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I promise I will stop crafting alliterative titles for a while, but today’s heading more than fits Copenhagen - it is indeed a complex city. On July 4th, US Independence day, I decided to take full advantage of the gorgeous weather I had been experiencing since I arrived in Denmark (I planned well, as I will explain later) and continued my peripatetic explorations. I spent much of the afternoon weaving in and out of parks, finding Kongens Have (King’s Gardens) particularly beautiful and peaceful (as did many Copenhageners who were soaking up the sun on the lawns). As the sun began to lower - although still a long way from setting - I walked down to the present home of the Danish royal family, the four part Roccoco palace of Amalienborg. There is perhaps no better place to see the two sides of Copenhagen: the city steeped in history and the city looking very much into the future. Right across the canal from the palace, in direct line with the imposing dome of Frederiks Kirke (on the other side of the palace), rests the sweeping, ultra-modern opera house. To round off the day, I stopped by the Danish Design Center
-- I left feeling very un-hip. My favorite exhibit was a high concept "grocery store" selling items in all white packaging and with simple black labels. Among the offerings: empathy and social consciousness...
Today, what I had feared from the start came to pass: rain. And more rain. I had originally planned on venturing out to Roskilde to see the Viking Ship museum, but decided to stay in Copenhagen. (As it turns out, there’s a huge outdoor rock festival going on in Roskilde, anyway - it would be madness to head there until it is over.) The weather inspired me, however, to head over to Christianshavn to Grønslanske Handels Plads, the former Greenland trading wharf, which now is a center for all things North Atlantic. The main warehouse has been converted into the Nordatlantens Brygge (North Atlantic House), housing the embassy of Iceland, the missions of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, tourist boards for all three, a high-class Nordic themed restaurant, and a cultural center. Currently, there are exhibits by Faroese artists (including a trippy mirror and glass “igloo” by Tróndur Pattursons) and a moving photo essay by a Greenlandic woman, documenting the experiences of Greelandic children who were
brought to Denmark in the 60s and 70s for “Danification” and who then struggled to fit in back in Greenland.
Also on Christianshavn one can find a place that could not be any more different from the rest of Copenhagen: the infamous Christiana, the so-called “Freetown” that ceded from Denmark and the EU. There’s even a sign telling you that you’ve returned to the EU once you leave the grounds! Although I had expected the place would be funky in a hippie sort of way, I did not expect the absolute surrealness I experienced. Almost every surface was covered in murals or graffiti, or anti-police posters; makeshift Hindu and Buddhist temples dotted the community; slightly drugged out/drunk individuals hung around beat-up metal drums with wood fires; wet dogs lounged next to communal gardens. The incessant rain just added to the post-apocalyptic feel. Apparently, the government is starting to crack down on this experiment in free living...
It was with some disorientation that I returned to Denmark and the EU for lunch. I discovered one of the most “hygge” filled places I’ve yet experienced in Copenhagen, a lovely basement restaurant simply called C4. I indulged in the herring menu
smørrebrød, complete with traditional lard smeared on dense rye bread. I spent a long afternoon eating slowly and writing by candlelight and chatting with the proprietor. (I must say that the Danes I have interacted with so far have been some of the warmest, most helpful people I’ve encountered while traveling. In general their English is superb, but they have been willing to suffer my rough attempts at Danish.)
I finished my day with another turn at the Nationalmuseet (one of the few attractions in this city that is FREE) to finally soak up some Viking history. They have a collection of rune stones from both the pagan and Christian eras, as well as an interesting display of Kufic coins used by Viking traders. Again, as a world history type, I loved reading about the far-reaching network that would bring coins minted in the central Islamic lands to the far northern reaches of Scandinavia. Yes, I am a nerd.
Now I need to dry off...
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Mom
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This is really going to be fun! It is great to hear about your adventures on a daily basis--I feel like I'm right there with you.