The Danish Design Museum
I spent an hour at the museum, looking at various things, but it didn’t give me any clues as to the furniture I need for my house. Strangely though, they had an exhibition of post war British fabrics. The one on the poster, was suspiciously like one that C chose for our flat in the Barbican.
It was one designed for Heals and in those days C bought the fabric from there for a lot of our curtains.
The Amalienborg Palace
The Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish Royal family.
These pictures were taken about ten and show tourists just waiting around for something to happen.
Wandering Around Copenhagen
I didn’t sleep well, as the hotel was just so hot and the windows didn’t open easily.
About eight, in the morning, I’d had enough, so I checked out and went to the station, where the ticket office was at least open and I was able to buy my ticket to Hamburg on the 15:44 train. But I did have to queue up for perhaps thirty minutes, as there were no machines.
I then decided to put my case in a left luggage locker. Not a problem for me, as my case, only weighs a few kilos, but access to the lockers in the basement of the station was down two staircases and very difficult with a heavy case. There was a lift, but it was very small and slow. When I thought about using it later, someone was in it with a bicycle.
So I said goodbye to the station and started to look for some breakfast. But nothing seemed to open until eleven. In Stockholm, things started to happen earlier. but eleven is just too late for tourists. I got the impression, that I wasn’t the only visitor aimlessly wandering looking for something to do.
In the centre of Copenhagen, I never saw a map on the street, something that I rely on for directions. I did have a guide book, but with my gammy left hand, walking and reading a map is not on.
I did find the Danish Design Centre, which according to my guide book had some good exhibits on Danish design. But the exhibits have now been closed.
Currently We Have No Exhibitions
So I just had an excellent coffee and left.
As I walked, nothing was open, but at least there were a few seats, where I could sit by myself in the sun.
A Seat In The Sun
I’d come to Denmark partly to get ideas for my house, so in the end I walked to the Danish Design Museum, which although it opened at eleven, was open by the time I got there. I’d actually wasted a lot of time, talking to other tourists, who were standing around just looking aimless. It was also raining by now, which made my map useless, so I was glad to be in some shelter.
Unwelcoming Copenhagen!
My stay in Copenhagen was not the best.
I arrived in the city at six in the evening, to find the tourist office closed and all the hotels full. I eventually got a room in a rather poor hotel at a five star price. The Danes may be nice people, but some of them know how to rip off tourists.
The room was a fifteen minute walk from the station, so I decided to go there, get some food and then book my onward travel to Hamburg for the morning. I did have the train times, but I only had my tablet and felt that at the station there would be some of the excellent German ticket machines.
In the end, I got an excellent gluten-free meal at an Italian restaurant by the station, but by the time, I’d finished it was eight and the station was shut. There were no automatic machines, that sold tickets to Hamburg either. Customer Service? Forget it!
So I went back to my grotty hotel room and went to bed. There wasn’t even any reliable wi-fi, and there was nothing I could understand on the television. In fact, I doubt that even a Dane could have understood it, as both the sound and the picture was excrutiating.
Would I Go Back To Stockholm?
Most certainly! Yes! Although, I wouldn’t stay in the Stureplan Hotel again!
I’d probably try to get in Hotel Rival. It looks like I can get a room at a reasonable price for a couple of weeks ahead.
The hotel also knows its gluten-free, as it appeared did most of Stockholm.
Perhaps next time I go, it’ll be a stop-over on the way to see the bears!
Everybody needs to go to Stockholm once, just to see the Vasa.
From Stockholm To Copenhagen By Train
I left Stockholm for Copenhagen late in the morning.
The journey should have taken just over five hours but the train was half-an-hour late into the Danish capital. A hotel manager I spoke to, said that the trains are always late. But I couldn’t find any published statistics, like you see on British stations.
The Stockholm to Copenhagen line is not very spectacular, except for the amazing crossing between Malmo and Copenhagen on the double-deck Øresund Bridge.
The Øresund Line, which is the high-speed rail line between Malmo and Copenhagen, illustrates some of the problems of running trains between different countries. This section called Border Technicalities in the Wikipedia article on the line, illustrates the problem. The electrification, signalling and train running systems are all different.
At least England and Scotland have the same systems and we’re vaguely the same as the French, Belgians and Germans, with respect to high-speed rail.
But then Ireland, including the North, use a different gauge.
The Swedish high speed train, called the SJ 2000, that I used on the journey has the luxury of running on 19th Century lines between Stockholm and Malmo, that were built relatively straight. But it is not particularly fast, going at speeds comparable with our Inter City 125s from London to the West Country. Our trains are thirty years older and diesel powered, but comparisons like this illustrate how good was the design of the Inter City 125s.
Fotografiska
Fotografiska is Stockholm’s photographic museum. I like photography so I walked there from the station at Slussen. I must admit, I was drawn there by the adverts for a Helmut Newton exhibition all over the city.
Unfortunately, the city built a motorway, between the museum and the cliff face behind, so there are no buses. One of the staff told me, that the city is redeveloping the area and hasn’t made up its mind about the transport in the area.
The various exhibits were fascinating, but the Helmut Newton exhibition also included some portraits of the famous, including a striking one of Margaret Thatcher, which is shown here. I also like this quote from Helmut Newton.
Nothing has been retouched, nothing electronically altered. I photographed what I saw.
It is a good rule for a photographer, that they shouldn’t break.
There was also a restaurant with views across the city on the top floor. If I’d had more time, I’d have had lunch!
Velez Malaga Sends Its Trams To Australia
The BBC World today, was dominated by this story, about how Velez Malaga was sending its trams to Australia, as it can’t afford them.
I do wonder who is footing the bill for all these Spanish practices?
An Inclined Lift
In one of the stations I passed through on the Stockholm Metro, there was an inclined lift.
An Inclined Lift
Both Crossrail and the London Underground are installing some in the near future.
Hiss incidentally means lift and is easily remembered, if like me, you need the occasional pick-me-up.
A Walk At Hässelby Strand
After I’d seen the Vasa, I thought it would be nice for another walk. So I looked on the Stockholm Metro map and found a station called Hässelby Strand. If Strand means the same as it does in German, then it could be a beach. I’ve just checked and it is.
So I went and explored.
It was a very pleasant place by the water. Sadly, there didn’t seem to be a cafe for a drink.
The Anonymous Widower 