DAY 130 – Wonderful? Wonderful Copenhagen? (Part 1)

July 27 - Bikes, Boats, and Barracks

Originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century.  If you count the metropolitan area, there are nearly 2 million people in the city.  89,000 of them are students and we lived among them for four days.  Crazy!

We borrowed a bike from Martin and one of his friends.  Rich ended up fixing the brakes and another minor part by going downstairs to the "bike shop".  Martin was very thankful that he now had brakes that worked.

The whole basement of the dorm complex is full of bikes and tools to fix bikes and spare parts.

Outside of the old university dorm building where we stayed for a night

One of Copenhagen's many boat docks

The following pictures are from one of the churches in Copenhagen that we ran into on our bike ride.  Sorry that I don't know which one, but it was  beautiful inside.

We continued on to a small community called Christiania, a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood of about 850 residents, covering 84 acres.

 Civic authorities in Copenhagen regard Christiania as a large commune, but the area has a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989.  Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971.   Less used after World War II, the barracks were abandoned during 1967 to 1971.  So, the "Hippies" squatted down in the former military barracks and created their own community - a "free" world. - fristaden ('the freetown').

Wall paintings near the entrance of Christiana

 The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the well being of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical destitution can be averted.  (Mission Statement of 1971)

 So many painted murals and colors and junk everywhere.  There were many interesting people along the way, but I got an eerie, dark, weird feeling as I took pictures and as we roamed the streets on our bikes.  Somehow I get the feeling we're not really welcome here, although there are plenty of tourists around.

 

Beautiful colored graffiti or maybe it's just a painted fence

Soon, we approached a street which I now know as "Pusher Street" since this is where they sell the illegal hashes.  There was a cool looking sign that said "No photos".  I went to take a picture of the picture, but was immediately reprimanded by someone on the street who gruffly told me that it was not allowed.

I got this photo off the internet as there was no way I was going to get a photo of what they were selling

We continued down the street and at first I thought it was a farmer's market or something.  There were some unique jewelry shops, and more, but then instead of fruit and vegetables, some of the vendors were selling the "brown stuff".  I asked Rich what in the world it was.  He proceeded to tell me.  I'm so naive!

I didn't take this one either.

At the end of the L-O-N-G street, which really wasn't that long, was another cool-looking sign of "no photos allowed".  Like a dummy, I again tried to take a photo of the sign and no longer did I have the camera up, when I again was accosted, this time, with swearing and finger-pointing, etc.  OK...we jumped on the bikes and we were out of there.  I was very glad to be out of that dark hole.

The sign says, "You are now entering the EU."  I say, "Good-bye and Good Riddance"

 Onward for some more of "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen."

Frederick's Church

These are made out of sand - amazing!  It was a special exhibition along the harbour.

Rich loved this sailboat - it's a dream boat.

He would love to go back to the Croatian islands with this boat.

Such a cute little Danish girl

The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid.  Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major tourist attraction since 1913. In recent decades it has become a popular target for defacement by vandals and political activists.  The poor girl has been decapitated twice with the original head never returned, had her arm sawed off, paint poured over her, had her exploded off the base and thrown in the water, and many other terrible things.  Still she survives and has hordes of tourists around her all day long.

I was one of those tourists

 See Day 126 for more about my visit to Odense and Hans Christian Andersen

Thank you for all your tales, Hans Christian Andersen

Many wonderful architectural wonders in Copenhagen.                                       

Evidently, this was "accidentally" dropped on this car as a joke.  It's been untouched now for months.

I'm still finding lions for my grandsons who love them.  I need to make a special page for all my lion pictures.

Rosenburg Castle

Rosenborg Castle was begun in 1606-1607, when King Christian IV decided to build a summer house in the King's Garden at the outskirts of medieval Copenhagen next to the fortifications.

The Castle grounds were beautiful - so much history

 

National Museum of Denmark

Such fun antique toys & dolls

Reminds me of my Aunt Shirley & her wonderful doll collection

 We decided to take a boat tour around the city and were so glad we did.  It took us to the major sights and explained everything.  The trouble is, I misplaced my notes, so if I mix up some of the sites or they are unlabeled, that is why.

Such colorful buildings in Copenhagen

 Nyhavn is part of the original Copenhagen Harbor all the way back to the founding of Haven, as Copenhagen was then called, in the 12th century

Lots of fountains and statues everywhere

The year 1756 is written on the building

We saw the sand sculptures from the water front this time

On January 1, 2005, the new opera opened on Holmen

Now we're on the back side of "The Little Mermaid" statue since we're in the boat

 There were some really neat boats in the water as we went through each channel.  Some of them look like they had been there for 200 years.

 Nyhavn is part of the original Copenhagen Harbor all the way back to the founding of Haven, as Copenhagen was then called, in the 12th century

ALWAYS look UP

 Church of Our Saviour (Vor Frelsers Kirke) is a
 baroque church, most famous for its corkscrew spire with an external winding staircase that can be climbed to the top, offering extensive views over central Copenhagen. It is also noted for its carillon, which is the largest in northern Europe and plays melodies every hour from 8 am to midnight.

Enjoying a trip in and around the inlets of the north Sea with by BEST FRIEND!

Maurizo, our Italian host (only been here for a year) loves it here in Copenhagen.  Note the background of the bustling center where the young people hang out.

 "Speaking Danish is like talking with a potato in your mouth.  It's a very harsh-sounding language."
"You must have an elevated idea, not what you do, but of what you can one day do; without this is not worth the trouble working."

Wise words from Maurizo.  He also loves his job and he especially enjoys his beautiful flat and where it is located, although expensive.

We shared with him our light supper of salad with a can of sardines.

 So why am I asking myself why Copenhagen is not so wonderful like in the song?  It's true that the sights are amazing and vast, but I found the city pretty dirty and with my experience of Christiana, I was getting a little negative vibes from the beginning of our visit.  AND...
 It was a Friday night when we arrived to his place on the corner of a very busy street overlooking cafes and a popular pizza place.  Oh boy - no sleep tonight.  More on that in the next post.