Kobenhavn, Denmark: Day Five

Wednesday was Jff’s first real day of work- we got up and had breakfasta nd he headed off to wait for Arne so that he would be granted access to the research facility. I hopped on the bus and headed back to the central part of Kobenhavn. The only glitch was that John did not know if he was going to work all day or not (his schedule was contingent on a decision about another “field trip” on Saturday). Having no cell phones that work or any other good way of staying in contact when we are two different places, we decided on a place in the city to meet at 1 pm if he were able to make it down, if not we would meet in Roskilde at 6. It reminded us both how reliant we are on cell phones, and I also found out what a drag it was to try and do things close to where I was going to meet him (which didn’t end up happening), having a time limit by which to get on a train, and then the confusion that ensued when my train was late. It will be nice starting Saturday when we will be traveling together and not trying to coordinate.

While in Kobenhavn yesterday, I revisited some of the central squares of the city- wondering what they are like in the middle of the week. My answer was that they were still busy- lots and lots of outdoor cafes and a big lunch crowd. It really is a shame that the U.S. doesn’t have more of these spaces in the middle of cities that can be converted for concerts, demonstrations, meeting places, eating spaces, and other public displays. People were out there for their lunch hour seeing other people they knew, sipping their Carlsberg (so yummy!), and enjoying the weather.

After doing some people watching and eating lunch myself, I headed off the find the Danish MuseetSkole, or School museum. I was hoping it would have some artifacts from the folk schools. After searching for it for about 20 minutes (no sign) and finally finding it, I did not have enough time to go in and look around before trying to meet John. Hopefully, I will make it before we leave Denmark.

Also on my agenda was a visit to the National Museet and a walk around the counter-cultural area of Christiania. As luck would have it, I was somewhat lost in the old town settlement and happened upon one of the city’s bikes that are provided to tourists. There are several bike racks around the center of Kobenhavn and with a twenty kroner coin, you can check out a bike (and then you feel like a real Dane- everyone rides bikes- check out a typical bike rack in the city). When you bring the bike back, you get your roughly $4 back.

Anyways, I hopped on the bike and rode to the old military barracks that make up Christiania. Founded in 1971, Christiania is the “alternative-living” mecca in Kob. It was originally started as a utopian, free-living place with a vibe from the sixties. Still an area of soft drugs and hippydom, it was not all that interesting to me even though the guidebooks raved about it. So, I got back on my bike (with coaster breaks that I haven’t used since second grade) and headed back to center of the city. My visit to the National Museet was good, but hot (no air conditioning here) and so after about an hour and a half I was out of there. The weather is too nice to be inside all day, anyways.

For my last bit in Kobenhavn I followed a few of the canals, walked through the old royal palace, happened on to a very cute hidden garden, and enjoyed window shopping my way back to the train station.

Jff and I met in Roskilde for a walk around town in the evening. We strolled through an old cemetery with beautiful gardens and visited the central square of Roskilde. For dinner we ate outside, and even though the winds of the fjord got cooler as the sun went down, the café provided personal fleece throw blankets while we ate and drank (most do, and I for one love it!). After dinner we went for ice cream- apparently very popular here- and got the bus back to the guest house just as the sun was setting over the fjord. Tak!