Are we sure we aren't Danish?

Cause, I mean, I look Danish. I've had multiple Germans guess that I'm Danish based on my accent and facial features, and I swear I saw my face all over Copenhagen: long faces, high foreheads, angled features, blonde hair... And my sister, Lauren, is regularly told that she looks Swedish when she travels. I think we've got some Scandinavian ancestry.

Anyway, because my BFFF (Best Fattie Friend Forever, FYI), Tessa, flew into Copenhagen from LA, I took the four-hour train ride up there for a couple of days. I had honestly never felt much pull to see Copenhagen, because I'd heard how similar it is to Hamburg. I thought, if I'm going on a weekend trip, I want to go somewhere completely new! And, ok, Copenhagen does look a lot like Hamburg. But it's also different, and completely wonderful. It's a beautiful city with winding streets, colorful shop fronts, a strong royal influence, and very friendly people (who speak excellent English). I really enjoyed myself, once again confirming my theory that you should visit places for which you have no expectations. 

Read on for more!

Really awesome experience #1: The train goes on a ferry! I mean, the ENTIRE train drives into the carport, and you're asked to disembark for the 45-minute journey. I wasn't able to get a picture inside on the drive there, but there's one further on from the drive back.

The sea breeze and salty air instantly bring a huge smile to my face. I feel completely in my element.

Day 1: Copenhagen has a reputation as the most bike-friendly city in the world, so of course I rented one to ride around! The touristy areas are fairly close together, and even more accessible on a bike. I was in absolutely no hurry and I saw all I wanted to, and more.

Bike + street art = my memories of Northern Europe

Seriously, the street art is incredible.

Street art is the first way in which Copenhagen reminded me of Hamburg, plus the alternative scene in some neighborhoods. There's a strong vein of anti-establishment mentality that runs through many European cities.

I may or may not have locked my bike and run across the street for this shot.

The reason there's so much street art here is because these are the walls to Christiania, a squatters' paradise of over 600 residents. The original Christiania squatters took over an old military barracks in 1971, and the 34 hectares on which it resides are technically not part of the city of Copenhagen at all.

If you want more information on Christiania, seek the advice of my travel guru, Rick Steves. He cautions that this neighborhood is not for everybody, and that's very true: especially from an American mindset, it can look like a breeding ground for drugs, criminals, and poor hygiene. But, through my travels, I like to think I've learned to recognize the difference between "alternative/seedy" and "dangerous". I didn't feel unsafe at all, but rather intrigued. No one even gave me a second glance, and the whole community felt rather peaceful. Plus, tourists have become a part of the fabric there, and police officers patrol ten times a day. 

The quality of the street art improved ten-fold inside

Entrance Gate

Cheeky, I love it.

Christiania is part of the larger neighborhood, Christianshavn, which reminded me significantly of Amsterdam with its canals.

I rode my bike all over, feeling distinctly European as I did so. For some reason, riding a bike or jogging through a city makes me feel like I fit in more.

Nyhavn (pronounced New-Hawn, i.e. New Harbor)

Memorial to the Danes killed in WWII.

Copenhagen strikes me as one of those cities that works hard to keep things beautiful, even in unusual circumstances. This is a construction site in the middle of a giant square, and every wall was decorated with artwork.

I also pedaled over to Kastellet, a fortress that's in the shape of a star. It's still an active military fortress, and I marveled at the fact that I was able to just ride my bike through like nobody's business. That's completely unthinkable in the U.S.

The biggest Anglican church in Denmark. Built right next to one of the royal family's palaces.

See?!? A MOAT!!

 I look a lot like my mom in this one.

Another way that Copenhagen reminded me of Hamburg: those strong winds! Tessa and I actually got wind burn on our second day. It was persistent and brutal.

Kastellet was particularly interesting because you can walk around the ramparts. I saw many joggers braving the icy wind.

Parade Grounds

Lotsa lotsa red in Copenhagen

Cherry trees were in full bloom!

Purely because I was already over there, I swung by to see The Little Mermaid. I had heard from a couple of friends that she's not worth an extra trip, and I have to say I agree. Maybe if I knew some more about why she was sculpted I would feel differently, but honestly, she's just like the Mona Lisa: why is she famous, again? It feels like a huge conspiracy to get us all to act like idiots, waving our cameras around and shuffling to get the best spot.

But anyway, I got a good shot. ;)

I stumbled across a little shop called Serenity Cupcakes and had the BEST cupcake of my LIFE. Seriously, move aside, Sprinkles. This one was chocolate with cookie pieces and a whipped cream frosting. It was still warm, straight from the oven, with a delicious fudginess to the cake part, and the perfect balance of chocolate, cookie, and light-as-air frosting. I did my best to memorize the flavor for years to come, and I was able to taste it on my tongue for hours afterward.

If you're ever in Copenhagen, Serenity Cupcakes. Go.

