København Gardens, Saunas & Amusement
Initial impressions of Copenhagen were the remarkable cleanliness, the smoothly run public transportation, the distinctly influenced architecture and, wow, the good food. Over a long weekend we embarked on the Grand Tour of Copenhagen and then took our own walking tour, one that skipped many of the touristy spots and instead focused on emphatically personal experiences.
The Botanical Garden
Back home in New York, Joe and I have a pretty impressive plant collection for our 450 sq. foot apartment. The foliage assortment includes a Madagascar cactus, bonsai tree, Hoya heart, pilea peperomia… the list goes on. For any travelers interested in indoor gardening and with time to kill on the road, Bloom & Grow Radio has become an upbeat podcast I frequently listen to. As such, engaging in local plant life has been a fun way to grow our knowledge base in relation to urban gardening. I have also found that, in a hectic city environment, the local botanic gardens are sometimes the most accessible escape.
The University of Copenhagen Botanical Gardens have expansive lawns within the park that are free to enter; we caught many friends sharing a picnic and couples taking a stroll around. At the helm is the magnificent Palm House (60 DK for entry) which holds thousands of different plants in addition to an amusing butterfly room.
Within each section of the greenhouse lives different species of plants in disparate environments; warm weather, rain forest and cooler climates. Hours could be spent engaging with the plant-life and reading the blurbs about them. At the end of the greenhouse there is a large round room with a surprising feature: white spiral staircases that transport visitors, steeply, to the tip top of the domed roof. There sits a circular raised passageway where we peered down onto the gardens and were connected with the highest points on the massive trees.
A final surprise came in the form of the outdoor seating area. The weather was a bit cold for August but we managed a few minutes lounging in the spacious deck chairs in the midst of all of the glorious plants.
2. Nyhavn
Nyhavn (pronounced new-houn) is what one probably pictures as classic Copenhagen. The river flowing between rust and yellow colored buildings. The boats with tall masts swaying in the wind. Even the grey clouds that so often hang low over the surrounding area.
Located in Indre By, the city center, Nyhavn is a bit of a tourist trap. It is the place one can pay a little extra to eat pickled herring in a famous spot. That said, it feels very Danish for someone like me coming from afar and was worth walking through to take photos and stroll along the water. The best opportunity we had to do so was prior to walking over the modern Inderhavnsbroen bridge to the other side of town.
We stumbled across a bridge connecting the two sides of Nyhavn that had a Pont des Arts feel, the famous bridge in Paris where lovers would permanently secure their initials through a lock stuck onto the bridge. The small locks here read the name of travelers from years past who had visited this very spot and decided it was a good one in which to solidify their love.
3. Tivoli Gardens
So often I heard Tivoli Gardens compared to Disney and I have to say, this comparison fell short. Tivoli, gloriously, was so much stranger than commercialized Disney World or Land. First on the scene in 1843, Tivoli Gardens is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. We arrived just as an anniversary celebration parade was making its way around the park. The characters represented were no Mickey Mouse; we saw human costumed representations of the Tivoli buildings and of culinary items to advertise the park restaurants. Even the song they sang had a noticeably different tone than happy-go-lucky Disney in its minor notes and melodies reminiscent of age old music.
We underestimated the benefits of being a ride-enthusiast in a place like Tivoli. Neither Joe nor I have a strong inclination for roller coasters or adrenaline-inducing rides and it became obvious that this was the focus of Tivoli. Instead of paying for the all-access unlimited ride pass (230 DKK per person) we simply paid for entry to the park (110 DKK) with the plan to walk around and eat dinner at highly reviewed Gemyse. There was one ride we chose to do, a low-impact train ride through the history of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales. Parts of each story were read aloud as we watched motorized doll figures act out the plot line. HCA, as he is lovingly referred to by locals, is the author of such favorites as The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and The Little Mermaid.
In all, the gardens were beautiful and unusual. The Japanese Garden complete with a pond was a serene place to relax and the carnival area with fun-house mirrors made for a hilarious walk through. One local we met shared that she had a year-round pass to Tivoli and would often meet friends for a picnic there or spend a few hours reading a book or studying. This seemed like the best way to experience Tivoli to me, appreciating it for its history and well-groomed park environment.
4. Free Town Christiania
There are many perspectives on Freetown Christiania, the lawless neighborhood just over the bridge from central Copenhagen. Officially, it is an “alternative” part of town. Unofficially, it is the place with no rules where one can indulge in all kinds of vices. We decided our trip would not be complete without a walk-through of the famed anarchist neighborhood that sits within a city which highly values conformity. I would by lying if I said we spent much time there (so many activities to do after all), but we did enjoy a leisurely walk past many local art studios and vendors of other sorts. I even abandoned my shoes at one point, in an effort to test out the free-for-all mentality.
Freetown Christiania was not particularly spooky as for some reason I had imagined. It was full of people in a relaxed state, playing music on their guitars and eating lunch. One of my favorite takeaways from Christiania were the bikes; Christiania Bikes (a regular bicycle with an enclosed cart attached to the front for children) started in this very place as the means of getting around. Now, however, they are everywhere one looks in Copenhagen outside of the walls of Freetown. We learned that most families, in fact, utilize Christiania bikes as their main mode of family transportation. This makes sense considering that cars are taxed as much as 150% in Denmark! This has led to a seriously fit population as Danes bike everywhere to begin with. Add on the weight of a few children at the front of the bike and you have a commute and workout in one.
5. CopenHot
A frequent user of Airbnb in the place of hotels, I have for a while now been intrigued by their Experiences. Airbnb offers activities, classes and tours run by locals in many of the cities in which one can book an Airbnb home. I stumbled upon Copenhot ‘Hot Days’ while searching for a place to stay and gave it a try to great results.
One of the greatest challenges and excitements in travel is meeting other people, fellow travelers and locals alike. Ever since I have upgraded from staying in hostels (a surefire way to make travel friends), my only disappointment has been the difficulty in finding opportunities to meet new people. Free walking tours are a great way to socialize and now I have found another resource in Airbnb Experiences.
Scandinavian culture has a strong historical connection to saunas which I feel sure must be linked to the months upon months of cold they endure throughout the year. CopenHot intrigued me because it offered the chance to check out a local Danish sauna with added spa experiences. The location is quite far from the city center but extremely close to Reffen outdoor food market so it was wonderful to make a day of visiting both.
We had a few options: one of the four hot tubs that sat at the river’s edge overlooking the sunset or one of the two saunas with glass windows to look out on the water. Deciding hot tub, we realized that all of them already had people inside, fellow Airbnb Experiencers. We landed in a hot tub with a Spanish guy and a Danish girl and I still can’t believe that the two hours passed so quickly that we never even left the hot tub. The European friends we made shared their experiences of living in Copenhagen coming from a more rural Danish town and a large Spanish city, respectively. I eagerly ate up the details of life in this city (65% tax rate! free education!) as told by the people experiencing it. We, in turn, shared all of the frustrating ways that New York life differed from the Scandinavian realities we were learning.
The conversation was honest in the way that it can be when there are no attachments of familiarity. It happily led to mutual friending on Facebook and helpful recommendations for the rest of our trip. Over a bottle of white wine and with the sun setting at our backs, we shared travel experiences and tales of home. I savored these moments and was glad to have the realization that meeting other travelers on the road, regardless of location, continues to hold its importance.
