A bonus day in Copenhagen

Several months ago Mike, Patty and I decided on a 12 day trip to Croatia.  I originally booked my flight on the now bankrupt Malev airlines. Obviously after the flight was cancelled, I had to re-book my ticket. As I searched through the re-booking options on Bravofly.com (where I originally booked it, and had to use the credit), all of the other options were really expensive and had strange layovers from Warsaw. So I decided to go with the flow. Rather than avoid the long layovers, I picked a layover in a city I'd never been to.  Lucky for me one of the tickets was half the price of the others. Even though it was in the completely wrong direction (flying north to fly south), that's how I came to spend 20 hours in Copenhagen.

Since I was only there for a short time, I needed to be efficient in how I saw the city. I emailed several people on Couch Surfing and asked friends about their recommendations and must-sees. Patty lived in Copenhagen for a few months so I asked her some of her thoughts. She likes food too, so I thought she'd be able to tell me some good stuff to eat (which you know is my top priority when traveling).

I also noticed that Copenhagen has Sandeman's free city tours. I did this one in Berlin and it was a great way to see the city, learn a bit of history, ask questions about what I'm looking at, and to possibly make friends along the way (but usually instead of making friends, you just have awkward conversations like "Where are you from? Oh I've never been there but I hear it's nice. I'm from the US.  Yes, originally from the US.  Yes, really, I'm American.  No, I'm not from China.  Anyway, will you take a picture of me?"). Since I had no other guide in Copenhagen, I thought it would be a good idea. Plus it was free and I love everything free. The tour was at 1pm and I landed at 11:30 so I had to hurry.

Copenhagen at dusk

Nyhavn

After landing, I rushed on the Metro towards the hostel. It was hard to figure out if I was buying a Metro ticket or a train ticket, since you buy them at the same machine and the platforms are next to each other. I still don't know if I did the right thing, but anyway, nobody checked. From the minute I left the airport to the minute I walked into the Danhostel Downtown it only took about 40 minutes (10 minutes trying to figure out the ticket machine, 15 on the Metro, 15 walking). I was able to get to the tour meeting spot just 70 minutes after LANDING, 20 minutes before the tour started.

On a side note, on the way back to the airport the next day, I didn't have enough local cash for the full distance to the airport (you pay by the number of zones you travel), so I only paid for part of the distance (I just put all my leftover coins in and got whatever it could buy). I figured nobody would be checking on the weekend and it was only a 15 minute ride.  Then, after just 2 stops, I saw him...the dreaded ticket checker man.  Everyone in Warsaw knows what he looks like.  Scary, usually a bit on the thick side, carrying a funny contraption that looks like a cross between a credit card machine and a phaser from Star Trek. He boarded the wagon very casually, trying not to be noticed (but he was in a uniform, with a walkie talkie and a ticket scanner, so it was quite obvious). When I saw start asking people for tickets, I actually thought about grabbing all my stuff and running off the train before the doors closed. But then I thought he might notice that I noticed him, and he might chase me, so I hesitated. I felt like a (really bad) secret spy from a James Bond movie trying to figure out how to keep my cover...should I make a run for it, or play it cool? Anyway, I was too slow to react and the doors closed before I could move (I guess I'm not spy material). He slowly made his way down towards me, and I started planning what excuses to make when he got to me and noticed my ticket didn't have enough fare on it. I thought about speaking Polish or Japanese to him, and pretending I didn't speak English. Surely he'd just let me go (if only I could actually speak Polish or Japanese...). When he finally got to me, I still didn't know what to do (but really, what was the worst that could happen?). He asked for the ticket, and I decided to just give it to him and see if he noticed.  But I couldn't find it! I searched all 12 of my pockets (darn cargo shorts) and in my backpack, but it wasn't there. This was even worse than saying "oh I didn't know how much fare to put on the ticket because your ticket machines are so confusing". By this time everyone on the train was looking at me, shaking their heads at the guy who they thought tried to ride the Metro without buying a ticket at all. "Shame on that guy". But I did buy a ticket, honest! Finally I found it (it's always in the last place you look), and handed it over.  The guy looked at it for exactly 0.003 seconds and continued to the next passenger!  So basically I could have shown him a used gum wrapper and it would have been fine. All that fuss was for nothing. And to think I almost blew my cover as a secret agent spy.

