Our 2nd time in Copenhagen. Our first visit to the city last December proved to be so great that it left us wanting more…
I usually try to keep the tourist-related activities to a minimum, but this time around, we opted to participate in a few, with zero regrets.
Winding climb up for spectacular views
I love going to the top of high rise structures and overlooking the city from a brand new perspective! Every chance I can get, I take it. My list so far includes the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shard Building in London, Top of the Rock and Empire State Building in New York, the Willis Tower in Chicago, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, among others.
In Copenhagen, achieving that perspective took some physical effort, and involved a rather daunting climb up the Church of our Savior in the Christianshavn neighborhood. Though it’s not as tall as some of the other structures I’ve seen, it’s a lot older! The original structure was built in the 1680s and the spire built in 1750s, making it truly a wonder for its time.
A 90-meter climb up 400 steps only tells a piece of the story. The final 150 steps of the journey wind around the spire outside, and as you brace the gold-iron rail and continue the uphill walk, you twist precariously around the spire with clear 360 degree views of the city below you.
Climbing the spire
Canal Boat Ride (with an added bonus)
One hour in length, the canal boat tour was enjoyable and interesting. While the boat carefully maneuvered through the canals and we listened to the tour guide point out the Copenhagen sights, we unknowingly timed our tour with the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series event!
From the roof of the Opera house, 27 meters up, fearless divers jumped into the water below, and we had one of the best spectator seats ever as our boat passed directly in front of the event.
Christiania
“Once you have passed the goldpainted sign that says “Christiania” you have entered a completely different world…” (Visit Copenhagen site)
A “free town”, Christiania has now existed for over forty years. In 1971, an alternative newspaper published an article about abandoned military buildings in Copenhagen and how they could be used as homes for young people who couldn’t afford a place to live. The article caused a massive immigration of people who sought out a different life based on community and freedom. Since that time, they were given eviction notices and attempts were made to force them to leave Christiania,with no success, and so they were tolerated.
As of July 2011, Christiania bought the whole area from the state for DKK 76.5 million finally making the free town legal. Today approximately 1,000 people live and work in Christiania. The houses they live in are designed by themselves. They pay rent to the community, and pay the Danish state for water and electricity. They live from their restaurants and from producing bicycles, stoves and other items. (Credit for the above information goes to: Author, Johanne Duelund Kramer. See Visit Copenhagen site for full information)
When we entered the town of Christiania, the smell of marijuana filled the air. Various bands performed at makeshift stages throughout the neighborhood. Rundown wood stands were set up everywhere selling souvenirs, marijuana, beer, among other things. For a second I really believed I was reliving the era of the late 1960s when the hippie movement was strong. Jim and I listened to a band playing Reggae music and watched as people danced, laughed and smoked a lot of weed. It was fun, but we had no desire to stay and party, as there was so much more of Copenhagen to see…
As we exited and passed by the sign that said “You are now re-entering the EU,” we laughed. A few blocks later we were back into the Christianshavn neighborhood, a beautiful area filled with canals, traditional Danish houses along with some modern residential housing, and a variety of cafes and restaurants.
It seemed a world away from the Christiania experience.I loved it. To me, it showed that two communities so different can co-exist peacefully alongside each other. Maybe the rest of the world can learn some lessons from this….Stop complaining about things you can’t change. Appreciate that there are other people in the world with their own beliefs and ways of life that may not be the same as yours. Accept things for the way they are.
Living like a Local
Since this was our 2nd time in Copenhagen, I felt experienced enough to book our accommodation outside of the main tourist areas. Through Air BnB, I booked us an apartment in the Norrebro neighborhood of the city. Though slightly strange to stay in someone else’s apartment, it was also perfect for what we needed, and provided us with a completely different experience than staying in a hotel in the middle of the city.
The only thing I had to get used to was the very tiny, but functional, bathroom set-up. The “shower” was attached to the wall a foot away from the toilet. In order to use the shower, you had to first remove the bathroom rug, where a drain was built into the floor, and pull a curtain half way around to block the toilet (which effectively stopped the toilet & toilet paper from getting soaked). It worked. But, wow..tight quarters! Very different from the scale & size of some of the U.S. bathrooms I’ve seen.
The couple who rented the apartment gave us a list of their favorites, including best places for morning coffee, brunch, burgers, etc. Overall, it was cost-effective and fun to wake up in a residential neighborhood.
Cycling
One-third of Copenhagen’s population commutes to work by bicycle, and there are more than 300 kilometers of bicycling lanes in the city. At many intersections there are often separate cycle turning lanes and bicycle traffic lights. I am completely fascinated by this and can’t support it enough! I wish there were more cities like this out there.
In comparison to cities like London, where there is a large cycling population but you are forced to mingle in with motorcycles, cars and double decker buses, Copenhagen is a bicycling heaven!
On Sunday morning, Jim and I rented bicycles and spent the entire day exploring the city’s neighborhoods by bike. Not only did we get some amazing exercise, but we also had the opportunity to see more of the city than we ever thought we’d get the chance to see.
For breakfast, we purchased coffee and croissants from the Torvehallerne market, a wonderful indoor market with stands selling produce, fish, bread, and other specialty items. For lunch, we stopped at a local sandwich shop and ordered sandwiches to go, then cycled to a nearby park to eat. In between meals, we kept cycling.
Finally, in the evening, before we boarded the metro to the airport, we stopped by the Mikkeller & Friends bar to enjoy some amazing beer.
To my friends and family back in the U.S. – go to Copenhagen! You won’t be disappointed.
If we ever had the opportunity, I would seriously consider living in this city.
July 16, 2013 at 7:33 pm
Ditto to all of the above. Copenhagen is small enough to walk but large enough to spend a week there and never do the same thing twice. On my last visit in May, I actually met someone who was interested in doing a house swap for the summer. The flat is right above Mikkeller Bar!!!! So tempting!