What an amazing city is Copenhagen! Seriously...if you haven´t been here before, jump on a plane, any plane and find your way here. After two incredibly full days of biking around this city I can´t quite say that I was suprised by what I found here in Denmark because, to be honest, I think I instinctively try to refrain from forming too many preconceived assumptions about places I am going to visit, but I fell in love with all that I saw. Traveling has taught me that other cities and countries and cultures will always surprise me. And I like to be surprised.
I arrived in Copenhagen on thursday and right after dropping everything in the hostel, my new friend/cousin of slightly more distant relations, David, and I borrowed bikes and started riding all over the city. (If you´re going to visit this city, go around in the evening when the Danish wander the city rather than during the day when the tourists do!) I´ve got this to say for Copenhagen, and Denmark in general, they have a huge appreciation and respect for their bike riders! The entire city (of about 1.5 million people) is set up to encourage bike riding. Between the road and the sidewalk there is always a lane for bikes. There are separate street lights for bikes, and rules of the road for bikes. Riding around Copenhagen was faster than walking--I was able to see so much in just two short days--yet it´s slow enough that you can look around and see what is going on all around you. If I could I would transport Denmark´s bike system to Chicago!
Ok, now that I´ve spent way too many words raving just about bike riding, how can I possibly begin to sum up the rest of an amazing weekend trip? Here goes. I loved the surprise sunny weather we were blessed with, the creative way Danes can mix mediums and styles in their architecture that balances the extremely old with a futuristic new (Katherine, you would looove this city!), I loved the outdoor market where I bought strawberries and loaves of bread and cheese, and then I loved cycling over to the King´s Garden (one of countless, stunning parks scattered all throughout the city, surrounded by cobblestone streets and watched over by ancient castles) where I sat and drank a local beer, had a picnic, and discussed sociopolitical systems found around the world. I loved Tivoli, the world´s oldest theme park that hasn´t changed in the last hundred years, and, with its charm and amazing food, is still a great place for wandering, riding rollercoasters, and watching people from Denmark and all over the world. I loved seeing the city from the seat of a bicycle, from the top of a ferris wheel, from the tall ´Round Tower´ that provides a beautiful view of Copenhagen from above, and from the windows of local coffee shops found late at night while cycling down side streets. I loved watching the pride and joy in thousands of Danish faces as they sang along to ´Wings of Love´--an incredibly nationalistic song--at a rock concert one night. I loved walking through Christiania and considering how this part of the city, a freetown, has persisted despite official resistance, and what it can tell us about humanity.
I love how much my family laughs. Even if those bursts of laughter arise from long conversations of swedish not quite intelligible to my ear, I love being around these wonderful people who I know love having me here and by whom I adore being shown Sweden and Denmark.