Something is Rotten...in Denmark

Okay, I stole a line from Hamlet when Marcellus refers to the moral, and political corruption brought about by the mismanagement of the King who has murdered Hamlet's father, the rightful king. You will see why in a minute. Something was rotten, and we were in Denmark, but the rotten thing was not in Denmark.

We continued to inspect apartments, this time in our favorite city of Uppsala, where we attend church.  The elders were on splits, so Elder Grover was in Borlänge while Elder Waters was with Elder Dawson in Uppsala for the day. We had told the missionaries the previous Sunday about the exceptionally clean apartments we had found in Skåne and Norrland and it seemed to bring out the competitive nature. The apartment was the cleanest we had seen it for several inspections.

Elders Dawson and Waters. Notice that they have a section for
those in need of banana bread!

The sisters' apartment was even cleaner, until we got to the question about the drains. The first day we were in the country, the Koyles took us to this apartment to show us how to conduct the inspections. As part of that, Elder Koyle showed the sisters (and us) how to clean the drain in the bathroom. Unlike those in the US, the shower and sink drain into the floor drain rather than have closed drain pipes. It is necessary, from time to time to take the grill off and physically clean it out to keep it flowing and to avoid causing an unpleasant odor. 

I don't think it had been cleaned since that first day, over eighteen months ago. When I looked at the drain grill, it was obvious that the next steps would not be pleasant. Luckily, the sisters had latex gloves. The trouble with sisters' apartments is, of course, hair. In general, I am in favor of long, beautiful hair... until it comes to drains.

My improvised hook snagged the first of a
long, thick, gunky, smelly
string of a year and a half of accumulated
HAIR! It did have a smell of its own.

Sisters Jones and Beck appreciated
that someone else would clean the
drain, but not the smell, so much.
At least they didn't lose their lunch.

After relieving the drain pipe of its hairy load, it had to be cleaned by hand, inside and on the top of the grill. To tame the smell a little I finished by dumping a solution of water and bleach down the sink and tub drains. It wasn't enough. Something was rotten in Uppsala.

We had to include this video. This is a scene we see all winter. The children are bundled up and covered with reflective, bright vests. They can only waddle like munchkins.

Traveling to Gävle (yev'luh) we finally completed our last apartment inspection. We have had a lot of history with this apartment. For most of our mission, it was a sisters' apartment, which accounts for the number of patches on the wall where tape has pulled the first layer of wall paper off. Sisters must decorate the walls with hearts, pictures cut out from old Liahonas or whatever they can find. They can't help themselves. Other than that, the apartment was in very good hands.

Elders Tolman and Lewis

The days are becoming more and more fair. The roads and
parking lots are covered with running water, but there is a
lot snow to melt before Spring will be believed!

And then came Thursday.

Elder Hales had arranged with the President for us and them to go to Copenhagen. We had made arrangements to stay at the temple guest house, which meant that we could stay for very little if we agreed to attend at least one session for each night we were there. We readily agreed to that, as that would have been our intent in any case.

We got up at 3:30 AM to be to the train station on time and traveled most of the day through Sweden, over the bridge and under water through the tunnel to Denmark.

Meeting the Hales at Central Station in Stockholm

Preparing to enter the train where we would be for the
next 5 hours, stopping along the way and seeing much of
the country as we traveled. 

Central station in Denmark where we stowed our bags, grabbed
some lunch and headed out for a day of sight seeing.

Copenhagen is known for its thousands of bicycles. We
thought Uppsala had bikes. It doesn't compare. The
bike lanes here are filled with men and women of every
age riding at break-neck speed.

Tivoli is preparing for Easter. The
bunny is popping out of the egg

In the town square a statue of
trumpeters holding each other's
horns.

An unusual fountain in the town square

We walked at a brisk rate because we wanted to see the original Christus by Bertel Thorvaldsen. We were not disappointed.

Above the entry to the Church of Our Lady is this frieze
depicting the resurrected Christ and those who choose
to follow him

Outside and to the left of the entry
is a statue depicting King David

And to the right is another depicting Moses

The original Christus

Peter with keys

Paul who replaces
Judas. He was beheaded
in Rome, thus the sword

Matthew writing his
Gospel assisted by an
angel

John writing with the
evangelical eagle

James the Great is the
patron saint of pilgrims,
thus the staff and hat on
his back.

