June 20th, arrival in Copenhagen Airport. Took 13-min train to
Koebenhaven H (Copenhagen Central station).
Accomodation:
City Public Hostel
Absalonsgade 8
(10 min walk west of train station)
Weather: variable from warm under sun to freezing under cloud cover.
Susceptible to sudden rainpours.
As horrible and incompitent as I feel speaking english, everyone else
seems to as well. If only I at least knew how to say hello and thank
you...
Don't let the large denomination fool you. Though the exchange rate is
~4.78DKK to the dollar, one item on the cheapest food menus are around
40DKK. To put this in perspective, a shawarma I ate yesterday (a
staple to the NYU student diet) was 68 DKK. That would be somewhere
just under $15. Yeah. I try not to cry and console myself with the
fact I'm only here for 2 days.
I will say Copenhagen is definitely one amongst the most colorful
cities I've been to. This morning, in an attempt to curb my jetlag
immediately, I got up around 6:30am and was out the door to explore by
7am. It may have been a mistake on my part to walk out with an empty
stomach as nothing in this city opened before 9:30am. At any rate,
walking about so early definitely had the advantage of allowing me to
admire the entire center in quiet solitude. Bright, beautiful, and
freezing, I was able to tool around all important sites within 3
hours. It was bizarre to find myself in a large city absolutely empty
of any living thing. It almost felt eerie, yet not one second did I
feel unsafe. If you have a Holga, Copenhagen would be the perfect city
to use it.
Waking up so early and walking around for so long had a bit of a
negative effect on my poor sick self. On my return I decided to take a
quick nap. It had been about 10:30am and I figured napping before
lunch would revitalize me for an afternoon of exploring all of
Copenhagen's canals by boat. By the time I got up, 9 hours had already
passed, yet my body kept telling me to stay in bed and recuperate from
this horrible cold I managed to catch my last few days in New York.
At any rate, I immediately got up and refreshed myself, bid hello-
goodbye to the fella in front desk, and headed out the door for plan
B: exploring Vesterbro.
Vesterbro, located on the southwest corner of the city, is a
traditional working class neighborhood. Though walking through it
reminded me of walking through my neighborhood, there are small
pockets of surprises everywhere you turn. Hip designer shops, trendy
cocktail bars and clubbing venues can be found hidden within alcoves
of resident buildings off the main strips. This being the case,
Vesterbro is a lot more fun to explore since every residential street,
as quiet as it may seem, hides surprises that locals venture to. The
best part, it is very un-touristy!
If you should find yourself here; do yourself a favor and grab a cup
of tea at the quaint and cozy tea shoppe Tante The on the corner of
Vesterbrogade and Viktoriagade. It has a cozy mix of antique furniture
(couches, tea tables, and armchairs), is lit by warm candle light, has
small black & white family portraits on the wall next to portraits of
the royal family, and is set to the perfect mood by Ella Fitzgerald
and Louis Armstrong. Stop by, pull out your postcards and sip some
excellent tea. Don't worry. The locals are the only one filling this
tiny pot.
TONIGHT
Eurocup '08 match: Netherlands vs. Russia
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.
Note: City Bikes are supposedly everywhere and are available for free
to tour the city at your leisure. I've yet to encounter one...
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