Brrr - It’s Getting Cold Out Here

Copenhagen in July - Newsletter 07.30.2023

Nicolas at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen

Bienvenue and welcome back to Musée Musings, your idiosyncratic guide to Paris (usually) and art (almost always). This week, Nicolas and I ventured where neither of us had ever been before - Copenhagen! We flew on Transvania - a low-cost carrier. As an aside, do you know what they call low cost carriers in French, the country with an Académie charged with keeping the French language pure, that’s right - Low Cost. Well, at least it is run by Air France (in partnership with KLM).

Of course, checked luggage costs extra. But on this airline, so is the certainty, without paying extra, that you will be able to carry on your carry on. Knowing that, I opted for a very small suitcase. As it turned out, my three outfits were 2 too many. It was so cold that I couldn’t wear the dress I brought, even with a sweater. It was so cold that I couldn’t wear my jumpsuit even with a top underneath and a sweater on top. Sandals? They never left my mini suitcase. Jeans and my tops on rotation, and a sweater and a sweatshirt. Thank goodness Copenhagen is a casual place, I fit right in.

Nicolas with Henry Moore and quite a view

While much of Europe was experiencing the hottest summer on record, Copenhagen was not only unseasonably cool but also (I was told) unseasonably wet. At least once or twice a day for 7 of the 8 days we were there, the blue sky would turn grey with ominous clouds, the gentle breeze would become an insistent wind, light sprinkles would become a downpour.

I learned another thing (which I would have know sooner if I had looked at the Weather App on my phone). There is more daylight but not when you want it. Paris stays lighter later. Copenhagen get lighter earlier. Tourist useless.

One thing that I was worried about, I needn’t have been. Bicycles, well more specifically, cyclists. When I learned that people in Copenhagen ride their bikes as much as people in Amsterdam do, I anticipated the same ‘take your life in your hands’ harrowing experience crossing the street. It wasn’t like that at all (maybe it isn’t like that anymore in Amsterdam either, I haven’t been for a while). There is even a bridge, well two really, that has a pedestrian lane separated completely from the bike lane. Cars are nowhere to be found. And the cyclists obey the traffic signs and are considerate of pedestrians.

The one day it did not rain, not even sprinkle, we were lucky enough to be at a fabulous modern art museum with an amazing sculpture garden, the Louisiana. I’ll tell you about that soon. (Figure 1) Another day, on a self guided tour of the town, I had a nice conversation with Hans Christian Anderson. (Figure 2) Nicolas and I strolled along Copenhagen’s version of the Painted Ladies. (Figure 3) We poked around Christiania, (Figure 4) Copenhagen’s hippie enclave. We wandered around the well known amusement park, Tivoli Gardens (Figure 5). One day, we took the train across the bridge to Malmo, Sweden and then continued on to Lund. I’ll tell you about the open air historical museum we visited there. One day, when he went his way and I went mine, I visited the Rosenborg Castle, (Figure 6) the Queen of Denmark’s residence.

Figure 1. Me and Nic in a magical transparent structure at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Figure 2. Me and Hans Christian Anderson

Figure 3. Copenhagen’s Painted Ladies

Figure 4. Nic in Christiania

Figure 5. A Commedia delle Arte pantomime/ballet at Tivoli Gardens

Figure 6. Tiled toilet at Castle Rosenborg, Copenhagen

As the world’s most acclaimed restaurant, Noma begins to shut down, several of the chefs who cooked there have gone casual, so we had burgers at Popl and tacos at Sanchez (Figure 7). And of course hotdogs from a polsevogn, a sausage wagon, aka a hotdog cart. They’re all over town. Nicolas’ source for where to find the best one is a rapper/chef called Action Bronson who suggested John’s, in front of the central train station (Figure 8).

Figure 7. Tacos at Sanchez

Figure 8. Hotdogs with ‘everything’ at John’s polsevogn (sausage wagon - hotdog cart), Central Station, Copenhagen

Turns out, they were really good.

Thanks to those of you who took the time to send comments about the Coulée Vert. You are right, it is very much like the High Line. A few facts: the Coulée Vert was first, it opened in 1988. The High Line opened 21 years later, in 2009. One thing you will notice right away on the Coulée Vert, if you are familiar with the High Line, and that is, the Coulée Vert is completely noncommercial. Nobody is selling anything. Which I think is a good thing. On the other hand, there is no Curator and Director of Public Art on the Coulée Vert as there is at the High Line. Nobody to commission contemporary artists like Simone Leigh to create pieces for it. FYI - Cecilia Alemani, the High Line’s Curator of Public Art was the Curator and Artistic Director of last year’s Venice Biennale and Simone Leigh represented the U.S.

Gros Bisous, Dr. ‘B’

Comments on Finding my Inner Flaneuse - Merci!

This reminds me very much of the High Line in New York City where they made a park out of an old elevated rail line running north to south in Manhattan. I wonder if they were inspired by the Paris version, Vincent

Great. I never knew about the CouleeVert. It sounds sort of like the Highline in New York. Its on my list for my next visit. Deedee, Baltimore.

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