City of Bicycles

Pretty much everywhere you go in Copenhagen, you see this:

This is because there just isn't room for that many cars and cars are very expensive.  So just about everyone (including the Prime Minister on occasion) bikes to work, run errands, meet up with friends, etc.  To get the true Copenhagen experience, I booked a bike tour before I arrived with the appropriately named Cycling Copenhagen.  If any of you reading this are planning to visit Copenhagen, this is truly the best way to see the city, especially when you have beautiful weather like there was today.  Plus, it's a good way to get comfortable with the biking customs around here since just about every hotel and tons of shops offer you bike rentals.  I can also attest to the fact that it's a natural endorphin boost and has energized me for the day--I don't feel any jet lag, which is kind of a miracle.

Cycling Copenhagen is a relatively new company, so I was surprised to discover when I arrived at its headquarters that I was the only one on the tour today.  It was a little disconcerting at first but turned out to be super fun as Christian, the company owner and my guide (and fellow English major--instant bond!) was very friendly and knowledgeable and it felt more like riding around the city with a local friend rather than a paid tour.  It also gave me a chance to ask all the questions I wanted about Danish culture and their way of life without having to worry about boring other people.  And the bikes are amazing--super sturdy, comfortable, and easy to ride.  This is Christian on the kind of bike we were riding around on:

Much of the city was established by Christian IV, including this harbor area:

Here's the Stock Exchange he instituted, which looks just a little different from the one on Wall Street.  You can't really see it (it's in the arched part above the square above the door), but King Christian helpfully put a giant 'C' circling the number 4 on every one of his buildings so you'd know he's the man responsible.

And if any of you do end up watching Borgen, here's what used to be the Royal Palace and is now Parliament.  In the second photo, I am standing in front of the steps that are featured frequently in the show, unable to hide my nerdy glee.

 

Not very far away is the current Royal Residence, although the queen is currently on vacation with her French husband at his vineyard in the south of France. 

 

Her two sons each have their own matching palace just across the courtyard (isn't that sweet?).

 

 

Palaces aside, they are a relatively laid back and well-liked royal family.  The wife of one of them (herself an Australian whom the prince met while he was in Sydney for the Olympics) often goes out and about like any other person, walking her kids to daycare, going shopping, etc.  I'd read about this aspect of Danish culture before, and Christian confirmed that Danes highly value equality and it's a big no-no to think you're better or more elite than anyone else and give yourself airs.  There's also something else, somewhat related, that I noticed and brought up to Christian--that things seem to be very safe and no one seems to be all that concerned with crime.  With all those bikes parked everywhere, I have yet to see a bike lock.  People just park them and go about their business, which is both unbelievable and awesome to me.  This fits, though, with what the article I posted a link to previously said is a main source of Danish happiness--their high level of trust.  When I brought that up to Christian, he agreed that people are very trusting here and he thinks it's in part because everyone knows that if anything bad happens, they'll be taken care of.  While he said people sometimes grumble about the taxes, they don't really worry about what will happen to them if they lose their job or get in an accident because they know the government will always take care of them.  So, he concluded, that makes people feel very secure and more willing to help others and feel good about life in general.  But, as he acknowledged, that's an easier culture and governmental system to implement and sustain in a country where the total population is only 5 million people.  In an interesting related story, he talked about how one of the richest men in Denmark (and the person responsible for the new Opera House) just died last year and his death forced a restructure of the local economy--he alone paid 200 million kroner in taxes annually and funded a good portion of the local hospitals, police services, etc. so that loss raised the taxes of everyone else in his locale after he died. 

 

Further along the tour, we stopped at Nyhavn, which was one of the main harbors for many years:

 

 



 Now this area is tourist central and the buildings house restaurants, shops, and businesses, but once upon a time it was where all the sailors stayed when they were in port, and it was also where the sailors' favorite pastimes (alcohol and prostitutes) were also located.  In other words, a bit of a dodgy area.  The buildings are all painted the same as hundreds of years ago, and it's now required by law that they remain those colors and the structures remain intact for perpetuity. 

