Copenhagen's Pleasures and Pastimes

Busy ports, pleasure boats, reams of cyclists and ... hotdogs. That's right, hotdogs. They are apparently such a staple of life in this Danish capital that even the prohibitive signs on buses include them:


I tried a few different kinds. They were alright. I wonder if popsicles have the same status.

Meandering through the streets, I came across plenty of interesting buildings, pretty squares and curious sights...





At the time, I took a picture of this sign because I thought it was the silliest reiteration ever - but I later learned that "Barbar" stems from "Barbarian", which makes a little more sense, thank god ha.


The big souvenir hit here is Trolls, complete with the mythology of generally agreeable, sometimes meddling forest-folk, who come out around dusk and are to be placated with food if you want to avoid their troll-wrath (in the form of dead crops and diseased livestock).

The streets of Copenhagen smell like candy. Little tents like this are erected in the most popular squares and the smell of sugared fruit and nuts wafts through the air for what seems like miles. mmmm tasty.


Kongens Nytorv square is packed with flea-market-type tables and local artists...


...as well as temporary patios clustered around a tiny beer-tower.


Here's another one in Nytorv. These mini-towers are all over the place - very cool concept.

A little concert in Nytorv: the choir bustles about, chattering, while the men prepare the electronics.



By the way, Carlsberg doesn't taste any better in Denmark, but what an ingenious slogan!


I was intrigued by this sculpture at the far end of the square. It's meant to bring awareness of the amount of trash on Copenhagen's streets - "It's an art keeping the city clean."


The Nyhavn was my favourite area to walk through in the four days I spent here. My first glimpse of the Nyhavn happened to be through the window of the amber museum bathroom:


I imagine this is the picture-postcard-perfect locale of Copenhagen - the colourful buildings, beautiful restaurants, and of course the always-crammed boat tours.






The first of two highlights was Christiana. A truly unique aspect of culture in Copenhagen, it was really cool to walk around the 'camp' and see children's playgrounds constructed from tubes, ladders and old tires hung from rope, alongside expertly assembled stages and piles of amp equipment. It seemed around every corner, someone was singing or playing music, whether with a guitar, harmonica or flute. Neil Young was a popular choice.






I couldn't take many pictures because they frown on snap-happy tourists, to say the least, but I did manage a few. The graffiti was particularly cool.


See the snail? (look for eyes in the bushes)


In case you can't read that, it says "You are now entering the EU"


The second highlight of my time in Copenhagen :)


The Erotic Museum: one of the best museums I've been to - really. I spent four hours in there.


Sexual mythology from Greek and Roman to Indonesian and Japanese, with so much information and truly impressive displays.



* Prostitute means substitute, as in substitute for the Goddess. Women would serve the Goddess through their sexuality at a time when virginal meant independent rather than untainted. Virginity belonged to the Goddess and was sacrificed to her.

* In some places, women had sex with all of the male wedding guests before her husband.

* The word fascinate derives from the Latin fascinum, which means penis.

* Around 500 B.C.E., Aphrodite had a second part to her name - Pornea. As you might imagine, the word porn derives from her and means "having intentions as to the encouragement of erotic ecstasy." Aphrodisiac also stems from Aphrodite.

* Orgasm comes from the Greek orgao, meaning "to be full of ecstasy and passion."

* The first sex-shop was opened in the 18th century.

* Corsets date back to 1500 B.C.E. and they were worn by men as well as women. Hot.

* The first strip-tease took place at the Moulin Rouge in paris in 1893 and became an instant sensation.

* Denmark was the first country to legalize pornography - first literature, then pictures. The Dutch song-writer Poul Henningsen put it this way: "Democracy ought to be mature enough to button its own trousers - up or down according to circumstance."

Nor do the Danes shy away from the more disturbing (by modern standards) aspects of eroticism - the museum is full of fun little facts and even some pictures.

For instance:

Also, in several ancient temples, monkeys were trained for sex with men and women. Priests were paid for services rendered. Yeesh.

That's just the tip of the ice burg, but I'll spare you.


I laughed out loud at these "erotic doll houses" by the Swedish artist Alf Agdler (1995).




The advent of photography propelled erotic images to a whole new level - aside from prostitutes and erotic scenes, they also had photos of chastity belts and bondage gear before the turn of the century.


In the early years of photography, one of the most popular motifs was a "well-equipped" youth with an adult woman. Obviously, contemporary culture has swung to the opposite extreme. The best I hope for is balance.

There were a few modern S&M scenarios too...


Most people know that Sadism is so named because of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), but Masochism is named after Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch (1835-1895). For him, sexual satisfaction had to involve physical and mental "torment."

He had strict ground rules for his mistresses: he promised to yield to their commands and allow them to punish him in any way, so long as they were available for six hours everyday and were dressed in furs as often as possible, especially when punishing him.

One of the best parts was all the stories about the sex lives of famous people:

* Hans Christian Andersen died a virgin.

* Apprently, Hitler was a sadomasochist. Go figure.

* Freud remarked, perhaps in regard to his own confusions, "the sexual life of a civilized man in seriously disabled."

* Casanova rote "I have never been able to understand how a father could love his daughter without having slept with her at least once."

* Charlie Chaplin also had a penchant for young girls: "The most beautiful form of human life is the very young girl just starting to bloom." Yuck. I've always thought of men who prefer much younger women as fundamentally weak and insecure.

* Clark Gable on the other hand, seems to have been a real man: "The older woman has seen more, heard more, and knows more than the demure young girl." hear, hear.

* When asked if he was gay, James Dean replied "well, I'm certainly not going through life with one hand tied behind my back."

* Marilyn Monroe would lie in bed all day drinking champagne, admiring her naked image in the mirror, eating (and wiping her hands on the sheets), belching and farting, and she rarely bathed. And she was a sex-symbol.

* Karl Marx was fond of the terms cock and toss-off, and liked to tell dirty jokes but only in certain company.

* Friedrich Nietzsche had sex with his sister, and wrote about several other sadomasochistic experiences, saying "cruelty does not quiet down the lust of a woman, but on the contrary intensifies it to a fever pitch."

* The saying "close your eyes and think of England" has been attributed to Queen Victoria on the night she married her brother (her choice).

* Rousseau was a masochist who longed to be spanked, and also went through a period of exhibitionism - he would hide in dark alleys and expose his butt to passing women, hoping someone would be bold enough to spank him.

All in all, it couldnt have been more comprehensive. There was even a wall of tv's showing about 20 different porno flicks (all for sale in the gift shop), other videos of men stripping, gay porn, as well as entire rooms dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Playboy.

Coolest. Museum. Ever. Truly fascinating.