DENMARK

DENMARK  July 29, 2014

I am fully aware that we will be going home only too soon. I am reacting to it. Any decision causes a knot in my stomach, any deviance from the norm puts me in a state of worry and sadness. I have developed a rash on my arms and chest.

We cross the sound to Denmark, over a very expensive bridge (that keeps the Swedish from traveling there, or the Danes from going to Sweden!). Lines of wind generator turbines stand in the channel. I think Gypsy is stressed out and confused also. She blatantly takes us north away from our goal, Copenhagen. She gives up trying to please us and follows along with our decisions. 

Copenhagen. Bikes everwhere, just like Amsterdam. We take a long walk. Along the way we have to step over young people sleeping on the sidewalk or leaning against the bar wall in sleeping bags. This must be a destination for a certain type of traveler! The bar has signs and sayings plastered to its windows. “If you are fat there is less chance of being kidnapped.” “Soup of the Day...Whiskey!” We can hear screams soaring over the central city. Oh, it is the famous old amusement park, Tivoli! This city is youth filled and 'happening'! It gets our adrenaline working.

We are almost out of LPG (propane) for our cooking stove and refrigerator. Denmark does not use propane  but something called CNG, natural gas. Our search for propane continues until we find one place that is 1 ½ hours away in Fugleberg.  Oh well, let's take the coast route and make this worth our while, but we find that the long sandy beaches are hidden from cars, only accessed by pedestrian trail or road. 

Farm art...round hay bales are stacked three up, the top ones show the round ends upon which big eyed faces of a man and a woman smile at us. We smile back. Tall, mature birch trees line the road, their unique darkish bark markings show off many eye shapes. Architecture, canals and flat ground make it feel very much like the Netherlands. Towns and homes are neat and cared for. I notice a different look to the churches here, maybe of Dutch influence. Many have thatched roofs with each taller and wider end of concrete appearing to hold the roof in place. No spires. The ends have a step pattern, three steps up to the middle top stair. Does this denote a stairway to heaven?

I hear distant chanting, rather like a North American Indian cadence, but I cannot make out words. David tells me that it is because the sound I hear is that of cows bawling! More fields of hay out to dry in lines, wide flatter spaces between the hay humps. The pattern looks just like the afghan that I am knitting. Finally, we are in Fugleberg. No LPG here in this handsome little brick town! 

Back on the road, unsure as to what our options are on finding LPG, we decide to find our overnight hideaway. A forested half circle in front of a school is the perfect spot. Just as we settle down, a car comes screaching in to our little dark and safe spot and stops. A foreign voice in accented English calls out... “Are you okay? Any problems? Do you need anything? Marijuana? Hashish?” David hollars, “No thanks, we're fine.”  “Okay!” The intruding car squeals back out on to the main road. Hmmm. Should we stay here? A woman and her German Shepard are out for a walk and come toward us. The dog barks at us. “We didn't mean to scare you, we were just sleeping here for the night.” We tell Kirsten our story. She is shocked. “Come, you should not stay here. I will show you where to park at my place.” We follow her home and find ourselves parked with other cars in an adult community. 

July 30

Grey skies and cool breezes fortell a better cooler day! Kirsten comes by to check on us and brings us tomatoes just picked from her garden. A bit later, as we are ready to leave, David sees someone in the side mirror, heading our way. He thinks it might be a priest. Black garb and a big silver cross. We roll down the driver's window and the friendly fellow says, “Have you had your coffee today?” Well, he just has black jeans and black T-shirt on, but he does have a big silver cross hanging on his chest. And, we can't make coffee because we do not have any propane...so the answer is no, we have not had our coffee today! So we follow Dan to little house number 27 where his partner, Kirsten, lives. (A different Kirsten)

Dan and Kirsten have been together for some years. He lived in this community first, Kirsten moved here. Both have their own homes, which reflect their different  tastes. Dan's house is filled with western stuff, USA western stuff and treasures and memorabilia from his travels. He actually looks like a larger and younger version of Johnny Cash! We see he is wearing a big cowboy beltbuckle and he has a fabulous cowboy hat. His home is comfy and nice. Kirsten redid her house completely, decorating in a more modern stark black and white, tastefully clean and sharp. We have such a nice time with Dan and Kirsten over coffee for most of the morning, never a lull in conversation. Their shared dog Lulu is in the scene too, a miniature pinscher. Dan finds us a place to get propane but first we head back to Copenhagen.

In the city we sit at a cafe window, using the cafe wifi and watching the Danes pass by. Hmmm. Maybe I could wear that? Oooh, what great colors together. Sweet short summer dresses, lots of blonds. I check out hair styles. I think my spiky 'do' is out of date. Pretty girls, handsome young men. Bicycles are lined up on the sidewalk, a lock on the back wheel only. Ooops! One falls over and they all fall like dominoes! On return, no one seems upset. It can happen! All kinds of handlebar and back fender baskets...wire, reed, fabric and metal, big enough to get lots of shopping into. The riders are of all ages. 

