Europe Europe with Derek

Copenhagen, Denmark

There are a three things you should know about Copenhagen before you visit.

Number 1, bicyclist rule. More people are hit by bicycles than cars.

Number 2, their culture is based on acceptance. They had the first labelled gay bar in the world in 1950. They held the first gay marriage in 1989. They incorporate their immigrates into their daily society. They don’t believe in talking down to anyone. All are equal.

Do not mistake acceptance for tolerance. Many people have heard of Christiania. The town in Copenhagen that has been formed by a group of hippies. It’s like Amsterdam on steroids. People and the government have been trying to close it for years to no success. Derek and I walked through it. Though it is safe, it has a very unwelcoming vibe.

Number 3 and most important, the Danish have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Derek and I got caught multiple times by our AirBnb host. By day 2, he had us laughing constantly.

Our experience of Copenhagen would never have been complete with our hosts. Lars is a self taught linguist. Spoke 5 languages. He is a ships captain and has been all over the world. Experienced in many cultures and quit the philosopher. We spent time with he and his wife discussing world politics, our green footprint, and acceptance of others. Amazing people.

So what did we do in Copenhagen? Rented bikes. Our feet needed a break after the first week of the trip. This also allowed us to see all of Copenhagen: the royal square, King’s Garden, military base, paper island, and even the beach.

We attend our first free walking tour after Lars talked it up so much. Our guide was wonderful and the 3 hours flew by. We would have loved to spend all afternoon with him.

We did do one very touristy thing. Went to Tivoli Gardens. The 2nd amusement park ever created. Both were in Denmark. They say Walt Disney was visiting the park, went home and created Disneyland. After doing the oldest wood roller coaster and the new roller coaster which includes virtual reality glasses (what a rush), decided to head back into the city to experience more of the Danish culture. We could not get enough of the people.

One night during a thunderstorm, we joined the local gaming room. A huge bar with 30+ tables and every board game you can think of. We sat down enjoying cheese cake, playing the English version of Scrabble, and soaking up all the languages being spoken around us.

After the rain was over, we watched the streets of the city come back to life as the locals mounted their wet bikes and headed for home.

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The next night, we attended an English speaking improv performance and enjoyed a very danish meal of open faced sandwiches. Very elegant presentation.

The food in Copenhagen did not disappoint. The secret is to eat off the street vendors, food trucks, and back alleys away from all the tourists. The food is incredible and about a third the price. Drinks are expensive so most of the locals buy beer at the 7/11 and drink in the streets. Totally legal. Construction workers and fire fighters are limited to 3 beers during work hours. No wonder the city keeps burning down.

We did continue our tour of church towers. Derek found out that Copenhagen had the highest climbable church tower in Europe: Vor Frelsers Kirke. You finish the climb on the outside of the tower. Spiraling to the top. The stairs never stop. They just get really narrow.

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The climb still had the narrow wood steps, big bells, and interesting doorways. My favorite things about a church tower climb.

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