The Dalston House
I went to look at the Dalston House Art Installation by Leandro Erlich, this morning.
The idea is basically very simple. a fake house front has been created on the ground and a large mirror at 45° has been placed so that if you say sit in the windows of the house, you can see yourself sitting in the reflection.
It was fascinating and many of those exploring it, seemed to feel they were children again.
One of the best things, was seeing the expression on a three-year-old’s face as he walked towards the mirror, seeing himself sticking out of the wall.
I can see that this simple idea being replicated all over the world.
My mother used to work at Reeves just round the corner and she used to tell a tale about how an enormous German bomb in the Second World War, destoryed a lot of the area. I checked at the library and the whole site, where the Dalston House has been built was a bomb site. They have a copy of the LCC Bomb Damage Book, which is a must-read book, for anybody, who lives or is thinking of living in an area of London that suffered bombing.
And to make everything even better, there is no entry charge to see this unusual work of art.
You just turn up and play! But they do limit the time you spend walking up and down the house to five or six minutes!
Would I Go Back To Hamburg Again?
Hamburg disappointed me. I think most of this was because I couldn’t get a decent pocket guide and it was just so hot and humid.
I suspect, I won’t return, as if I want to spend a night in that part of Germany, I’ve found a good alternative in Osnabruck. But I would take the Bird Flight Line again!
No Maps At Hamburg Station
There were no maps at Hamburg station. But there were cigarette adverts.
No Maps At Hamburg Station
In fact, there were cigarette adverts all over the city.
A Few Hours In Hamburg
I got to Hamburg about eight in the evening and my first priority was to get a hotel. It was a new hotel by the station and I booked for two nights.
Hamburg Station
The hotel was a disaster, or more likely the weather was, as my meter was showing 32°C and 70% humidity. I had to wedge the window open with my shoe and that just made the room hotter, as the air outside got in.
When the Tourist Office opened at ten, I was outside and got myself a free map, after a breakfast of orange juice and coffee, as true to form, there was nothing gluten-free in the station.
The map wasn’t the best, as it was far too large and was gradually disintegrating in the heat and humidity.
Hamburg’s Street Map
As the picture shows, it was impossible to hold with one hand. Luckily there were a few decent signposts and maps.
A Map In Hamburg
Eventually, I found my way to the impressive Rathaus.
Hamburg’s Impressive Rathaus
I had heard of a restaurant called Rudolph at Hafen City, that did gluten-free pizza. If this was as good as those in Munich, then this looked to be worth investigating for supper in the evening. The Internet entry said, that it was near to the U-bahn station. So I went into the U-bahn, quickly and easily bought a ticket and then spent thirty minutes wandering underground trying to find the platform for Hafen City. If I sometimes find Green Park and Kings Cross stations bad in London, they have nothing on the Rathaus station in Hamburg.
Eventually, I didn’t get tpo Hafen City, as the station hasn’t been built yet. So was this a case of “We have ways of getting you lost!”. It was also so unlike Munich, where things the information systems seemed to work well. But I also had a good map from the hotel.
It was then that I said that I should cut my losses and move on. So I went back to the hotel, packed my bag and then returned to the station, where I bought a ticket for Amsterdam.
Looking For A Stackable Dining Chair
In my house, I have an unusual elliptical table. I need some chairs to go with it, as the original Habitat ones C bought, are gradually giving up the ghost.
I’d seen one in a shop that might do, near to the grotty hotel, I’d spent the night in. But it was the other side of the station, between the station and the Metro station at Federiksberg. So I took the Metro to that station and then walked back. It was raining hard and my map had collapsed in the rain. I was on the point of giving up and trying to hail a taxi, when I found a parking map, and a helpful Dane, who said I could walk it in about ten minutes. I actually, ran it in five!
The chair is called Zesty and comes from PlyCollection. It is shown here.
At the price shown on the ticket, they are around 290 pounds. But the Latvian company, who makes them, don’t seem to have an agent in the UK.
In the end, I made the train with fifteen minutes to spare.
Angale Merkel Hairstyles
I thought at lunch, how many women of a certain age, I’ve seen on this trip sporting Angela Merkel hairstyles.
There’s no understanding off peoples’ taste.
Lunch In Copenhagen
I had lunch in Copenhagen, by a canal that was lined with restaurants.
A Restaurant-Lined Canal
The food was good, but it was probably served at the slowest pace I’d ever received. I was so bored at one point, that I took to taking a photo of the chair opposite.
An Unsuitable Chair
Why do you put such a chair in a restaurant? It’s impossible to put your coat over the back of it, so I used the chair next to me for my coat. So they might have lost a cover because of the unsuitable chairs.
In the end, this restaurant ruined my afternoon, as they were so slow on service, I didn’t have time to visit the Jewish Museum in Copenhagen. I’ve always been fascinated, as was my father, about how the Danes got most of their Jews out of the country to Sweden, after the Nazi invasion.
At least though I ate well! Albeit very slowly!
The Marble Church
I visited this church, popularly called the Marble Church on my way back from the Design Museum.
It was the first place I’d come across except for the DSesign Museum, that was well and truly open. Consequently, it was busy.
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.
The Anonymous Widower 