Frilands Museum

How tricksy the weather is being at the moment, I feel positively befuddled each time I leave the unchanging climate of my house. In the morning when we depart for school in a whirlwind of organised chaos I panic at the thought of forgetting my coat and am convinced that the toddler will catch a cold should I not wrap his fully clothed person within a blanket as we leave the car, which, for the record is kept at a consistent 19 degrees. Yet no matter how prepared I feel I am for the cold spell that we seem to be entering each day, by mid afternoon the temperature has leapt up and the boys can tell me how they knew after all that shorts would have been just fine. It is beyond me to get this right until possibly late November, from which point I will retreat gracefully into the folds of my coat leaving only a little red nose on view.

On Sunday I was the woman to be found wilting her way around the Frilands museum swathed in layers of clothing, shedding weight and jumpers as we wound our way further and further into the grounds. We have often visited the Frilands museum, being close neighbours it would have been churlish not to and it is absolutely worth a trip. Part of the National Museum family, the 'Open air Museum' is to be found in Sorgenfri, just North of Lyngby. Founded in 1897 and moved to its present location at the turn of the last century, the Frilands Museum is home to a fascinating selection of Danish homes, farms and industry buildings. Each one has been transported from its original location and recreated piece by piece. Then, thoughtfully and deliberately the neighbouring landscape has been adapted to represent the buildings original setting hence it is quite possible to travel through Danish history in the space of an afternoon.

We have visited the museum so many times yet I still feel as though I know only a third at best, such is the expanse of detail and landscape to explore. The children love to roam around the buildings, absorbing the history in the least direct way possible asking questions as they go. We traipse around after them making sure that at each turn 100 years of history is still untouched by inquisitive fingers. At points I may discover a detail that captures my own imagination, I particularly loved these suspended water balls. How fascinating to know they were used by women whilst doing needlework to magnify their stitches.

When we have walked far enough it's time to head for one of the cafes for a light refreshment. In summer this will be the kiosk next to the windmill in the middle that hosts the water feature. On a warm day the fountain acts as a paddling pool teaming with children of all ages, I am savvy enough now to know that they will get completely wet no matter how much they promise to only paddle. Therefore if open, which it wasn't this time, this area becomes our last port of call which is fine by me as there is coffee available and no matter how wet the children get it is not that far to waddle back to the car.


On various days throughout the year staff are on hand in authentic costumes to talk visitors through some of the buildings, we have always found them very willing to speak in English and happy to patiently explain to the children. At the main entrance to the museum is a gift shop, it is definitely worth a browse if you have a moment. Sadly at the end of October the museum closes up and doesn't actually re-open until April aside from two weekends in December which are very 'hygge'. Free to enter it is a nice way to take a walk with family or friends and learn some Danish history at the same time.

So there we were on Sunday, the toddler enjoying an opportunity to walk without cars or bicycles impeding his progress. The two big boys lurching from dwelling to dwelling marveling at how short people used to be and generally having a wonderful adventure in the fresh air. Their father feigning interest, thinking all the while of the waffles and soft ice that are un-denyingly his favourite part of our history walk, and Myself? Of course I always enjoy being out with my little family but to be honest I started the trip ready for autumn. I quickly found out it was in fact still summer and that I was completely and utterly over dressed for the occasion. So, if you were also there that day and you saw a red faced woman wearing long Ugg boots in the sunshine, wilting under a tower of winter clothing it was probably me. Maybe we ought to have taken the path via the water feature after all but I can't promise I would have stopped at the ankles.
www.natmus.dk

Zoologisk Museum

For the past eight years I have lived with a wildlife enthused chap who loves nothing more than spending time with animals or reading about them. One day he hopes to venture out into the world to help spread the word about conservation but until then we make do with the Zoo and the Internet. We have spent many hours at the Zoo with the animals, just watching them and talking about who they are and their place in our world but we do not always have the time to pop up to the Zoo as often as he would like.

Thankfully just a five minute drive away from the International Schools we found a wonderful museum that beautifully reinforces the curiosity that emerges after a visit to see the live animals at the Zoo. It is called the Zoological Museum, Natural History Museum of Denmark. This week we had a friend to play but due to the  logistics of collecting other offspring, not really enough time for a sufficient play at home so we headed to the museum for just over an hour after school.

Part of the University of Copenhagen, the Zoo Museum (as we know it)  houses an extensive collection of over 10 million specimens, a taster of which you can see on the walk up to the reception. We bought our tickets, my favourite of all tickets in the city as they are printed with a botanical image and look like little art works. This you do in a gift shop overflowing with exciting purchases, it is quite the temptation! Next to the bathroom is lots of storage space for stowing bags and coats enabling us to walk freely around upstairs unhindered by the weight of a long day at school.



