Museum Pass day 2

These are the sweet cats that we are watching. There are two in this pile of fur, and one is grooming the other. They are brothers

Through a combination of thriftiness and being culture-junkies, if you give us a museum pass/ transportation pass, we will do our best to get our money's worth.

Alex and Melissa gave us a 72 hour city pass for my birthday. We started it yesterday, taking the train out to Elsinore and going to the castle, but we were spending time with her aunt so only did the one museum. Today we got out early and saw three of the four floors of the national history/archaeology museum from 10:15-1:45 (including lunch). At 2 we met Alex and Melissa and her cousin, Dina, to do to the Louisiana Museum (modern art) from about 3-9 (including dinner). Whew!

I took some photos of things that almost always catch my eye:

1. Jewelry. I always am amazed that no matter the culture, no matter the time period, the jewelry looks like something I might wear today. Maybe museum jewelry, souvenir jewelry is in style throughout my life, or maybe jewelry is somehow very timeless, way more so than clothing or other arts.

because these are bracelets I would wear

because all of these rings are beautiful

because this could be a display in an Athens souvenir store

because I love this little figure on a ring

because this little family with their linking arms charmed me

because there is a little duck in between the horse heads

There is some symbolic connection between green men and the evil eye. These staring faces always grab my attention.

because this enormous drinking bowl is just spectacular and on every side there is a staring face

because this ship's rib has an apotropaic face

because this is a totally legit green man

because a second green man is hanging off the bottom

this was very high up, but I think there is a green man in the center, but he is tipped up and I am below

Glass also always attracts my attention. These were some incredibly decorative glass pieces. It was SAND, and yet these technologically primitive people turned it not just in to translucent glass, but with colors and designs!

because there is a lion and a windmill-like design

because the color and shape and texture and design...

Then there are the oddities. One oddity was that ships are a really common motif in Danish art. It was etched on things, and there were big boats and little boats. This enormous collection of little golden boats really brought the motif home for me.

These are instruments that gave a low booming sound, specific to Denmark

The Louisiana might be one of my all-time favorite museums. I loved everything about it. The architecture incorporated the outdoors with hallways and sitting rooms with glass walls inviting you outside even in inclement weather.

because its a graveyard or art installation viewed from a glass hallway

This was a reading room, but had this one art piece, a diving board clearly made specifically for this spot, where it looked like you could dive right into the water because of the way the window was set.

because again, this room with its window wall was like a frame for an everchanging picture of the garden outside, with the one Giacometti statue making the point.

 The exhibits were excellent. My favorite was Sophie Calle, an incredibly thought provoking writer and French photographer. One exhibit included framed photos with a cloth on top..on the cloth was a statement about the photograph starting with "because..." and then an explanation. You read it and then lift the cloth to reveal the photo.

I have decided to adopt that technique with my blog photos.

because it is a thatched house, and Alex was telling me about his friend who is a retired thatcher!

because I got a big chuckle out of this sign

because dinner at the cafe was delicious and its own work of art

It was a long but really fulfilling day. Dina was delightful. I am so happy to meet this family who has just folded Alex and Melissa right into its arms. Not only are they so welcoming and such a great resource, but they are also really fun people to talk with. I love spending time with my adult son and his wife, exploring their new home. I am grateful to be in a cool place after a week in sweltering Athens, and not sweltering at home. It is very fun to be in a home exchange, with my kids who live here, so not really a tourist, and exploring a place I know little about, but am going to get to know very well for the rest of my life.