 Really Awesome Experience #2: I saw the Queen of Denmark!! As luck would have it, it was her 75th birthday on my first day there (April 16th), so she and the royal family paraded through the town from their palace to the town hall. I wish I could say I'm not susceptible to crowd fever for things like this, but I totally am. 

Queen Margarethe, Crown Prince Frederik, and Crown Princess Mary

 I even got myself a flag! It was free!

Celebrations

But think about it: how bizarre is the concept of royalty? Now that most royal families no longer actually govern, they're just people who are born into this position that requires they act as symbolic figureheads. It's really a force that can be used for a lot of good, if harnessed correctly. And get this: in some countries, the royal family has absolutely nothing to do with the government. There's no actual monarchy. But they're allowed to keep their titles, and they've inherited wealth, and everyone knows them as the royal family, so why not?

The Rosenborg Slot (Rose Palace). One of three palaces in Copenhagen, built in 1606 as a country summer house by Christian IV. You know, cause his other two palaces, three kilometers away, were just too "in the city".

One of the biggest differences that I noticed Hamburg and Copenhagen is the influence of the royal family. Granted, I was there on a day when the royal family is particularly conspicuous, but I had the feeling that they lend a different feel to the city. Whereas Hamburg is a mix of picturesque and gritty, Copenhagen felt more put-together and cleaner. The center city, at least, is very picturesque, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a palace or a Danish flag.

 I decided not to acquire any property while in Copenhagen. But it was nice to visit the real estate.

The rose gardens of Rose Palace

Hans Christian Andersen. He's mighty popular in Denmark.

Of course, I had to climb something for a birds' eye view. Copenhagen has several options, including The Church of Our Savior in Christianshavn, but I went with the Round Tower. Mostly because I was already over there, and the Church of Our Savior was closed when I went by.

The Round Tower from below, and I just barely managed to get every window in the shot.

Panoramas from the top. Springtime brings my favorite cotton candy clouds!!

The Round Tower was opened in 1642 and is the oldest-functioning observatory in Europe. It also served as a confluence of science, religion, and literature, as it's attached to a church and formerly housed the University's library.

The inside is hollow, and this picture does not capture just how vertigo-inducing it was to look down the shaft. Apparently that glass is meant to be stood on, according to the visitors' website, but I didn't know that at the time. And even if I had, I don't think I would've stood on it: there's nothing to grasp onto to stop a plummet to your death.

One of the coolest things about the Round Tower is that there aren't any stairs! You just walk up appx. 209 meters of ramp, circling around 7.5 times, to get to the top. This kind of put a hitch in my whole "count the stairs of every tower you climb" tradition, though.

Another way in which Copenhagen was decidedly different from Hamburg? The colors!! That's definitely the Scandinavian character of the place: most buildings are painted in varying shades of reds, golds, and oranges (with others mixed in, of course). Hamburg is either brick or white, and I think it could learn a lot from these towns that use brighter colors. It really has a cheerful effect on the atmosphere.

Towards the afternoon of Day 1, Tessa arrived!!

 So we adventured and took lots of pictures.

The arabesque thing has become a bit of an obsession of mine.

Opera house, where Hans Christian Andersen tried to become a ballet dancer, an actor, and a choir member, before being told that he should maybe become an author (according to our tour guide)

Day 2 had a walking tour on the agenda, but Tessa also really wanted to see the star-shaped fort, so we got up early and made our way over. Many pictures are on her camera, not mine.

Again, we happened to be in the area. This picture is to capture the madness that is The Little Mermaid's popularity.

I LOVE SPRING

Our tour guide, Luis. He wasn't very good at remembering his facts, and when he recited the story of how Crown Prince Frederik met Crown Princess Mary, I thought to myself, "Isn't this the plot of The Prince and Me with Julia Stiles?"

Palace #2 within the city, Christiansborg Slot (btw., palace in German is "Schloss". Danish isn't quite as similar to German as Dutch is, but there are still quite a few cognates). 

Today, Christiansborg Slot is the Parliament building, and anyone can just walk through the archway in the middle. Again, incomprehensible in many other countries.

The oldest street in Copenhagen, that has actually survived the city's numerous fires. I think we learned about four different ones on the tour.

Palace #3 within the city, Amalienborg, where the royal family lives. It's actually a series of four palaces, connected by underground walkways, with the queen in one building, the Crown Prince and Princess in another, another reserved for the queen's second son when he visits, and the fourth used as a museum.

Us commoners are allowed to just waltz into the middle of the four palaces and walk around. Apparently the Danish Royal family can even sometimes be spotted walking their dogs. Their kids also attend a public school just down the road. They seem to be a rather well-grounded group of extremely wealthy and famous people.

I like the Danish royal family, so, rather than try to buy their property for them, I thought it would be a good opportunity to establish political relations. We're buds now.

 I particularly liked the symmetry of Amalienborg. There's one more building that's identical, but it's under construction so it didn't make it into the panorama.

And on the way home: here's proof of what I told you about with the train and the ferry! Cool!

Sunset over the water does the soul good.