The next day I explored Saltum a little, going into a couple of small museums. One was a weaving shop with women making linen mats and towels. It also had other paraphernalia from earlier times.
The big surprise of the day was being interviewed for Danish TV. Apparently the interview was on the arts report the next Thursday but I was already gone. So I am waiting for a DVD to view it here at home. It was in English, of course, as I don’t (yet) speak Danish. (It’s a very difficult language but I do know a few words, mainly “tak” which means “thank you” and I said that many times! As Denmark is such a small country, most people do speak English which made traveling there much easier for me.)
After the interview, Thora and I went in the opposite direction, to Aarlborg and surrounds. We visited an artist and then had dinner in the best ever Italian restaurant, a don’t miss meal. This was fish with pesto sauce on it:
And here's a photo of my delicious meal in the restaurant Elin and Lasse took me to, in Aarhus. Also fish:
That evening a neighbor came over and played jazz piano for us. Even though he doesn't perform any more, he is an excellent musician. A real treat.
The next day I was off to Copenhagen!
In Saltum, Thora, the gallery owner asked me what I wanted to do: see nature or meet other artists. I wanted to focus on the amazing landscape and ended up meeting artists and seeing art as well. I can’t remember the names of all the places we went but I can show you pix.
First was the big dunes. These sand dunes were taller than most buildings. We climbed to the top and looked down to the water far below. It was beyond beautiful.
with beautiful flora:
and beautiful surroundings:
Then lunch. We ate on a patio overlooking a small harbor.
I had the most delicious herring, fixed in three different ways.
Then on to Skagen: a charming town, with a good art museum, situated at the northernmost point in Denmark. Here the land goes out to a point and the water meets from each side with a kiss. One side the water is cold, the other it’s warm.
Then back to Saltum for dinner and a sounds night's sleep.
The next day Elin, Lasse, Joyce and I drove to Saltum for the opening reception of my exhibit. They went home that evening and I stayed on for two more days. I've already posted pix of the gallery. I was pleased with the arrangement of the paintings. And they had a video/slide show of my work which, if I can figure out how, will post.
The weather stayed very warm, a pleasant change for me, after weeks of cold and rain in Nova Scotia. Today it is so hot here in NS it is uncomfortable. We are not used to this kind of heat. And the humidity makes it worse. So more pix will have to wait until tomorrow.
The third day Lasse, Elin’s husband and I, went to the Turkish bazaar. Later that evening, Elin’s friend Joyce came for dinner.
The next day we went to Aarhus. Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus dates back to Viking times and was a major seaport. Now it is an interesting mix of old and new.
First Elin and I went to Den Gammle By (prounced Bu), The Old Town. It is, basically, a museum with shops, a school, theatre, post office, windmill and other buildings to recreate a typical mercantile Danish town covering the times from the Middle Ages to the 1900’s.
Then the Aos, the Aarhus Art Museum which houses a extensive art collection. I saw some magnificent artwork, among them some beautiful Degas, Corot and Courbet paintings. One of the sculptures is this “boy” who is as big enough to fill a large room.
Then a drink by the water, dinner at a lovely restaurant and back to her beautiful home for a good night's sleep.
My first day in Denmark was magical. Elin's house is set before an expansive barley field. I could sit for hours contemplating the beauty of the setting. There are few bugs in Denmark, no screens on the windows and doors. It feels so very fresh and open.
Looking out from the door to the field through the beaded curtain used to keep the birds from flying into the house:
After breakfast:
The field:
Elin is an expert gardener:
After breakfast Elin and I went on a bike ride through the barley fields and had a picnic by the beach.
The land in Denmark is very flat and spacious. And the trees are round and soft, especially compared to the sharp spindly trees so often seen around here. That landscape is embedded in my mind.
Well, I’m back! My physical body, that is. I’m not sure about the rest of me! It was a wonderful two weeks, touring beautiful Denmark, graciously hosted by Elin Neumann, meeting many fascinating people and ending with three amazing days in London.
So, needless to say, I have lots of photos (many hundreds) to sort through and stories to tell. But that will have to wait until my mental body catches up with being home. Meanwhile, I’m very happy to be back with Lila, to sleep in my own bed (although I still wake up in the night and wonder where I am), catch up on the news of friends here and weed my overgrown garden.
Here are a few photos (more to follow of my trip) from my exhibition at Galleri Saltum in Denmark, far far away just a couple of weeks ago.
Why do things always pile up just before going away! Lila is fine, back to her spunky puppiness: rearranging my papers, trying on hats and shoes, etc. Meanwhile I packed up and took quite a few paintings in today (in the heavy cold rain) to an office for approval (with fingers crossed). In the middle of cleaning cleaning cleaning sorting and packing. As someone is staying here while I am away, I need to make things presentable, not just clean. So . . . I’m very tired and ready to go. Tomorrow evening. . . off to Denmark!!!
It’s been quite a week! After so much stress with Lila’s foot, all seems calm now. With the splint off and a homeopathic remedy, immediately she started healing. Today, when I took her back to the vet for a further check, she was already walking on it part of the time. And now most of the time. What a relief! She’ll be fine by the time I leave Tuesday.