From there, we visited the Little Mermaid

 

and the Gefion statue, which comes from a Nordic myth that Odense gave this woman a chunk of land on the condition that she would work it, so she turned her sons into oxen (that's one way to make them useful) and plowed up the piece of land that is now Denmark.

 

 

 

 

And here's a really pretty church. 

 

 

Christian said it's an English church and there's a large population of English citizens who live in Denmark and go there.  Interesting that the two countries are so friendly considering that at one time the famous (English) Lord Nelson wiped out Denmark's entire navy in a surprise attack (that's what you get for supporting Napoleon).



 

We stopped for coffee after that, during which time we talked about Christian's upcoming trip to Seattle with his wife and young son, our shared belief in the value of literature for all of humanity (and our disgust with the growing utilitarianism in our respective cultures--focusing on what trade you can train for and what will make you a good corporate worker versus going to university for a well-rounded education that will enlarge your understanding of the world), and his  cycling tour business, which he supplements with a part-time marketing job for a major Danish publishing company.  Earlier in the tour he pointed out something called the Soho building, which is a business "hotel."  Not a hotel where business people stay, but a building in the meat district that was converted into a bunch of rooms that all kinds of small start-up entrepreneurs could rent individually while sharing the cost of a receptionist, cleaning staff, etc. Pretty cool idea and, along with Christian's own story, it makes me think that the Danish people are a very entrepreneurial lot.

 

After a stop back at my hotel, I set out to walk around and explore more of the city, aiming to end up for a late lunch at a place Christian had recommended.  The walk took a little bit longer than planned, which may have something to do with the fact that I got lost a couple times, and when I finally got to the restaurant, the nice man who works there told me they were closed and wouldn't open again for dinner for another two hours.  He gave me directions to another restaurant that he was sure would be open and had good food, so I trekked another six or seven blocks over to that place, only to be informed by the worker there (both places had their doors open but just the staff hanging out preparing for the next phase) that it too was closed and would only open for drinks in the next ten minutes.  (Note to self: never again assume that restaurants in other countries are open continuously the way they usually are in the United States). 

 

I was feeling a little desperate at that point because when you've walked continuously for over an hour after taking a bike tour most of the morning and it's now 3:45 pm, you get really really hungry.  So guy at restaurant strikeout #2 directed me to a third location (the men at both locations were both extremely nice and eager to help--I love the Danes!), and I finally ended up with this:

 

That, my friends, is a Danish sandwich.  They are very into their sandwiches in this country, and I could understand why once I got this.  Even though you can't see it, there is some rye bread under there (which I'm hoping doesn't have as much an impact on my stomach as wheat does--so far, so good) with a bunch of lettuce and other veg piled on top, along with about four different kinds of seasoning and sweet/spicy condiments, and some egg salad, which the employee there (also super nice and friendly) described as their specialty.  I concur with that description and have to say that there are few things better in life than eating delicious food when you are hungry.  I may have whimpered a little bit when I took my first bite.

 

A few more scenes from my walk back to the hotel, which again lasted a bit longer than planned due to the fact that I'm still figuring out the streets and layout of this city:

 



 

 

 While I didn't make use of it, it was nice to know that if I needed to make a pit stop before crossing the street, there was actually a legal option:

 

I shall head out in a bit to get a small dinner (I'm still full from the sandwich), but after all that walking, it's been nice to sit here in my room remembering the day (and sitting) and eating the best cherries I think I've ever eaten in my life (and sitting), which I bought from a street vendor.

 

Finally, because I know you've all been wondering, the shower worked out just fine and stayed contained to its own little area.  This was mainly due to the fact that with the rate and pressure the water comes out of the shower head, it's a little like showering under a garden hose.  So tonight, the toilet paper can stay put.