The day began with rain which continued more or less most of the day. A good day to be inside. Yesterday we had learned from niece Rachel that grandniece Marlowe was going to be at a skating lesson this morning so we got the deets for the time and place and headed over to the Bloomington Ice Garden. A massive three-rink facility that caters to all skaters young and old was a short drive from our hotel, and we arrived in time for the 11 AM session.
It took just a question or two once we were inside to learn where Marlowe's class was to be held. Along the way we met a woman whose daughter was in the same class and, since she's a local, she steered us to rink three.
Between the warm conversation with Laura and watching the kids on the ice going through their movements we enjoyed ourselves very much indeed.
rink three before skating lessons
Marlowe is in the white top and blue leggings center back in the photo below.
Marlowe's group
After saying goodbye to Rachel and the kids we headed back to our hotel where we dropped off our car and called an Uber to take us into town. While we would've loved to have dropped into WJM and visited with Mary, Lou, Murray, Ted, Sue Anne and the rest of the gang, our goal today was to visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Like Cleveland and St. Louis this museum is also free -- Grand Rapids could learn a thing or two here -- and we enjoyed an hour or so strolling through the "European and American Art before 1900" galleries.
It wasn't so much that we had limited time as we had less inclination to spend on contemporary art, Egyptian or Ancient art.
Prairie School architecture and design
Below are a number of paintings that struck us in so many ways (how do we count the ways??).
View of Tangier from the Seashore (1856-58) by Eugene Delacroix
Portrait of Countess Maria Theresia Bucquoi neé Parr (1793) by Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun
Fishing Vessels Offshore in a Heavy Sea (1684) by Ludolph Backhuysen
(the bride) After the Reception (1887) by Douglas Volk
We were disappointed that the restaurant was closed and, since we were eager for a bite of lunch, we Ubered back to the hotel and had a light repast next door at Mallard's. Stephen Engels claimed the food was good and we weren't disappointed: Susie had a salad and I thoroughly enjoyed a small bowl of red beans and rice.
That evening we drive the four minutes to the Engels home where we got a chance to see their new space -- and of course get the tour of the kids' rooms. Marlowe kindly treated us to a few tunes on her keyboard and we were properly wowed.
The meal was based on a recipe from Stephen's mom Rita who lives in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. A braised chicken dish with mashed potatoes; we brought a loaf of cheese bread which was the weak link of an otherwise scrumptious meal.
Susie, me, Stephen with Elliott and Marlow in front, Rachel snapping the pic
Conversation was lively, lots of laughs about one thing or another, along with more down-to earth and personal talks about life. We were a bit sad to have to say goodnight. But we have another leg to go tomorrow as we head to Huntley, Illinois to visit my brother Greg and his wife Joyce. One night there and then it's home Monday,
The morning began with an extra-leisurely breakfast in the hotel. Richard and Pauline would be heading back home later this morning so we sat and chatted about this-and-that over food and coffee. Pretty much like usual. It had been two-and-a-half years since the four of us had traveled together and that was simply way too long. Sharing experiences on the road so-to-speak is always a pleasure and traveling with those two is doubly so.
After saying our goodbyes with hugs all around -- now keenly aware that life and circumstances cannot be taken for granted -- they headed to the desk to check out before making their way to the metro and the airport.
Susie and I also headed out to the metro with our first objective being to renew our transport passes for another 24 hours. Since we had a little time on our old ones we hopped on the first line to take us to the central station where we got off and made our way to the nearest ticket service counter. We also wanted to test out whether the following day we would schlep ourselves and bags to the train station via the metro or try a taxi again. The metro won. We concluded it would a very easy thing: elevators and escalators, no stairs!
