Copenhagen

My mom had the unexpected pleasantry of having a business trip this month to Denmark. A business trip that would have to begin, and end, in Copenhagen. My mom called me as soon as she found out, feeling that it would be silly if she had to fly all the way to Europe and not even see me. That is how, on about one and a half weeks notice, my mom and I were able to meet up for a mother-daughter weekend in the expensive, cold, and wonderful city of Copenhagen.

I really have to thank Rotary and my host parents for being so accommodating. They approved the trip after receiving an hourly schedule of what my mother and I intended to do, and once they were assured that both my parents and host parents were on board. I'd never set foot in Scandinavia before, so it was really a wonderful opportunity.

Of course the best part of the trip was seeing my mom. It had been almost five months. Not the longest time I suppose in the grand scheme of things, and much sooner than either of us thought it would be. But the longest we'd gone without seeing each other. I think the old record was two weeks?

We met in Copenhagen airport around 12, about an hour or so after she landed. For her it was an 8-hour transcontinental flight, and for me it was just a 1 hr "domestic"(within the EU). Determined to fight off her jet-lag, we decided to keep busy for the rest of the day. We dumped our stuff in the hotel and decided to walk to the famous Little Mermaid statue, which was on the other side of the city. Copenhagen has a very large shopping street/area called Strøget. We walked down Strøget as far as it would take us to the statue, also passing Copenhagen's iconic waterside houses. Along the way we passed many public bathrooms. That's something you just can't get when you're exploring Manhattan. And certainly not public bathrooms that are also free, heated, and clean. We saw historic ones that had been preserved as well as modern ones. Very, very useful. Even the public bathrooms in the Netherlands, which you have to pay for, aren't so nice.

The Little Mermaid was in the water, and the wind was absolutely freezing. Below freezing in fact. There is no way Ariel could have stood to be there in her seashell bikini. By the time we made it to her my toes were hurting. Still, we forged onward. In the same area as the statue, surrounded by a moat, was an old Citadel. Many people were facing the wind to run on it's ramparts. I believe it is still used in some capacity by the military today. It was a very interesting and unexpected find. Like everything we saw on our trip though, probably better to visit in the summer.

As we were walking back into town we passed the Danish Design Museum. Seeking refuge from the cold, and also aware of Denmark's influence in the history of design, we decided to stop in. We only had an hour before the museum closed, so we unfortunately had to rush through the fashion and porcelain exhibits in order to get to the famous Danish chairs. We had no regrets. The museum was very interesting and had a lovely café. A café where my mom grabbed the first Danish juice she saw, not pausing to try to reasonably translate the ingredients. I don't think the beet juice with ginger was the worst thing I've ever drunken, but it wasn't the best.

On Saturday we started by visiting the Church of our Lady. An old cathedral that was, for the most part, burned down during the English bombardment of the early 1800s. It was rebuilt in a Greek style, and rightly beautiful. When we arrived the columns were being diligently polished. A relaxed way to start the day. The church was beside the University of Copenhagen (also situated in an old building). The church was also across the street from "Little Angels" gentleman's club. A suitable juxtaposition.

From there we took the subway (the "metro") to Christianshavn. Our first priority was getting some Danish pastry, which we found to be a very rewarding venture. The Church of our Savior served as our beautiful landmark for the day. It's steeple helped to keep us oriented as we wandered the city. That part of the city is situated a bit on its own island. We were there specifically to see the Freetown Christiana, which is blocked on side by a moat.

Freetown Christiania was formerly a military barracks, established in 1617 with declined use after World War II. The military abandoned the post and began clearing out in 1967-1971. It was in 1971, during a shortage of affordable housing in Denmark, that a group of squatters took over the abandoned barracks and surrounding grounds in spite of the minimal security. There was some back and forth with the government before the self-labeled "autonomous and anarchist" city of Christiania was let be. They permitted drugs of all sorts for a while before complications led them to ban all hard drugs, which they felt went against the peace-seeking nature of Christiania. They've also banned gang signs, cars, weapons, and photography in their residential areas. Living spaces are not bought but applied for, with the home "owners" purchasing a share of the city. The city, in turn, pays a million a year to Copenhagen for use of electricity and pluming, etc (though none of the residences have electric heating, most running on wood).