July 31 

We spend the day exploring the city by tour boat and on foot. The opera house, very noticeable on the opposite river bank, is our destination. It is a hefty walk from the dock and when we arrive, we decide not to pay the high price to get in,  but we can see inside through the large glass windows and the building is a  wonderful structure to appreciate from the outside. Its channel-side square is worth an idle wander. The wind comes up. We walk back to the dock...stopping at a little cafe for a beer. How fun is the interior of this place. Pia is in charge here, she helped put this space together, using what was available to decorate in a very creative way. Sticks and string and color. It is really good. Today she suggests a good beer and chats with us. “Girls here do not dress so fashionably like in Italy, such as the right Gucci bag.” Yes, we think, it is really refreshing. We leave with our beer in hand. We can enjoy it as we walk on the street toward the tour boat. 

The Architecture Museum is next. A signboard, as we enter, informs us that 'there is not enough room for the exhibit in this building...you must visit exceptional architecture by going to buildings in the city...see the real thing!..but this building is a good place to begin.' We see the model and photos of a Japanese housing project for students. It is basically a cylinder looking inward to the grassy center. The rooms and apartments have many varieties of plans and lots of balconies from which to enjoy the outdoors. We move through other ideas that have come to fruition. Here are some thoughts I gleaned from signboards: 

Houses are not bricks, but spaces through which there is an air flow

Rivers are not banks, but streams through which there is a water flow 

Cities are not buildings, but places through which life flows 

Architecture channels flow... 

Flows of stone, Flows of light, Flows of air, Flows of water, 

Flows of electricity, Flows of  food  

...Flows of life.

'Architecture is about creating good lives. Not about creating fine buildings. Good architecture makes life flow through the world.'

We take the metro back to our home base. Still no propane. We are using ice in our refrigerator.

August 1

We hop on the metro with much less stress today, now that we know our way, with the aim of two design destinations that we have heard of; Hay Design Store

and Illum, a deparatment store known for its designerly merchandise. Both were a disappointment after all the good design we have seen in the Nordic countries. I am surprised as I have always been a fan of Danish design. The shopping street where these two stores are situated is lively with street entertainment and shoppers to watch as we sip a cup of dark, sort of thick, coffee. Okay, I think we have a good idea of 'Wonderful, wonderful, Copenhagen'...as the song says. Back to our home neighborhood to check on emails before we continue on. We hear from Dimitri and Nastya who have sent a photo of themselves with kids and dogs! We are blessed to have met these two.

So, this afternoon we have planned a drive to Louisianna Museum of Modern Art, an hour and a half ride to the town of Humlebaek. Wow. This is a museum of value, by this I mean top rate value. The layout, the grounds on the sea, a people place for enjoyment of art. We buy our tickets and begin our journey. So, we are to see modern art...not contemporary. This is where I stand in my quest for art expression these days. It seems that I am moved to leave what I see in front of me as real, to a more powerful expression. A more general abstraction to get feelings and ideas across to the viewer. I am in for a gigantic treat...and lesson! It is a departure from that wonderful Impressionism that I love, though have never given myself the freedom to try in my own renderings. Modern art seems to have less rules to the viewer...maybe an easy swish and dot and line, but it requires a truthful talented artist to make a great modern painting happen. An idea. Good placement. Use of color. Modern art first places itself in a time before the 'Contemporary' and 'Installation' art of today's popularity. 

We begin with some artists of this museum's permanent collection. Asger Jorn, colorful light-handed pieces. Giacometti, unique tall skinny figures of brass. Josef Albers, squares of color within squares of color. Per Kirkeby, strong colors of mixed media shapes and forms (delicious!). In a darkish isolated room, Mindaugas Lukosaitis' (Lithuanian) drawings tell the story of war...fighting between the Lithuanians and the Russians (so sorrowful and bitter). 

Both David and I get caught in front of TV screens. He is watching and listening to a French architect. Me, I get pulled into the story of a young Danish poet, Yahya Hassan. Let me tell you about him... Yahya's parents came from a country in trouble. They came to Denmark to find a better life, but they abused it. They cheated the welfare system and looked upon the Danes as Infidels who would never make it into heaven. Yahya's father beat him as he taught the form of Islam he himself believed in. Yahya raised himself out of this trap by writing and performing Rap. At some point his Rap seemed trite. He felt that he needed to tell better stories, so he attended writing classes and worked his way into becoming a serious writer, still very young but well known among the Danish people. If you care to see some good discussions and stories from this museum you may find channel.louisiana.dk on line.

We walk the grounds to look at the sculptures. Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Jean Miro, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Richard Serra. These names may be familiar to you. It seems that every museum must buy at least one of these artist's works. From here we can view the windy sea and beach...woods and extensive lawns, all open for the use of folks with a ticket. 

A very important exhibit is that of the works of Emil Nolde, a German Expressionist who lived on the border of Germany and Denmark. He is a prolific colorist. He painted and painted, not always great paintings, but always he used outrageous and delicious colors!  One theme after another. One medium after another. I loved his watercolors best. A wall full of small paintings titled 'Flowers from My Garden' stole my heart and activated some creative juices! Altogether 140 works including 90 paintings. 

Enough to take in for one day. It is 9:00 p.m. when we amble back to our van. 