When I finally got to the city, I was hungry. I wandered around looking for one of these funny hot dogs Patty (and others) suggested I try. They call them "French" hot dogs for some reason. Maybe because they're weird, like the French (kidding). The wiener is shoved inside a hollowed out baguette, into which they also pour ketchup, mustard or other sauce. Yep, that's right...wiener + hole + sauce. Other countries also have these, but they seemed to be more popular in Copenhagen than other places.  Plus, you can get it bacon wrapped!

Say yes to bacon-wrapped!

The walking tour started from the Town Hall (every day at 11am and 1pm). Our guide was Rosie, an English girl who moved to CPH (that's how cool people write Copenhagen) to be with her Danish boyfriend. She was very informative and had a funny, dry sense of humor...you know, the English kind that most other people don't understand (yet somehow the English still think they're so funny). She made a lot of jokes that nobody laughed at, but knowing a bit about the English sense of humour (see how I spelled 'humor' there?), I was able to appreciate her jokes. I guess it pays off to have friends from the UK sometimes. Sometimes.

Speaking of Brits, there was a guy from Wales on the tour. He was alone so I thought I'd start an awkward conversation with him (you know, developing international relations). He was wearing a New York Yankees baseball hat (if you don't know who the Yankee ares, they are baseball's evil empire, and you should HATE them). I asked him "You like the Yankees?" Actually it was more of an accusation than a question. He looked back at me, very confused, like I had insulted him. "What do you mean? Do I like Americans?". Uhhh, no. You're wearing a Yankees hat. "Oh, is that what it is? I didn't know what this stood for and I don't know where I got it. I've never even been to New York". I'm glad he wasn't a Yankee fan, but it's crazy how the Yankee influence got all the way to a Welsh guy who doesn't even know what baseball is. That's why they can buy championships (the Yankees, not the Welsh). They have financial "supporters" who don't even know they exist. I really hate them (the Yankees, not the Welsh).

Ok, so back to Copenhagen. A few things about the city. Tivoli is an amusement park, built in 1843 (the second oldest in the world), located smack in the middle of the city.  It had a very significant influence on Walt Disney's ideas for Disneyland for a happy and relaxed environment (relaxed for the kids at least, I don't know how parents can be relaxed in there), where imagination runs wild. I didn't go in, but the one thing that confused me is that Tivoli is pronounced "tee-oooh-lee" (according to our English Rosie). How does that happen? And speaking of the Danish language, how do you pronounce this word: smørrebrød. It's a open faced sandwich that is very Danish as well (and very tasty), but really, how do you pronounce those funny symbols? In elementary school, I was taught that circles with diagonal slashes through them are zeroes (to differentiate them from "O"). How do you say a word when there are 2 zeroes in it? Are the zeroes silent? Do they soften the other letters?

Smørrebrød: I can't say it, but I can eat it!

And another thing about Danish food I didn't figure out. We call Danish pastries "danishes" in the US. But I wonder what they call them in Denmark. Just "pastry"? And when you ask for a Danish, do they bring you a person? When I thought about that the first time, it had been after a few beers, and it was funny. Now, it's not really that funny.

The tour took us around most of the city, on the harbor, and into Nyhavn, one of the most picturesque places I've seen. Two girls from the tour were sitting in a great spot for a picture so I offered to take one of them, hoping they'd offer to take one for me afterwards. Instead, they looked at the picture, said "Wow it's like a postcard" then ran away from me. As my tour group was leaving me behind, I looked for someone else to take a picture of me...but another random couple asked me to take a picture of them too. It sucks being a Japanese tourist with so many great camera skills.

Finally got someone to take a picture of me

One attraction the tour missed was the Copehnagen mermaid, so I took a water taxi to visit her by myself (she says hello, by the way). I also walked down to Christiania, a hippy squatter town that used to be a military barracks. After it was abandoned by the military, people moved into the buildings in the early 70s, and now its a little "self governed" community. Everything is very "free" and they have a Green Light District, where the streets are lined with "souvenir stands" that openly sell marijuana. Instead of picking a magnet or key chain, you pick the type of pot you want, from a very wide selection (apparently). It was honestly a bit strange (and unfortunately pictures were not allowed).

