Day 13: From Ship to the Shores of Lake Mendota

LEGO Traveler at Copenhagen Airport ©2018 Bo Mackison

October 6, 2018

It took us 25 hours to get home — 25 long sleepless hours. But it all went smoothly — no lost tickets, no lost luggage, no missed connections.

Flying Over Amsterdam ©2018 Bo Mackison

Flying over Amsterdam, I was able to spot the Viking Sky in the Cruise Ship Terminal. (near the bottom of the page — where the harbor splits into an upside down V, that skinny white ship is the Viking Sky)

From the ship (1 hour) to the Amsterdam Airport where we had a long wait for our first flight (3.5 hours) to our first flight to Copenhagen (1 hour) to our second long airport wait, but this time with lots of shopping options, so not as tedious (4.25 hours) to our second flight of the day to Chicago (9.25 hours) to going through customs (1.25 hours) to waiting for the bus (1 hour) to the bus ride from O’Hare to Madison (3 hours) to a car ride to our front door (.75 hours)

Home, safe and sound, with memories to last forever.

Day 4: Copenhagen and Setting Sail

Copenhagen Thursday, September 27, 2018, 10:20 p.m.

Good Morning, First sunrise on the Viking Sky © 2018 Bo Mackison

This was Day 2 of our Viking Cruiseline’s Scandinavia and the Kiel Canal cruise, but it’s Day 4 for us because we added the two-day Copenhagen extension. It was a good choice for us, especially with my travel anxiety. We arrived on Monday, then had two days to get settled and alleviate some of the jet lag symptoms, with plenty of time to make sure our luggage arrived when we did and explore art museums on our own. Yesterday we boarded the ship  and today we spent much of the day seeing just a bit more of Copenhagen. Then we set sail at 6 p.m. with cheers and champagne.

But first we explored more of Copenhagen with a Viking Walking Tour, then we went off on our own and did our own thing.

From the Viking Ocean Cruise website, this is their information about the included shore tour. (Every port has an included shore excursion at no extra cost, usually an introductory bus and/or walking tour. Optional, more in-depth and special interest tours are always available for a fee.) We’ve choesn to do a mix of both — the included tours plus a few special interest tours, especially when the special interest is related to an art museum or gallery tour.

Landmarks and History of Denmark’s Capital City — Included Tour

Explore the landmarks of Copenhagen and learn about the city’s history during a walking excursion. With a local guide, you will stop to see The Little Mermaid statue sitting serenely in the harbor at Langelinie and visit the courtyard at Amalienborg. Continue to Copenhagen’s largest monument, the Gefion Fountain, then Amalienborg Palace, the winter residence of the Queen of Denmark. Here, admire the royal rococo buildings and square, plus the stunning Marble Church, New Opera House and flourishing Amaliehaven (Amalie Garden) with its centerpiece fountain. Pass Frederiks Hospital—the country’s first hospital and now home to the Danish Museum of Art & Design—on your way to the Kastellet (The Citadel). A formidable fortress built in the shape of a five-pointed star, it is one of the best-preserved strongholds in Europe and has been protecting Copenhagen’s harbor since the early 17th century.

And now the breakdown of our walking tour:

We were a group of about thirty with one guide. We were unable to see the Mermaid State as originally planned because the ship had been unable to dock near the city center at Langeline due to strong winds. Instead, we took a bus into the center of the city and began at the site of the Kastellet, or the Citadel.

“Pass Frederiks Hospital—the country’s first hospital and now home to the Danish Museum of Art & Design” means walk past. We paused for a few minutes to allow time for photos of the front of the Marble Church. But we had more than adequate time to spend in the courtyard at Amalienborg Palace, and our guide timed it perfectly so we had front-row-standing to see the post replacement at the Prince’s Palace.

Though the tour guide was informative, we chose to leave the tour at this point. The tour was continuing on to see the Mermaid and the Gefion Fountain before returning to the ship, so we took this opportunity to return to the Marble Church.

The Marble Church with its copper green dome is quite impressive. Its t official name is Frederik’s Church, and King Frederik V laid the foundation stone in 1749, but it was not completed until 1894.

LEGO Chocolates are Tempting © 2018 Bo Mackison

Then we walked towards the City Center, but had to stop and admire some special chocolates! LEGOs!

Finally, last stop, we walked the canal of Nyhavn — there was only a peek of sunshine, but it was still worth seeing such an iconic sight.

Iconic Copenhagen’s Nyhavn or New Harbor © 2018 Bo Mackison

Nyhavn (which means New Harbor in Danish) is a waterfront and canal dating from the 17th century. It is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Historical wooden ships line the sides of the canal.

The northern side of Nyhavn is lined by brightly colored buildings built of wood, bricks, and plaster. The oldest house, at No. 9, dates from 1681.