August 2

We have tickets for two days at the Louisianna museum. It is Saturday, and though we thought we were starting early, there is a very long line waiting for the gate to open at 10:00. Then we find out that most of these folks have come to have breakfast in the restaurant. The exhibits do not open until 11:00. When we finally enter, we get caught in the lucious gift shop. It is full of designerly yummy things; ceramics, bags, toys, jewelry, posters, clothing and for us...the books! Photography and architecture for David...painting and more painting for me, I can't get enough! I seek out all the artists that I have never heard of, all those that don't make it into our book stores at home. 

There will be a concert this afternoon. Let's have a little lunch and cool beverage. This ensures a good ringside seat to watch it on the lawn before us. We are unsure as to the type of entertainment but we heard a sax warming up this morning. Three fellows arrive, each carrying their instrument; a base saxaphone, a trumpet and a gridded computer screen. David asks the musician how the computer grid works. Each square on the grid holds a different sound activated by the movement of head and hands, not actually touching the screen. It turns out to be a remarkable complement to the other instruments. The musicians are at different ends of the lawn, but the trumpeter moves back and forth between them, moving slowly, head, body and trumpet dipping and rising. When he reaches one of them, they play to each other, they bow to each other. Applause.

Next modern exhibit; American painter, Philip Guston. We watch a thirty minute film of interviews with him. It is such a good way to start out, with a better understanding of the artist and his views. He began his work in Abstract Expressionism and stuck with it a long time but finally turned to introversion and unworldliness, figurative and grotesque, a path he did not want to take...'it' took him. He let go and followed, letting his interior world come through. He definitely has his own style. I took many photos. Though I did not particuarly like these paintings, I was taken with them in a strange way. I guess that is what art is all about! 

His peers, critics and the public chastized him. It hurt. His friend and supporter, deKooning said, “What do they think – we're all on the same baseball team?” Guston (Goldstein) had to move out to the country to escape all the negative input, so he could continue working. He married Musa McKim, a poet and artist. She is definately a supporter. Here are some quotes from Philip Guston:

“You know, comments about style always seem strange to me...'Why do you work in this style or in that style?'...as though you have a choice in the matter.”

“Nothing is ever solved in a painting. I felt like an explorer, a mountain

climber almost to the top of Everest, but just as I'm nearing the peak I begin to think – wait! What have I forgotten? What equipment?” 

“If the artist starts evaluating his own work himself, it is a terrific block.”

He felt like his Expressionist work was “...too much of a painting. I had not personally experienced enough of it, enough of the process.”

What would he like to attain? “I would like to go where Goya went, Manet and Gaughin, but if not, I wouldn't mind a pat on the back!”

Subjects of his paintings: books, neatly hobbled soles onto shoes, chairs, beds, clocks, lamps, easels, canvas, cigarettes, people, buildings, dreams and predicaments, love, luck, hazzard, happiness, the passing of time...all this he confronts sincerely.

“If someone bursts out laughing in front of my painting, that is exactly what I want and expect.”

I learned a lot from Philip Guston, and from the other exhibits, including the musicians, in these two days here at the Louisianna Modern Art Museum. I am filled with such richness of life, content and relaxed but with a fire burning within.

We move on to Trelleborg, a Viking settlement which we will see tomorrow. In a small town along the way police stop us with a little 'blip' on their siren. Two young sweet curious fellows. “We have never seen an American licence plate in Denmark...and in this little town. Why here?” David answers...”Well, it's the most beautiful town in Denmark, isn't it?” “Yes, well I think so. Born and raised here,” he says in perfect American English!

August 3

We wait in the Trelleborg coffee shop for the terrential rain to quit. Quite a storm

is raging. Gunshot lightening. Loud and close rolling thunder. While we must stay inside, there is a very good museum and culture center to wander. Trelleborg is a Viking ring fortress started by King Harold Bluetooth around AD980 as a military base in the conflict with rebellious chieftains. It probably also served as a center for trade and administration. 500 people once lived here, mostly young men (warriors) but the artifacts that have surfaced show that women and children were here also. Trelleborg's history is short having lost its importance around 990 and abandoned. 

This site was excavated and restored by the National Museum betwwen 1934 and 1942. In the cultural center we see models of the houses in villages around the fortress, and the fortress itself. Clothing has been reconstructed so we can really imagine the scenes of the day. We see artifacts of figures, decorated bowls, vessels, birds and animals that were brought here from the dig. We also learn about the writing characters of the Vikings which were based on a runic alphabet consisting of 16 signs. Most runes are short messages carved into wood or rock. A Viking shield still exists! It is made of wood and has been pieced together. It was discovered 40 meters from the fortress southern gate. 

The rain lets up a little bit. Armed with raincoats we head out. We don't want to miss this. The surrounding area of lovely, gentle flatlands, was created in the ice age. We walk across the expansive mowed lawns to a replica of a Viking longhouse made in 1942. The inside is very similar to the long houses of the West coast Canadian Indians, with the raised sleeping platforms around the edges and an opening at the top for smoke to escape. Since the available knowledge level of this housing form is greater since 1942, it has now been rendered not to be a replica, but these are mostly details that do not take away from the feel of the original. 

