(no subject)

[solitary_summer]

[ edited & typed: 07-19 ]


Louisiana Museum of Modern Art:

:: Very green, very lush gardens, swallows swooping low over the lawn; a gull crying. Still cloudy with a chill wind, but the clouds have broken and the sun glitters on the sea near the Swedish coast. Tiny waves lapping on the beach, and when the sun comes out for a moment it's quite warm. ::

Beautiful as it is, the museum did nothing to diminish my absolute lack of understanding as regards modern and more specifically abstract art. I was wandering through the collections with a growing sense of bafflement tinged with guilt for my ignorance, but if nothing else the sculpture garden was very much worth the visit, the way the works of art blend into the natural surroundings.

:: Later. Sitting in a rather secluded spot on what may be some kind of sculpture or just part of the architecture, back against the wall, sun quite hot on my face for the moment, looking across the bushes and trees at the Swedish coast, a tanker, a sailboat crossing slowly. Sound of the waves, smells of the sea. Bluebells. ::



Ordrupgaard Museum:

Arrived rather tired, after a 3/4 hr walk from the station; country house in a beautiful small park; small, but nice museum. I don't much care for the French painting, but the Danish collection was interesting, some very beautiful landscapes by L. A. Ring, painted with extreme precision, but having an air of the symbolic without seeming constructed...

:: Sitting in some semi-secluded spot in the park in the sun, a meadow with long grass, all kinds of wild flowers, butterflies; unwilling to go on, go back, take the train to the other museum I was planning on visiting. Hating the self-created rush that doesn't really allow you to enjoy places for as long as you'd like. I once used to ignore the pressure and just enjoy the moment, whatever it was, but my interests have broadened since and when you're paying for the vacation yourself, suddenly it does matter and you want to see as much as possible in the week or so you've got. Not sure whether I should resent this or not.... Moments like snapshots. Got bitten by the largish local mosquito variety. Ouch.::


With hindsight I must say be careful what you wish for, because when I decided to take a different way back to another station on the same line, what with the somewhat sketchy plan form the Copenhagen Card booklet I took the wrong turn, trudged through the (admittedly rather pretty) landscape along the edge of a park for at least an hour or so until I found myself stumbling through some posh suburb, hot and tired. Finally asked someone for the way to the station, which after another 15 min. or so I even managed to find. Only it turned out it wasn't the station (or indeed any of the stations) I'd been looking for by a long way. In fact I'd been walking in the wrong direction entirely for the whole time.

So by the time I got back to Copenhagen it was much too late to take the train to the other museum, got back to the hotel, showered, went out for a walk. Er. Yes. Walk.

Still feeling very irritable because of the enforced change of plans; called my sister, who casually asked what I was doing the evenings. Now I hate going out alone, don't even do it at home. Ended up feeling alone and pathetic to boot, irritated with the sun and the people enjoying it. Hot, blue skies, all quite unbearably cheerful. Didn't find a city bike and ended up walking for another three hours, through the old town to Christanshavn, mood finally improving somewhat, sitting on the harbour, doing the touristy thing taking snapshots ...

Dropped in on the parents (on their way to Sweden with their tourist party) in their very posh hotel to give them the camera, promising myself to really get a digital camera one of these days. Annoyance ensues. Oh, not really, we actually had a nice chat, but they're just so complicated. :: sigh ::

I seriously planned on taking the bus to my hotel, but when I didn't find one immediately I was to lazy to look and ended up walking all the way back, another 3/4 hr. My legs were cramping and aching by the time I finally got to bed.