Monday, August 29, 2016

Copenhagen

This past weekend we took a little trip to visit a friend in Copenhagen! When we arrived we started our trip with a gourmet hot dog! They were unbelievably good! Then we decided to grill out for the evening and drink some Danish beers.





Copenhagen is known as a bike city so what better way to get to know the city than by renting bikes! We only got scolded twice, so I thought we did pretty good!  The Danes are very  particular about their bike rules! We couldn't believe how many bikes were in the city, everywhere you looked people were either riding them or locking them up. I later learned that many people ride bikes because the city is very flat so it makes it easy to get around and that if you want to have a car you must 150% in taxes to the government. So thats completely insane. I would rather ride a bike too! We took our bikes and rode along the harbor checking out all the beautiful modern architecture and local swimming holes.














We then made our way to Christianshaven, which is an island in the harbor. On this island they have an area named Christiania which is known as a "Freetown".  This a sort of a "hipster" place and you cannot move into this community, you need to be invited. Christiania is a neighborhood of about 850 residents and is regulated by a special law (Christiania Law of 1989) which gives part of the supervision to the state rather than the municipality of Copenhagen. This neighborhood has been a source of controversy since it was created in 1971. In this area cannabis trade was tolerated until 2004, since then the area has been subject to raids and is a police "training area". Money started to flow in this neighborhood and so they think that is why the local authorities started to intercede. On the main street of this area you are not able to take pictures and many of the people selling the drugs are wearing masks. Not going to lie it was a very different experience. In this neighborhood you are given what you need. You get a new pair of shoes once a year, they have drop off points for clothes where you can go pick up something that others drop off, you are given a house that fits your family and once your children leave then you get a new house. Christiania also does not tolerate "hard drugs"(only cannabis), violence, guns, knives, and bulletproof vests, they operate on their own set of rules, independent of the Danish Government.

Lake on the Island
Artwork in Christiania











Fun fact: The famous singer Lukas Graham is actually from this neighborhood and his video "Mama Said" and "7 Years" features this neighborhood and is some of the only footage of this area because cameras are not allowed. So if you are interested check them out on Youtube!


After walking through Christiania we went to Paper Island which is another island with a large warehouse with some awesome markets. The style is very industrial and modern. They have booths of tons of local food and street food. It was a great place to grab a drink/ snack and relax for the afternoon!






Next we went to where the queen lives! Denmark has the oldest Monarchy in the world! Afterwards we went to see the famous "Little Mermaid" statue.


To end our night we went to Fermentoren for some craft beer and Warpigs for some AMAZING food and craft beer. These places were in the meat packing district which was an awesome experience.








The next day we explored the town (City Hall, Royal Palace, Botanical Gardens, Kings Gardens) and the famous Nyhavn!






Queens House












Famous Amusement Park
City Hall
City Hall Square











Church Vor Frue Kirke



Botanical Gardens




















Botanical Gardens





Royal Palace that holds the crown jewels


Kings Gardens

Nyhavn