We move on and drenching rain soaks through our coats and pants but we can do nothing about it, we have gone too far to go back. We make it over two motes, a narrow one and a larger one, and then through a break in a tall and wide berm. It is here that royalty dwelt, within the safety of the circle, with all the servants needed to keep their lives working. We walk back briskly, still in rain, to our refuge in Daisy. 

Dan and Kirsten have invited us to coffee with Dan's famous coffee cake this afternoon, and an offer for showers and clothes-washing. Kirsten is busy making us a Danish traditional dinner. A pork roast, with fat placed on top of it, has been roasted in the oven long and slowly, then served sliced with a crispy length of fat. Unbelievably good! On the table is gravy to spoon over the meat and potatoes. She has sliced cucumber rounds, very thinly, and marinated in a sugar and vinegar mix and also offers a simple salad with Danish-made feta cheese. We ate, talked and laughed for hours. We learn that there was some concern about David and I sleeping in our van on the community property. Emails were evidently buzzing back and forth. But now everyone knows what's up and it has smoothed over. The hashish offer shocked them all. 

After dinner we take a drive to Dan and Kirsten's favorite beach, a childhood memory for Kirsten. We get gelatos in waffle cones...honestly, the best I have ever tasted. This outing also reveals their beautiful local countryside, along with a prestigious school that the Danish prince will attend this Fall. It was once a monestery but has become a Danish 'Oxford'. 

August 4

These two gracious and loving new friends have made this country of Denmark very special to us. We have breakfast together before we leave to the island of Fyn (pronounced Fewn) to fill up with propane. 

The rest of the day is spent in Ribe by the Wadden Sea. This is a town dating from AD869 which belongs at the top of any list of Danish places to visit. A great walking town of crooked cobbled streets, half timbered homes leaning and bulging with age, many canals and a harbor, good shops...tomorrow's fun, along with the museum, church and cathedral.

August 5

We begin our day by walking over canal bridges, through park-like walkways, along cobblestone streets to Saint Catherine's Church and Abbey. It is a glorious day of sunshine. The church sanctuary is white painted, even the ribbed vaulted ceiling. Tall gothic windows are reminders of what the church might have looked like in its past. In three corners hang model ships, hinting at stories of the community's history. It is a clear, calm place to be. Only the baroque alter is still oranate and colorful. Outside is the Abbey courtyard where Dominican monks used to walk, fulfilling their daily duties. This was a refuge for Ribe's sick and infirm. 

Back over one bridge to three, where two small quiet rivers meet. Seagulls float alongside a bevy of ducks and swans. We arrive on a short trail to the backyard of the Ribe Art Museum. This building was once the villa of a wealthy family, built in 1864. Now the interior has been restored to meet the demands of a modern museum with accessibility and air conditioning and today it holds works from the classical period to modernism. The exhibits are interesting. If the painters were not all local, the outsiders could not help but come here to catch its personality. I am sure there are many more works in storage of the sea, the islands, mudflats, canals and boats. 

More to see. The Ribe Domkirke Cathedral is in the center of town on Torvet square. Many architectural styles are represented and combined in this building, Romanesque to Gothic. A golden rooster stands guard on the steeple top. Inside, the chancel ornamentation is painted and mosaic-tiled by Carl-Henning Pedersen, an artist we liked in the Louisianna Modern Art Museum. It is  a breath of fresh air to see. David climbs the 300 steps of the cathedral tower to shoot a few photos. 

The Wadden Sea is a national park and 'part of the east Atlantic migration passage used by millions of birds crossing up to 30 countries'. Migrating birds, coming from South Africa, stop for a rest in the mudflats before going on to Canada and Siberia. We walk along the harbor. The little old homes, all so beautifully kept, make you want to become a member of the community. A tall carved pole marks several years of flood heights, some markings are so high that we cannot imagine how the sea could possibly reach the height. The usual array of boats decorate the path edge, some in states of rebuild, some spanking clean and ready for sailing and some that will never go out to the open sea again. Row boats, sail boats, fishing boats, pleasure boats, lending their reflections to the placid water trails to the sea. 

As we walk back to the van we notice that a car show has assembled. Not to be missed, we know that there will be car types that we used to own in perfect shiny running shape and many more that we wish we had owned. It is fun. Hot rods, racy little sport cars and those huge long things with fins. Then, as we reach Daisy, a Mazda van pulls in beside us. Nick from England and Raynee from Texas, own twin vans which they keep in England and New Zealand, dividing their time between the two. They are also sailors. It is interesting to run into folks like this who have chosen a different life style from the norm. The interest for me is how we choose to live that one life we are given.

August 6

David goes off to the open market while I spend time writing this morning. He finds himself back in the cathedral, to understand more about the art of Carl-Henning Pedersen. A small informational booklet is available to him and it leads him though each piece of art. 

When ready, we hit the road. This time we are on the coastal road north, which looks somewhat like Washington's Long Beach; sand and dunes and an inner body of water. We turn inward to Herning and the prospect of seeing more good art. We have read that the area is called BIRK, the 'White City' district within Herning. The 'compound' has two art museums, Heart Contemporary and the Pedersen Museum and a business school, a design school, a planned export school and a few companies. All the buildings are white in color. 

