My final day in Copenhagen

My second day in Copenhagen was spent doing routine tasks such as trying to get into use a shower (Kind of hard when 12 people are sharing one shower). I also got some laundry done, but my time expired before I could transfer everything to the dryer. Long story. Thank God for quick drying clothes!

Okay, let me go on to explain a couple of things and I might get off topic:

1. I had extremely messy roommates in Copenhagen. Their stuff is scattered everywhere! Also, the stuff they brought along is CRAZY! Most were backpackers and they had giant rollie bags!!!! I don't get it. The girls in my bunk had like 5 or 6 different pairs of shoes. Crazy!

2. Copenhagen is the most expensive place to live in the world. I bought 2 beers at about 40 Kroner each (about $8.00 each) and we are not talking about a big glass of beer here.

3. Danish people love Hans Christian Anderson! I love him too, don't get me wrong, but you don't say his name in vein while in Copenhagen.

4. Danish people, at least the ones in Copenhagen must be the most beautiful people in the world. Crazy good-looking people! Also, everyone is very stylish. I looked okay, but to them I must have looked like a bum in my NorthFace jacket.

Anyway, back to my day:

I didn't get out of the hostel until about 1pm or so. I headed out to the train station where I waited for Gitte to meet me. Gitte most generously offered to be my tour guide for the day. It was awesome, an extremely attractive Danish woman offered to show me around; I didn't even ask her, it was her idea! It's that sexy Danish accent which was my favorite. Seriously, she could have just rambled and pointed to junk and I would have been just dandy. Anyway, we were going to rent a bike, but since everything in Europe closes on Sunday we decided to bus it and walk it. But first thing is first, I needed something to eat. The ladies the night before raved about the Danish-style hot dogs that the street vendors sold. So, just out of the station was one of these carts. I had to have one! The next thing I remember is being handed a hot dog, but it was long, red, and had all sorts of oddities on it. It was quite good!

2011 January

We caught the bus to an area called, "Christiania" which I had read about prior to the trip. It's a Hippie Commune of sorts. Trying to explain Christiania is tough, especially since photos are forbidden on the grounds. I took what I could and respected the signs. Basically, there are drug deals going down and the peddlers don't want to be on camera. Christiania is a very interesting place, I wouldn't want to live there, but you certainly respect those who do. From what I gathered it was an old military barracks that squatters overtook and the police just let them have it. In the 60's and 70's it was home to problems, but now it's mellow and almost touristy. The police still come in and stop the drugs but they come back. Even walking down the street you would openly see people with their cases of drugs to sell, rolling whatever on the park bench, and just doing their hippie thing. At no time did I feel unsafe or hassled. It was quite a nice place to take a walk if you like sculpture art made from garbage. It was cool! Gitte explained something to me very well. She said, "It's like when you were a kid and wanted to build your dream home, you can do it here and you can obviously see that people don't have the knowledge of building a home." I replied, "I built a bird house once and that was condemned by the Department of Fish & Game....I couldn't imagine building a real house." Apparently, Christiania is home to many good places to eat, have coffee, and the like. They have a day-care center, shops, and what appeared to be a mobile toilet of some sort. One thing I need to make clear; these are not "Santa Cruz Hippies". The people here seem to shower and they dress much nicer than those in Santa Cruz. It was pretty cool to walk around and see everything. Gitte was a great guide and offered a lot of stories and opinions.

2011 January

Gitte and I then walked over to the Amalienborg Palace. The guards were out and obnoxious tourists were asking to get their picture taken with them. Gitte kept nudging me to get my photo taken with one of them, but I refused. I think it's kind of rude. The part about the Palace that really struck me was that we never once walked up to OR through metal bars. Off the street I literally walked up and touched the Palace with my hand. It's protected by a half a dozen guards and that's it. More striking is that any car can even enter the Palace square and drive through. Crazy! Not many cars do, but at least one did while I was there. Gitte must of thought I was nuts since I was so bewildered by the idea. We continued to walk and I was sure enjoying the brisk air, the smooth canal water, and my conversation with Gitte. We then walked down toward what is called, "The Little Mermaid". The Little Mermaid is a odd tourist attraction and I can't quite get the concept. I'll have to look this up, but no one seemed to know the significance of this statue that sits out on a rock near the water's edge. When we got there tourists were flocking to get their photo taken with it. Nothing exciting, just a nude mermaid. Err, half nude mermaid. Umm, do scales count as nude? I mean, it's not like you can remove them.....well, unless you have a sharp knife....but I digress. So, I understand the Hans Christian Anderson reference to the Little Mermaid, but the funny thing is that many locals don't like the statue. In fact, it has been tagged up and even decapitated at one point. I don't get it!

2011 January

We walked back toward the main part of town and Gitte promised me that she would find me a Joe & The Juice shop that was open on a Sunday. We found one in a department store. I was excited! I had one the day before and it was awesome! I had to have another juice before I left Copenhagen. We get up to the counter and I order a large "Joe's Kiss...or something" and it turns out that they had been having power problems and were closing up. No, I was not going to let a little power issue keep me from a Copenhagen juicy goodness! Seriously, just hook the treadmill up to the power supply and I'll do the rest! That is how bad I wanted one! I told the guy, "This is my last day in Copenhagen. I leave on a train in a couple of hours. My only desire to have one more Joe & The Juice smoothie/juice before leaving. Then I gave him the look of.....well....It was like in the 2nd Shrek movie where Puss & Boots looks up with those sad eyes and your heart just melts? Yeah, I gave him THAT look! We then compromised on a drink that he could make without turning on a bunch of machines. In the end I ordered a "Hangover....something or other" and all was well with the world. Gitte was nice enough to pay for my drink too. It was fantastic!!!

2011

Gitte and I talked for a while and then the shopping area had to close. We walked out, said goodbye, and went our separate ways. No more than two steps into my walk back to train station I realized that I would now be alone again. For a brief moment it was sad, but as I walked down the Stroget I began to reflect on my experience over this weekend and how wonderful it turned out. I watched the people and tourists walk down the street and going in and out of shops. The musicians that were playing on the street served as the background music to my thoughts. To think that this whole weekend would have been a dud if I never checked my e-mail. I still would have been hungry, cranky, and not willing to give Copenhagen it's fair time in my life. It's amazing how these things workout. I continued to think, as I walked down the street, that my time in Copenhagen will always be a memory that I will cherish and I hope to return. I dropped into a Danish convenience store and bought some local drinks, bought a Danish hot dog from a nearby vendor, walked to the train station where I watched the Handball Game (Denmark vs. France) and had a couple of Danish beers: Carlsberg and Tuborg. At 6:20pm I boarded the train for my next adventure.....in Amsterdam.

2011 January