Art, Architecture and whatnot

So, tomorrow (October 13th) Django and I head to London where we will be reunited with Simon after three weeks. We've had a nice relaxing time visiting Simon's mother Lissy and her partner, Knud Erik. We've enjoyed lovely food and great hospitality, and gotten to see some really pretty places.

When you go to downtown Holstebro, the main attraction is a shopping street, closed to traffic. All of the stores have samples of their wares out on the sidewalk. The feeling is like going through an outdoor mall, less claustrophobic, but pervasively commercial. I am not a fan of shopping. I prefer to spend minimal time at it, even treasure hunting in thrift stores which I do somewhat enjoy. But what makes this downtown area very interesting, and quite a bit more appealing than the sale signs is the prevalence of public art.

One thing that is really great about Denmark is how the arts are supported (by the government, yes. there's that dirty word again, social***). They actually actively give money to artists and musicians. There are grants and funds to help generate a living for artists. It's quite wonderful I think. When Simon plays shows in Denmark, he actually gets paid, unlike, say LA where the tables are often turned. I even got paid when I played 3 songs at a songwriters show two years ago.

But I digress...

So there you are, and here you go. Some pictures of some of the downtown Holstebro art:

Nice piggy piggy...

this is a really cool bronze. There's incredible detail in it. Django was very fascinated!

Some of the detail in the wild boar sculpture.

Saint George and the Dragon. A whimsical fountain.

The hand to the right is a ground fountain. It's on a slightly raised round and water pours out of the hole. You walk right on top of it.

A pretty cool colorfully glazed brick wall pool.

This is a totally odd piece. Really strange figures, sitting atop a rock on pillars with water continually pouring out of the middle underneath, which doesn't seem to go anywhere and just gives the impression that a pipe is broken somewhere. Hmmm...

I suppose it could be refreshing on a hot summer's day, if there is a such a thing here.

It wasn't just the downtown area that was full of art, there's art in the playgrounds, on top of buildings... nice to see.

and now we come to the architecture part of the tour.

Well, briefly, almost every building is Denmark is made of bricks. They just don't build buildings out of wood here, which might be why the trees seem so happy.

A typical street with older style Danish houses. The newer houses don't have quite so many angles on them. I like the older ones best.

This house by an inlet has the old style thatched roof. It's a bit harder to spot these nowadays, but in some places they are still being made. Beautiful!

Another thatched roof. This was an old mill that for a while housed a museum, and is now an open space that people can freely use to gather or hang out.

This is a very typical and traditional Danish church which you see all over the country. The Danish national church is Lutheran. A large percentage of Danes are members, but few are very religious.

And then there is the occasional castle...

this one is only a few miles from where Simon's grandparents live on the island of Mors

This is Simon's grandparent's house. His father has a very large garden which he still tends with dedication at the age of 81. He even sells some of his produce at market: potatoes, strawberries, and leeks are some of what he grows

Here we are visiting his grandparents the other day. Django got some more bonding time.

and since we're on the subject of things people make.

windmills. denmark.

they go together like sonny and cher, no wait... cheese and crackers, ummm...

wine and chocolate??

well, Denmark has been very prominent in the development and use of the windmill. It's nice to see these 'green' objects scattered about the landscape.

and now for a little WHATNOT:

Django humoring mama and lying down in a bed of moss so I could get a cool artsy photo.

what a kid!

'til next time, peace.

Janna