Copenhagen In January?

I accompanied Rick on a work trip to Copenhagen.  I was excited about the opportunity to go, but not necessarily in January.  Oh well...one cannot be picky about these things.  I was so glad I went.  I absolutely loved Copenhagen!  Although the city was a bit sleepy that time of year, I could still sense a fun and relaxed vibe.  I'm sure this vibe is much more intense during summer though.  Everyone we met was very helpful and friendly.  I wasn't suprised because I read in my guidebook that Danish people are the happiest people in the world.  This passage from Lonely Planet describes it best: 

"Perhaps nothing encapsulates the essence of Danishness better than the concept of hygge which, roughly translated, means cosy and snug.  Hygge refers to a sense of friendly , warm companionship of a kind usually fostered when Danes gather together in groups.  Hygge implies shutting out the turmoil and troubles of the outside world and striving instead for a warm, intimate mood.  Hygge affects  how Danes approach many aspects of their personal lives, from the design of their homes to their fondness for small cafes and pubs.  There is no greater compliment that a Dane can give their host than to thank them for a cosy evening. 

 I definitely got a sense of hygge when I was there.  According to a local that I met, Americans are fascinated with this concept and always want to discuss it...I'm guessing it's described in a lot of guidebooks!

One thing that made an impression on me was the bike-lane system.  People were biking everywhere, despite the freezing temperatures and snow.  I was told that many people in Copenhagen don't have cars or driver's licenses.  It seemed like just as many people used bikes for transport as in Amsterdam.  The difference, however, was that it was very orderly and organized.  Bikes traveled like cars in there own separate lanes that had there own set of traffic lights.  People biked single file (like cars) and obeyed all traffic rules.  Whereas, I find Amsterdam to be a bit chaotic.

I wouldn't say that the architecture was especially beautiful.  Nor are there a ton of interesting cultural sights to visit.  I think it's more of a city to just hang out in.  There seems to be a good nightlife and a lot of  trendy cafes and restaurants.

I like to call this trip my "tour of castles".  I saw 3, but only one was in Copenhagen.

Christiania "Free State"

We spent our first full day wandering around the "hippy haven" of Christiania.  It is an area where an abandoned military camp was taken over by squatters in the 70's.  The inhabitants declared it a "free state", which means that they make their own laws and don't pay taxes.  Numerous attempts made by the police to stop it failed because it happend during the height of the hippy revolution.  The people took over the land because they liked both the idea of communal living and of reclaiming military land for peaceful purposes.  Many of Copenhagen's inhabitants don't like the situation.  For one thing, people in Christiania don't pay taxes for the services they receive.  Furthermore, the place is somewhat of an eyesore and there are soft drugs sold on the streets.

The guidebook says that a lot of families go there on warm, summer days because there are some nice parks and playgrounds and there are no cars allowed.  The guidebook also says that you can still buy soft drugs there, but not from stalls.  However, this was not true.  The main street in Christiania is nicknamed "Pusher Street".  We walked by several stalls that were selling hash like frites or hot dogs.  We also saw a lot of people sitting outside and smoking.  In fact, we got verbally assaulted by a guy for trying to take a picture of the scene.  He came running toward us screaming and made Rick delete the picture.  At that point, we had not yet realized what was going on.  There were signs posted all over that area that said "no photos", but we didn't see them right away because we entered the "free town" from a place where photos were allowed and sort of wandered our way to "Pusher Street" completely oblivious! 

We couldn't get an exact answer as to why this is allowed to go on.  The use and sale of soft drugs is illegal in Denmark.  It's not the same as in the Netherlands.  The best we could find out is that police basically turn a blind eye.  They come through occasionally and run dealers out, but they don't do much else.  It was a pretty interesting place to visit.  After having enough of the cold, we kipped into the one cafe that didn't allow people to use drugs inside.  We ended up playing Backgammon with a strange guy who was there by himself (but didn't live around there) and appeared as though he had spent too much time on Pusher Street!

The first few pictures were taken in route to Christiania.  We just wanted to show boats stuck in the frozen canal.  They ran a boat down the center to break up the ice, which is why you see all those chunky pieces.

Noerrebro Microbrewery
We got a tip about this brewery from one of Rick's Danish co-workers.  The beer was delicious!

Louisiana

This was a very cool modern art museum located on the coast about an hour north of Copenhagen.

Kronborg Slot

This castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the setting of Hamlet.

 

Fredriksborg Slot
Both the interior and exterior of this castle were amazing!  The castle actually stradles 3 lakes, which we didn't see because they were covered in snow. 

Inside

The inside was equally impressive, especially the ceilings, which were very ornate.  Each room had a different ceiling.  Some of them were even 3 dimensional.

 

The Gardens and Walk Back to Town

 

Nyhavn (New Harbor)

 

Little Mermaid
This statue is as famous as the Mannekin Pis in Brussels and equally as disappointing!  She was created as a tribute to the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, commissioned by beer baron Carl Jacobsen.

 

Plan B

Beer cafe with a lot of great Danish microbrews and hygge.  Rick is very happy!

 

Cool Night Shot

 

View From Hotel

That is supposed to be water.

 

 

Rosenborg Slot

A beautiful castle in Copenhagen.

 

 

Funky Food
Deloitte treated us to dinner at a Michelen star restaurant.  It was one of the best meals I've ever had.  It was basically a tasting menu that had a gazillion courses!  The food was served in a modern and fun way, but was also very tasty.  Here is a lemon dessert that I had.  The smokey stuff is dry ice.

 

Another Frozen Lake
Apparently, there is a law in place that bans you from walking on the ice unless it is of a certain thickness.

 

Tivoli

This is the outside gate of one of Copenhagen's most famous attractions.  It's like an amusement park with gardens, rides, restaurants, street theater and music performances during the summer.  There is also a nightly fireworks show.  Unfortunately, it is closed during the winter so I could only take pictures of the outside.  Sounds like a ton of fun though.