The boys were overawed by the 10 foot shark that awaits as you exit the lift to the exhibitions. Encased in a long glass tank, we were able to make a decent attempt at counting all 100 of the teeth in the sharks mouth, quite frightening to see so close up I have to say. What followed was a walk through all the various exhibitions, we saw a woolly mammoth and literally got to feel what it would have been like in the ice age thanks to the wall of ice in the room. We saw the Darwin exhibition upstairs where we got to sit in Darwin's office on board ship and take a look at some of the fascinating species that he discovered on his travels.

There are animals everywhere in extremely well thought out modern exhibitions, so many enormous skeletons of now extinct breeds that we hadn't seen anywhere else which was really interesting. Towards the rear of the building is a hands on room full of skulls to touch and draw, alongside some animals that are available for feeling and looking at in lots of details. We even got to hug a polar bear, not something one does every day after school! On hand are university staff who are more than happy to share their extensive knowledge with visitors. Unfortunately we were too late for the cafe, but it is good for coffee and a slice of cake on days is open. Although this trip was short we have been before a few times and will return again soon. It's worth noting that the museum can host birthday parties too, we were fortunate enough to attend one recently which was great fun and many schools visit as part of their educational programs.

Time quickly passed and we made our thoughtful way back to the car discussing animals and the environment, reinforcing for the children and myself the real need for conservation efforts around the world. A worthwhile end to a busy week.

www.zoologi.snm.ku.dk

Pirates of Copenhagen

It's not often that one meets a pirate in the middle of the city and that is probably just as well because they are actually a little bit scary. I know this because today we spent a couple of hours in the company of a real pirate and his ship's mate down at The Orlogsmuseet (Naval museum) in Christianshavn. As part of their summer program the museum had invited the pirates to come and give a character reference in between voyages.
The Orlogsmuseet houses a very large and impressive collection of maritime history with a comprehensive overview of the Danish Navy. The exhibits were interesting to look at and very nicely displayed in the rooms that we visited today. Certainly compelling for our party of children and I am sure that my father would happily spend hours wandering around here. We will return at another point to take a look at the rest as there was plenty to see and learn. This time however, our visit was strictly for meeting Pirates.

We were guided towards the excellent children's room at the bottom of the building past the pirate themed gift shop which was exciting enough for the smallest members of our crew. The children's museum is housed in one large room within which you will find two small sail boats fully kitted out for adventurous children and their willing guardians. Causing great excitement from our little pirate nephew was the section of ship along one side of the room and he set to work straight away shouting orders in a very convincing fashion.
At one o'clock we were ready to meet the Captain, he arrived on stage and introduced himself... oo-arrrrr... It was at this point that our happy little pirate felt a little less brave and was a little less loud and much preferred to sit in the safe arms of his father sneaking glimpses from behind his comfort blanket. I don't blame though because if I saw the actor in normal clothes I would have to take a second look, he was such a natural pirate I can't imagine seeing him any other way. We sat for forty five minutes whilst he and a second female pirate demonstrated sword play, talked about where they travelled to and what foods they would eat along the way. It was obviously presented in Danish but we managed to stay the course and understood enough to be able to join in with some of the jokes that had all the audience laughing out loud. It was very professionally managed and the actors stayed in character throughout the show impressing us with their swordsmanship. At the end they did a question and answer session for the curious children keen to find out where exactly the buried treasure rests.

Following the real pirates it was time for us to take a turn and the younger children played for a while in the boats before we headed upstairs to briefly take a look at the rest of the museum.
As I said previosuly, we will return at another point to have a better look at the other floors because there really is a lot more to see but the little pirates were hungry and had to have some grub so we made our way home.

I wonder if we will all have watery adventure's in our dreams tonight?
www.orlogsmuseet.dk

