Copenhagen

Our train trip from Sweden to Denmark took about 17 minutes. Actually it was probably shorter than that because we stopped at Copenhagen airport on the way to Central Station. We were pretty tired even though it was only 11am, owing to our early start in Malmö but we were excited about seeing our second Scandinavian country!


Us on the train from Malmö to Copenhagen. The two cities are so close that a Copenhagen metro ticket covers all of Malmö as well.

One could say that Denmark is Sweden's historical rival. Stemming from the same roots, the two kingdoms warred with each other for centuries, took turns invading each other and even today take pride in nationalistic rivalry mostly played out on the sporting field. Poor Norway was always caught up in the struggles somehow, having been under both Swedish and Danish control at different times.

Today Denmark is Scandinavia's smallest country in terms of area (having lost the region of Skåne to Sweden) but the second largest in popuation after Sweden with about 5.5 million people. About a fifth of the country's population live in Copenhagen, making it Scandinavia's second largest city (after Stockholm) with a metro population of about 1.2 million. Denmark's days as a mighty coloniser are still evident in that the Faroe Islands and Greenland are still part of Denmark, albeit being semi-autonomous.


Our train thunders across the 8km long bridge joining Sweden and Denmark via the Strait of Øresund


Copenhagen Central

Copenhagen has a distinctly imperial feel about it (much like Stockholm) however Danish sounded almost like German to us, despite the fact that on paper, it's pretty much the same language as Norweigan and Swedish. This was a reminder that Denmark is very much the southernmost Scandinavian country, linked to the bulk of the European landmass.


Copenhagen city centre


The Tivoli Gardens, one of the world's oldest amusement parks

Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities on earth, so we had to watch our spending.


McDonalds in Denmark. My Big Mac meal tasted burnt. Plus it was super expensive because of a surcharge for paying in Swedish Kronors.


City Hall


Funky artwork all over the city


Candice enjoying the sights

In contrast to the chilly Autumn weather we had been getting in Uppsala, Copenhagen was beautifully sunny. We could almost just wear T-shirts. We wandered around town with our small backpacks, taking advantage of the great weather.


It was a great Autumn day


Picturesque Nyhavn, the face of many a Danish postcard


Hanging out in Nyhavn

Danes are statistically the happiest people on earth. With a gem like Copenhagen for your capital, it's not hard to see why. A series of canals run through the city - you're never too far from the water.

View from the National Opera House (or was it the theatre?)

A Danish warship, ready to pounce

A few years ago, Danish Crown Prince Frederik (heir to the Danish throne) married Mary Donaldson, an Australian girl from Tasmania. Princess Mary is has become the darling of the Danish public (much like in the cheesy movie The Prince & Me) and has taken to royal life like a true future queen. She has two children, Prince Christian and Princess Isabella. It's funny to think that the future King of Denmark will be half-Australian.

Christiansborg Palace, home of the Danish Parliament, office of the Prime Minister and official reception area of the Queen

We didn't see Princess Mary but we did notice that the Royal Guards were not as disciplined as in London

Ahh, the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen's most famous icon. The actual bronze statue is neither as impressive or as big as we thought it would be. Apparently this a common misconception of tourists. The statue was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of Carlsberg who was fascinated by a ballet based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.

The Little Mermaid

Just as we arrived, a busload of Chinese tourists pulls up, empties and for a frenzied 5-10 minutes, it is bedlam as they snap photographs of the mermaid. Some of them were even videotaping it! We couldn't help but sit back and watch in amusement.

The "real" mermaid. The guy on the left is proudly posing with his camera.

Us and the poor little mermaid that has reportedly lost her head a few times over the years in countless pranks

The side of the city where we stayed

That night there was a cheap vegan food night at our hostel which was a Godsend in this expensive city. We met some really cool people and ended up going out with them after dinner. Jean and Eva showed us some really cool Copenhagen night life.

Candice, Eva and Jean

The theme of the night was experimental Jazz

Click to see some experimental Jazz action at Studenthuset bar

Danish beer in Denmark. Finally.

Cycling in Copenhagen at night. This is our view of Jean and Eva as we cycled behind them.

Click to play our cycling video

The next day we continued seeing the sights that Copenhagen had to offer.

Statue of the former Queen of Denmark

At the Royal Gardens of Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Castle, where the Danish Crown Jewels are kept

Bike + Castle = trouble. Apparently

The Metro

An amazing church building in Christianshavn

The canal in Christianshavn

Any visitor to Copenhagen must check out Christiania. Started as an alternative lifestyle commune in 1971, it is a partially self-governing neighbourhood in Copenhagen. The neighbourhoo's tolerance for soft drugs has come under harsh criticism and has attracted criminals not associated with the commune to sell contraband.

The entrance to Christiania

No photos on Pusher Street

A photo of the area we were not supposed to photograph

Being an alternative lifestyle community, the neighbourhood houses restaurants, art galleries, cafe's, shops and even music venues. We were suprised however at the amount of rubbish we saw lying around everywhere - it was certainly a lot dirtier than the rest of Copenhagen. The other strange thing was that there was so much commerciality about it all - people trying to sell you "Christiania" souvenirs - from T-shirts to bongs and keychains. It seemed almost... contradictory.

Unfortunately we visited rather early in the day and many of the shops and cafe´s had not opened yet. There were a few drunk bums lying around outside some pubs though.

Some interesting Christiania artwork


As we leave Christiania

Before we left Copenhagen, we had to try some street food. Although most people don't realise it, the hotdog was actually invented in Denmark (and not the USA).

The hotdog is everywhere on the streets of Copenhagen

We left Copenhagen wishing we had more time in this lovely city. We hopped back on the train. Next stop: Gothenburg.

For more photos of our time in Copenhagen, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57456&l=2ccfc&id=681501850