That accomplished we got back on the metro and headed out to the Stockholm suburbs, specifically to Skogskyrkogården and the grave of Greta Garbo. This cemetery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an incredible green space (they offer private and public guided tours). They even have a visitor center with cafe and a city bus makes regular runs between the metro stop and the cemetery.
lane to one of the five chapels
Greta Garbo
the visitor center
Leaving the cemetery we made our way back to the metro stop and into the city. We got off at a stop that was unfamiliar to us and, after some confusion, we eventually made it down to a part of the waterfront that WAS familiar where we planned to take the tram to the central shopping mecca. Oh, and while waiting for a tram, we did catch a glimpse of the men on horseback heading off for a changing of the royal palace guard:
Susie wanted to check out a particular store which she thought seemed a bit like Galleries Lafayette in Paris, but which turned out to be more of an indoor mall for designer collections. The lower level did have some fascinating food and kitchen sections which was worth the trouble (that and I stopped to have a glass of cava while she explored). Win-win to be sure.
From the market area we returned to the tram and took it to Djurgården island. Familiar territory to us now, I was on the hunt for a small cemetery that was close to the Vasa Museum. After a few minutes walk we found it: Galärvarvs-kirkogården.
So, that's two cemeteries in one day - I believe this might be a record for me! Next up we walked down to the Slussen No. 82 ferry landing and took it across the harbor to Skeppsholmen Island, a place we had visited with Richard and Pauline. This time we walked across the island past the Museum of Modern Art and across (yet another) bridge to the National Museum.
We browsed the 19th and early 20th century artists and were pleased to see works by Degas (a study version of La Petit Danseuse), Morisot, Manet, Cassat and a Nordic artist named Carl Larsson we became quite taken with, among others.
From the museum we made our way to the bus then metro and back home. where we relaxed until suppertime. Uncertain of where to spend our last meal we walked around the corner and up a block to a place known by locals (apparently) for beer and whiskey - Akkurat. We grabbed a table and each had a lager from Germany and baked char. with roasted small potatoes. Another delicious meal in Stockholm!
A short stroll back to the hotel and pack up for tomorrow's early walk to the metro.
Since we want to see as much of the city as possible using public transport we opted for one of the city passes. Specifically, we went with a 48-hour Copenhagen Card which gets us free transportation on trains, busses and metro for all zones as well as entry to the major attractions we hope to see.
Oh, and a neat thing about this card is you do it all digitally right on your phone. Once activated you don't even need to connect to wifi, and the interface is very user-friendly as well. So, as we go about exploring the city over the next three days we'll be using the card pretty much non-stop.
strolling near our apartment
one of the many canals in the city
We made our way on foot to our first objective, the National Gallery of Art. Our route took us through the King's Gardens and people were out everywhere taking in the sun and putting the pandemic behind them, at least for the moment. (It should be noted that Denmark has removed all Covid restrictions.)
Directly opposite one corner of the gardens was the art museum, an imposing structure but looks can be deceiving, particularly in Copenhagen.
the fountain in front of the museum is open to the public, literally
The museum is noted for its collection of Danish and Nordic artists and that was our focus this morning:
"In a Roman osteria" 1866 by Carl Bloch
"An Egyptian jar-seller at Gizeh" 1876-1878 by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann
Scarlett Johansson's ancestor?
"The author Emma Kraft (1844-1925)" 1860-1870? by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann
"Evicted Tenants" 1892 by Erik Henningsen
"Breton girl looking after plants in a hothouse" 1884 by Anna Petersen
"A wounded Danish soldier" 1865 by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann
Leaving the museum we walked across the street (the other side from the King's Gardens) and strolled through the Royal Botanical Gardens. Ostensibly part of the Museum of Natural History located in one corner of the gardens, there is no cost to get in. There were few flowers (mostly the occasional tulip) but lots of green and lots of folk out soaking up the sun.
With our passes now activated we left the gardens and headed for the metro. The Copenhagen metro is clean, fast, and user-friendly. Virtually no stairs, you get up and down via escalators and/or elevators.
We got off the metro at the Gammel Strand stop across from our next objective: a canal boat tour. After a 20-minute wait for the next boat we were on board and cruising the canals and for a short time in the open water of the harbor.
the royal yacht
the opera house
the "Black Diamond", royal national library
After returning to the dock we walked a few meters to a nearby cafe, sat outside and enjoyed a pint of Kronenbourg 1664.
Making our way back to the apartment we talked about supper and since we had the fixings for a nice salad we decided to eat at home.
Tomorrow Susie is off to her baking class and I'm going to track down some notable burials in the Assistens Cemetery.
