skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Copenhagen? Like in Denmark? Why?
What can I say about Copenhagen? Well, I made it. Seriously, the story of how I got there is absurd. Ok, so maybe half of it is my fault, but Hamburg, Germany plays a bigger part in my travel hardships. So it all starts back in Berlin. As I previously noted, I had pulled an all-nighter to catch my 7:00am train because with my recent sleep schedule, there was no way of me making it to the train station that early. This plan started out perfectly as I made it to my first train easily. However,because of the recent weather and the fact that Germany doesn't know what a shovel is, my first train arrived about an hour and a half late. This would have only given me 10 minutes to make my transfer, however, the train I was supposed to catch was delayed as well. What didn't help was that Hamburg was having technical problems with the train displays on my platform, so I had no idea where my train was. Luckily, as I'd done multiple times before, I ran into someone not only going to Copenhagen, but to the same hostel as me. Looking like he knew what he was doing, we caught the next train to stop at our station because that's what the display said. An hour and half later we realized we had taken a local train that went as far as some random German town and then back again. Supposedly, this train we'd gotten on was also late and showed up before ours. After 3 hours we returned to Hamburg to find out we had missed another train to Copenhagen. The information table then informed us that there was 1 remaining direct train to Copenhagen. So what do you think happened? Of course it got cancelled because of weather. Now dark and bewildered with other lost travelers, we were informed of our new route that would take us on 3 different trains and have us in Copenhagen by 2:00am. With no other options, we accepted the fact that we had lost a whole day in Copenhagen. It was no longer a surprise when the conductor came on the radio saying how the train was delayed. Finally, after a short taxi ride to our hostel (because it was freezing), we arrived at 3:00am. Just happy to lay down, I passed out immediately and woke up the next day around 1:30pm. In no mood to go out and see the city as the sun was already starting to set, I decided to just stay in and plan out what to do on my last day. 
With numerous attractions on my list, the only way I would be able to see everything would be to utilize the metro. As if a gift from GOD, it just so happens that Copenhagen has the easiest metro ever! With only 1 main line and 2 trains going opposite directions, I was able to get going early in the morning with limited questions (except which direction the train was going?). My first stop was the Frederickburg Castle, or so I thought.... I got to the location easily, but saw only a big house, not a castle. Turns out, I was thinking of Frederickberg Castle, not Frederickburg Castle. Fredericksberg Castle is in another town. How silly of me. The one Paul and I saw, as I was informed by a passerby that saw my confusion, was only the old summer house for the royal family. Unimpressed we decided to move on to the fortress (sounds cool huh?). It really wasn't. Sure it's one of the only intact ground-walled fortress left, but there wasn't really anything to see besides the gate and the windmill inside. Walking along the wall would've been cool if we weren't drudging through the snow. Sadly, the only upside to reaching the fortress was its close proximity to our next tourist attraction, the little mermaid statue. Yet again, we were left wondering why we travelled so far away from everything to see this? But hey, its what most tourist's do, so we felt we had to. After this it was still only noon and we had hit most of the main sights. 
The next place we visited has to be the wierdest place I've ever been. When I asked a kid from Copenhagen awhile back if there is anything cool in Copenhagen, he replied, "Christiana." Not knowing anything about this place, except for its location outside central Copenhagen, Paul and I decided to have a look around. What we found, and it's what I say all the time because I no other way of describing it, was the closest thing to Amsterdam without being illegal. It was unbelievable. It's a legitimate "free zone" (as the sign indicates at the main entrance). While in this walled area, which is covered from head to toe in amazing graffiti, one can sell and smoke marijuana as well as other random things that I don't even want to know. They even have their own flag. Its just looks like a crappy backyard with a bunch of sheds and junk. Yet people live here. I really don't understand it at all. How does this place even exist? Anyways, after we'd walked through the well-light main dirt streets of Christiana, we thought it best to get to our last destination of the day, the National Museum. 
