From Opera to Salsa – a Tour of Diversity in Copenhagen

Our pedometer read 18 kms today when we came through the door of the flat from our tour.  What you may ask were we up to that kept us walking for 26,000 steps today?  The day held diversity galore; treats for our eyes, ears; basically our whole beings with the exception of our tired feet.

We started with two terrific architectural stops both great contemporary design and both located on the edge of city canals.  The state Opera house has a huge presence with views across the canal to the Royal Theatre.  A cooperative young woman was responsive to Jack’s pleas in rusty Danish to gain access and so we had the building to ourselves for half an hour or so and took a ‘self guided tour’. 

From Istanbul to Copenhagen

How is it that the passion for carpets and twenty years of countless hours spent in the bazaars of Istanbul should land me in Copenhagen?  The road is not particularly direct, but in the pursuit of educational opportunity and on the rare the chance to see textiles and carpets that have been hidden away in museum collections, here I am in Copenhagen about to enter into a conference that will bring together collectors, dealers and enthusiasts from around the world for time to study, discuss, view and experience collections in Copenhagen, Stockholm and St Petersburg.  The ICOC; the International Conference on Oriental Carpets which starts early next week last convened in Istanbul in 2007.  In 2007 the Turkish government, collectors and dealers hosted a rich experience showcasing treasures that were feasts for the eyes. Adding to the many highlights of the Istanbul ICOC exhibitions were the historic buildings that housed them.  It was wonderful to view the the carpets and textiles in the great ballroom of the Dolmabache Palace, Josephine Powell’s magnificent kilim collection in the palace at Yildiz Park where one could stand far off and be stunned by the graphic beauty of the pieces.  Mehmet Cetinkaya’s collection of central asian chapans were displayed in the historic 16th c  Ibrahim Pasa’s Palace present home to the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum while other collections were viewed in the lower reaches of the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace.  The collections were beautiful and memorable and their beauty was enhanced by the exquisite buildings with the magnificent architectural detail; generally great vast spaces that allowed room for the major pieces to be viewed at their very best.