VELKOMMEN TIL KØBENHAVN!!
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 9, 2022
- 8 min read
Copenhagen Airport • 42Raw • Nyhavn • Church of Our Saviour • Freetown Christiania
Chloe: “Update your passports ladies because we are going to the very sunny, very beautiful Copenhagen!”
Amy: “Yesssss!! Where is that?”
Chloe: “I don’t know. I failed maps.”
– Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) 14:40
I can confirm that Copenhagen is very sunny, very beautiful, and in Denmark, across the water from Sweden.
Copenhagen Airport
--- Not Shown on Map ---
Landing in Copenhagen and walking the jet bridge, the not-cold air immediately hits us—yay!! What also hits us…the fact that we, again, need to learn how to navigate a new place. The routine, understanding, and transportation established in Iceland is little help here in Copenhagen.
Joelle, having planned and researched ahead, has our Copenhagen cards waiting for us at the airport information desk, allowing us access to all public transportation (within Copenhagen) and provides admission to most city attractions for all 96 hours we are here (highly recommend). Next stop: Our Airbnb. Next challenge: How to get there.
Having made our way to the train track, we turn on our (sparingly used) international data, open Google Maps, enter the address for our Airbnb, and toggle the transportation mode to public transit. Easy. We need the M2 metro. Only problem…we do not see that anywhere. After wandering awhile, looking at the train arrival and departure board, and watching several trains enter and leave the station, Joelle remarks, “eventually we are just going to have to get on a train.” Having unsuccessfully “just gotten on” before, I prefer not to take that approach, and soon after, we see a sign pointing to the metro. Evidently, there is both a train station and a metro station out of the airport, and the symbols for each on Google Maps are remarkably similar (train is indicated by a train car without a circle around it, and a metro is indicated by a train car with a circle around it). To Google Maps credit, it also says “Metro;” we just do not realize that the metro is not where we are currently standing. Once on the correct metro (not train), it is an easy ride into the city and walk to our Airbnb. Good thing we did not get on a train…that could have taken us to Sweden, and we definitely want a few days here first.
Our initial plan is to do laundry (finally) and get some R&R before exploring the city tomorrow. However, our rumbling tummies and eagerness to see a new place get the better of us. Time for more adventures!
42Raw
--- Map Point 2 ---
In need of lunch, I type “vegan restaurants” in Google Maps and flip through the several options that pop-up. One—42Raw—is about a half mile from us (in essentially a straight line, which is navigationally helpful) and looks very “Hannah and Joelle friendly.” Excitedly, we make our way there and place an order:
Golden Latte: Organic turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and homemade almond milk.
Sweet Potato Fries
Green Bowl: Cucumber, cabbage, baby spinach, broccoli, avocado, and pesto.
The Flavour of Grilled Cheese: Avocado, pesto, cucumber, baby spinach, and the flavour of grilled cheese.
What arrives in front of us are a whole lot of fresh, green veggies—yummy! Such a drastic and welcome change to our dehydrated meal packs.
If you are ever in Copenhagen, we highly recommend 42Raw as a restaurant option (although eating out anywhere is a splurge due to the prices). It was delicious, and they have lots of 100% plant-based options (smoothies, smoothie bowls, granola, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, bowls, coffee and tea, milkshakes, protein shakes, etc.).
Nyhavn
--- Map Point 3 ---
Nyhavn: One of Copenhagen’s most famous streets, with colorful buildings lining each side and a canal running down the middle. This street is hopping. People are eating dinner on the restaurant patios, canal tours have lines down the street, a concert is going on, artists sit painting pictures of the scene, and seemingly everyone is trying to snap a picture (us included).
With no real plan for the day (since we are supposed to be resting and relaxing), we walk down Nyhavn and then continue walking down the canal. Everyone is enjoying the Sunday afternoon, swimming in the canal and playing basketball on the canal-side courts.
Church of Our Saviour
--- Map Point 4 ---
Spotting the Church of Our Saviour’s tall tower in the distance, we decide to make our way toward it, hoping to go up the tower (you can spot people up there from the street). Our Copenhagen Cards give us admission, but the sign outside indicates we still need tickets. Fortunately, Joelle is easily able to reserve those on her phone while standing in the church courtyard, and we are able to go right up.
The climb to the top of the tower consists of 400 steps (we did not count so trusting what everyone tells us on that one). We make our way up the narrow and steep steps, often waiting for those coming down to pass because the stairs are not wide enough for two-way traffic. Along the way, we see many random objects from the church tucked into dusty corners behind metal fencing, including tea cups, saucers, statues, and more. We also see church bells and the warning lights that turn on when they are ringing.
Nearing the top, we now climb the stairs spiraling around the outside of the tower, giving us 360° views of the city while also exposing us to the wind. The somewhat busy stairs become much less busy the higher we climb, as people (presumably) bail on going all the way to the top. Having recently faced the windy Icelandic conditions, we are not fazed (okay, maybe a little fazed) and continue to the top. The views are great, and we even spot Freetown Christiania, which we found in our research and want to visit (more on this to come), helping guide the navigation to our next stop. We hesitantly snap a few photos (with a tight grip on the phone to prevent the wind from catching it) then begin our descent. On the trek down the stairs, Joelle tightly grasps the railing, while I let the wind pull me down. Another windy adventure for the books (or in our case, blog).
