Copenhagen hit us too, in a different way from Berlin, but it did. We visited Copenhagen in two days only, so we didn’t have much time, but the city is small enough to see a lot of things if you know where to go ;)
Very complex, particularly rich in differences … and to say the obvious, very cold ! We were unlucky with the weather as usual (but should it surprise you?), for most of the time the rain spared us, but the cold wind and clouds are never missing in this holiday.
To reach the little mermaid, in particular, we almost freezed and/or risked to be blown away from a tornado…and the little mermaid, incidentally, is a bit sad … the statue itself would be nice, but they have built around her all the factories of the city… as I tried to make some nice pictures I found myself always to frame a shed, or a smoky chimney or a cargo ship.
Copenhagen – the little mermaid
No wonder her sad eyes, in front of such a slaughter. I do not think she’s sad for her beloved human prince, but for the disfigurement of her land.
Another must go is a visit to famous Copenhagen’s canal with all the colorful houses called Nyhavn .
Nyhavn with its colourful houses
Really quaint and cheerful place and it’s worth a visit, but think twice before you return in the evening for a dinner or a drink. It is dotted with restaurants and pubs, but they have prohibitive prices (this is a bit everywhere in Copenhagen, as we ate at McDonald’s to save money and we found ourselves spending € 9 for a normal menu) and there is really no one around. Someone explained to us that danish people don’t go out often, just on Friday and a little bit on Saturday, but certainly during the cold, winter week.
Walking by the canals in Copenhagen
BUT The great discovery of the holiday was Christiania. EVER HEARD OF it? No, it is not a church …IT is a neighborhood founded by hippies. To be precise, a district occupied by hippies in the 70s, thwarted and hated by the central government, but somehow tolerated and allowed to live in peace with its WEIRD, specific rules.
Christinia’s entrance gate
I had read about this place and I really wanted to visit, expecting a quiet desolate and dirty place, full of homeless and kind of dangerous, but definitely distinctive. I had this idea because I had read that it was not possible to take pictures, and if you transgress the rules the consequences could be unpredictable…it sounds a bit scary, doesn’t it?
But what I did not read on the Internet is that there are many more rules, including the complete prohibition of hard drugs and the use of violence for any reason. The thing is, this community somehow decided (and I do not know how it has succeeded in it) to declare itself independent, to legalize the use of cannabis, live in peace without a pain in the ass from the government and from the external environment and still remain somewhat “hidden”, authentic. Wandering through the narrow streets you only see blonde heads around and the only accent you hear is the danish one: at least as it seems, it’s still not very commercial and touristic, and this is wonderful, because it has nothing to do with the social environment you may find in Amsterdam (but in the end that’s what you find there, open air coffee shops!). So, you sit in some delightful and quaint bar in Christiania, and you can see a bunch of interesting people, at least fun and unique, and if you’re open minded and curious you should totally talk to them. You can not imagine what kind of people there are! The locals, the authentic ones, are the best…
You can also stroll down the “green light district “, a wonderful place that I wanted to photograph so much, at least for the beautiful graffitis on the walls… and, well, also for everything else. Mimicking the famous porn neighborhood of Amsterdam, this place instead of selling naked women offers weed, and instead of being in the window you can buy it all directly from the sellers, disposed behind small tables covered by sheets of waxed camouflage (it was their response the Danish Government’s request to “make less obvious the drug trade”. Ingenious!).
My fear of being in a dangerous place turned out to be completely unfounded: the people, not too many actually, were wandering high and smiling, and if you get to chat with them they will share with you ideas and reasonings of the most absurd kind. Of course, I have not even tried to take my camera out of the bag and I invite you to do the same; otherwise I can not say what might happen, but the ban on photographs is explicit and it is written EVERYWHERE.
Because of this I can only entice you by showing the entry of this all-Danish Wonderland, which already suggests a lot about how it has to be the inside (tip: as soon as you walk through the gate, turn around, and enjoy the words ” welcome to the EU “: you are in another country folks!).
Christiania’s house…isn’t the hanged glove weird?