DENMARK: DEN LILLE HAVFRUE

I didn't go down to see the little mermaid (den lille havfrue) but the kids did - so this is their pic.  We were docked quite a ways away, so it just wasn't on my list for that day.  People are often surprised that its so small.  It is only 1.25 metres tall.  It's the LITTLE mermaid people - get over it!

Its based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.  It was made in 1913.  Didn't realize she was so old.  It was a gift to the City of Copenhagen from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen.  The ballerina Ellen Price was asked to model for the bronze and granite statue, and the face is hers, but she would not agree to model in the nude, so the body is that of the sculptor's wife Eline Eriksen.  

The statue has been damaged and defaced many times and has always been restored.  And geeze when they vandalize a statue down there they mean business - her head was sawn off and stolen, her arm was sawn off and she has a gash in the neck from a further beheading attempt.  Sheesh.  Then on more separate occasions she was decapitated again, knocked off her base with explosives, draped in a burqa, had a dildo attached to her hand,and had paint poured on her many many times for many many causes.

DENMARK

Locus amoenus:  place of contemplative delight.  Usually a beautiful shady lawn.

Kastellet (The Citadel), also called the Star Fortress in Copenhagen.  

DENMARK: BE PREPARED TO BE CONFUSED

Okay, so there's this statue in Aarhus Denmark that looks fairly innocent at first glance.  I was standing behind it, and it looked like a classical statue, and actually it is a take off on an ancient Greek sculpture of Hermes and the infant Dionysus dug up in the 1800s.  So far so good.  However...

The name of the piece is Madame and you might notice that he has one sandal on, and one women's shoe.  Turn around and look at the front and what do you know - no boy parts.  

So now I'm wondering what this is all about, and I just can't understand what the artist was getting at, and as far as I can understand, its not really about gender. 

 


The statue is in a public park area with people around and kids playing on it all the time - so its there for the touching.  Then there's that Braille lettering at the bottom "Noli me tangere".  It means "don't touch me".  Hmm - okay - I guess that's kinda clever.   

 






Original sculpture (left).  He was holding grapes and the child was reaching for them.



The German / Danish artist Christian Lemmerz is well known in that part of the world because he once had an art installation comprised of dead pigs in glass containers.  Viewers could watch them decompose.  There was a public outcry and I think they were taken away - mostly due to the smell.  The public wasn't so happy about this piece of art either, but by the sounds of it, it could have been worse. 





Actually, looking at his work - there is one I really like....   Maybe not appropriate for a public park, but I think its done well, that's for sure.

COPENHAGEN: TROUVAILLE

Trouvaille:  Something lovely found by chance.

Febo - Amsterdam

Tallinn, Estonia

Ketch Up Burgers - St. Petersburg, Russia

It's like drinking 10 chocolate bars

Denmark

Helsinki, Finland

St. Petersburg, Russia

Germany

Stockholm, Sweden

Amsterdam

Tallinn

I'm thinking in Russia, even their fast food is political... 

DENMARK: LAMBORGHINI ART EXHIBIT

I don't know one car from another, but apparently this is a fancy car (Lamborghini Gallardo) and is worth $236,486.00 Canadian.  Actually, the owner of the car - Norwegian artist Dolk - says it might be worth more than that now because its a piece of art.  
 

My son walking around the car

I knew this exhibit would be at the  ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, but I didn't realize the "interactive" part of it was finished.  Not that I would have contributed.  


So this is the deal.   The beautiful black Lamborghini was placed in the gallery and viewers were asked to scratch it as part of an art project.  Basically, the artist wanted to send a message that people "leave their marks" in the world.  But after three weeks, the artist realized he had to put a stop to the vandalism and tell people the exhibition was over, because - well - let's just say the visitors were "very enthusiastic".  People started scratching the windows, pulling off the lettering, and if left any longer the car would be completely white.  

In September, the artist will take back the car, but won't have it repainted.  

DENMARK: THE DANNEBROG

As we were leaving Copenhagen, our ship captain pointed out that the Royal Yacht had just pulled out beside us.  I missed it, but Kathryn and Edward saw it and were able to snap a photo of it.  Yowza!  Nice!

It serves as the official and private residence for HM the Queen and other members of the Royal Family when they are on official visits overseas or on summer cruises in home waters.  The Danish and the Norwegian Royal yachts are the world's only two remaining royal yachts.   

Internet pic

Internet pic

It was built in 1931 at the Naval Dockyard in Copenhagen.  It is able to sleep a total of 14 people and plus the 52 qualified crew.   The royal compartment includes the Queen's study, a dining salon, a lounge, the bedrooms and more.  You can find furniture and fittings from the previous royal vessel from 1879.  At the rear is an area which could accommodate patients if the vessel is ever used in its role as a hospital ship.   Oh, plus there is apparently a famous monster named Tang Rasmus (Seaweed Rasmus) that roams around in a narrow provisions room. 

The Danish Royal Yacht is named The Dannebrog (which means - the Danish flag).  The Danish flag holds the world record of being the oldest continuously used national flag.  The flag is "Dannebrog red" with a white cross.  It looks to me that in the photo the yacht also flies the Splitflag (the Orlogsflag) which when it has no other markings, is for the most part, only allowed to be used by the Royal Danish Navy.