Despite the intermittent rain during our time in Copenhagen, Denmark, we found it to be bright and colorful, but a bit too expensive. While boats filled the canals, Copenhagen is a city of bicycles; lining every block and speeding down every road. Our favorite places were Christiania, a self-governing free-spirited commune in the middle of Denmark’s capital city, and Tivoli Park, the second oldest operating amusement park in the world.
Views of Copenhagen from the water
The colorful buildings along Nyhavn are the quintessential image that comes to mind when you think of Copenhagen.Copenhagen’s waste processing power plant converts 400,000 tons of trash into electricity and heating. It processes so much trash so quickly that they have to bring it in from surrounding countries. The roof also doubles as a ski ramp in winter. The clouds were so beautiful.An old submarine.The royal yacht.The little boat transports the royal family to and from the yacht.With a crown on top, this house opposite the royal yacht must be where the little boat goes back and forth from.Copenhagen’s famous Little Mermaid statue (a view from our boat tour).A royal palace.There seemed to be a military celebration going on while we were there.A newer performing arts center. A bicycle/pedestrian bridge across the harbor.Volunteers kayaked through the water to pick up trash. Houseboats lined the waterways. Bicycle parking on their boat.Having a great time during a beautiful day.A newer bridgeThis picture doesn’t capture it, but the building reflects the water in an amazing way.The Parliament building (I believe).The stock exchange building.
Christiania
In the early 1970s, a small group of hippies and homeless took over the recently abandoned military base to create commune. From their 1971 mission statement: “The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing 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.” They are in continual conflict with the government over the fact that they sell pot and hash; we heard that raids by police are common. While we were there, we met new people, heard good music, ate delicious food, drank the local beer, smoked some, and had a wonderfully fun time.
One of our first glimpse of what awaited us in Christiania.A mural next to their skateboard park (both outdoor and indoor). The dragon’s scales are made of broken skate decks.Part of the outdoor skate park. Christiania uses the old military barracks and buildings to house their community.Art filled every corner of the community.One of the main food/drink courtyards where people come from all over to have a good time. We heard a story that when they first started the community of Christiania the military had left lots of red and yellow paint behind, so every time something needed painting, it would be in red and yellow. They adopted those colors as their own. The three dots are from the three “i” in Christiania.
This was right around the time that Trump was supposed to visit Denmark.
Tivoli Gardens
Built in 1843, Tivoli Gardens is a magical park that keeps the original look and feel alive while incorporating new rides and attractions. Paxton loved the rides while we loved the atmosphere. Despite the intermittent rain, we had a great time.
A roller coaster much like the Matterhorn in Disneyland. While they didn’t have an abominable snowman, Paxton said it did feature a polar bear.The ride is so old that one of the workers has to go on every ride to help steer (apparently). See the guy in black standing up. He ducks down whenever they approach a tunnel. Incredible and scary at the same time. We saw many kids carrying these huge chocolate bars that were apparently a prize at one of the carnival games. Where parents can enjoy some refreshments while kids are on rides.This ride is so tall, you can see it from other parts of the city. Maria took Paxton on it and was told to “hold onto him” if he wasn’t quite big enough. Luckily it has several safety bars and straps. The ride was so high it was an amazing experience…but not one we’d do again any time soon.This ride was so fast we couldn’t get a picture in focus. But the smile on Paxton’s face in the purple boat says it all.This ride rotates like a carousel while the cars on the arm rotates around the other axis and goes upside down. As the ride came to an end, this car got balanced at the top and was stuck upside down for several minutes. Guess who was inside that particular car? (Don’t worry, Paxton was laughing the whole time.)Outside a ride that has characters from various Hans Christian Anderson stories. The snow queenThis ride was insane! They are in a plane that goes around counter-clockwise on this pivot, twirling the plane at the beginning and end. During the middle of the ride, the arm goes around so fast, you think the passengers would pass out. Listening to the screams on this ride are priceless. The park was designed to showcase different exotic locations; this one of the middle east. The decorations within the rides are beautiful.Paxton on bumper boats. He got to pilot his own boat.The park is also known for musical concerts. This one was of a local hiphop duo, Ravi Kuma.The park at dusk.
Sights around town
While everything in Copenhagen is too expensive, the lovely decorations on the morning lattes we got started the day off on a nice note.Bikes as far as the eye can see outside the metro station.A palace-looking building in Frederiksberg Park.We saw these all around town.Rosenborg CastleOutside a military base; morning military exercisesSmoke breakLithuanian motorcycle club? (Inside a KFC)They weren’t open yet, but a Asterix and Obelix themed restaurant. Fun!Protesting a fur shop across from them. They shouted and played audio of animals screaming. A school yard.Fun with mirrors
