V&A

The weather has been brilliant lately.



That's a shade of blue I am always happy to see.



People here seem to dress rather foolishly.  Instead of easing into a spring wardrobe, they shed their winter coats to reveal so much skin.  It's slightly hilarious- the first day where it hits 60, people dress for the beach with no real though about the late afternoon chill that is bound to set in, and I've seen more crop-tops and tube tops than I did these past couple weeks than two years in Paris combined.  The men automatically switch to shorts and t-shirts and flipflops, which just seems odd granted that it's really not THAT warm out.  It's very casual here.



Despite the warm early-spring breezes and squint-inducing sunlight, I ducked into the Victoria and Albert museum, if only because I was in the neighborhood and it's a fantastic place.  I haven't been in years.



The museum is art and design textile-oriented, and it is packed with treasures.  Kind of an arts-and-crafts greatest hits collection.





It's so much bigger than I remember it.  There's beautiful embroidery, decorative glass, sculpture.  There's a huge costume section that I couldn't even find.  The Islamic section was full of iznik tiles and carpets that would just have looked stunning in my new pad.

They also have an amazing gift shop, with lots of crafty material.  Special-run of Liberty Fabric based on pieces in the collection, reproduction jewelry, a library of books that makes me re-think the 'no books' policy I have, and just lots of unique little enviable treasures to browse through.  Rather fortuitously, I bumped into a friend from Paris in the gift shop.  It's super crazy to bump into people randomly in a big city, but to do that when I have only been here for two month was kind of spectacular.



Afterwards, a walk through upscale Kensington, stopping in their rather awesome charity shops every chance I got.  Upscale neighborhoods have much better overall stock, and I've been on a hunt for a spring coat that is cute and classic.  No luck on that front so far, but it's never a waste as I've found loads of vintage buttons, and sometimes even fancy gift boxes of French cosmetics I use (Nuxe, Caudalie) for just a couple quid, plus my kitchen is for want of nothing.  Paris had brocantes, big flea markets, overpriced hipster vintage and bric-brac sales, but they don't have networks of charity shops like they do here.

   



Afterwards, on to Hyde Park (or is it Kensington Gardens I was in?  I haven't figured that out yet).  I didn't quite make it to my goal of seeing Kensington Palace, but I was just overwhelmed with the color and the springyness of it all.





Everyone loves springtime.

Mermaidens

Two museums that I hit that I would recommend (both free!): The National Museum and the David Collection. No pictures allowed at the David, but it was a really amazing collection of Islamic art that was mesmerizing. It made the rest of the collection of Danish and European artist look amateurish.

The National Museum was huge. Denmark has a policy that all artifacts from the past can not leave the country, so they have a wealth of artifacts reaching back to the stone age. There were well-organized rooms full of creepy peat-bog sacrifices and Viking artifacts.

Awesome Rune stones, and lovely plundered treasures abounded.

Mostly though, I just loved walking around. It's a very pretty city. There is a ton of construction to get around as they are extending the metro, but there were plenty of places to see otherwise.

The lovely old stock exchange:

The vibrant, picturesque and touristific Nyhaven.

It was mobbed, with tourist spilling out of the cafes and people getting go-cups to sit on the pier with.

Amalie Garden, next to the marble church.

You wouldn't have guessed it from all the tourist shops slinging figurines and postcards, but yes, there is a mermaid chilling out in the harbor.

Even though there were signs saying not to climb the statue, plenty of people, ahem, men, were gamely climbing the rocks so they could have their picture taken giving the bronze a nice grope, proving that tourist can be dicks all over the world.

There's no pictures allowed in Christiania, and for good reason. It's an old military base taken over by squatters and made into a community of hippies (or hippie-minded) and tourist coming to buy pot, and quite a few prudes rubbernecking and looking around nervously at the whole thing. It was really unique- there is a "pusher street" filled with hash and pot stands, all covered up with military camouflage (a joke- the government wanted the dealers to be "less visible", so they now hang out under camo canopies).

There are rules posted: Absolutely no pictures, no weapons, no biker gangs, no body armor, no fireworks, no hard drugs, no running (it creates panic), no cars and no selling of stolen goods. Cannabis is not legal in Denmark, but somewhat tolerated in this one area, and they are trying hard to have their idealistic self-governing hippie utopia. It's really a unique place. I'm sure it has the ability to scare some people off, but there was some really unique homemade architecture and art works all over the place and it's totally worth a look even if you aren't buying.

Musée des Arts et Métiers: old cool stuff.

I keep thinking I've seen all the museums here. It seems like all I've been doing all winter is hit the halls and galleries of Paris. I joke, but it is true: it's always good museums weather in Paris.

This time, a place I've passed dozens of times on my way to Frenchie, but never bothered to take a second look: Musée des Arts et Métiers.

I really didn't even know what it was all about. Turns out, they have quite an impressive collection of Industrial advancements and technology. Ancient astronomy and navigation tools, lots of early machinery and engines. Really interesting stuff, even if you aren't into watch parts and pistons. It was well curated and presented. Totally worth an gander on a rainy afternoon.

This is one of the three of the original casts of Lady Liberty, which sits right out front of a really interesting gothic church- what used to be St-Martin-des-Champs.

A lot of these tools of science were really well-made parlor games for the rich. Come on over, drink some bubbly and watch me do a science!

And, of course, some of the objects were much more practical.

They had rooms full of looms!

A gigantic circular knitting machine, with the work full of moth noms:

An early flying-machine:

Most impressive was the interior of St-Martin-des-Champs.

It was old- consecrated in 1135- and considered the first gothic style church in Paris. It's primary architect was Montreuil- the same man who built the exquisite St Chapel, St Denis, and the chapel at St Vinncennes.

It's beautifully restored and filled with simple stained glass, and the perfect place to hang up your antique airplane collection.

It's also the perfect place to hang a Foucault Pendulum.

The original was once here, but an unfortunate snapping of the string destroyed it (and a bit of the church floor). This is a replica of the original. You can stand there and watch as the earth turns beneath your feet.

It's fantastic, right? A really nice repurposing of an ancient building.

Back outside, a confusing bit of blue sky, lovely afternoon low sun, pouring rain and the occasional clap of thunder.