Travel – Page 8

Day 3: Aboard the Viking Sky

October 10, 2018 by Bo Mackison

Copenhagen, aboard the Viking Sky. Wednesday, September 26, 2018, 2:50 PM

Here’s the overview from Day 1 from the Viking website:

Embark your ship in Copenhagen, the colorful Danish capital awash in charm and history. Settle in and explore your ship, perhaps enjoying lunch or a snack at the World Café or stretching your legs after your journey along the ship’s promenade.

Today was the day we’ve been waiting for. Today was the day that we finally boarded the Viking Sky, the ship which will set sail tomorrow for our cruise, Scandinavia and the Kiel Canal. It’s a cloudy day and I think the ship would look a bit brighter in sunlight, but we’re glad to be aboard.

What we’ve seen thus far, she’s a pretty impressive ship.

We arrived at 11 AM on the Viking shuttle bus from our hotel, the Radisson Blu Copenhagen, a straight to the cruise terminal. An uneventful trip from hotel to ship, for which we were grateful. That meant we had all our luggage and all of our necessary documents when we arrived at the terminal and it was an easy go through security.

Security took about 10 minutes; the groups from the hotel were staggered so there was little wait time. We confirmed our identity with our passports and a credit card. Then we got our ID key cards and walked up the gangplank for the first time.

We arrived before noon and our stateroom was not expected to be ready until 1 PM, but lunch was ready in the World Café. And so we ate — happily. Beer and wine are offered with all meals on Viking cruises, so Bob had his first of glass of wine with our first meal.

: World Cafe on board the Viking Sky © 2018 Bo Mackison

: Mighty Fine Fixin’s © 2018 Bo Mackison

I decided I’d better take a few photographs before we unpacked our suitcases and the place started to look lived in. There is plenty enough drawers and closet space, and we easily had everything unpacked in a half hour. All of our suitcases fit under the bed. We sent Bob’s two dress shirts and two of my tops to be pressed. Honey is our room steward, a kind young woman from the Philippines, and she and her partner have promised to take good care of us for the next ten days.

I’ve already discovered that the ship’s Wi-Fi is adequate for the basics, but not much more. So I’ll continue to dictate my daily journal and catch up with the photos once there is Wi-Fi capable of handling photos/story for my blog.

Now we are off to the shuttle bus that will take us back into Copenhagen for some independent exploration!

What a great journey this is going to be!

Filed Under: Photography, Travel Tagged With: Copenhagen, Epic sabbatical, Scandinavia and the Kiel Canal, Viking Cruises, Viking Sky

Day 2: Copenhagen, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Part II

October 10, 2018 by Bo Mackison

Copenhagen Tuesday, September 25, 2018, 6:50 PM

First of all, I need to say I really love the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I could have spent days there instead of only hours. After we explored the sculpture garden and snacked at the restaurant, we toured the indoor exhibitions. By now it’s 1 PM p.m. Copenhagen time, and we’ve been in Denmark for exactly 24 hours. I’ve never experienced this sort of jet lag–seven time zones away from home–and I feel a little disoriented. Plus my feet hurt. Damn, that’s my fault but I refuse to let it stop me.

The first wing we explored was all Giacometti. In the Giacometti Gallery, of course. I’ve loved Giacometti since seeing his work at the Chicago Art Institute when I was a University student, so I was thrilled to see a room filled with his art. And the gallery itself was inspiring–-not dark and artificially lit, but filled with natural lighting from an entire glass wall, the green of the garden from the outside filtering the light.

There was a thumb. I had a heart to heart conversation with it. My brain was more than a little foggy, so it seemed appropriate to talk to a thumb. It is César Frankrig’s The Big Thumb, 1968, France, Bronze. I had to look it up because I did a lot of forgetting to photograph signage. Usually, I’m good that sort of thing…

Then we went into the special exhibition, The Moon. Over 200 pieces of art–-various media, various styles, various time periods. Stunning.

: Full Moon Crescent Moon – Wildflowers

: Ceramic Moon

: NASA photo. There are wheel tracks on this lunar surface from Apollo 12 — 50 years later.