Phillip was assigned
the Latin cross by
the Catholic Church

James son of Alpheus.
Killed with a blow to
the head by a fuller's
pole.

Andrew with the X cross
which Middle Ages legend
says was the type used to
cause his death

Judas also called
Thaddeus was martyred
when his head was shattered
by a broad axe.

Thomas who holds a
square because he is
said to have built a
church with his own
hands in India

Bartholomew who was
killed by being flayed
alive in Armenia 

Simon Zelotes who was killed
by being sawn in half in Persia

From the back of the church looking toward Christus. Each
apostle has his own arch of homor

Above the Christus alter piece is a frieze depicting the trial,
crucifixion and resurrection of Christ

Elder Hales got some professional
photos that we hope he will share.

A random building with shops below this frieze depicting the  life of Christ

We took the opportunity to go inside
this round tower built by King Charles IV
in 1637-1642 as a lookout tower.

No steps until you get to the very top, just a spiral ramp going
up about 35 meters from the street.

At 25 meters is access to the center where you can look down
to the ground. Since the 1760s it has been the base and meridian
for surveying all of Denmark. It is approximately behind Sister
Hales, here.

Views of the city from the top

Beautiful wrought iron and red roofs

Denmark is where these
magic interlocking blocks
were invented.

Legos are everywhere

A view of the Thorvaldsen Museum from across the canal

The three crowns are a motif in
Denmark as they are in Sweden

We finished the day with a session in the Copenhagen temple. It was a welcome sanctuary from the hectic day. As beautiful as the statues and paintings were, our pace was fast because we had to walk long distances to get to our desired destinations. Even though we had been up since 3:30 AM, we managed not only to stay awake, but to have a truly blessed experience. The temple interior is beautiful without being grand and the ordinance workers were gracious and friendly.

Stock photo from lds.org. Now they have added large planters
and the landscape is still quite winter-like.

We arose early the next morning in order to get to a couple of castles with their adjoining chapels. First we made our way to the Frederiksborg castle and the chapel where the familiar Karl Bloch paintings are located.

On our walk, we had to sample real Danish pastries.

Stock photo of the castle grounds from the air

We had to capture the canal that goes
past the castle. This is where our friend
Erik Beyer skated as a boy before his
family immigrated to the US. He was
christened in the chapel, here.

The lengthy entry to the castle gates

The Neptune fountain in the courtyard

Enlarge to see how antlers are displayed in the Knights\ Room
of the Castle. Christian IV was an avid hunter and his exploits
are on display in this room

The antlers on various fauna are displayed all down this massive
dining room.

Coats of arms for various levels of
knighthood are on display throughout
the castle.

Some of the original paintings with which we are so familiar:

The Bloch paintings are all cloistered
in one area of the chapel. Behind each
arch is more art. This is the view from
the balcony toward the alter.

Above the alter

Detail of the "new" organ
built in 1864

This original organ was constructed in
1610 and is still in use.

Some of the other artwork there

The elaborately carved bed surrounded
by portraits of royalty and nobility.

The great ballroom 

On the face of each of the pillars supporting the arches, an Old Testament prophet is depicted.

Abraham

Noah

Enoch

Mary below Isaiah

Eve below Adam

There was too much there to completely chronicle, but we have lots more pictures!

We caught a train to another famous castle, Kronborg, also known as Helsingor after the town near where it is located. It is here that Shakespeare set the play, Hamlet. He called the castle Elsinore, which sounds much like Helsingor. The fact is that the company for which Shakespeare wrote actually visited the castle at one time, though there is no evidence one way or the other that the man himself actually came here. The play is roughly similar to the Scandinavian oral legend of Amleth whose uncle killed his father in order to assume the throne.

It is also known as the closest to Sweden of any place in Denmark. You can see the city of Helsingborg (Hel'sing-bory), Sweden very clearly from the row of cannons on the sea side of the castle. It was from here that Denmark received tribute money from each passing ship that did not wish to encounter the inconvenience of being fired upon by the king's cannons. It filled the treasury of the king and country in the days it was used.

We could see the castle from where we left the train, but our feet
were tired, so we wanted to ask if there was a bus.

