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Copenhagen canals
typical sight associated with Copenhagen. This one was taken at Nybrogade Gammel Strand. Denmark, the country of socialist values, liberal ideas and an inherent notion that no one should think better of themselves. Copenhagen is the second stop on my trip visiting my friend Piet, a fellow traveller I met 5 years ago in Arequipa, Peru.
I had the not so bright idea of cramming in as many museums as I could into one day, knowing that scandinavian prices, including museums, are more expensive and well, they were free on Wednesday. The museum list included the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Nationalmuseet and Statens Museum for Kunst. After reaching museum overload rather quickly into the first day, the only information I can really tell you is that the Danish Golden Age of art thrived like never before from 1800-1850. Bourgeouise yuppies enjoyed depicting their family life, the countryside, nude hussy models, cows and dead rats in an open-air style of painting. The ones who keenly enjoyed painting those nudes seemed to also have a certain ideal of the female human body, ones of which included only pert nipples, and not ones of the pancake variety.
As for porn, liberalism is definitely represented here, as well as other european countries, that human sexuality is not something
Little Mermaid
this tourist trap is the most visited attraction in Copenhagen. This however, ranks as low as Mannekin Pis in Brussels. to be supressed from the public eye. The area of Istedgarde is a central area for porn shops that display some scintillating titles and toys and pictures of women, that are well, topless in the storefronts. Istedgarde is also known for its heroin use. Some of the apartment buildings and stores replace the night lights with blue lightbulbs making it more difficult fof junkies to find their veins.
As for pot, and hash, the area of Christiania is/was well known for selling this outright making it the second most visited tourist attraction after the little mermaid. The area is also known for its hippieness and alternative living after being created in the early 70s as a social experiment. However, this has started to change as the government has cracked down on pot sales and hash is considered a hard drug. Many residents have been forced out of the area (having no proper title to the buildings/land) and the area is quickly being gentrified with hip cafes and stores. I was fortunate enough to visit a little-known area formally called Balloon Park and is also considered mini-Christiania. This commune is in the middle of Copenhagen and is about 200 members strong.
Individuals pay about three months worth of rent in the begnining as a deposit and then they stay as long as they like afterwards paying monthly rent. There is about a 3-5 year waiting list to get into this residence but it is well worth it if you value hippie notions and values and shared living (including bathrooms, kitchen). Decisions about the commune are made as a unanimous democracy.
And now for the random facts, I've pestered Piet to search his collection of trivia for...
Friday, May 4th was a national holiday called Common Prayer Holiday. I guess the government was tired of declaring separate days for different religions to pray, so it was all amalgamated into one day. I didn't see a lot of praying so I imagine it must have been done quickly so everyone could go play in the sunshine.
Danes are crazy about red sausages called Rød pølse med brød available on practically every main square in downtown Copenhagen. For 20 kr you can get this long red succulent piece of mismashed animal products that is too long for its bun covered in raw onions, dried onions, ketchup, mustard and pickles. Apparently the
Scandinavian Design
I'm loving all things Danish/Swedish/Norwegian designed. Danes have gotten the Swedes hooked to this and so now they come to Denmark to buy packages of this, as its not available in Sweden.
If you stroll downtown, you will notice that with the old buildings, there are rarely any that have 90 degree angles facing street corners. They are all flattened to an extent to allow firemen to rest the ladders against the building on fire.
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short-round
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neat
I like the airport, it looks like the future.