Viking Sky ©2018 Bo Mackison

We returned to the ship and readied to set sail on the first water leg of our journey–Gothenburg Sweden.

The weather changes fast — we had blue skies for awile which gave way to clouds and a brisk wind.

We had reservations in one of the specialty restaurants tonight. It’s called the Chef’s Table and offered a five-course menu with an Asian theme. Bob had the wine pairings, one of the few occasions when an extra charge is added. ($25) He enjoyed the pairings.

The menu sounded a bit intimidating, with a few items I was unfamiliar with, but everything though often unusual was exceptional in taste.

Day 3: More Copenhagen: Exploring on Foot

Copenhagen Wednesday September 26, 2018 9:35 PM

The shuttle bus dropped us across the street from Magison du Nord, a multi-story used-to-be-fancy hotel, now a fancy department store. We made the mistake of walking through the first floor, only to discover a huge sale was taking place, and the masses were buying everything. Of course, there was nothing we either one, wanted, or two, could happily afford, so we made a quick exit out the back door and began to amble along the cobblestone streets. Immediately we got turned around and lost.

But such pretty sights we saw. A fountain with birds. Little courtyards in yellow. Fancy decorated sidewalks.

Earlier we’d found directions to the National Gallery of Denmark and Google maps kept telling us we were only a mile away. 15 minutes. Ha ha. We would walk four blocks and the Google would claim the same thing — one mile and 15 minutes. By the time we got un-turned around and heading in the correct direction, we spent nearly an hour getting to the front door. It didn’t help we kept losing the cell signal and losing our directions! Reminder to self: I need to download maps!

It started raining–again. I’m glad I had my hat and gloves as the evening air got chilly fast. Still, we had a great time, even lost and cold and wet, strolling (more like blustering) through King’s Garden and gawking at the Rosenborg Castle. And my feet hurt, yes, I now have three blisters. I should’ve worn my colder season shoes more in the weeks before leaving, espaecially after a summer of sandals, but I was so intent on preparing emotionally for this journey, I didn’t quite get around to preparing physically. It’s a good thing there is so much new and unusual to see. It helps me stay focused on what’s important. (hint: not my feet or the weather)

So much new and interesting to see. Once we finally got cell service which let us consult Google Maps again, we found our way through a magical place — King’s Garden — with castles and tree-lined walks and an assortment of statues and fountains and other pretty things.

And yes, we finally found our way to the Art Museum and what a worthwhile conclusion to our weary trek.

SMK (Statens Museum for Kunst) is the National Gallery of Denmark. It is the largest art museum in Denmark and home to the nation’s most extensive and important collection of art, covering 700 years.

The showcase exhibit was Take My Breathe Away by Danh Vo. From the SMK website:

“Migration, cultural history and identity are key themes addressed in SMK’s new special exhibition Danh Vo: Take My Breath Away. Danish-Vietnamese Danh Vo ranks among Denmark’s pre-eminent internationally acclaimed living artists – as reflected in this exhibition, which comes to SMK directly from the Guggenheim in New York.”

Stunning work by Vo. Letters from Kissinger era, cultural artifacts, Viet Nam war ephemera — all combined to speak loudly of home and loss and migration as expressed through an artist’s lens.

The architecture of the gallery was exquisite. I particularly liked how the old was joined to the new; second-floor walkways cantilevered above the first-floor sculpture garden.

The original wing included Danish and Nordic art:

The new wing was filled with modern and contemporary offerings:

I loved the exhibit titled 80 Collages for Field Book by Per Kirkeby:

Kirkeby was originally trained as a geologist, so was well familiar with the concept of a field book.  His many subjects included architecture, trees, art techniques, and maps. From 2009- 2012

Walking back to the shuttle bus stop, we once again passed through Kings Garden and stopped to admire the Rosenborg Castle and its surrounding gardens from afar. There was even a moat.

And then back on the shuttle bus and on to the Viking Sky and a late dinner. Almost too exhausted to enjoy the food. Almost, not quite.

Map added for clarification: the lower red dot is where the shuttle bus dropped us off. The yellow line is what we walked on our way to the upper red dot — which is the location of the SMK or National Gallery of Denmark. The little red dot in the lower middle is where we had a welcome warming cappuccino on our way back to the bus.

Day 3: Aboard the Viking Sky

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

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

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.

First Look at the Viking Sky ©2018 Bo Mackison

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.

A Panorama View of Stateroom 5020, Viking Sky © 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!

 

 

 

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

Copenhagen Central Station is a Beauty © 2018 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!

Bridge to the ARKEN ©2018 Bo Mackison

 

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.

 

Entrance to the Van Gogh Exhibit © 2018 Bo Mackison

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 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.

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?

 

Self Portrait in Cage and Mirror © 2018 Bo Mackison

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.