Within these grounds we find a huge sci-fi looking sculpture named ELIA, a lowish dome 60 meters in diameter, 32 meters in height with a 10x10 opening in the top. Four sets of 30 giant stairs, in a cross form, rise to the top platform where one can look down to the floor which has a depression at ground level from which a 'flamethrower is connected to the natural gas network and a computer-controlled system equipped with a random generator which controls the emission of an approximately 9 meter column of fire that lasts 30 seconds up to twice within a 19 day cycle'. It's random...it is pure luck if you are there to witness the fire column! The piece was designed by Ingvar Cronhammer (b.1947), a popular, talented and very brilliant professor. 

August 7

This 'White City' is quite a remarkable place. We spend the day enjoying all it has to offer, the results of some pretty clever business men and art advocates. It is a campus of education and business, built around the virtues of art, architecture and landscape. The businesses give the students a look at the real world beyond school. The trades provided are: textile, design, private hospital, agriculture councelling, computer and auditing. 

We started this morning at HEART, the museum of contemporary art; exhibiting installations, sculpture, paintings and photography. Architect, Steven Holl. This building is white and very unique, the exterior wall texture looking like the fabric of a crumpled shirt, of which was originally here...a shirt factory. From above, the building evidently looks like a shirt carelessly thrown on the ground. This is also the venue for the local classical orchestra. 

I am trying to look at installations with a more serious attitude, perhaps give the pieces a longer viewing, but they remain on the bottom of my list. Once in a while I can be caught with something profound in the statement. However, I love the short film offerings, they do leave me thinking. We watch three samples:

>  'Something to Love', about a father and son relationship. The father drops his son off to do some kind of business in an office building, and waits for him in the car. The son meets a girl in the elevator and the elevator door does not open for a long time...son grows up! When his son returns to the car, the father can see that he is no longer that young innocent boy.

> Another father and son relationship. The father spontaneously dances in a park circle. A crowd gathers. The son is amazed to tears. Others join in to watch, dance or cry. The son sees his father in a completely new light. 

> A house painter falling from his ladder, paint can in his hand. We see many falls in many different positions, in slow motion. I admire the actor's ability to look like he has no fear of getting hurt. 

While in the movie room I hear a woman come down the hall. Her high-heeled shoes rap noisily, quickly and steadily on the hard floor surface, like there is an important reason behind this focused march. Her rhythm mimics the dribble of the baketball in the installation next door...quite a remarkable coincidence. She went back and forth in the same manner several times. Very business-like. The last time I heard her coming I was in the hallway and she was leading her family. Family? I did not attach a family to her in the story I was building in my mind. The family members were dressed in casual clothes with soft sport shoes. Are we all in this video together? I wonder what we are trying to say in our little film. What is our message?!

Down a quiet hallway I find a fully equipped art room with works of young students displayed. As usual, I wish that I still had childrens' eyes attached to my hands.

Charlotte and Karin are at the reception desk. We get into some good fun conversation because our credit card will not work...and...it froze their system!Charlotte manages the museum shop and the reception desk. She is very interested in our travel story and invites us to her home for showers, a chat and wine. This is another of those encounters with someone that we are moved to embrace as a new friend to keep forever. Unfortunately we do not have time to spend with her and her family. Our schedule is so tight now, as we intend to see more of Germany before our flight leaves Europe. At least we will come back tomorrow to say goodbye. Maybe some day she can visit us?

Across the street is the Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else (his wife) Alfett's Museum. It is crazy creative! More of that freshness that we found in Ribe's cathedral. It is the building itself and some surrounding sculpted pieces and walls that knock us flat. A round cylinder of a building covered with a mosaic of tiles of figures and objects...and long curved walls on the grounds beside it, also are covered in mosaic images. Inside the museum the feeling is childlike and free. Wierd birds, sunshines, ships, wheels, horses, moon, castles....a bit of similarity to Chagall, imaginative, spontaneous, unspoiled joy.

Next to this is a one-story round white building, the design school and office facilities. The building, a ring shape by architect C.F.Moller, is open in the center to a big grassy lawn...the ring is 'cut' at one point and the 'ends' that now form, overlap a bit, making a short outdoor hallway into the grassy lawn which is surrounded by more mosaic images, almost making a womb to quiet thoughts and allow one to wander in the wonderland undisturbed. 

We move the car further along in BIRK to a parking lot of a business called INNOVATORIUM. We read that it is there to serve as an 'expression of the considerable support and understanding of the local spirit of entrepreneurship'. Both small and large companies can get advice and guidance as to how to start and run a company. From here we begin a trek on trails through a Memorial site of concrete figures of different heights, portraying people, then into a unique sculpture park; a grass field/meadow enclosed by a huge raised ring divided by hedges into thirty-six sections in which each has a sculpture displayed. The inner field is fodder for a herd of cows (...who have no idea that there is wonderful art surrounding them! Art? What's that?) The trail leads on to a long grouping of manicured tree circles, with trails intersecting, all enclosed in a gigantic circle of trees. The feel of this place is matchless; hidden, misplaced, maze-like and beautiful.  

