Copenhagen 4
It was raining the third morning of our stay, and we agreed to go off the beaten path negotiating our way by two buses to the six million brick cathedral. Located in a district of affordable housing and from the outside less pleasing looking than the photo of the interior in BLOX, we found it was locked up, nobody around.
Knocking on the door produced no response, so I crept around to a back cellar door and kept banging. The person who opened it explained that the Church was reserved for a later morning baptism ceremony but yielded to my badgering and led me through a side aisle to the front door where she let Jan in.
As we entered the nave together, our senses were engulfed by sound and sight:
After the music ceased, the front doors opened pouring in a crowd of dressed-up families many with small children. Jan lit a candle and then we departed.
Looking for the bus stop in the rain, a sign in Danish and English stated that the line in that direction had been cancelled to accommodate street construction. A young man passing by led us a couple of blocks to a stop on a different route that could take us back to Hotel Savoy to retrieve our baggage and relocate to the hotel booked by the tour.
This was the SAS Royal Hotel, featured in the BLOX museum, built in 1960 and famously designed by architect Arne Jacobsen. As have many others, I found the exterior blocky and ungraceful, especially compared to the variety of Copenhagen buildings I’d already seen or the Lever House on New York’s Park Ave. I’d admired growing up during the 1950’s.
It was the sole subject of a large book found in the building’s museum to itself in the lobby
and of the memorial room containing all its original furnishings, including Jacobsen’s ubiquitous swan and cloud chairs.
After the requisite nap, we took a tram to the Art Academy housed in another palace to attend a late afternoon concert we’d preordered tickets for presented by two young Ukranian virtuousi. It featured pieces by Beethoven, Ravel and two Ukranian composers. That made it one of many political/cultural events staged throughout Europe
Another gratifying architectural experience was offered by the escalator to the subway back to the hotel
Tired and hungry in search of dinner, Jan led us to the appealing Bodega cafe around the corner
across the street from the Tivoli Gardens, the 19th century progenitor of Disneyland, which we never entered.
At the end of a long day, we preferred to enjoy the local food, music, and company of this great discovery.