In between stops in Kolding and Arhus, I visited Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, one of the world's most expensive cities! It's absolutely outrageous how expensive things are here. $4 for a slice of pizza, $6 for a beer (during happy hour), and so on. I thought London was expensive, but Copenhagen takes it to another level. Good thing I'm only here for 3 days, because I couldn't afford much more.
I've been to Copenhagen before when I was a kid, but outside of Tivoli, The Little Mermaid, and the City Hall square, I don't remember much about it. To my dismay Tivoli is closed or a few weeks as they get ready for Christmas season, and The Little Mermaid swam away to China for the year, so I won't be seeing 2 of the biggest sights in town. While I'm bummed, it's not the end of the world since I have seen them before.
I arrived around 11 in the morning my first day in Copenhagen. I immediately went to a hostel I knew about, because I didn't have a reservation. Luckily, no problems and lots of room. After checking in, I got money (no Euro in Denmark) and a map. I followed a self-guided walking tour that took me to City Hall square, down Strøget Street which is the major shopping avenue, through Christiansborg Palace, and over to Christinhavn. Christianshavn is one of many island around Copenhagen and home to an area called Christiania; which I visited. Christiania started in 1971 as a group of squatters who moved into abandoned barracks the government was considering tearing down. Over time, the area transformed into a self-governing community within the city. In Christiania the people don't pay taxes, ignore laws, partake in rampant drug dealing/use, and by and large live everywhere: abandoned buildings, shacks, tents, etc. It's interesting because it's a huge underground economy yet in functions somewhat normally with stores (that primarily deal weed rather than bread and cheese), parks with kids, an information center, health center, town hall, post office, and more. I would not consider it a safe place by any means, but if you mind your own business and act like you've been there before, people won't bother you. Absolutely no photography though and do not go at night. It's interesting that the government has chosen to leave these people alone rather than fight them; a controversial decision amongst Danes.
Christiania
My second day in Copenhagen was filled with rain, rain, and more rain. Even though it was chilly and wet I decided to suck it up and see as much as possible. My first stop was the royal residences at Amalienborg. Pretty standard for royalty, but I did think it was cool that you get so close to the buildings. My next stop was the Museum of Danish Resistance. During World War II, the Danes chose a stance of neutrality before ultimately being invaded by the Germans. The Danes chose to accept German occupation rather than fight, because they were severely outnumbered and this would minimize casualties. After the invasion, the Germans felt it was better to leave the current government in place so long as they could control it and the people they represent. This worked OK for a time until the Danish saw no end to the occupation, and began fighting back by helping British intelligence, blowing up factories that were producing German armament, destroying rail lines, etc. It was a very good museum. Following the Resistance Museum, I went to the Danish Museum of Art and Design. It was like being in IKEA. I didn't stay long. Good thing it is free on Wednesdays. After leaving, I walked through Kastellet, an old fort, on my way to The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid is one of the most famous sculptures in the world, but as I mentioned earlier it's gone for the year so I took a picture of the rock it normally sits on. My final stop for the day was the Old Stock Exchange which in the past housed stock exchange operations for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
On my last day in Copenhagen, I set out to accomplish the few remaining things on my list. I failed miserably. I had intended to go to the Carlsberg Brewery, but decided early in the day that I could skip it and hit the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam instead. My first stop was a walk through the King's Gardens which is adjacent to the Rosenborg Castle. They were nice, but the English Gardens in Munich they were not. Next stop, the Rosenborg Castle. The Rosenborg Castle was built by King Christian IV in the 1600's as a summer home. It is large and filled with all kinds of gaudy objects, but most importantly it houses the crown jewels. The crown jewels were pretty spectacular. I'm pretty sure if Little Wayne visited, bling bling would simply not cover it (sorry old people, pop culture reference). From there, I crossed the street to Denmark's National Gallery. I was told there was a free section of the gallery, but I wasn't told was how crappy the free section was. Literally it was the worst museum/art exhibit I have seen on my trip so far. I walked up to the information desk and asked for my money back, but the attendant didn't think that was very funny. Afterwards, I walked through the adjacent botanical gardens which I must say was a pleasant surprise. I've only been through a few on my trip, but these were the best so far. I really liked that EVERY flora and fauna was labeled. My last stop for the day was the National Museum. This was my 2nd huge failure of the day besides missing Carlsberg. I had not accounted for how massive the museum was. I also figured on a British Museum style layout where things are poorly organized, but I was wrong on that too. It was an excellent museum (and free) and had detailed explanations of Danish history from 9000 BC to present day. I easily could've spent the entire day there. Afterwards I stopped by McDonald's for a $14 "value" meal to use their free wifi and plan my day tomorrow. I have to get out of here. Copenhagen is so expensive.
Copenhagen
Rosenborg Castle
My next update will be in another country so for the final time...
Sköål!
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