Die beste Bildung

The weather in Copenhagen was rather cloudy on the second day of my visit, but because I absolutely love zoos, I decided to go to the Zoologisk Have anyway. Since I have no idea how buses in Copenhagen work (not the fault of the Danes, since I don’t have a very good idea of how buses work in Hong Kong either), I decided to take the Metro again, just as I had done the day before. This entailed a lot more walking, but I did not mind because there was a lot to see on the way. For example, just a few minutes from Fe’s apartment and right across the gorgeous Nyhavn was Det kongelige Teater, the old royal play house. Though its importance has been diminished by the opening of the avant-garde new play house, it still is quite a majestic work of architecture. And a short distance from the zoo itself was Frederikbergs Have, which has a reputation for being Copenhagen’s most picturesque park. A free jazz concert was going on inside, so I decided to check it out, but left as soon as the four middle-aged ladies on stage started a rather ridiculous dance.

Left: Det kongelige Teater; Right: Jazz Concert in Frederiksberg Have

Although Copenhagen does not have very hospitable weather in the winter, its Zoologisk Have is one of the oldest zoos in the world, and celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. It is a small zoo, definitely not the size of Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten or Munich’s Tierpark Hellabrunn, but admission was the most expensive among all zoos I have visited in Europe. Nevertheless, because of the exceptional quality of this zoo, I think the price is well justified. Within ten minutes of entering the zoo, I already had my first encounter with a lion cub, and was standing face to face with a camel which seemed to be very intrigued by my camera.

Left: A family of lions (notice the cubs!); Right: Camel staring at me

The zoo is split into two areas by a main road which can be traversed by means of a tunnel. I soon crossed to the other side, where there was a petting area. There were cows, pigs, hens and plenty of kids (as in young goats, not young humans) which roamed in an area freely accessible to visitors, as well as a rabbit hutch which made children squeal with delight and put an enormous smile on my face. The Holland lop rabbit (my favourite breed, since I used to have one myself) lay half-asleep in a corner and wouldn’t respond to my repeated attempts to attract its attention, but I decided to photograph it anyway. And had I been able to get away with this, I would definitely have brought it home with me.

Left: One of the kids which visitors could pet;
Right: This Holland lop rabbit didn’t bother to open its eyes though I was standing right in front of it

The Australian area had a mob of small kangaroos, and unlike the very lethargic ones I have seen at other zoos, these were very energetic, hopping around and chasing each other without displaying any sign of exhaustion. The emu chick and its mother which shared the enclosure were understandably not very amused! This part of the zoo is the only place outside Australasia that has Tasmanian Devils in captivity, but I was in for a disappointment because they were all in hiding. The nearby hippopotamus house, however, was highly enjoyable because it provided an underwater view of the habitat, so instead of just looking at the top 20% of the gigantic creature’s body, I could see the whole thing, including the stumpy yet small legs which by some miracle was capable to support such heavy torsos. Next came the African area, where three unusually adorable rhinos were feeding on a stack of fresh grass. There was also a very modern and brilliantly designed giraffe house. Zoos are typically not the place to go for admiring architecture, but this one proves to be an exception!

Left: Giraffes, with the Zoo’s observation tower in the background; Right: Rhinos feeding

Being a loyal Princetonian, I certainly had to say hello to the zoo’s Siberian tiger, but failed to take a good picture of it. Nearby, however, was a tropical house full of wonderful photo opportunities. It was a little bit cluttered, and rather strangely the butterflies had to share an area with the alligator, but I appreciated the extraordinary number of animals that were here. I spied on a yellow and black poison dart frog mating with a blue one, and wondered in what colour the combination of genetics would result. Does anybody know?

Finally came Norman Foster’s elephant house, which was the main reason for my visit to the zoo. I was very fascinated by the illustrations of this place when I visited the Dansk Architektur Center on the previous day, so I was especially delighted to be seeing the actual thing. The elephants were outdoors, but I could imagine how the indoor area would provide for an ideal habitat on rainy or cold days as well as a great space for viewing. Because of the time-honoured Danish fascination for elephants (the highest honour in Denmark, i.e. their equivalent of the Order of the Garter, has been known as the Order of the Elephant since 1693), there was also a large exhibition space on the species itself. The exhibits detailed the evolutionary process of elephants, their religious and traditional associations in Asian societies, their history in Denmark, the controversies surrounding their taming, as well as conservation efforts to ensure the perpetuation of the species. With plenty of artifacts, videos, photographs and computer simulations, this was exceptionally good for a zoo exhibit, and I spent a lot of time there before going to the outdoor area to see the actual elephants. And here is where my complaint comes – while this is a state of art facility, it makes no sense that people in the neighbouring Frederikbergs Have, which is behind the fence in the photo on the bottom right, enjoy a better view of the elephants than those who paid the 130DKK for admission to the zoo!