I saw a young man with a chef's hat walk by, but determined not
to inquire thinking he may not speak English. It turned out that
he over-heard us and immediately offered his services. He is not
a chef, but a high priest of some order of a Rastafarian sect. His
hat is filled with his hair. He insisted that we walk while he testified
 of the exalted status of Haile Selassie, whom he and those of his
  sect regard as the King of Kings. He, like others, considers
the former emperor of Ethiopia  as the Black Christ.  

Some of the battlements around the castle

The row of cannons pointed out to sea.

The entry to the castle from the courtyard

Up 145 stairs to the lookout (we've
carried furniture up more steps that
that!) is a view of the chapel steeple

The water and city from on top

Because of the castle's location, the wind is bitter cold

The courtyard from the lookout

The chapel is beautiful and well appointed, but much smaller
and less grand then that of Frederiksborg 

My ghostly appearance next to Holger Dansk.
He is a figure of ancient legend. The statue is
in the catacombs beneath the castle. 

If you go, take a flashlight. Some
lighting is provided, but much is
quite dark.

Always look at the ceilings where much\
of the best art is found. I think this
depicts Queen Esther. 

The castle has rooms full of ancient tapestries.

The Scandinavian kings wanted their castles to be as grand as
those in mainland Europe. Another grand ballroom.

The kitchen was surprisingly small and unconnected to the
castle. The staff would have to carry the meals through the
courtyard.

We ended our week with a quick visit to the temple to take pictures and then took the train to central station where we stowed our luggage and then went to the Thorvaldsen Museum.

Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord

Hales outside on the steps.

Us, too

The plaque in Danish. We found much is at least written the
same as Swedish, though not pronounced the same.

It looks like this temple has a water feature.

Only four years newer than the Reno Temple.

The Thorvaldsen museum is massive and contains hundreds of his statues both in the original plaster and in the marble final production. It continues to amaze me how these artists can get marble to shape in such magnificent precision such as supple folds of cloth, veins on arms and legs, and the form, shape and angles of the human body. It is truly a thing of beauty.

Mercury

Olivia beside one of only two horses
he sculpted

The plaster models of the Christ and
the Apostles are here. Plaster tends to
get quite blackened over time.

The full statue of Lord
Byron, commissioned by
the poet himself while
visiting Italy where
Torvaldsen resided for a
time.

Lord Byron's bust

Thorvaldsen's depiction of himself

Hercules and Sister Hales

Plaster of Copernicus 

Plaster of Friedrich  Schiller 

An illustration of how a plaster cast was made.

As we made our way back to the central station, we walked through the canal district which is mostly restaurants (unhappily, we had no time to sit for a meal) on one side and some quaint shops, on the other. We stopped at one souvenir shop to pick up some momentos
and discovered that it is located in the same building, in fact directly below the apartment where Hans Christian Andersen wrote The Tinderbox and The Princess and the Pea. It was the last place he lived. The souvenir shop has a replica of the Little Mermaid.

The colorful canal district with fishing vessels docked and
tourist boats traveling up and down it.

Enlarge to see the inscription above the door. 

Olivia insisted that she take my picture
next to the Little Mermaid

Cold as it was, the kayaks were out in number. Below the water
are sculptures of Agnete and the Mermen. The father and his
sons with outstretched arms begging for Agnete to return. A
little unusual.😕 Enlarge to see them.

Some of the sights we did not have
time to visit or even find out what
they were as we hoofed it
back to the train.

Hungry, but anxious not to miss the train, we bought sandwiches
to eat as we traveled.

We arrived back in Stockholm at about 7:20 PM, caught our train to Upplands Väsby, where we arrived at about 8:30 PM and dragged our suitcases up and down the hill to our welcoming apartment.
Glad to be home, we looked forward to a restful Sabbath day.

Olivia worked on a ward cross stitch project
while I read one of her books on the Kindle

At the Upplands Väsby train station
we started the long walk home.

We noticed that the bushes are starting
to be covered with feathers and tulle
that is intended to look like colored
feathers. We went back to the train stop
on Sunday to get this picture of the
Swedish Easter tradition.

We had a wonderful Sunday. It set out the rest of the week for us. We hope your week was filled with joy, family, friends and with the peace of God's love.