Ship Hall

The main purpose of this trip to Copenhagen was to visit the Viking Ship Museum at Roskilde. This is a research center as well as a destination for family outings. For me it was a research trip, and so I read (and photographed for future reference) every line of posted information that I thought might be of use. The central exhibit, though, was made up of the remains of five ships that were resurrected from the bottom of the fjord and have been pieced together like the skeletons of huge dinosaurs. Additionally, the researchers, craftsmen and sailors have built reconstructions of these viking ships and they are docked in the harbor.Visitors here can learn about viking shipbuilding, about what the vikings carried on board their ships, about their sails, about how raids were carried out and how trade was conducted. Something that was completely unexpected was an amazing tapestry, the Rollo Tapestry, which hung on one wall. Although it is a modern work of art, it is based on the Bayeux Tapestry, and tells the story of Rollo, the first viking to become a ruler in what would be called Normandy. My interest? Well, Rollo was the great grandfather of Emma of Normandy, the heroine of my novels, and apart from admiring the artistry involved in creating the tapestry, I was fascinated by the research that went into telling Rollo’s story, complete with references to historical documents in the pamphlet that accompanied the exhibit. Alas, we were not allowed to take photos of the tapestry, but you can see it here: http://www.tapisseriederollon.com/en/

Playing Viking

The Viking ship is rowed to the dock.

Okay, yes, there was also an opportunity to play dress up, and I could not resist wrapping up for a few moments in a fur-trimmed viking cloak. There was another memorable, serendipitous event as well. As we walked along the dock we spied a viking ship coming towards us from out in the fjord, manned by men and women of all ages, each of them pulling at the oars. I think Lloyd was grateful that we hadn’t been there when it set out, in case I was tempted to take part. (Unlikely. I’m pretty sure that Emma of Normandy never had to pull an oar.)

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Copenhagen at Night

Friday night, 10/14, was Culture Night in Copenhagen, an annual event when churches, government buildings, palaces, museums, art centers and performance centers open their doors from 6 p.m. until midnight. So we set out on a Friday night beneath a full moon that played hide and seek among thin clouds. We pretty much took pot luck because the program provided was in Danish, and although we were escorted by good friends on sabbatical in the city for some months, their Danish was only marginally better than ours, which was nil.

Royal Dog

Instead we went to Amelienborg Palace, a huge building that covers four sides of a massive square and the residence of Queen Margaret of Denmark and her consort. We were given entry to the museum portion, each room crammed with furniture, mementos and photos from several sovereigns. More importantly, we were introduced to one of the royal doggies who was curled up in the royal garage with his own huscarle at his side and half a dozen royal cars nearby. It was my first up close encounter with a Rolls Royce, and it will probably be the only time I will ever pet a royal dog.

Royal Rolls

Dog: blonde. Owner: not

Copenhagen is, at first glance, a city of young, beautiful thin blondes. That impression changed a bit for me when, on Saturday, as we made our way along the Stroget (a long, pedestrian shopping street) and a flood of a much broader range of folk – light skinned, swarthy skinned, light-haired, black haired, some weightier than others – streamed towards us, making for the central station after I-know-not-what event in the big square near Tivoli. Nevertheless, on weekdays in the heart of the city, the average person is Danish light in every way, and a great many of them are riding bikes. This tends to make crossing the street a little treacherous for the unwary. Just because you have a green light doesn’t mean that some biker barreling down on your left is going to stop for you. It is particularly perilous on blocks under construction – and there were many of them – when walkers, bikers and cars shared the same space.

Nyhavn

We learned to search for kamikaze bikers before crossing a street and, frankly, the proliferation of bike riders only inspired my admiration. This is a fabulous city – although I have to admit, we had perfect weather: autumn cold but brilliantly sunny. For fashionistas, the look is neck scarf, sweater, skinny pants and boots, or short skirt, tights and boots. I would have loved to spend some time shopping, (wool coats! Leather boots!) but the dollar does not go far here and, luckily, I did not have the time.

Old friends

By sheer luck I had booked us a hotel, The Strand, in a lovely part of the city, quite close to the lively Nyhavn (New Harbor) area. There we could window shop, eat, catch a boat tour of the canals of Copenhagen, and walk to any museum or church we might want to visit. An old friend from high school was residing literally around the corner, and upon our arrival, jet-lagged and bleary eyed, she served us tea and chocolate cake to revive us, then escorted us to the National Museum so I could explore the (of course) Viking Age exhibit. And bless her heart she warned us about the bikes!

Throne Room. Rosenborg. Copenhagen.
Here is how reading a historical novel can impact your world:

Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen
U.K. author Rose Tremain’s wonderful book, MUSIC AND SILENCE, is set in 17th century Copenhagen — much of it in Rosenborg Palace.
It is the story of an English musician hired by the Danish king, Christian IV, to play in the court orchestra. The orchestra’s venue: the cold underbelly of Rosenborg Palace. The orchestra performed in the cellar so that the music wafted through several unobtrusive openings in the floor of the palace rooms above them, charming the king and his guests.
The cellar and the portals are still there, although not obvious unless you ask a guide. My inquiry began, “I read a novel…” and the reply came immediately. “You read MUSIC AND SILENCE. Yes, the orchestra was in the cellar, and an orchestra still plays down there on special occasions.”  And then he told me where to look.

Crown of Christian IV
One hopes that the cellars are heated now — as they were not in Christian IV’s time. The orchestra pit (pit indeed!) was not open for public view. I had to content myself with the basement display of the crown jewels, including Christian IV’s delicately stunning crown.

With only one full day to spend in Copenhagen, I very much doubt that I would have found my way to Rosenborg had it not been for MUSIC AND SILENCE.