: Jules Verne’s Launch to the Moon

: Girl with Curls by Salvidor Dali

: Collage

There’s a full moon tonight. That seems fitting. On our journey through Scandinavia, Germany, and finally Amsterdam, we’ll be traveling in lunar time from full moon to (almost) new moon, through the phase of waning.

It’s the Harvest Moon tonight, not the Corn Moon because tonight’s moon is the nearest full moon to the Autumn Equinox.

From the Louisiana website:

“Along with the MOON exhibition a new work has landed in the Sculpture Park. Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade’s Pars Pro Toto consists of eight spheres carved in rocks obtained from different parts of the world. In her interview with Louisiana Channel, the artist states that the work almost appears as if a God had thrown the planets like when playing marbles.”

After the moon exhibit, we went outside for one last look around. I set down on the bench next to this sphere exhibit and watched the spheres do nothing. I was pretty happy doing nothing too, just sitting surrounded by nature and architecture and art, but there was no other option but to walk to the train station and get on a train heading back to Copenhagen Central.

Here’s where the story got interesting: We’re near exhaustion when we negotiated the mile to the train stop. We needed to buy tickets at the kiosk, but there was a small child pressing all sorts of buttons in his attempt to purchase his family’s tickets. His smiling parents watched, but he was not getting the job done with any punctuality. And then the train was coming. It pulled into the stop and we still had not gotten to the ticket kiosk and Bob said, “I’m not waiting.” And so we got on the train without a ticket, intending to buy the tickets once we got to Central Station. This seemed like an okay plan since no one had been checking our tickets on our earlier rides — when we HAD tickets in hand — but of course this time the conductor stopped and asked us for our tickets.

No tickets.

“You can’t buy tickets on the train,” he said, not too kindly. We pleaded American ignorance. He asked for our passports, which we thankfully had on our persons, and then he told us he’d be back, giving us a disgusted final look. The other passengers avoided looking directly at us and I was so tired I rested my head on the tiny table in front of us and fell asleep. The conductor never did come back and we did buy tickets as soon as we got into the station.

Oh, Lord. The second day in Europe and we’ve already run afoul of the law. I guess all’s well that ends well.

We checked out some great restaurants in the area once we returned to our hotel. But in the end we decided on a pizza in the hotel room. That way we could eat while horizontal. And so we did. There was a Domino’s pizza place nearby, uh no; we opted for a local joint near the University of Copenhagen, close enough to get it carry out. Pizza was fine and sleep is much needed.

And just like that, our first full day in Copenhagen is over.

Filed Under: Art Museums, Photography, Travel Tagged With: art museums in Europe, Copenhagen Denmark, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, The moon exhibit, Traveling by train, Viking's Scandinavia and the Kiel Canal

Day 2: Copenhagen: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Part I

October 10, 2018 by Bo Mackison

Copenhagen September 25, 2018 6:50 p.m.

After a successful venture to the south of Copenhagen to visit the ARKEN museum in the morning, we decided to forgo a lunch stop and head north of the city to visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. This involved a train change at Copenhagen Central, but with one successful trip by train in our pocket, we were more confident in our travel abilities. Plus we were still a bit jet lagged, and not always making the best decisions. Lunch first might’ve been a good idea, but we were anxious to see as much as possible.

And so on we went, to a place called Louisiana in Humlebæk on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is situated on the coast 25 miles north of Copenhagen, with a view of Sweden visible across the Sound. It’s a lovely space with indoor exhibits, a vast sculpture garden, and a restaurant overlooking both Calder and the coast. It is the sort of space that I would visit regularly if I were a local. Filled with vibrancy and art and architecture and nature–what could be a better combination.

A view of the Calder-Terrace. Calder’s Almost Snow Plow 1964/76 is front and center. Little Janey-Waney is off to the side. The weather was mild and the outside seating was jammed with families and students and tourists. We indulged in a blueberry tart for me and the beer for Bob. Good choices all-around.

