Took the train to Roskilde to see the 12th century cathedral where the kings and queens of Denmark are buried - and the Viking ships museum. I did the right thing putting it off till better weather: the fjord was lovely with the sun shining and the scudding clouds.
First thing, the 12th century cathedral has an automatic door. It is an evolving space, with tasteful modern chandeliers and modern sculptural main doors. The tombs and chapels are meant to impress, with new spaces added over the centuries. One of the least impressive kings has the most impressive chapel. A curious display is of the double casket planned for the present queen and her consort. The chapel where it will be housed is undergoing preparations.
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| Christian the 4th, I think, who was maybe the most famous of Danish kings. He was wounded in battle and everything. |
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| Model of the current Queen Margrethe's and husband's casket |
The viking ships museum was a fair walk away (of course) and was fairly interesting with an array of crafts represented. It is situated on the fjord (of course) and, although I didn't, you can go out in a replica. It was very windy on the day and I was content just to watch. The actual 1000 year old boats are dramatically silhouetted against the fjord where they were scuttled as channel guards during unsettled times. Lunch was delicious: the restaurant serves 'New Viking' food, taking a modern spin on ingredients that were available in viking times.
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| New viking food. The green tea was flavoured with 'sea buckthorn' which was mild and sweet. |
The walk back went through a lovely park that overlooked the fjord. Scandinavians really know how to garden.
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| A piece of open land over the ruins of a medieval church and town, looking back to the fjord at Roskilde |
Before I left, I ducked into a contemporary art space that, like the exhibition at the national museum, had a feminist slant. The photographic reenactments of famous female suicides was a bit icky, though, you know, sort of tastefully done, as far as you can with that sort of material.
Got directions to the Arken Museum of Modern Art (a train and two buses, but connections were good so it didn't take overly long) and arrived on a windy, sandy, open piece of land with a great concrete wedge sitting on it. The wind whipped the sand into my face as I walked up. They were between exhibitions, so some galleries were closed. There was a bit installation of large models of electricity towers that hummed loudly and glowed above you as you walked. Damien Hirst has a room that includes two front ends of cows in formaldehyde. I enjoyed the mirrored spiral that you can walk through - like a bit of interactivity. Ai Weiwei's golden zodiac heads were there and a number of interesting, garish, weird and wonderful things. The toilet was quite arty too. An aside: designers have not perfected bathroom visual communication: there is such an array of options, I don't know whether to turn the tap or wave at it. One bathroom had soap with a wave, but manual tap - confusion!
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| Arken |
Arken took less time than I thought, so I decided to forge ahead to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which wasn't closing till 10pm. In a showdown of modern art museums, Louisiana wins hands down. I am, however, glad I went to Arken, the art of which was more jarring and discordant than Louisiana. The permanent and exhibition art at Louisiana was lyrical and beautiful, perhaps tamer. Louisiana is a lovely building on a stunning location with gardens, while Arken was literally abrasive with the sand flying. I was very tired but the exhibitions were all so good I got a second wind. Peter Doig, at least in his more peaceful blue-green paintings, is a new favourite. There was the photographer Jeff Wall and drawings by David Hockney. The permanent items include a great array of sculpture and another interactive piece - Kusama's 'Gleaming Light of the Souls,' a cube you enter and close the door behind you. The walls and ceiling are mirrors and the floor is water: a hundred suspended coloured lights are repeated infinitely around you. Took the train back to Copenhagen a little before 9pm and slept very well that night.
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