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Hamburg
I stayed with a lovely girl in Hamburg called Myla, she was great it was just like being round a mates house! We did lots of chatting, she cooked us a meal of chicken salad, and then we went for a walk to a harbour nearby. It was really pretty there, a very nice area of Hamburg. It was strangely pretty though, because the harbour was full of boats and metal structures, it wasn´t asthetically pleasing at all, but peaceful and in the low light with all the harbour lights on it looked really nice! There were lots of restaurants there, including one owned by ´´the German Jamie Oliver´´, which looked very nice! There was a small beach with a bar on it, loads of people sat outside, including us drinking a refreshing fizzy rhubarb drink - apparently typically Hamburger drink!
In the morning I went for a walk along the main touristy harbour, where they have a few boats you can go on like Rickmer Rickmers and Cap San Diago, nice to see from a distance but didnt go on them! I walked all the way along the harbour and canal, and into the old town. Hamburg was
strange for me because although the buildings were interesting to see, all the old merchants buildings and things, and loads of interesting boats, it just wasn´t picturesque! I was quite happy wandering along looking at things, but as soon as I wanted to take a photo I thought ´´actually Hamburg isn´t that pretty!´´
One interesting building I saw was the Chilehaus, built to look like an ocean liner with balconies round the top like a liner would have. A few churches, and the Rathaus, or Town Hall, which i had a tour inside. It was very grand! Apparently Hamburg has a coilition between Conservatives and Green party which I thought was an interesting mix, and they all meet in the Rathaus. One room I liked in particular was full of wooden carvings all around the walls and doors, which was done by orphan boys so they would learn a trade, but the work was exquisite!
The area around the Rathaus was very pretty. Some canals had buildings right up to them, with no pavement, which were built for the merchants to move their goods off the boat straight into the buildings. A bit further on was the start of the
river, it is really wide so it looks like a lake. And all around that area was lovely shops, mostly expensive but interesting. I think Hamburg is fantastic for shopping, if I ever wanted a girly shopping weekend, Hamburg is the place I would go!longest street
Myla had told me about another shopping district so I decided to head there next. But I decided to go a strange way that involved getting the metro a little way and then going through a park. Of course I went the wring way in the park so it took me a long time to find it. But on the way I went past a big glass building called Messehallen which had a tower outside, don´t know what it´s for but great architecture! I also discovered an interesting round church, and went past a stage where some Irish guys were playing music and a load of Irish men were drinking beer and singing football songs in their green shirts! Surreal!
Eventually I found the street I was looking for and it was worth it, the shops were fantastic, little bitty shops with nicknacks, jewellery and pretty clothes. I spent quite a lot of time
wandering around the streets and then discovered an Asia food shop so went in. I brought miso soup, noodles and thai curry, and chinese fortune cookies, and made a feast for Myla after she got home from work! We had a girly evening watching the sex and the city movie, great fun!
In the morning I wanted to catch the train to Copenhagen at 9.30, got there in plenty of time, then didn´t get on the train when it arrived because it said a different destination on the side, I thought it was a train for the other end of the platform. Turned out I should have got on the other end of the train because it split in two as it pulled away from the platform, one side went to Aahus and the other to Copenhagen! So I realised I was in Hamburg for another 4 hours until the next train came! I was annoyed with myself for about 5 minutes then decided to see a bit more of Hamburg. So at 10 o´clock in the morning I was walking down the Reeperbahn, the biggest red light district in Europe, knocks the socks off Amsterdam! But of course it
wasn´t particularly interesting at that time in the morning so didn´t stay long. I wanted to see it because I was told it was big, and it was, so many clubs and shops and everything! Then I went to the river again and did a bit more shopping in the shopping centre. Not that I brought anything of course but it´s nice to look!
On the train at last and I met an AustralianSwedish guy to talk to so that was good! He was originally Swedish and on the train going to see his family, just finished university and planning to go to New York for a while afterwards and get some work there. It was good to talk to a native English speaker acctually! And he had his laptop so we watched a bit of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a wierd film I´m not quite sure if I like or not! That train was really great because at one point the train drives on to a ferry, and you have to get off the train and go out onto the ferry for about 45 minutes. When we got outside it was glorious sunshine and clear views of
Denmark, a great break to the 5 hour train journey! When we got back on the train 2 German students started talking to us. They were also on their way to Sweden, just for the weekend, which I thought was brilliant, what a great thing to be able to do as a student!
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!!!
I met my couchsurfer Zhenya from the metro and we walked to her house on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The neighbourhood is full of really cute little houses, you can tell they are poor and not that well made, but it was a feeling of community, they all looked really nice from outside. Zhenya told me a lot of the houses can only be lived in in summer because they don´t have the proper facilities, but her house did so she could stay there all year. Zhenya is originally from St. Petersburg, but moved to Copenhagen to study maths. Her little apartment was very cool, small but cosy I really liked it.
I dumped my bag and we headed straight out into Copenhagen to get some food. We went to an area called Christiania, which was set up in the 70s as
a freetown, and is still used as such today. It had a lively feel as soon as you enter, and all these hippy types wandering around! You soon realise all is not quite as it seems, as a guy runs past and all these people shout at him to stop running. If you run in Christiania it looks like you have stolen something so it is forbidden. Also forbidden is taking photos, presumably because you might incriminate someone, as the smell of cannabis is everywhere and there are even little stalls with people selling huge lumps of hash. We went into a very cool bar where you can get a cheap meal, that day it was fish and potatoes and salad, and a huge slice of cake, just what I needed!
