Tuesday, August 23rd to Wednesday, August 24th - Fun in the City, and Then at the Farm - Tivoli Gardens and The Open Air Museum, Copenhagen

 

 

On the Ferris Wheel at Tivoli (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

I had visited Copenhagen previously, in Spring, 1977. It was my first stop on the journey that took me from Australia to my life in the United States, even though I didn't know that's where I'd end up at the time. One of my enduring memories from that visit was my evening at The Tivoli Gardens where I heard Holst's, The Planets, performed in an outdoor theatre. I thought it was a most marvelous thing to hear such music outside a hall. Sarah and Chuck's friend, Tom Bak and siblings also relished the fun the had here on their many visits as children, so it took little persuasion to have Sarah and I meet up with his family for an evening at Tivoli.

Entrance to Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen

Tivoli is the third oldest amusement park in the world, operating since 1843. It's founder, Georg Carstensen sought support from the king and stated that 'when the people are amusing themselves, they don't think about politics'! Well I can validate that I did not think about politics that night. 

Entering Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen

It is still very much a gardens, but the Tivoli I saw in 2022 seemed quite different from the one I recall from 45 years ago..... and probably much more fun!

A Shoe Made of Leeks!

I would never imagine using leeks to decorate a floral installation, but when we arrived, we found a pair of large high heel shoes being decorated with leeks. Wonder how they came up with that idea!

What Do You Think?

One of the shoes had already been finished. Personally, I don't think I'm impressed! Good try,....But I don't think it worked.

Lovely Lighting in The Alley

Elsewhere, the decorations were lovely in the evening light, but I swear they were not there on my previous visit, although the Tivoli website says The Alley was added in 1952 and is styled like a fantasy Danish market town.

The Star Flyer

We went through the Fun House, rode the Galley Ships, and later did The Slide (a roller coaster) but this lovely ride looked like something I could do in the beginning. (Herniated discs always give me pause!) It's called the Star Flyer and is a roundabout that starts at ground level, then lifts one up and down several times to 250 feet. It is the highest carousel in Northern Europe. It was graceful and gave us lovely views, but cameras were not permitted, just in case we dropped them on someone's head! It was just enough thrill for me. It opened in 2006, so I definitely didn't ride it during my previous visit.

Chinese Lanterns Under the Demon Ride

The integration of decorations and rides was really nicely done. These Chinese lanterns were colorful and bright under the exciting Demon roller coaster. I left that one to the younger folks.

Licorice Ropes

 Almost as exciting as the rides, were the foods. Licorice is a thing here. I'll tell you more about that in another blog. But it has been a long time since I've seen licorice like this. I tried the black, but it's still wasn't as good as the Darrell Lea licorice I grew up with in Australia.

Candy Store Display at Tivoli

If you don't like licorice, there were lots of other choice in the world of candy!

Ice Cream with Pink Guf and Flødeboller

The prize for sweet indulgence went to the ice cream. The pink stuff on top, 'guf', is like marshmallow fluff and the thing that looks like an upside down hat is called Flødeboller and is like a chocolate covered marshmallow cookie.

Tom Bak and I Dig Into the Frozen Treat

Oh, my. I don't think I've ever eaten anything quite so intensely sweet! The Bak family must have enjoyed Tivoli in their childhood with some pretty good sugar high's!

(If I've triggered a sugar craving in you with this series of photos, I'm sorry. Find something healthy to eat instead)

Galoppen

It was a lot of fun to visit the rides and games that The Bak family had enjoyed as children. They told us this horse racing game, Galoppen, was one of their favorites. It involved throwing small balls into an array up of holes about 10-15 feet away.  Each time a ball went into a hole, you scored points and your horse advanced. My horse was last! It involved a lot of fun and laughs!

Women's Bathroom Stalls Near Hans Christian Anderson Ride

Even the bathrooms where whimsical.

Dragonfly Sculpures

It had been a delightful evening, but this was not the park I remembered visiting 45 years ago. I was a little disappointed that their musical offerings have become much more limited, but the expansion and addition of many rides appeals to much wider interest groups for even more fun and pays the bills!

Old Farms at the Open Air Museum - Frilandsmuseet

Another outing I recalled from my visit here in the 1970's was a visit to the Frilandsmuseet, or Open Air Museum.  This is an 86 acre site where the countryside of historic Denmark is being preserved with a collection of 50 farms that have been moved from all over the country, for preservation. It took less than an hour to get there by S-Train and bus.

Nothing is as fun as Getting the Sheep to say 'Baa'!

There were many children there, delighting in the animals.....