Freetown Christiania
--- Map Point 5 ---
Freetown Christiania is just that–a town within Copenhagen free to do as it pleases, while the Danish government turns a blind eye. We first learned about Freetown Christiania while watching Kara and Nate’s Copenhagen vlog to get us excited for our trip, and Joelle deemed it a must visit (rightfully so). Here is a little about Freetown Christiania for some background information, and much more can be found with a quick Google search:
This alternative community began in 1971 as a squatted military base when a group of hippies broke down the barricades and took over.
Today, about 900 people live in the area.
It is governed by its own rules and regulations, independent from the Danish government. It even has its own flag.
Cannabis trade takes place in its “Green Light District” (note cannabis is illegal in Denmark).
There are three rules: (1) Zero violence—no guns, knives, bulletproof vests, hard drugs, biker or gang colors, or stealing; (2) Don’t run—it causes panic; and (3) No photos—buying and selling hash is still illegal.
A little about the lifestyle: “Meditation and yoga are popular there, [it’s] very green and eco-friendly, a hub for artists and entrepreneurs, and a place for drug addicts to go” (Kirk, 2018).
There are cafes, restaurants, and music venues within.
ALIS Wonderland, one of the Copenhagen’s most famous skateparks, is here.
The entrance to Freetown Christiania is marked by a colorful wall and archway. As we walk under the archway, both Joelle and I’s awareness and senses are heightened, not totally sure what to expect. At first, it does not seem much different than the other parts of the city we have explored thus far: Many people are passing through; restaurants are open with people enjoying a meal on the patio; and locals are hanging out together, having a good time. After encountering an intriguing “The World is in Our Hands” display, we pass a building covered in impressive graffiti with “Wonderland” written across the front, and we hear what sounds like skateboards. Not yet knowing this is a famous skatepark, we walk around, just in time to see many young, local boys walking out holding their skateboards. Sure enough, it is a skatepark. Since we cannot possibly pass as local skateboards, we do not attempt to go inside.
Continuing down the street, there are several street vendors selling souvenirs to tourists. Joelle’s pace slows and her eyes grow in size as she takes in all there is to observe. Just beyond the vendors is where we spot the first of many no photography icons, spray painted onto the side of a building (we put our phones away to ensure there are no sneaky snap misunderstandings), and we get the first whiff of cannabis (familiar to our Coloradan selves). Interestingly, there are a couple police officers to the side, appearing to dig through the trash while keeping to themselves. According to some internet research, authorities turn a blind eye to locals’ cannabis activity but not tourists’ cannabis activity, so perhaps their presence is related to that.
We continue to walk down the street and notice a crowd gathering off to the side.
Hannah: “What do you think that is?”
Joelle: “Do you want to go look?”
Hannah: “Uhhhh…”
While my definite answer to that question depends on what it is, we make our way toward it to find out. There appears to be a large stage with people gathered around it, ready to watch a performance. As we get closer, the strong smell of pee hits our nostrils—logical given the (not so privacy-oriented) porta potty urinal to our right. At this point, we decide we have seen enough and retrace our steps back under the archway, not knowing another way out and not feeling the need to further explore to find one. Just as we are leaving, the sound of music and a cheering crowd erupt behind us; it must have been some sort of concert.
Joelle summarizes our time in Freetown Christiania well: “I am glad we went, and I am glad we left when we did.”
Netto (grocery store)
--- Map Point 6 ---
To save both time and money (precious resources), we plan to cook most our meals in Copenhagen. Having great luck with Nettó in Iceland, we decide to shop at Netto here too. It is a drastically different experience. On the plus side, there are lots of cheap fruits and veggies that we fill our basket with. On the minus side, the store is disorganized with busy shelves and a lack of options; we struggle to find the ingredients we need, even using Google translate on the labels (there is less English here than in Iceland). Another couple (presumably from the U.K.) asks if we speak English and for help finding a specific flour. Seeing as we do not know Danish and are having a similar problem, we cannot provide more help than typing what they need into Google translate. Deciding what we have is good enough for now (ingredients for fajitas), we check-out (only $25–wow!), hoping to find a less overwhelming grocery store in a couple days.
Our First Night in Copenhagen
--- Map Point 1 ---
Joelle, still needing to run, leaves at 9:16pm and returns at 11:00pm (she got a little lost), just as it is getting dark. The days are long and nights are short, but it does get dark. “Woah – Joey, it’s dark out!” It has been awhile since we experienced nighttime darkness.
Uninterested in cooking, we rehydrate our last dehydrated meal–Patagonia Red Bean Chili (this one is actually good)—and begin planning our day for tomorrow. We may not have done laundry or gotten our R&R, but we are starting to love this city and are so excited to keep exploring.
You look so happy. Perhaps, the fact that you are not wearing three layers of clothing helps?😎