National Museum

The best laid plans never quite turn out as one might imagine and today, no actually this whole week, has been just so. Having had a rather fraught and very adhoc past few days I was greatly looking forward to the arrival of my Mother this morning and with her the promise of a stolen few hours of peace and quiet. I had not yet ventured in to the city so far this holiday so I thought that it was perfect timing to make a visit to the National Museum right in the heart of the city centre whilst we had two sets of hands. The plan being I would introduce everyone to the map of the museum, arm them with sufficient kroner for sustenance and then slip quietly away for a couple of hours just to myself.
We have visited the museum before and spent a great deal of time on the lower floor where you can find some very early Nordic history. Exhibits that are thousands of years old, priceless but oh so tactile and tempting to the touch for inquisitive fingers. Today therefore we went higher up and today's weary priorities in order headed straight for the cafe.
I have had the Sunday brunch at the museum recommended to me more than once, so a greedy curiosity lead me over to the stylish and inviting seating area to take a look at the menu. Actually I was already sold on the decor, the menu was just a complete bonus. Scandinavian food incredibly well thought out and at a very reasonable price, I would be very happy to take a trip to the museum for the food alone. Once ordered at the bar the food was subsequently bought out to us by very friendly staff who seemed more than happy to ensure we received the best of everything. The food was indeed delicious and looked beautiful when delivered to the by now ravenous table guests. The children's menu didn't altogether tick the boxes for my boys, they were served a sausage alongside some potato salad and ketchup but I think the dishes were probably slightly more suited to an older palate. Undeterred they filled the gaps from the free bread basket whilst we finished our meals and then we were ready to go.

It would have been a wasted opportunity for me to slip out at this point once I realised I could take pictures for this blog so I tucked my escape plan within my jacket pocket for a later date and lead the way into some as yet unknown section of the museum.

Next time I will take one of the free guide maps as we  found ourselves deeply embedded in the religious iconography and realistic life sized re-enactments of Jesus Christ's death, a tad heavy for the little chaps and being so unexpected we bounced from one piece to another without dwelling for too long on the more macabre exhibits. Then the littlest chap discovered how well the rooms echoed when one shouts at the top of ones voice. It was time to move on. Granny would have happily spent another hour of two in these rooms but it was not really the best place for even the most patient and now very loud echoing child so we headed back downstairs to the childrens museum.

Inside the children's wing, the museum curators have obviously put a lot of thought into opening up history for children and we found ourselves entering a 1900's playground busy with the sounds of break-time and full of children excitedly practicing walking on stilts. You can find a replica early classroom just past the playground so Granny, a school teacher of many years went straight to the teachers desk and sat down. She looked so at home I wondered exactly when it was she started teaching! School leads to Pakistan and viking boats via Morroco and other exciting adventures. All the exhibits are very hands on and can provide many happy hours of fun especially if willing parents enter into the spirit of things with some role play.
The museum really does provide a thorough overview of Scandinavian history, from the very early years of the vikings right the way through to the modern monarchy and if you have a few hours to spare there is much at the National Museum to absorb and learn from. As I said previously, it is worth a visit for the food alone.

After a very content four hours we left the museum in search of more refreshments and the chance to sit down and discuss all that we had seen. I might not have found the peace and quiet I had been hoping for at the start of the day but I did get to share some peaceful time with the children and that is quite something at the end of another wet school holiday week.
www.natmus.dk

Teknisk museum

Tucked away in the north of Sjaelland lies a treasure of a place, the Danske Teknisk Museum. Founded in 1911, the museum holds a large collection of transport including over 30 full sized aeroplanes. Waking up to the rain dancing down the window frames and faced with entertaining the troops all day it wasn't a hard decision to pack up the car and head just south of Helsingor for a very pleasant morning.

We have visited the museum a couple of times before which adds a comforting amount of familiarity and an increasing fondness for our favourites. The collection is housed inside a hanger which you enter via the small but nicely presented coffee and gift shop. It is quite something to enter the building and see so many different vehicles, some suspended, others so enormous you simply can't fail to be impressed. Whenever we visit there is always a steady throng of visitors but never so many that it feels busy or that you cannot take time over exhibits and there always seems to be a calmness surrounding the rooms. To be perfectly honest the majority of visitors are male, aside from Mothers of boys (that's me) or grandmothers but then this is every little boys dream museum. It is like landing in the playroom car box, only of course everything is life size.

Some of the pieces are interactive and my boys had to be peeled out of the fighter jet cockpit. At the simulator flight deck there were a couple of other Mummy's waiting patiently outside whilst our offspring sat attentively pushing buttons, flicking switches and presumably landing a jumbo jet perfectly in their own imaginations.

The museum could be improved slightly if for non Danish speakers, some of the descriptions were in English but depending on your proficiency  there is plenty of Danish literature to be read. Another thing to bear in mind is that the hanger is not heated so in winter and I tell you this with experience, it can be absolutely freezing, so layer up if you go in the colder months.

We love this unassuming museum and will most certainly go again on another day when it rains so heavily you can hear drumming on the corrugated ceiling, reassuring you that coming to visit was a great idea.

The museum is very reasonable, today's visit cost 65dkk for one adult and two children and filled a very wet couple of hours. We heartily recommend you give it a try.

www.tekniskmusem.dk