home: 

We had to jump a metal fence to get out of the park—Google Maps somehow led us astray. Once we finally made it out we went to Torvehallerne, aka the Glass Market, for a delicious lunch:

I was still hungry so got roasted potatoes (a Denmark speciality), which looked super good but turned out to be extremely salty (I guess it’s an acquired taste?):

Walked around the market and saw delicious desserts and fresh seafood and gifts, from cameras and clocks and candles to glassware and jewelry and flowers: 

Our main attraction of the day was Christiansborg Palace, which contains the Danish Parliament Folketinget, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State.

We visited the Royal Stables: home of the horses and carriages used by the Royal Family—apparently white horses were rare and a favorite among Danish kings. We walked through the Royal Reception Rooms, where foreign ambassadors to Denmark are received by the Queen. I learned that kings enjoyed par force hunting, or wild animal hunting; that Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the U.S., which were renamed the U.S. Virgin Islands; that in the beginning of the 20th c., it was common for boys to wear dresses until they were a few years old. I was intrigued by a few portraits of kings where the frames were also painted. 

We had a great view from the tallest tower in Copenhagen, though it was so chilly and windy we didn’t stay up there for long:

By the time we left I was super thirsty, so we stopped at a pizza place and I bought what I thought was a bottle of still water—-turns out I had purchased sparkling water (didn’t understand Danish), so I couldn’t even drink that much. The man at the counter must’ve overheard me because he offered to give me a cup of water from the tap. Why did I even buy water? He told me the company of the sparkling water, Ramlosa, is from Sweden, which meant it must be very good. I couldn’t have cared less.  

Walked through a busy street lined with shops to Nyhavn, a touristy, picture-worthy area of river lined with restaurants in colorful buildings, before heading back:

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Saturday, September 30, 2017

Last day in Copenhagen: Home of Hamlet, Gleaming Lights

Spent my last day in Copenhagen outside the city. In an hour-long train ride, we got to Kronborg Castle—a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Northern Europe’s biggest Renaissance castle, and home of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Shakespeare was allegedly inspired by Frederik II’s impressive banquets, which were known throughout Europe. Frederik II had this fortification (built in 1420) rebuilt as a Renaissance castle in 1588 for his wife Sophie, and they lived happily ever after (actually though). 

We could see Sweden across the channel—so close yet so far:

 

Royal couples slept apart, which was a sign of great status (huddling is cheaper) and a practical arrangement for unhappy unions. 

In the Great Ballroom, a typical banquet had up to 24 heavily spiced dishes, including crayfish, lobster, hare, venison, and oysters, with wild boar heads and stuffed peacocks as centerpieces. The chandeliers had honey wax candles and the room was filled with the sweet smells of rosewood. The castle was half empty most of the time though because the king was often away. 

We also went to the Louisiana Museum, the most famous contemporary art museum in Denmark. It was called Louisiana because the villas owner had 3 wives named Louise. The art here was quite unique. The art of Marina Abramovic emphasized sound and performance and body: People yelling at each other for 30 minutes, a girl saying random words until she could think of no more, two people slapping each other’s face with increasing intensity until one stopped, repetitive acts embodying the ritualization of everyday actions. It was the strangest art I had ever seen. Another artist sat in a chair for a total of 736 hours, inviting visitors to sit in the opposite chair and stare at her for as long as they liked. Displayed on the wall were photos of the expressions of the hundreds of people who did so. 

Yayoi Kusama’s Gleaming Lights of the Souls was the star of the show. The installation, dating from 2008, consists of a single space, four by four meters. The walls and ceilings are covered with mirrors, the floor is a reflecting pool, and we stand in the middle of the water on a platform. 

Hanging from the ceiling above us are a hundred lamps that resemble glowing ping pong balls. These lamps change color in a way that transport us into a special rhythm and pulse, almost as though we become one with the universe of the installation. Relay makes the light change color in calm transitions. Globes are infinitely reflected and create depth; end seems to fade into mist. 

I was pretty hungry afterwards so had a Danish pastry—they are a fan of condiments here! 

Ended the day with a home-cooked meal with Wellesley fam, which was quite nice, especially after eating out so much this past month. 

And that concludes my short stay in Denmark! I didn’t get to see anywhere near all of Copenhagen, but I hope to be back someday.

Excited to finally settle down at my final destination tomorrow, the main reason I am here—Oxford!