The Danish National History Museum was actually the only reason why I even concidered going to Denmark in the first place. Just finishing Early British History as my primary tutorial at Oxford, and seeing as it focused heavely on the Anglo-Saxons, I couldn't think of a better place to spread my new found appreciation for Danish history. After actually finding the right museum, as their were several, it was everything I had expected. Being able to identify and truely understand the objects behind the glass was a feeling I'd never really felt before. Yeah, I was proud of myself. It proved that I had learned something . And thats a good feeling. When we finally left the museum, the sun had set. Paul and I had legitimately spent the whole day travelling around Copenhagen. I can't even remember if we stopped for something to eat. Upon our return to the hostel Paul and I started packing for our long journey down to Venice and went to bed. Ever since then I've been asked, "Why Copenhagen?" or "Was it worth it?" My answers: Why not Copenhagen? And, of course it was worth it, I can now say I've been to Copenhagen.
What can I say about Copenhagen? Well, I made it. Seriously, the story of how I got there is absurd. Ok, so maybe half of it is my fault, but Hamburg, Germany plays a bigger part in my travel hardships. So it all starts back in Berlin. As I previously noted, I had pulled an all-nighter to catch my 7:00am train because with my recent sleep schedule, there was no way of me making it to the train station that early. This plan started out perfectly as I made it to my first train easily. However,because of the recent weather and the fact that Germany doesn't know what a shovel is, my first train arrived about an hour and a half late. This would have only given me 10 minutes to make my transfer, however, the train I was supposed to catch was delayed as well. What didn't help was that Hamburg was having technical problems with the train displays on my platform, so I had no idea where my train was. Luckily, as I'd done multiple times before, I ran into someone not only going to Copenhagen, but to the same hostel as me. Looking like he knew what he was doing, we caught the next train to stop at our station because that's what the display said. An hour and half later we realized we had taken a local train that went as far as some random German town and then back again. Supposedly, this train we'd gotten on was also late and showed up before ours. After 3 hours we returned to Hamburg to find out we had missed another train to Copenhagen. The information table then informed us that there was 1 remaining direct train to Copenhagen. So what do you think happened? Of course it got cancelled because of weather. Now dark and bewildered with other lost travelers, we were informed of our new route that would take us on 3 different trains and have us in Copenhagen by 2:00am. With no other options, we accepted the fact that we had lost a whole day in Copenhagen. It was no longer a surprise when the conductor came on the radio saying how the train was delayed. Finally, after a short taxi ride to our hostel (because it was freezing), we arrived at 3:00am. Just happy to lay down, I passed out immediately and woke up the next day around 1:30pm. In no mood to go out and see the city as the sun was already starting to set, I decided to just stay in and plan out what to do on my last day. 
With numerous attractions on my list, the only way I would be able to see everything would be to utilize the metro. As if a gift from GOD, it just so happens that Copenhagen has the easiest metro ever! With only 1 main line and 2 trains going opposite directions, I was able to get going early in the morning with limited questions (except which direction the train was going?). My first stop was the Frederickburg Castle, or so I thought.... I got to the location easily, but saw only a big house, not a castle. Turns out, I was thinking of Frederickberg Castle, not Frederickburg Castle. Fredericksberg Castle is in another town. How silly of me. The one Paul and I saw, as I was informed by a passerby that saw my confusion, was only the old summer house for the royal family. Unimpressed we decided to move on to the fortress (sounds cool huh?). It really wasn't. Sure it's one of the only intact ground-walled fortress left, but there wasn't really anything to see besides the gate and the windmill inside. Walking along the wall would've been cool if we weren't drudging through the snow. Sadly, the only upside to reaching the fortress was its close proximity to our next tourist attraction, the little mermaid statue. Yet again, we were left wondering why we travelled so far away from everything to see this? But hey, its what most tourist's do, so we felt we had to. After this it was still only noon and we had hit most of the main sights. 
No comments:
Post a Comment