Calder’s Little Janey-Waney was swinging the breeze and, at times, little children were running underneath, their squeals mingling with the whirr of the sculpture’s dance.

Then we went on a sculpture tour through the extensive gardens. What a delight! Just a few photos from many opportunities.

The blueberry tart and accompanying beer revived us enough so we could walk through the inside exhibition halls. I needed to be careful of my step count, as only 24 hours into our travels I’d managed to develop a blister. I blame it on the cobblestones, first, but also on my inability to be as physically prepared for these two weeks on my feet as I had hoped. Nonetheless, art called and I continued on, as that blueberry tart had remarkable reviving properties.

Photos from Indoor Exhibition Halls coming in next post.

Filed Under: Art Museums, Photography, Travel Tagged With: art museums in Europe, Calder, Copenhagen Denmark, Henry Moore, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Max Bill, sculpture garden, Viking's Scandinavia and the Kiel Canal

Day 2: Copenhagen: Visiting the ARKEN Museum of Modern Art

October 9, 2018 by Bo Mackison

Copenhagen: Tuesday, September 25, 2018 6:50 PM

Back in the hotel after a long day. We forced our way through the fogginess of jet lag because this was our only opportunity to see the art museums. Tomorrow we head to the Viking Sky for the first official day at sea.

We skipped the included Tour of Copenhagen so we could visit both the ARKEN and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Of course, the two museums were on opposite sides of the city which made transportation more complicated.

First, we went to the ARKEN.

It took about 30 minutes by train from Copenhagen Central Station. “Take the S train line E towards Køge to Ishøj Station, then take bus route 128. Then it’s a 5-minute ride that goes directly to the museum.” Ishoj does not sound the way it is spelled when spoken in a Danish accent. The information guide at Copenhagen Central was very kind and wrote it out for us. Once we finally got on the correct train, we found our way without any unexpected happenings.

And the SUN was shining!

ARKEN is right on the coast, situated on a small island. A few sculptures are on the grounds with more intended in the future.

There’s a sculpture of a small child riding a rocking horse atop a pedestal to the left of the entrance. I had to look up the name. It’s Powerless Structures by Elmgreen & Dragset and gives honor to the heroism of growing up. From ArtDaily.com:

“The sculpture invokes life’s everyday activities and questions the tradition of monuments predicated on military victory or defeat.”

(These artists also did the Prada Marfa in Texas. Middle of nowhere Texas…)

The bridge is dramatically set to take one from nature to culture. It works, too. And combines two of my favorite things–the natural world and art.

From the ARKEN website:

“Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) is one of the most famous artists to have walked this earth. Notorious for having cut his ear off. Loved for his moving paintings and letters, which give us intimate insights into his life and thoughts. For Van Gogh life and art were a hard struggle. Yet he was able to create an original artistic idiom that demonstrates his profound belief in the cosmic unity of man and nature. ARKEN’s exhibition shows with 28 paintings and 11 drawings how his depictions of hard-working farm labourers and captivating landscapes in Arles were meant to express the divine in nature and mankind at a time of new departures in society when traditional faith was coming under pressure from modern philosophy and science.”

: The Green Vineyard 1888 by Vincent Van Gogh

: Details of The Green Vineyard 1888 by Vincent Van Gogh

: Trunk in the Grass, Van Gogh at the ARKEN

: Details of Trunk in the Grass, Van Gogh at the ARKEN

The Van Gogh exhibit was incredible. A modest crowd allowed plenty of time for study and reading the associated materials.

Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh

We were told we’re pronouncing Van Gogh’s name incorrectly. We laughed; the guide laughed, too. Vincent’s surname is not “go” but “goff” — rather like a harsh clearing of the throat. So we were told.

: Exhibition Materials about Van Gogh’s Letters, ARKEN

I loved the look of this grouping of lockers, in a puddle of light, some doors open and some locked tight. Do you think it might qualify as modern art?

: Cage and Mirror by Jeppe Hein

We were pretty pleased with ourselves, taking buses and trains and more buses to get to the museum. Typical American, I know. I’m making a vow to get friendlier with our available public transportation when I get back home.