We met up with Zhenya´s friend Stephan wlongest streetho is from Austria but has been living in Copenhagen for 12 years, and is a student as well. We had a few beers there and then went to a bar in town called the Viking, where there was an Irish guy playing pop songs, including Raggle Taggle Gypsy which was great! We had a dance and played a drinking game
with dice, can´t remember the rules but it was funny! at the time Stephan didn´t get the rules at all, think he was quite drunk! I had a chat to the Irish guy, Noel, when he had finished his set and found out that his brother had moved to the Netherlands, and about 10 years ago he went over to see him, and never left! So he makes his living there doing Irish music sets!
Next morning I did a bit of sight seeing, first place was Rosenburg slot, a beautiful park with lots of people lounging around in the sun or playing frisbee, with a palce at one end. In to town a bit I went up the Round Tower, a tall tower at the end of a pretty church that has no stairs because the king (whoever built it!) decided he wanted to be able to ride his horse up it! There is a small museum half way up and great views over Copenhagen from the top. I walked around the area of the tower a bit, cute little streets and interesting shops. I got lunch in the oldest bakery in Copenhagen, had a bit of pizza bread
with spinich and mozerella! I found the Town Hall and went inside, a grand room but you couldn't see much else, then had a wonder down the longest pedestrian street in the world and had an ice cream, not that interesting a street, just lots of high street shops really!
Next I headed for Nyhavn, a very pretty harbour, especially that day because it was so sunny everyone was out having fun and drinking in all the bars along the harbour. I took a guided boat tour from there all along the canals of Copenhagen, you can see loads from the water. I saw the palace, and the roal yacht in the water. We went to the place where the Little Mermaid usually is, but unfortunately she was on hoilday in China, but apparently from the shore you can see a TV screen showing her in China! We went down the canals of Christianhavn, a very pretty area, and saw the new library the 'black diamond' with the old library attached to the back of it- two very different styles of building togther. We went past lots of other buildings, museums, statues, so much amazing architecture. I have completely fallen
in love with Copenhagen!
I had some indian food, which my map recommended, which was very nice in a cute little place! I went for a walk along the canal towards Christiania where I met Stephan. He took me on a little tour of Christiania, to see where all the people live and work. People generally live there if they have some skill to bring to the community, like there is a female blacksmiths, a place where they make ovens, car and bike workshops, and loads of other stuff. There is a very tranquil lake with lots of small houses around where people also live. We went inside one because some of Stephan's friends live there, a guy called Amos from Barcelona, a French girl called Audrey and an Italian girl called Erica. Audrey made us some tea, they are all very lovely! Zhenya then joined us and we chatted for a while then headed home.
I wanted to go to the National museum in the morning, to see the stuff about Danish prehistory. I got there eventually, took me a long time to find it! But the museum was amazing, there was so much I only got round half
of the ground floor! There were so many artifacts- weapons, tools, jewellery, some amazing gold ornaments and amber votive objects, and a wonderful golden chariot, with driver and horses! It was a lovely day again so I didn't want to stay too long inside, I went to the botanical garden to have a wonder around in the sun. The lake was so beautiful and all the trees and plants, although everything looks better in the sunshine, I think this was the most beautiful garden I have been to.
In the evening I met up with Stephan and Zhenya and we went to a community pub that does very cheap chilli con carne and free tea! Zhenya had to work so me and Stephan headed into Christania and sat outside one cafe, that doesn't serve alcohol so we drank more tea and ate cookies, and chatted to an older Danish couple. We had some great conversations about Danish politics, history and Roskilde rock festival! I learned a lot from them, they were great to talk to. We went home very late, again, I didn't get to sleep before 2am any night I was in Copenhagen!
Next day was Carnival so Zhenya
and I headed into town to see the parade. There were so many women in bikini's with feathered headdresses (glad it was warm), people dressed up in traditional South American dress doing their national dances - the Bolivians were great, their clothes so intricately patterened, and great dancing! The Colombians were strange because they had a big devil with them, and they were handing out flyers explaining that it was a ''good devil'' not an evil one. Some people were doing African dances as well, and loads of drums!! We were there for ages and I took so many pictures, it was great! After the parade we met Amos and decided to go to the park, where music and things were going on for the carnival. After picking up some supplies, we got to the park. It took a long time because Amos was on the hunt for glass bottles and drinks cans- if you take them to the supermarket you get money for them, which I think is a fantastic idea because it helps clean up the streets, and helps homeless people get money.
We met up with lots of others at the park, Zhenya's english friend Will, Stephan,
Audrey and Erica, and another Italian gilrl called Valentina who invited me to a festival near Turin when I'm in Italy! We parked ourselves near the reggae tent and had a sunbathe, then went to see some African drummers and had a dance. Then went back to see a samba band in one tent, and have more of a dance! It was such a great atmosphere, everyone out enjoying themselves. And a distinct ack of police, which Will pointed out would be far from the case if it was in Regents park 😊
Zhenya, Amos and I then headed back to Christiania for a while and sat outside the same cafe, trying to chat to some Polish guys but they were a bit wrecked so the conversation was quite difficult. We went back to Amos' house, and on the way went past a stall where people leave their old clothes and things, and you can go and pick them up. I picked up a really nice flowery top from HnM amzing what you can find for free! At Amos' house we drank tea and I taught Zhenya some djembe, then we headed home. I can't wait to go back to
Copenhagen, I loved every second!
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Zhenya
non-member comment
Haha, love how detailed your posts are! You're welcome back any time! Summer in Cph is great, then there's quite a lot of fun around Xmas, with firework show in Tivoli and pleeenty of traditional danish food at all the xmas parties, and of course paddy's day :D