Day 4: Assistens Cemitery + Strøget + Round Tower + Becoming Jane

Hans Christian Andersen's grave

A couple of days before leaving to Copenhagen, i was doing an Internet research about Existencialism, and i ended up finding this beautiful quote from a philosopher whom i had never heard before:

How did I get into the world? Why was I not asked about it and why was I not informed of the rules and regulations but just thrust into the ranks as if I had been bought by a peddling shanghaier of human beings? How did I get involved in this big enterprise called actuality? Why should I be involved? Isn't it a matter of choice? And if I am compelled to be involved, where is the manager—I have something to say about this. Is there no manager? To whom shall I make my complaint?

The quote in question belongs to the book Repetition by Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), considered for many the father of existencialism, years ahead of Sartre and his followers. As Kierkegaard was extremely religious, you can't affirm he's an existencialist in the way Sartre would become. I found this quote so appealing in the moment i read it. It made me feel better about tormenting thoughts i have now and then about life and death.

As i found out he's buried in a cemitery in Copenhagen, i had to go there. And i did. I also wanted to see the grave where Hans Christian Andersen was buried. I read some brief Kierkegaard's life facts and he was in love with this young woman, Regine Olsen, but the marriage never happened to be, because for some reason they splited. Seems like he was tormented forever because of that. I also read she's buried not so far from his grave, which i find romantic, but i couldn't find hers. Maybe it was one of the many graves which inscriptions were unable to be read.

Søren Kierkegaard's grave

Copenhagen seen from the Round Tower

Later on i walked in Strøget, a huge opening outdoors mall at a street that never seems to end. It's a marvelous place where you can observ the time changing differences in danish architecture through the buildings. I didn't know if i kept my eyes up (to observ the buildings) or down (window shopping and a lot more). Unfortunately i didn't take any pictures at all. Neither from the south americans and other foreigners street artists, nor the windows that caught my attention (there was a beautiful vintage male hats store) and the passants. With regard to window shopping pics, i guess i was traumatized by that awful incident at Nyhavn.

After quite some walking, Round Tower: a 210 metre long spiral stairway. As soon as you're on top you can see a big part of the city, like the town hall, Rosenborg Castle, some churchs, etc. At 7pm we went to see Becoming Jane, a romantic (comedy?) about how british writer Jane Austen (author of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, among others), developted her writing skills after her love experiences as a young woman. I went to see this film without expecting much, and i liked it. Without a single exception the entire cast did good. Young actors Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) and James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) don't tremble in the presence of veteran actors such as Maggie Smith (i love her!), Julie Walters and James Cromwell.

Overall, it's a good film, but i think there was a make-up failure in the aging of Hathaway's Jane Austen, while McAvoy's Tom Lefroy aged quite better (in getting "really" old terms). Watch the trailer here.