Copenhagen
My dad and I started this backpacking adventure not exactly sure what to expect and where exactly we were going, but on the day of departure we felt kind of adventurous, Indiana-Jones-style - with 12kg backpacks and shoulders that were starting to feel a tad sore the moment we stepped out of the house. I had to channel the energy of Mr Ford himself to get out of the front door.
When Hui Yin told me about the less-than-ideal conditions of her KLM flight to Europe before, I instantly dropped all expectations of the in-flight entertainment service and prepared myself mentally for 12 long hours spent staring into my empty paper cup, fervently hoping that the stewardess would accede to my 240th request to fill it up with some water.
Luckily, that didn't happen - the in-flight entertainment was so fantastic! Managed to catch the predictably cookie-cutter Music and Lyrics (what is up with that erotic Kamasutra-esque rendition of Way Back Into Love?) and the typically depressing Babel (if you watched 21 Grams) before sleeping for a bit to ward off the jet lag monster.
Getting acquainted with European railways and train stations - loads of backpackers lying strewn (yes, strewn) on tiled floors sprinkled with the usual chronic dosage of cigarette butts and chewing gum.
Copenhagen is charming with a capital C - fresh, vibrant, old-school, quaint and luminous all at the same time.
The town square, Radhuspladsen, is just about the most wonderful chill-out place any time of the day - here, one could surely stand there for hours watching people go about their daily lives and be thoroughly fascinated.
People here have their sartorial sense in check all the time, but they also know how to keep their budget under control - illegal vendors selling cheap accessories hawk their wares in Radhuspladsen.
Every Dane owns one of those two-wheeled contraptions you call a bicycle - and that's no sweeping statement. And did I mention that they don't even bother to lock them after parking? Katie Melua once sang that "there are nine million bicycles in Beijing", but the Chinese sure as heck don't have a monopoly of those!
Denmark's most famous amusement park - Tivoli Gardens! Catch is that it costs S$22 to enter without having access to the rides (that would set you back by an additional S$40) - so we didn't enter it. Still, it does look awfully pretty, doesn't it?
The seafood in Scandinavia is awesome, both in terms of quality and unfortunately, price. This seafood platter of fresh shrimps, smoked salmon, fillet, caviar, cheese, red cabbage and olives costs a whopping S$57 - but after much persuasion, I managed to convince my dad to try it!
Spending so much on lunch meant that we had to survive on sandwiches for most of the time in Scandinavia - we would visit the supermarket to get baguettes, salami, ham, cheese and lettuce to prepare our meals before we went traipsing in the city.
At the top of the Rundetaarn.
Kaleidescopic - that's Copenhagen in a word.
The Statens Museum for Kunst.
This particular sculpture I found tragically ironic - on one hand, it seems to be suggesting that Woman is independent and can hunt for food herself without Man - the bird from this angle seems to have been heading for the window at the top and was shot down before it could escape. On the other hand, birds have always been associated with freedom and flight - one wonders if the Woman has metaphorically killed her only way out of submission under Man, hinting at ideological conformity and opium of the masses, gender-style.
On the other hand, these sculptures fascinated me for another entirely different reason: apparently, man is a block of wood...
...and woman is a straighter block of wood. Go figure.
Morbid displays at the Museum by Jorgen Haugen Sorensen - While We Wait depicting a fat, naked man dancing cheek to cheek (Ella, swing it) with Death.
Denmark's very own caricature of California Suite - Marvin and Bunny!
Anyone with a penchant for the controversial Italian artist Caravaggio would have immediately spotted this standing out from the paintings at this museum - the trademark chiaroscuro being hinted at from the shadows surrounding the characters, the shifty, spontaneous expressions of the characters themselves. I liked this piece probably the most out of the entire collection there - it plays on the voyeur/actor paradox nicely.
And nothing beats a relaxing cruise around the charming city of old and new on a clear day like this...more of Copenhagen to come!
Labels:
Crossing Europe,
Globetrotting
3 spoke up:
Excellent!
I enjoyed every word and picture.
Whit.
whit,
I'm glad you liked the post! Currently, I'm reorienting myself back to the normalities of life here at home, and devouring Tony Judt's Post-war, which is turning out to be a sumptuously delicious read, I must say.
I'm steadily returning to my daily reads at the Bar, among other sites, and you can expect my company very soon, I promise!
Ah yes, and I managed to talk to a motley crew of people all over the world while backpacking, and I can't wait to share their insights and views about everything from Putin to the European Union.
As always, a pleasure.
I look forward to hearing about "those world views."
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