Copenhagen Photos


Copenhagen is the largest city in Denmark, but it has a distinct small town feel. Many of the shops close at five o'clock, lots of bicycles are left unlocked, and cashiers greet you with a smile. According to the Happiness Index, Denmark is the happiest country on the planet and it shows. It's a very friendly place. If you ask a Dane where to catch the bus, they will give you the keys to their own car instead. The whole time I was there there were teenagers riding in the back of large trucks, wearing sailor hats, and yelling and screaming. I assume it was the local way of celebrating graduation and it really gave the city energy.

A friend I met in Amsterdam, Sanjee, goes to school in Copenhagen and was kind enough to show me around the city. Hans Christian Andersen, who I had actually never heard of until I arrived, is buried in the city. Apparently, he wrote The Little Mermaid and other children's books. I had no idea that The Little Mermaid was anything other than a Disney movie. There is a Little Mermaid statue that is one of the top attractions in the city, but for me, it was quite lackluster. Not only is it not that great of a statue, it doesn't even appear to be a statue of a mermaid because she has legs. Anyway, I don't get it.

I spent a lot of time walking around and getting lost. Sanjee and I would plan out a route on the map and then start talking and miss a turn. Then once we realized our mistake we would plan a new route and then start talking again and miss another turn. We always eventually made it to our destination, but we walked at least twice as far as we needed to.

The Copenhagen airport is a work of art. It felt like I was walking around a high-end mall. All the floors were hardwood and the cafes are integrated with the gates, so people could sit at Starbucks and still be at their gate.

My favorite part of my visit was a place called Christiania. It's a small, somewhat anarchist, pocket of the city that fosters free expression. Every surface is covered in graffiti and the small of pot is pervasive. When I was there, people of all types and backgrounds were milling around and there were several small musical performances. Someone was selling hamburgers and there were lots of handmade craft tables. Pictures are not allowed, I guess this is because people want what happens in Christiania to stay in Christiania. There is one building that I went in and the stairwell is covered in graffiti tags, ceiling to floor, all the way up. As Sanjee led me up the stairs I expected there to be a bunch of drugged out people sitting at the top. Nope, at the top is a door, covered in grafitti, that leads to a very nice restaurant. Christiania is a very interesting place.