Copenhagen 1.5 (and 2.0)

First of all, my apologies for the long delay - I'm alive, I'm fine, I just have been having difficulty with wi-fi access.  This post will cover yesterday (Friday), as well as today thus far (Saturday morning).


Friday, after a filling if plain breakfast, I headed out to the nearest city bike rack to get myself a bicycle.  They aren't wonderful things - single-speed, one-size-fits-all contraptions - but for free, they're fantastic. Once I had obtained a city bike, I figured it was best to familiarize myself with the bike itself as well as the traffic flow in the city by simply watching other bikers, following them, and mimicking their behaviors.  I quickly learned a few things:

Part of the canal system through Copenhagen

1.  Bikers tend to have the right of way.  They are unapologetic in getting around.  If there wasn't a dedicated bike lane, they would merge with vehicular traffic, and that traffic was expected to accommodate them. 

2. Bike lanes are about two bikes wide (three if one squeezed).

3. Slower bicyclists are usually expected to be on the right, and signaling is both expected, and done with either hand. 

Amaliehaven (High-res)

Once I had the hang of things, I headed along the canal, stopping to rest or anywhere I found interesting.  My first stop was Amaliehaven, a small park across the street from Amalienborg Castle.  The place was made up of hedge gardens dotted with interesting sculptures.  Continuing north, I passed through the Kastellet, or Copenhagen Citadel - a large star-shaped earthworks with military buildings inside.  A little north of that was Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) statue, which I stopped at briefly, more out of obligation than anything.  The crowds were rather heavy, and when you came right down to it there were other statues that were just as interesting within 100 meters of it that everyone was ignoring.

The Kastellet

Heading further north would have taken me into the harbors for cruise ships (which is where I'll need to go at the end of the month), so after checking my map I cut west toward a massive looking park -Fælledparken.  About halfway there, however, I noticed a plaza that looked relaxing, yet was near enough commercial buildings to allow me to people-watch effectively.  It was a small plaza, however, so after I pulled in I checked my map for my position relative to the Fælledparken. 

Den Lille Havfrue

As I was doing this, a young woman came up to me and asked me in Danish if I had a cigarette.  When I replied that I didn't (in English, of course), she asked if she could help me find anything.  I mentioned where I was going, and we chatted for a little about what I had already seen and where I should go (she suggested the Little Mermaid - I told her I had just come from that direction).  Eventually, we simply began discussing the trip I was on, and she asked if I would like to sit down with her friend and converse.  At this point, I was happy to get my pack off my shoulders, and gladly accepted.

I found that her name was Sara (pronounced "Sa-(phlegm)-a"), and her friend's was Elise (pronounced "El-ees").  I also discovered that they were both tipsy, and had been for the last 24 hours. My first thought was that I had read about that sort of thing occurring in Denmark, but not to that extent.  My second thought was to not pass judgment on the culture I was immersing myself in, so we engaged in conversation for most of the afternoon.  Some highlights of the discussion:

1.  They had both been to America before.  Elise had lived in Nebraska for a year studying, and Sara had visited for about a month after only saving for six months from her McDonald's job (after about 50% in taxes).  This impressed me, as it would seem to indicate a very strong economy.

2.  We talked about the Danish language.  This was extremely helpful, as many syllables in the Danish language simply don't have an English equivalent, so my Danish phrasebook can only approximate the pronunciation spelling.

3.  We talked about drinking in a public park in the afternoon.  I'd already read that this was a common occurrence, but it was interesting to get their perspectives on the activity and how it compared with American sensibilities.  They asked if I would buy all of us a beer - and I thought "What the heck".  It was only 60 DKK for three (I'd spent that much on the single drink at the hostel bar the night before - that's how expensive bars are), and I figured I was getting a lot of cultural information and enjoying myself - so getting to talk to them more and experiencing drinking in the park at midday was more than worth it.  

4.  Throughout the conversation, they would both ask passers-by for cigarettes.  Sara wanted one badly, but didn't have any money on her (had spent it all on beer the night before, I imagine).  Elise didn't smoke, but wanted to get one for Sara to shut her up.  I simply sat back during these exchanges and sipped my cider, watching.  It was interesting to see the different ways in which they would interact with Danes, Germans, and other groups.  I did notice that they always opened with Danish, however.

5.  We discussed why I was in Denmark, and everything I was trying to learn about Scandinavian culture.  This surprised them, as they don't typically see Americans showing up just to learn about Scandinavia.  Eventually, it started raining again (the weather here has not been wonderful, and it's looking cloudy again today).  As it was getting into the evening, Sara suggested that I should experience some home-made Danish cooking.  Of course, I was concerned with my safety, but I figured that if I kept my wits about myself and didn't get into any bad situations, it should be fine.  It also meant that I wouldn't be attending the Copenhell metal festival - but I was already uncertain about that because of the expense involved, and my lack of experience with the metal scene in general (Sorry, Eli).

Sara rented the upstairs of a house from an older couple, and to get there we took the Metro from the shopping district of Copenhagen out a few stops to the suburbs.  There we stopped by a small "food & textiles" shop, which felt all the world like a mini-Walmart.  I figured I should pay for the food, which only came to 100kr - so not only was I expressing gratitude, but I was paying less than I would at a restaurant.  We bought eggs, sour cream, pork, and potatoes.

The dishes we prepared were common Danish dishes, and I was surprised to see that the culinary sensibilities at play were already very familiar to me.  We made meatballs with pork, egg, onion, and fresh basil, sautéed in olive oil - a very similar recipe to one I already make.  The potatoes were boiled, and served with a very interested dressing made from sour cream, crushed garlic, pepper, curry powder, and paprika - I'm definitely going to try to recreate that back in the states.

After dinner, it wasn't quite dark but I was exhausted (getting up at 4:30 will do that to a person) - so I thanked her, said goodnight, and headed back to the city to sleep like a rock.  The experience was definitely worthwhile, but as Saturday is my last guaranteed day in Copenhagen (it's the hub of my trip, so I may have some extra days in the future), I wanted to see more traditional sites (the National Museum, and Tivoli).


This morning, I rode a city bike around looking for a bite to eat.  I found a small bakery, and had a Danish...pastry and a cup of hot chocolate.  After eating, I biked around the city, but not much was open until 10.  As I meandered, I got somewhat lost and ended up on the west side of the city, where apparently they keep their porn shops and strip clubs.  Given that it was barely after 9, however, there wasn't a whole lot of activity in the district.  I returned to the city center to visit the National Museum as it opened.

All I can say about the museum is...wow.  The place is two wings with 4 stories, and every room is packed to the brink with various historic artifacts.  I tried my best to work my way carefully through - starting with the prehistoric Denmark exhibit) - but I hit overload by the third exhibit.  At that point, I wandered my way through the rest of the museum, reading displays that looked interesting, and trying to focus on the exhibits that were specifically about Denmark, as opposed to world cultures or what have you.


Right now, I'm in the lobby of the museum, taking advantage of free wireless and waiting for the hostel to open back up so I can take a nap.  I'll probably wander around Tivoli this evening, then catch an early train to Århus tomorrow morning.