A long and rewarding day. Back with Daisy, we make a good hot soup...a rainy day antidote. I thought maybe we still had time to visit with Charlotte, but I am exhausted.

August 8 & 9

We run by the HEART museum to say goodbye to Charlotte. She gives us a book about the museum. We will treasure it.

Aalsborg is in the northeast of the country on a salt waterway dividing it from the next land mass to the north. We are here because we have been told that it is a city of art. (...by now you know what we are chasing!) The waterfront has recently been torn apart and then beautifully reconstructed with the community's good life in mind. Many of the buildings are still in a state of 'almost finished' but not yet in use. Great innovative architecture has been used. As we turn a corner a WOW building comes into view. What is this? We investigate. Austria's Blau Himmel (Blue Sky) is the architect and this is the music hall. Giant and wonderfully crazy, straight and curved to match the shoreline. Round gridded windows are grouped inside a liver-shaped decoration. Much of the three sides are treated this way, not all identical. The front swoops and curves in several sections. I like it. We are able to tour the interior by ourselves. An awesome strong middle staircase meanders to the top floor. Many strange and necessary angles must have been cut by hand to fit. Lots of glass. The concert hall, opening set for 8 days from now, is not open but the rest is open to the public at all times, making it a nice place of destination for the community.

We find our home spot beside a little park in the University area. A young man is traveling on a skateboard ahead of us. Kaboom! Down he goes hard on his butt, back and elbows. He knows we have seen him and he is embarrassed. “Are you okay?” He grins under his blond curly hair and says, “I am brand new at it. I have to start somewhere.” 

A grey windy day as we explore the city streets, heading toward UTZON Center. Jorn Utzon grew up here and this architecture/art/learning and gathering center that he designed sits on his schoolboy pathway to his school. (He designed many things but the most famous is the Sydney Opera House.) His son Kim joined him in this local inspiring venture. Many unique rooms are offered; model workshops, library, exhibition halls, hands on for kids, open courtyard and an auditorium. Utzon's hope was that it be used as a gathering and sharing space for the students of architecture at the Aalborg University.  

We linger among an exhibition of student thesis projects; models, explanations, photos and sketches. Most of these structures have already been built and have  become important buildings. Examples:

>  The Clearing. A cancer care center, the goal being to provide and focus on some of the smaller things in life... “the feeling of a midsummer breeze, the warming heat of the sun, the sound of singing birds, the smell of rain and the taste of freshly picked apples.” The final design stayed true to these attributes.

>  Terminally Ill Childrens' Facility. These children often want to spend their last days at home. Some countries cannot make this happen. The solution in this facility is to have an apartment in a hospice center for the whole family with emphsis on a good indoor climate.

>  Miles 2 Smiles Project.  Kindergarten/Child Care. The goal; best expressed by these terms...unencumbered, free and unburdened. In Uganda, it is a place to help women who have jobs to provide a place of nurturance for their children. This includes nutrition, education and care and could certainly change a child's life. The organization had come to the point of needing their own building to reach out to more children. Some of these children had been left alone each day locked into a dark hovel, the mother's only choice. 

The outside shapes of the Utzon enter, of tall roof lines sheathed in metal, reflect on the water below. As we leave and look back, I can see somewhere in the juxtaposition of shapes, a viking ship. The weather has changed to its worst...heavy rains and winds. As we walk we are caught in its full force and our umbrella succumbs into a piece of wierdness; loose spokes and wonky fabric, not quite an art piece!

We move to Mariager Inlet for the night and are entertained by all that happens in a seaside town...fishermen, dog walkers, boats. This site used to be a pick-up spot for grain so there is a place for large ships, but all is quiet here now. A lighthouse and a full silver rising moon. We sleep.

August 10

We wake to the sounds and sights of grebes and gulls and the neighing of horses.

Yesterday's storm has played out. At 10:30 we are on the road. A stream of bicyclers race past, a few ahead, most in one clump behind. Little ponies race up and down their narrow seaside pasture. The road turns direction into forests and farms. Young calves in a field, sandy white in color. Wind turbines stretch across this low rolling land. Pretty village after village. A family running, all with great pain on their faces! A home getting a brand new thatched roof. Black crows in a golden mowed field. Wood piled high ready for autumn. We are following the 'Flower Trail', the flower image on road signs marks the scenic route through sweet quiet places. 

In Randers, we see a large clear sphere with many parked cars around it. It is a zoo. I ask Gypsy to take us on another small road. All is so neat in this rural area;  hedges, fields, homes, lawns. We must be coming closer to the city of Aarhus because the scene changes to an extended group of business establishments, all in a neat row. It seems that the rule is , if you want your business here you must build it with good design and beauty in mind and keep it maintained.

The Aros Art Museum in Aarhus... another of those WOW buildings. Ten levels with a rainbow ring on top. World class design, world class art. Through the open center of 10 floors, a curved incision runs forming a 'museum street' throughout the building and in its middle is a spiral staircase to access galleries at each level.  Then, at the top, is a rainbow panorama. Guests can move around in the changing rainbow colors of the glass ring along a 150 meter walkway which offers a 360o view of the city, sky and horizon. We took the elevator to the top first. It is a bit scary as the glass wall of the ring is at the very edge leaving nothing beyond but the view! And it is dizzying. Below us is a sculpture of twisted steel, almost like a double chain link. I see twirling and dancing in the entwined piece.