Christiania is a huge tourist attraction. The photos I took are from their skate park and "Pusher Street", the only two places where photography is allowed. "Pusher Street" is a street in the center of Christiania. So called because it is lined with stalls that sell marijuana and similar products. Marijuana, both the sale and usage of, is not legal in Denmark. However, the authorities do not interfere with what is one of Christiania's main attractions for young foreigners.

Farther away from Pusher St, farther from the tourists, you get more into the permanent residential area of Christiania. Away from the trash, and with a nice view from the ramparts over the moat, you can imagine how someone might choose this life style. The houses vary. Some seem like they might be up to code, with the solid bones of a real house. Some reside in old barracks or stables. Some are shacks or half-tree houses, rebuilt and refurbished with old scraps. Some were actually quite pretty and interesting, and others looked like a collection of trash that might collapse at any moment. The very few and fortunate even had gas hook ups. The land was completely contaminated by the military use of the land, so you can't grow your own food unless it's above ground. All in all I found it a very worth-while and interesting place to see.  A city that yearns to be away from main society, but is still very much dependent on it and the tourist industry it provides.

"Pusher Street"

When we had seen all of Christiania we navigated our way back to the real world. Using the Church of our Savior's beautiful spiral to guide us back to Copenhagen, we passed under an archway that read "now entering the EU". It was obviously hand-painted by a Christianian, but it felt fitting nonetheless.

We got traditional open-faced sandwiches at a local restaurant for lunch. We hid in the cold for quite a bit while we planned our next move. We went to the Danish State Museum for Art to see some modern Danish art. Not the best use of our time, but a nice way to stay out of the cold. We caught a movie at the Palads Teatret, a very interesting repurposed old building that is now the largest movie theater in Denmark. We saw "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri", in the original English with Danish subtitles. The movie started at 6:45, but ads didn't end until 6:55. Then another 10 more minutes of trailers. Worth it for such a good movie. We got a late dinner afterwards before going back to the hotel (which was right across the street).

Open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød)

Some funny snacks at Palads movie theater

Sunday was a early morning as we caught a train to Helsingɵr. Helsingɵr is home to Krongborg castle, though it is known across the globe as "The Castle of Elsinore", using the English spelling of "Helsingɵr" from Shakespeare's great play: Hamlet. The place was a sight to see, though I am sure a much better one in the summer. It is right on the coast, with Sweden literally in swimming distance. You could see Sweden from the castle, we were so close my phone even switched from the Danish to the Swedish phone network. The castle itself was not the most impressive part of the property; the grounds were. There were three moats, and meandering ramparts and battlements.The barracks resided within the outer wall, but still two gateways from the castle courtyard itself. Underneath the castle were the old casements. Originally used for food storage, a place for soldiers to sleep during siege, a stable, and as a prisoner hold. The casements remain intentionally poorly lit, with a vending machine for flashlights just outside the entrance. The only light comes from some genuine oil lanterns and any windows that have a view to the sky. When you shine your flash light across the walls quotes in reflective paint pop out at you. It was a bit creepy and very cool.

The grounds were absolutely beautiful, but like I said we were on the water. The wind was horrific. I was imagining the entire time how beautiful it must be in the summer. If I am ever in the area again when it's nice out I'll definitely be back. We went from the castle to the nearby maritime museum, which has interesting architecture and talked a lot about sailor culture (not just boats), so that was also nice. It was completely dark out when we got back on the train to go home, even though it was only 4:30. We managed to find a reasonably priced meal in the city (first time all weekend) for dinner. And so ended the marvelous weekend.

Tattoo exhibit at the Maritime Museum

We woke up early in order to have plenty of time to make my flight at Copenhagen airport, which is a mess due to construction and renovations. It was hard to say goodbye so we did it very quickly. With a "See you in April!" (when my mom and my dad will come to visit me for another weekend, on my turf). It was an absolutely amazing weekend. I loved spending time with my mom and having a mini-adventure with her. No agenda, no rush. Just three days to do what we will in a new city. 

But for now I am back in the Netherlands, safe and sound. Ready to return to my "studies" and overall cultural-broadening. I have some set-in-stone things to look forward to, and some loose plans. Here's to a good 2018.