They say that when you enter Christiania, you leave the EU

Something you might not know about Denmark is Hans Christian Andersen. Well, maybe you know that he's a Danish (a person not a pastry), but maybe you didn't know he wrote the original story about "The Little Mermaid". And did you know that the mermaid statue in Copenhagen is based on the story? And did you know that Ariel is my favorite Disney princess of all time (duh)?  And check out how the Copenhagen and Warsaw mermaids are linked.

The little Danish mermaid

I got back to the hostel for a little rest and met one of my roommates from Vancouver BC. Nice to run into people from my home region...I also met a couple guys from Seattle in Rome (who didn't know each other either), which was nice...I'm always reminded how small the world is. Another roommate, a woman in her 50s, was probably staying in a hostel for the first time. She saw a guy's stuff on her lower bunk when she arrived, thought he was going to sleep there, and when she saw that the bed was also her bed number, she freaked out. She ran to the front desk to tell them that she just wasn't comforable sharing a bed with a male stranger. Lucky for her, hostels don't work like that. Funny lady.

The hostel was hosting a "Carnivale" party with a little home made beach on the sidewalk, blow up palm trees, people in leis, and a happy hour.  I'm not sure how it was Carnivale in May, but it was pretty packed, even with locals. Everyone was super young (even younger than me, if you can believe it), and the happy hour was about $4.50 for 2 beers. That was a great deal considering most other places we went to sold beers for $5 or $6 for one.  After dinner with some Canadians I decided to call it an early night because of the early flight to Croatia the next morning. I just played a few games of Scramble on my iPad and went to bed. Even the 50 year old woman stayed out later than me (probably because she was worried about what she'd come back to in her bunk).

A couple things I noticed:
- This is a very expensive place (like other Scandanavian countries). The hostel was really nice, but was about $60 per night (for a hostel!), the Metro ride to the airport was (or should be if you pay the correct fare) $8 (for a Metro ride!), and we had a hard time finding dinner for less than $25/plate for something casual (for something casual!)
- Even though it's so expensive (and they have high taxes), Denmark is apparently one of the happiest countries in the world. It was quite apparent as most people were friendly and all the shop workers smiled and made pleasantries. That's how I judge how friendly countries are - if the people who work at 7-11 smile at you.
- Carlsberg beer used to have swastikas on the bottle before the Nazis started using the symbol. I forget that the symbol wasn't invented by the Nazis, they just created the bad image for it. Don't you feel bad for the swastika? It used to be a nice symbol, until some jerkfaces started associating with it, ruining its reputation. Poor thing.
- When Queen Margaret II's flag is down, she's not home. We stopped by and she wasn't home.
- Copenhagen has the world's best restaurant - Noma (besides El Burrito Mexicano in Chicago)
- Everyone rides bikes! Similar to Amsterdam, you have to pay attention because they are flying past you from every angle.

How are you supposed to find your bike in there?

- You can get your Metro tickets on your phone and just show your phone when the checker asks - I didn't figure it out, but some old people did it, so it can't be too hard (reminds me of how Easy Bus doesn't know how to do that, which ruined a trip to London for me)
- "Hi" means bye? When I left a shop or the plane, they said "Hi" to me. I didn't know how to react other than say "uhhhh ok". Maybe it was "Opposite Day".
- Every time I meet a Polish person outside of Poland I try to chat to them in Polish. It happened again at dinner with a Polish hostess. She said a few things to me in Polish, was surprised that I could speak a little back to her, then I never saw her again. I guess my mastery of the language scared her away.
- Copenhagen is a really nice city and I would definitely consider going back to spend more time. However, I think I did pretty good for being here only 20 hours.

At the airport on my way to Croatia, a guy in front of me at the cafe ordered 2 wines, a beer and 3 jager shots.  At 7:30am. Yikes. My first thought: I wouldn't want to sit next to them on the plane.  Then of course I ended up sitting next to them on the plane.  It was the most rowdy bunch of passengers on a 9am flight since Vegas. They were speaking a different language but I'm pretty sure they were slurring their words. At one point they were taking turns saying "Nescafe" as if it was the funniest word in the world. It seemed like one of them was saying "ok, say it like this: 'Nescafe'" and the other would say immediately "Nescafe!". The first would repeat, even louder "Nescafe!"  And the other would say it again. Good times. Either they were really drunk, or they had stopped by Christiania earlier to pick up some "souvenirs".