The rest of the time was spent walking down the staircase to each floor, enjoying what they had to offer. Here are some highlights for me:

~ Good modern paintings, abstraction. I took photos to inspire color and technique applications in my own work...little snippets of paintings that I loved.

~ Dark rooms of installations. The darkness took the aspect of how things were made away. A bit of a mystery. I step carefully into another room, letting my eyes adjust, but finding that my old eyes have trouble adjusting. I grope for walls and benches not really knowing if they are really there. 

~ Focus on color. The information before entering a room says that if you are claustrophobic, you should think twice about walking in! Well, in some cases I do suffer from claustrophobia, but not always, and I made the decision to go through the door. The room was full of different colors of fog that was very hard to see and move through, but I wanted to stand in every color. I bumped into support poles, walls and people. I lost David and found him again. We took pictures of each other. A crazy place. “Let's get out of here. Where's the door? Here's an arrow on the wall, let's follow it. But here's another arrow pointed in the opposite direction. Here's a door. It's locked!” This is not funny. I am beginning to really panic. I have to get out. In a loud voice I say, “Does anyone know how to get out of here?!” No one answers me. At that moment David finds the door and we tumble out. How was that room set up? David says that the lights were neon above us with a filter screen below them. Fog was wafted into the room by several machines. 

~A huge exhibit by American artist, Wes Lang. Illustration-painting...the same images and words used over and over. The information given us says, 'Seeing Wes Lang's works, one is left in no doubt about the important role played by American history, its mythologies, and not least, its iconography.' The latter is stored already in most of our minds, those of us of a certain age...and also, other countries besides the U.S....who shared in this life and times. '...a shared image bank where Playboy pin-ups, handsomely curved motorcycles and plumed Indians lead our thoughts in the direction of the North American continent and its history...the image bank that Lang dips into when sourcing his various motifs and references...the Indian chief, the grim reaper and the skull, naked women, Indian TPs, tattoos....” Backgrounds of paintings are grey-white with images, motifs and works flying about on this light field. One after the other. I found it boring overall but still some of it intrigued me...because I did have all these images in my memory. The painter follows Course in Miracles and, Ram Das' Be Here Now

and says that because of this he gets everything he wants! I notice that it is only naked ladies that he draws well, not fine art but the pin-up variety. 

I watch a video and cannot find any depth in what he is saying. Is he spoofing us? Is he making art that uplifts us. Is he revealing something we have not thought of? I was left with much to think about which I guess is the point of being an artist! For your enjoyment...Here are words and phrases that he used: A place in the sun. - My way. - Hey, that's no way to say goodbye. – If you never try, you'll never know. - All you ever wanted. - Eighty cigarettes a day. - It's good to have options. - All the answers. - Acts of kindness. - You handsome devil. - You can't stop me. - Things can only improve. - Glory – Aces high. - Never felt so good before. - Hold your head up high. - Gentle on my mind. - Good news for modern man, life here is grand. - You are my sunshine. - This time will be the last time. - You'll never walk alone. - The road to glory. - Learning to fly. - This world lasts forever. - Simple truths. - Little dreamer. - The promised land. - Perfect harmony. - What a difference a day makes. - A brand new day. - Light of the world. - Abundant goodness. - Become tranquility. - Blessings. - Practice silence. - A clear path. - Blue skies. - Expand. - Storms never last. - The best is yet to come. - For ever and ever. - The way. - Be yourself. - Accepting the unacceptable. - Upwards. - It can be done. - Limitless. - The streets are made of gold. - Finding truths in your own way. - Enjoying the ride. - Nobody does it better. - Satin sheets. - California dreaming. - Mansions. - For the man who has everything. - Let the good times roll. - Nothing to lose. - Good things are coming our way. - Allow. - Don't ever set a limit. - No time for weakness. 

~ A silver lady statue stands in the museum 'street', flower in her hand, long flowing clothes...a basket for money placed at her feet. Ah, this is a person, painted totally silver, never moving except when she winks at one of us...but wait, this lady does not wink or move! Maybe she is not a person? Maybe she is a robot? She draws a crowd constantly. People put coins in her basket as they do for other such play statues out on the city streets. I took note of her position and vowed to come back in twenty minutes...........Yes, her arms had moved! I decided that she was a dummy, electronically set to move at a snail's pace or at the growth of a flower blooming. What a fun idea! Ah, but I still am not sure!

August 11

It is 1:00 p.m. David calls out... “As they say in the nuthouse, we're off!” and we, including Daisy, skip and jump and laugh our way along romantic country roads. Spurts of rain drops and dark clouds, then Dutch blue sky patches and finally, sunshine. Ostriches look over a fence. Little white ponies cavort in a field. Today is a travel day and we slow through the towns of Grumstrup, Hovedhard, Hatting, Lindved, Grejs and Skaerup. A hotel bi-line...'Moments of Happiness.'