Filed Under: Art Museums, Photography, Travel Tagged With: ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, art museums in Europe, Cage and Mirror by Jeppe Hein, Copenhagen, Van Gogh Exhibit

Day 1: In Copenhagen

October 9, 2018 by Bo Mackison

Copenhagen September 24, 2018 7:50 PM

We are here. I don’t need to describe the flight other than to say I am so grateful that my fear of flying did not keep me from this trip. We left Chicago at 10 PM and arrived in Copenhagen at 1 PM. There’s a seven-hour time difference.

OH, I AM happy to be here. My eyes teared up when I handed my passport to the Border Agent. She looked at it, then looked up at me, and said: “This is your first stamp.” And I nodded. (I’ve been to other countries—Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean – but never one requiring a passport stamp.)

There are millions of bicycle riders and they have their own bike lanes and their own traffic signals. This requires caution on the part of pedestrians unused to such traffic volumes. Extreme caution required.

It started raining, then it started sleeting. We were only a few blocks from the hotel, so Bob went back to the hotel in search of the umbrella. And I sheltered next to a tall building. Hundreds of bicycles were parked outside. I was still waiting outside the building for Bob and the needed umbrella at 5 o’clock – quitting time. Women and men poured from the entrance, and most of them headed to the rows of bicycles, grabbed one, and peddled off. Fast and ferocious.

“These people are beautiful people,” I thought. I was impressed with their athleticism. Lots of black clothing–black leather pants and black mini skirts and layers of blouses and sweaters and scarves. A bit of gray for contrast, but mostly layers of black. I was impressed–they looked strong and fit. And happy. And courageously crazy for biking in this traffic!

Suddenly I want to take up bicycling and wear all black!

We didn’t know how to order coffee! It was sleeting and we were walking down the street just getting our bearings and suddenly the sleet changed to hurling ice pellets and we needed shelter – fast. We ducked into a place called ROAST Coffee. There were so many options on the chalkboard, and we got tongue-tied. We were nervous. Yes. Nervous ordering coffee. Finally, we ordered “an Americano.” It seemed safe! (It was also the last Americano we ordered for the duration as we quickly discovered how to speak the coffee language in Scandinavia. Mostly I went for cappuccino. Because, yummy!)

More walking. Actually, there was more gaping than walking. The tiny shops, the cobblestone sidewalks, the bicycles. Then it was time to eat. Again. Google maps gave us lots of options, but either we couldn’t find the places or once we looked in the windows we decided it wasn’t quite right. We ended up at Andersen Bakery. Delicious choice! We had sandwiches, but I can’t tell you what was inside my sandwich. I was too over-the-moon happy with the bread. We also bought 6 filled pastry squares to eat once back to the hotel. Yum. 5 stars!

The evening light was lovely, and so we walked along the harbor and I took a hundred photos of the sky and the harbor and the buildings across the water. I guess the earlier rain was worth it, for the clouds were beautiful.

My “big” camera jammed in the first half hour of shooting. Maybe it’s a blessing, for it is surely easier to manage an iPhone vs. a camera bag with lenses, etc. Still…not exactly what I had hoped for.

Last we searched for a bar so Bob could sample his first beer on European soil. We found the Café Langebro near the Langebro Bridge and the Copenhagen Harbor. It was a good choice. Mostly locals and a cozy place and dozens of beers from which to choose.

Now to eat the pastries and sleep the sleep of the jet-lagged.

Filed Under: Photography, Travel Tagged With: Copenhagen, Epic sabbatical, Scandinavia and the Kiel Canal, Travel

Day 3: Aboard the Viking Sky

Day 2: Copenhagen, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Part II

Day 2: Copenhagen: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Part I

Day 2: Copenhagen: Visiting the ARKEN Museum of Modern Art

Day 1: In Copenhagen

Search This Blog

Recent Posts

Let’s Meet!

Article Topics

About Bo Mackison

Privacy Policy

Work With Bo

Offerings from the Desert