Copenhagen 2001

Grand Tour of Europe 2001 – Copenhagen

4 April – The first of many testy, irritable and long travel days. We were up around 5:40 to get ready for our train. Ugh. Too early! Waited outside for our train to come. It was this 1950’s-style train – pretty interesting. They made us take a bus from one station to another because there was work being done on the track. Sweden looked pretty nice - they had great big wind generators. We changed trains in Göteborg. Very nice, classy train. Finally got to Copenhagen. We reserved our train to Berlin later than we expected, because the first train was full. Walked all the way to the hostel {Sleep In Heaven - ha}, buying food along the way. The hostel did not score points in my book when I couldn’t pay with my credit card. We had to find an ATM. And then we were shown our beds. Very reminiscent of a concentration camp, but with better mattresses… There are 88 bunks, stacked 3 high. Settled our stuff and ate dinner. I took a shower, then Madeline and I talked with another American traveler we met. We all decided to go out for a beer. We went to this nearby pub, where we met this local guy who was telling us all about Copenhagen. There was a little thunderstorm while we were there. Also, this incredibly drunk guy tried to pick me up, but he got mad that I didn’t want him to buy me a beer. {He kept slur-swearing in a strange mixture of English and Danish. Yikes.} We left soon after that.

5 April – Horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad night. The barracks was alive well into the wee hours, and only then did I fall asleep. I didn’t have a blanket, so I was also cold. Morning came too soon, once I was asleep. Madeline and I met Corbett (the guy from Minnesota) and this English guy at 10 to go to the Carlsberg Brewery. We went through the visitor’s center, then got two free 0.25 L samples. We went for both the Easter beers of Carlsberg and Toborg. We took the bus from there to Christiania, this “free city.” Oh, very free. They were selling marijuana and hash out in the open, lighting up, etc. Walked through there pretty quickly. I wanted to see the Little Mermaid statue, so we walked along the harbor towards it. For being so famous, it’s rather small and out of the way. The weather today has been odd – very windy and drizzling in the morning, then the sun peeked out in the afternoon. The other three wanted to find food, and I wanted to find a library to use the internet, so I split off. I walked through the pedestrian district to the library. Got in and got on and emailed to my heart’s content. After that, I walked down the Strøget, the longest pedestrian street in the world. I got over towards the Rådhus. Since I was close, I peaked in to the Tivoli Gardens, which, alas, doesn’t open until next week. I bought Mom a guitar pin at the Hard Rock Café, bought some dinner (roll and yogurt), then made my way, unfortunately, back to the hostel. I ate dinner and read. Mad, Corbett, Michael (the English guy) and I talked for a while before Corbett left to catch his train. We asked to be put in a smaller, quieter room, and joy of joys, our request was granted. The 14-bed room may have squeaky beds, but it doesn’t have 20 loud Danish girls. We went to bed pretty near after that.

Madeline and Cara at the Carlsberg Brewery

Little Mermaid

Pretty Copenhagen

6 April – Didn’t get great sleep last night, but at least I got sleep! Madeline and I got up this morning and just decided to walk around the city and take pictures. We walked down to the town hall {Rådhus} and all along the Strøget. Then we walked back and ate lunch at the Hard Rock Café for only 49 Kr! {I can’t remember the exchange rate, but something like $7?} For Hard Rock and for an entrée and drink, that was cheap! From there, we walked back to the library to do some quick emailing. We read through newspapers for a while, catching up on news back home. When we left the library, the partly cloudy skies had turned into gray, cloudy drizzle. We started walking in random directions to see more of the city. We found the Botanical Garden and walked through it. Still early in spring, so it was a little dead. Found our way back to the hostel, stopping in a post office so I could mail a postcard home. Settled in at the hostel to read, pass time before we got to bed early. This whole tour bus of Swedish guys came to the hostel this evening. Boy, they really don’t mind walking around half-naked…

Tivoli Gardens

The adventure continues in Berlin…
{transcribed 2/17/2020}