(Only moments?) 

The Danish flag is flying in many shapes and sizes, but always the red background behind the white cross. At each turn we encounter spillings of wheat on the road...the truck a little too full? Traveling a little too fast? One has the feeling that all is right and sweet in Denmark. We pick up Nana and Mads, hitch hikers and students in Aahus, on their way to a music festival in France. They tell us that Denmark offers a special school program at the 10^th grade. Students can choose to go to a different school for one year, anywhere in Denmark. The goal is to develop new relationships, have fresh creative experiences and take stock of where they might want to go in life. We leave Nana and Mads on the E45 freeway entrance. Beep beep...and waves all 'round. Goodbye forever.

A large long-eared hare bounds a straight line across the road in front of us, putting much trust and hope in his timing. Yikes. Break. I think of the book Watership Down. We are following the Queen Margarethe Route, the 'flower trail'. Black-eyed Susans decorate parks in masses. Two adorable little girls making their way home, one pushes a bike that has two giant sword ferns strapped to her bike rack. A pretty girl rides bicycle handle bars, leaning back against her fella, legs bobbing out front. We wish them good luck as they start up a hill...will he be the ultimate man?

We stop on the windy beach at Kelstrup Strand. Dune grasses let go to the force, bending in an airy graceful rhythmn. Sandy paths, worn by summer feet, wind up and over the low dunes. A couple of boys race across the waves, being pulled along by full-arked kites. They jump and flip and land in the white wave tops, leaving  fine spray behind them. What a grand show! A little boy and his dad walk the dune trail to their special spot, toting a yellow bucket and a net. A little girl skips and jumps alongside her dad as they walk the same trail in a different direction. It seems that we have found another amazing seaside place. We are by the Lille Baelt Sea on Denmark's east coast. Kites fly incessantly, the two string kind that reel and dive and make sharp corner turns. I am pretty sure that this is the draw of this spot, a refreshing wind that the locals love. A wind that visits often. 

We must stay right where we are tonight. From the van window we watch a lightening show. A glowing golden fork whips and snakes hell bent for the ground. Thunder, lightening, rain all night. Our little home shakes with all the excitement.

August 12

Again we ride the Flower Trail, the best of the best that the area has to offer. After the rain everything sparkles, even the cows. Water droplets like diamonds. More hard rain. The changing cloudy skies are magnificent...dark flirts with bright light. A strange rainbow starts to grow out of the ground, no it is three rainbows, fizzy looking rays are rising. A wild scene. 

Before we leave Denmark we must find more CDs of our favorite Danish series, Borgen, the second and third series. We are successful in two places, cobbled village streets and a modern mall. English subtitles. Then we set Wolfsburg, Germany into the GPS. It is 5½ hours away. The decision to move south fast is made, to insure that we can drive the 'Romantic Road' and see the Black Forest. We say goodbye to Denmark and all the wonderful Nordic countries. We have loved our time here...the experiences, the people, the land and the seas.

THOUGHTS and OBSERVATIONS:

>  More deaf 'jokes' between David and I.

David....How do you spell Lithuania? Lou....M-i-s-c-e-l-l-a-n-e-o-u-s.

David....How do you spell Balkan?  Lou....F-a-l-c-o-n.

>  David reports that there is a 'snoose' cooler in the gas station, windowed slots seven rows wide and ten rows deep. Lots of flavors.

>  We noticed a fellow many times over as we walk through the Gunnebo estate. Finally I ask him what he is up to. He is playing the Portal Game. Geo-cacheing. He must find all the locations in the park to gain points and beat others playing the game. He is using his smart phone. “It's really fun!”

>  Caravans. Big fields of them along the Swedish west coast. This is the coast with beaches. Campers do not seem to mind being packed in with one another. Maybe it is the freedom of being away from home, living in simplicity and meeting and socializing with old and new summer friends.

> Several town citizens have a unique way of slowing traffic where there may be children playing. They place colorful full flower boxes in the middle of the street, leaving just enough space to slowly work a car around.

>  Favorite greeting here and in Denmark: Hi ya, or Hi hi, or Hay hay.

>  We see a town on our map called, Glumso. David says, “That is not a happy village.”

>  A speed sign...FARTKONTROL. Another sign says SMUKFEST???

>  Bob Dylan has a show of his paintings on the outskirts of Copenhagen. I would love to see the exhibit but we have run out of time...and this is its last day. 

>  Several times we have seen  an announcement of a new baby in front of a home...a wooden stork with a baby in the sling. 

>  A row of sunflowers, in cheerful bloom, all along the length of a corn field...but the corn has grown so high that it towers over the sturdy tall flower stocks.

>  I have to admit that we stopped at a Burger King for a Whopper, onion rings and fries. First time in 2 ½ years. Don't tell anyone!

>  Bouncing emotions, interpretations, ideas and observations off each other helps a bit to elevate our understanding of life I think. 

>  Did I say this already? We started out interested in the many cultural histories in our travels but our preferences are refining themselves into today's culture, today's arts, today's life.

>  A University advertisement in Aalsborg. 'Learning seriously affects your brain'.