School Age Children Learning Old Skills

 

.....and enjoying the freedom to run around the old villages. This group of children ran up to this old pump and were having great fun drawing water the old-fashioned way and trying to figure out how to use the yokes to carry the water.

Sarah Demonstrates How Low the Doorways Were

During my previous visit, I had been struck by the low height of the doorways. I presumed that people used to be much shorter than they are now.

Tiny Beds, Too

I had also remembered how tiny the beds were. Thinking the museum would not appreciate us climbing in, the span of our arms seemed the best way to demonstrate. (Notice I'm wearing my serious 'scientist' face.) This one was not the smallest of the beds we saw, but note the solid boards at head and foot. Not much stretching out to be done there. When I stand by my own bed and stretch out my arms, this is at least 1/3 shorter.

A 'Double Decker' Bed - Pillows at Opposite Ends

Sometimes there were two beds enclosed in the same structure - they might have been separated at the foot by a curtain, or sometimes by wood, or have no separation at all. They must have been very cozy and warm places.

Beds Enclosed in Cupboards

 

This more modern farm had their two beds enclosed in this cupboard, with doors. It wouldn't work if you were claustrophobic!

I Could Live Here

Some of the newer farms would even appeal to modern people. They were set up with quality furniture and could be lived in today - if there were running water and electricity.

Straw Shoes?

I had never seen shoes like these before. I've always thought clogs would be difficult to walk in, so I thought these would be more comfortable, and certainly more affordable, perhaps. Overall I thought they were a great improvement over the leek shoes we had seen at Tivoli! 

Windmills Too

It was a beautiful day to wander around the lanes of this small pocket of 'old-world' living.

Do You See the Face, Too?

Each farm was documented in detail as to where it came from, who lived there, how old it was and what they produced. Unfortunately Sarah and I were not very good students and preferred to be drawn to the whimsical instead. We swore the designer of this barn intentionally created this face in 1793.

Example of the Signage on Each Farm

This is the type of signage that was outside each farm. 

Lacemaking School From Southern Jutland

This old lacemaking School had a couple sitting outside, demonstrating lacemaking.

A Couple Demonstrate Lacemaking

It was a sunny bright afternoon, so sitting outside making lace in the shade looked like a pleasant occupation. I was surprised to see the man representing the tradition, as it seems it was usually the women who made lace, unless economic times were bad. I did like his little red beanie hat and his breeches.

Is This a Tangled Web?

I'm a knitter and have done a little sewing. I've even tried weaving, too, with moderate success, but this looks as if it would be way beyond me! How they keep track of which spool to use is baffling. I see they are grouped by colored holders, but there are many spools in each holder. I say good for them and I hope they can keep the tradition alive, as it must take enormous patience!

'Can I Help You?'

Sarah found cute places to pose......

An Empty Headed Friend

.....and found a creepy friend in a barn.....

The Black Sheep? (photo by Sarah Lamp)

....but the animals gave us the most pleasure. 

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!

We found the happiest pigs I've ever seen - large and rolling happily in a disgusting wallow. When we heard him slurping the foul water from the pit, we couldn't imagine how he could survive ingesting all those germs!

Gandalph the Goat.

This was the most marvellous goat we've ever seen too. He was lolling about with family nearby - he certainly looked as if he was lording it over them, but if you look like Gandalph, you can get away with it!

Ruling the Roost? (Photo by Sarah Lamp)

These two hens also were doing a pretty good job of looking regal and very much like they were claiming their territory.

Vegetable Garden

We had walked to the furthest reaches on the map, because we wanted to see the gardens. The vegetable in this plot are in the dark rows you can't see. They're marked with the white tag. The flowers must be companion plantings to deter bugs and perhaps provide shade.

An Active Bee

Of course, there was lots of pollination happening with the bees helping out. These ones were not quite as large as the ones we saw at the botanic gardens - they were more like regular furry bees.

Raised on Blocks - It's Working days are Over

I rather liked this old cart - by the time we reached it, I wouldn't have minded having the horse(s) to pull us back to the main gate in it.

Sodnhus From the Faroe Islands

We had covered a lot of ground and wandered far. Before we left, I made note of this stone hut from the Faroe Islands. It was used for drying barley, but I made note of the grass roof - although it is not very green. I'm curious about the Faroe Islands, which are self governing islands in the middle of the Atlantic, but part of Denmark. They are on my 'list'!

A Feast for the Eyes

It had been a delightful day and apart from having more buildings on the site, was very much like it had been 45 years ago.

Easier Than Walking

We wished we had planned well enough to catch a ride back to the entrance with this cart, pulled by these beautiful draft horses. Instead, our weary legs took us back to the bus stop.