I think we've found our happy place: On a bike, cycling around the streets of Copenhagen. Cycling is a way of life here, and it's just awesome. Since there are outrageous taxes on owning a car in Denmark, most people here use a bike as their main mode of transportation. Business women in high heels, moms pushing two children, younger children, students, you name it; they are all out there on their bikes. The city itself is designed in a way that makes this completely possible with streets lined with raised bicycle paths, ramps to get up and over curbs, and even metal tracks to help bring your bicycle up and down a set of stairs. Mix that aspect of the city in with beautiful streets lined with cafes, shops, waterways and colourful buildings, we were in our glory biking around this wonderful city.
We booked accommodations through Airbnb and stayed with a lovely girl named Didde. When we arrived at her apartment, I knew right away that this would be a comfortable stay. We sat down with her, had some tea, and she told us all about the different areas of Copenhagen and even gave us a map. Her apartment was small, clean and peaceful. She had a balcony that looked over a courtyard where many children played in the evenings and a white fluffy cat who was pretty cute, though she startled Zack many times by hiding underneath our bed. One time she stuck out her paw from underneath the bed causing Zack to scream and knock over the bedside table. That was pretty funny. It was nice having Didde around to answer any questions that we had during our stay. She also had two bikes for us to use while we were there, which we definitely made use of!
Eating area in Didde's apartment. Looks out to the courtyard. Lots of natural light.
View from our bedroom window.
Zack and Didde's kitty cat (that he just adored....)
There is LOTS to do in Copenhagen! We also had wonderful weather while we were here, which was a treat coming from Iceland where it was so cold and windy. Here are some of the highlights:
1. The FOOD: Smorrebrod and Pastries
If I lived here, I would have to refrain myself from eating Smorrebrod everyday. Smorrebrod is a traditional Danish dish that is basically an open-faced sandwich on rye bread with fish or meat, a special mayonnaise type of sauce, and some garnishes. The way I am describing it, makes it sound pretty basic but oohh it's so much more than that! I had smoked Salmon topped with some sauce with lemon, cabbage, dill and pepper. I was in heaven. I was also starving when we finally arrived at the market, so that might have made it that much better, haha. Zack had mackerel topped with an egg salad with pickle, chives and radishes. We bought them from a covered market that when walking through, you're surrounded by the most amazing smells.
Next, we could not leave Denmark without trying some Danish pastries. Didde told us about a place called "Lackagehuset" so we tried a custard filled pastry. Amazing. We also ate at a really great Vegetarian restaurant (also recommended to us by Didde) in the part of the city called Christiania. Which brings me to the next highlight of our stay...
2. Christiania
Christiania is unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. Formally a military compound, this area of the city houses almost 1000 people who are technically NOT a part of the European Union. They are part of a bohemian "hippy" community where they build their own laws. Everyone is welcome to enter under the banner as long as you abide by these rules: 1) no cars, 2) no running, and 3) no photos. The reason for the third rule is quite simply, because buying and selling hash is still illegal though the people of Christiania have made this a part of their lifestyle (hence why the centre of the community is called the "Green Light District"). We walked through here, and I made sure to keep my camera in my bag. Sorry guys, no pictures. There is a lake here with trails, and many spots to sit by the water. Quite peaceful once you get out of the centre. We spoke with Didde about this area and she told us the people are friendly here and there is no need to feel unsafe. The vegetarian restaurant we went to was quite good with so many different types of hearty salads, soups, and hot plates. I was able to take a few photos here as well as some pictures of the homes. Since they have their own laws, the building construction is incredibly unique and the place is quite the work of art. Definitely an experience just taking a walk through here.
The Vegetarian restaurant in Christiania.
3. Jaegersborg Deer Park and the Bekkin Amusement Park
On our last day in Copenhagen, we decided to head north, out of the city. Just over an hour on bicycle will take you to an area with many nice beaches and fancy houses. Also in the area is Jaegersborg Park, a large deer park with many forests, hills, and trails. It's crazy how many deer are in there! We must have seen over 100! The park was created in 1669 for the King of Denmark, where he had the area fenced off to create his own personal "deer park". The park was used for hunting up until 1756, when it opened to the public. The residents of Copenhagen would take a horse-drawn carriage up to the park to get away from the city. People today can still take rides along the paths by horse-drawn carriage, and we saw many while we were there. There is also an old amusement park nestled in the park (over 400 years old!), which has free admission! We took a stroll around the park and couldn't resist riding the oldest wooden roller coaster in the park (for a small fee). I took a video while we were on the ride but it is a little too embarrassing to post (I didn't realize I was screaming so loud!! haha). After we left the park, we went down to the beach (again we saw a lot more body parts than we do in Canada) and took a dip in the ocean! What a great day to end off our time in Denmark.
Amongst everything else we jam-packed into our time in Copenhagen, we also took part in a 3 hour walking tour around the city, saw the Little Mermaid statue (Hans Christian Anderson did a lot of his children's story writing in Copenhagen), listened to live Jazz along the water, and watched a World Cup soccer game downtown- which was insanely busy. Here are some more pictures of the city:
The famous Nyhavn (in English that's "New Harbour"). Hans Christian Anderson lived here in the early 1800s.
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