Left: The Elephant House by Norman Foster; Right: A young elephant in front of the house

Next I went to the Carlsberg headquarters, which was just 15 minutes away. Not only did it have plenty of offices, it also housed the Carlsberg laboratory, which does research to improve the quality of crops used for beer production, and develops new techniques in malting, brewing and fermentation. The visitor center was more than just a glorified effort to promote the brand, for there was a lot to see and learn. Apart from the world’s largest collection of different unopened beer bottles, which occupied an area half the size of a tennis court, there was also a detailed history of brewing and the development of the Carlsberg company from a family brewery to a multinational conglomerate, as well as brewing facilities from the late 19th century. In one garden was a collection of sculptures by Carl Jacobsen, the second generation owner of the company, which included a Rodin, and a nearby stable had a few shetland horses, which are the company’s mascots. At the end of the tour was a bar which had beers in all sorts of surprising flavours – banana, strawberry, even coffee. Each visitor received two complimentary drinks. For my first one I ordered a Tuborg Gold, which was what the barister recommended. It had a special refined taste which I appreciated, but because I still had other places to visit before concluding my day, my second drink ended up being mineral water (also bottled by Carlsberg!). Though I still insist that I shall only order a beer voluntarily if it was produced by a Bavarian brewery, this visit definitely opened my eyes to how diverse and interesting beer can be.

Left: The world’s largest collection of beer bottles; Right: A modern brewing facility

Fe had recommended that I see the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Art Museum), so I made a visit right after going to Carlsberg. Much to my delight, it offered free admission, something that had been virtually non-existent when I was Germany. The museum had a very large collection of Danish art, from renaissance times to the modern day, and they were very well captioned so as to explain the styles, techniques and trends each work represented. Unfortunately, those who do not understand Danish can only rely on very small text on laminated leaflets that hang near the entrance of each exhibition room, and in some cases these leaflets were missing. Nevertheless, though Danish art is not as famous as that of larger European countries such as Germany and France, it is also very rich in diversity and can at times be extremely creative in style. I particularly enjoyed a room which consisted exclusively of works by Carl-Henning Pedersen, one of the most prominent Danish artists of the 20th century. His brilliant use of colours to convey imaginative landscapes and creatures were very fascinating.

The museum also had a good collection of art from other European nations, and among the collections were works by some of the most famous German artists – Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, etc., and more paintings by Henri Matisse than I had ever seen. Then among the more recent works were an entire temporary exhibition on the young Danish artist Jakob Boeskov, whose cartoons and videos expressed the conflict between the “merciless, dynamic and globalized world” and the “closed, static welfare states” that Scandinavian live in. One cartoon, titled Scandinavian Crash, showed a SAS jet stranded on an island. The survivors had written “We are not American” on the sand, hoping that passing ships would not decline their plee for help because of their identity, but under these words a German wrote “Es macht nichts, Papnase” (It doesn’t work, dumbass). Scandinavian states are often famed for being models for good government, so it was thought-provoking to get to know what people’s frustrations were.

And the whole top level of the museum’s extension was occupied by an installation titled x-rummet by the British artist Mike Nelson. Upon entering, one is guided into a set of sparsely decorated and sometimes oddly-shaped rooms. Not very special, until one is directed to a seemingly circular corridor and enters what seems to be the same set of rooms one just left, and searches in vain for an exit from the loop. Turns out the other end of the corridor is actually a separate set of rooms, though of exactly the same design. It made for an ambiguous, disorienting, but also very memorable experience.

Crema (Georg Baselitz); The Blue Phoenix (Carl-Henning Pedersen); Self-Portrait (Henri Matisse)

Because I wanted to visit Legoland Billund on the next day, I decided to return to Fe’s apartment early so as to get enough rest. Instead of walking along the streets as usual, I decided to take a detour through Kongens Have, Copenhagen’s oldest park. It was small but definitely enjoyable – broad paths were flanked by rows of trees, flower beds were gorgeously arranged, and the aesthetically unpleasant facilities such as basketball courts were concealed by neatly trimmed hedges. It also provided an excellent view of Rosenberg Slot, a renaissance palace which is now home to the Danish crown jewels. I stood for a few moments in front of the grave of Hans Christian Andersen – after all, his fascinating fairy tales have played an integral role in defining our common childhoods – and then left with a happy face and a thankful heart.

Left: View of Rosenborg Slot from Kongens Have; Right: Tomb of Hans Christian Andersen

Next entry will be on Legoland. Though it was a phenomenal, I find it quite challenging to write about a theme park, so expect that the entry will be more photo-oriented. Check back in a day or so.