Northern Exposure: Copenhagen, Denmark

Hey there! I had a great time in Copenhagen last week! After a short visit in Lund, Sweden to help my mom prepare an international conference in Lund scheduled for next summer, we crossed the Oresund Bridge to Copenhagen. It was a cold and windy day but we were excited to be there nonetheless. With only two days to explore we didn’t waste time. We covered nearly the entire city on foot and couldn’t find the rental bikes to save our lives! Our itinerary was relatively spontaneous combining recommended tourist sites and the most appealing museums listed in the guidebook.

First on the list was The Little Mermaid – from the imagination of Denmark’s own Hans Christian Anderson. We were told that you can’t go to Copenhagen without seeing her and now when you go, you can also see an artist’s interpretation of the “Survival of the Fattest”…I’m honestly not sure why Copenhagen decided to place the latter next to the Mermaid, but if you’re interested in the concept behind the design read more.

Next, we headed to the Kunst Industry Museet, also known as the Danish Museum of Art & Design. This museum was awesome and highly inspiring with a visual history of poster advertising available for viewing until December, along with the museum’s permanent collection of art and design specific to Denmark, and the evolution of styles including Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and of products of the Industrial Revolution up to the 1960’s & 70’s. The museum also has a wing devoted to the work current Scandinavian artists next to a fantastic café with yummy soups and teas!

Another museum we visited was the Danish Design Center which houses prototypes of innovative product designs and concepts. I was especially excited to see the work of architect Bjarke Ingels who is a key member on the board which is working towards making Copenhagen CO2 free and reduce their carbon footprint woo! They’ve already worked to solve the problem of traffic congestion during rush hour – perhaps LA could look into their plan. In terms of sustainability and global impact consciousness, Denmark is the country to watch and model after right now. They’re presently preparing for the United Nations Climate Change Conference which will be held this December.

And let us not forget the food! Chicken & steak fondue with a ton of specialty sauces and a herring tray as an appetizer! Herring makes for a great Scandinavian treat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

The visit was quite lovely! I'm looking forward to going back for the conference, summer 2010. I'm sure Copenhagen will be even better in the summertime!