On Wednesday, Kasper's Mom delivered her bike so that I could use it while I was here. At the time, I didn't fully realize what a blessing this would be, but oh my gosh, I love biking around this city. It's such a fast way to get around; and with the city laced with bike paths as it is, there is a much, much smaller chance of being run over by a bus in Copenhagen than in Winnipeg. It's just the neatest feeling being surrounded by bikes all the time. Though they signal with both hands here, which felt a little bizarre initially. Good thing I'm such a quick learner ("clever like the Danes").
So we biked to check out the parliament building, and more of the city centre, we biked to Christiania, we biked to the Royal Library, we biked to Tivoli, we biked to pick up wine and groceries, we biked to the main train station, we biked to the Glyptoteket... But I'll elaborate a little bit:
Christiania is this eclectic little community in Copenhagen that apparently is partly run by it's own government. It's a pretty cool little place that sort of reminds me of being at the lake. The houses have a sort of cabin feel, the children's area is brightly painted, there are street vendors, and cafes to get a hot drink, and there is weed everywhere. The police just sort of leave it alone. I think there's been some major controversy surrounding Christiania over the years, and now the police have just decided to leave the community to it's own devices - though I am not the best one to describe it. It's neat, at any rate.
The sign as you leave Christiania (photos weren't allowed in there - to keep the pot smoking a secret..?)
When I was in New Zealand, I travelled part of the time with Lasse and his youngest brother Laurits. On Friday, Laurits arrived in Copenhagen to visit yours truly (and maybe his brother as well). So it's been great to have the chance to catch up with him as well. The three of us, along with Kasper, checked out Copenhagen's amusement park Tivoli on Friday afternoon. Funny, they don't celebrate Halloween here, but the park was bursting with Halloween decorations! We rode the big rollercoaster, the Golden Tower, and played in some weird illusions-type room. I tried a glass of Gluhwein - warmed red wine and (I think) whisky. Not a drink to be messed with. Then we headed back to the apartment and stayed in for pizza night (and more home-made ice cream).
As usual, the weekend passed pretty quickly. We went out for drinks Saturday night. Much to my dismay, smoking is still allowed in some small bars, but we found a spot that wasn't too smoky. Sunday, we checked out Denmark's massive collection of ancient art at the Glyptoteket.
Then yesterday Laurits and I spent the day roaming Copenhagen checking out some of the things I'd missed. We climbed up Rundetårn - or Round Tower in English - to get a view of the city. We walked by the Queen's Palace, which is gigantic. I don't even understand how one can live in a place like that. However, if everyone lived in palaces, physical inactivity would no longer be a global problem. We also saw the colourful, harbour neighbourhood Nyhavn, and Frederick's Church, which has the highest ceiling I have seen to date. It was pretty awesome - in the literal sense of the word.
The view from Round Tower
The Guinness World Record's tallest man in the world - 8'11" / 272 cm
Nyhavn
The guys' cousins Jakob and Morten came for dinner last night, which inevitably meant more ice-cream. And they were extremely nice, so all-in-all a good Monday.
Which brings me to now. Today we met up with Julie! - another lovely Dane who travelled a few days with us in New Zealand. It was great to see her and catch up. And it was a gorgeous, sunny day, so we wandered around the Botanical Gardens and grabbed an Organic Danish hotdog. Pretty delicious, and I'm sure much healthier than your average street stand dog.
The Botanical Gardens (this is why I love autumn)
Laurits, Julie, Lasse and I.
Tonight is my last evening in Copenhagen (of round 1, anyways). I'm a bit bummed, because it's been such a great week. But apparently some people need to study and work like responsible Danish citizens. And some other people need to fly to London tomorrow morning to explore, and then meet up with Amy, Andrea, and Daniel on November 2 to see Temper Trap play at indig02. Plus as much as I've enjoyed trying to exercise my Danish speaking skills, that darn "soft D" is driving me mental.
So Denmark, I'll see you at Christmas. London, I'll see you tomorrow.
Sending love from Copenhagen.
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