We arrived in Copenhagen mid-day Friday. After a delayed flight, and spending way too long attempting to find the bus stop (I blame my phone for leading us astray), we checked in at our airbnb and anxiously awaited Adam & Alana's arrival. Adam & Alana arrived shortly after us, and as soon as they did, we set off for lunch. Our lunch destination was Paper Island. Paper Island is an old warehouse converted into street food stalls with picnic tables out front on the water. We grabbed a pint and then walked through the stalls scoping out our respective lunch picks. Adam and I both opted for taco's, Alana had pulled pork and Shane grabbed falafel. The food was terrific - we were all very happy with our choices!
After lunch, we headed to the meeting spot for a walking tour through the Christianshavn neighborhood of Copenhagen. Our tour was great! It was nice to be guided through all the sites and hear a brief explanation of their significance.
The most exciting part of our tour was the end. Our tour ended in Christiania. Christiania was founded in 1971 by a group of hippies who squatted in an abandoned military barracks and claimed the area to be a free city completely independent of the Danish government. To live in Christiania you cannot buy a property, you must apply for it. If you are successful in your application, a property will be given to you. The waiting list to live in Christiania is currently 10,000 people long. Christiania is famous for its 'pusher street' or 'green light district' where its hash/marijuana dealings take place. This dealing is illegal in Denmark but has generally been allowed to take place in Christiania. However, with the election of a new government, police have been performing periodic raids of Christiania. One of the worst raids of Christiania occurred whilst we were standing outside of the commune area at the end of our tour. We were witness to tear gas as well as the police running out of the commune as they were being pelted with rocks. Before entering Christiania, our tour guide checked in with both the police and local inhabitants to make sure it was safe to enter. We thought for certain that there was no way we were going to be able to go in but he returned to our group and guided us in. After the raid, the commune went back to normal. You could tell the police had been there (broken glass and broken hash stands) but the community appeared unaltered as music was playing and the dealers were back to selling again. No photos are allowed on 'pusher street', it is one of the community rules, so we just captured some photos of the entrance, graffiti and a birds-eye view from the nature path around the commune area.
After the police raid excitement and peak into the alternative lifestyle, we headed off to dinner. We dined at Amaann's, a restaurant known for the traditional Danish open-faced sandwich, smorrebrod. We also tried the Danish snaps which are flavored liquor that is to be enjoyed as you eat your food - a bite of food, a sip of snaps. We weren't really fans of snaps, a bit too strong, but it was fun to try them.
We were exhausted after dinner so we just grabbed a quick ice-cream dessert and then went back to our flat.
On Saturday, we grabbed brunch, met Angie at the train station and were off on our own self-guided (via Rick Steve's) walking tour. We decided we would all rotate in leading a part of the tour. Shane started, then I took over and got us lost so handed off to Alana, who kept us going most of the way until she got turned around by the map and then Adam took over. Our walking tour ended at the perfect spot for us to hop on a boat and take to the canals. After the boat tour, we decided to do what the locals do, grab a pint and sit outside!
On Saturday night we went to Tivoli. Tivoli is Copenhagen's amusement park located in the center of the city. I consider it a classy amusement park (clean, not cheesy) and it is quite impressive given its location in the city. We decided we would do one ride and purchased our tickets at the entrance. Our original plan was to do the Star Flyer (high swings) but it was closing when we arrived so we resorted to the Golden Tower (a ride that raises you very high up on a tower and drops you). As we were waiting in line, we all were fine with the Golden Tower - it didn't seem that high - however, as we got closer to the beginning of the line a bit of fear started to set in. We boarded the ride and as the ride raised us to the top, we all regretted our decision in picking this ride - it was really, really, really high and we were just hanging there! We were all a bit shake-y after the ride ended. We ended our evening with the fireworks show in the middle of the gardens.
On Sunday, we grabbed breakfast at a unique tapas restaurant. We loved the concept! Adam and Alana departed a bit before us to catch their train. We had a some time to spare and decided to go to Christiania so that Angie could see and experience the commune. We were peacefully strolling through the freetown when the police showed up for another raid! There were significantly fewer policemen than we saw on Friday but it still was a bit unsettling. Shane stayed to watch the action and Angie and I took to the nature trail above the barracks.
We really enjoyed Copenhagen. The laid back vibe of the city was contagious.
