Snippets of Copenhagen.

Snippets of Copenhagen.

July 2002. 

In the summer of 2002 I was back in The UK after a year living and working in Qatar. It was a happy carefree time of watching the FIFA World Cup and enjoying actual British sunshine. But after England’s inevitable quarter final exit I began getting itchy feet as my thoughts once again turned to travel.

Just as I was pondering where to go, my Danish friend Sine got in touch to invite me to Denmark. This was an attractive offer on several fronts. First, I had never been to Scandinavia. Then there was the nature of my relationship with Sine, which remained um.. ambiguous to say the least.

We had met a few years earlier on an overnight ferry from London to Esbjerg. Romance blossomed for those brief hours together before we had to go our separate ways. Happily though we’d remained penpals ever since. In fact, it always brightened up my day when one of her letters came through the door.

Sine lived with her family just outside the small city of Kalundborg on Denmark’s northwestern coast. So that’s where I headed, full of anticipation. The rough plan had been to stay at her place for a few days and then head off on a cross-country trip together. But when I got there things were not as I’d expected.

Much to my surprise I discovered that Sine had been going through a difficult time. So much so that she had even started therapy. As a result, she’d been advised not to go travelling but to stay in Kalundborg and focus on getting herself back on track.

Snippets of Copenhagen.

Downcast on several levels, I set off on my trip alone. The first port of call was Copenhagen, Denmark’s lovely capital city. Call me fickle but within a few hours of arriving another lady caught my eye. I found her sitting atop a cluster of rocks, just off the main footpath of Langelinje Promenade.

It was of course the Little Mermaid statue, inspired by the beloved Hans Christian Andersen character. Unveiled in August 1913, she was a gift to the capital from the Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen.

Photo courtesy of Avda-Berlin.

Jacobsen hired the renowned Danish-Icelandic sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create the piece. Initially he modelled the statue on the Danish ballerina and actress Ellen Price, who played the little mermaid for The Royal Danish Ballet in 1909. 

However, a problem arose when Price later refused to model in the nude. As a result, the sculptor managed to convince his wife Eline to pose too so that he could craft the mermaid’s body. That afternoon I remember being surprised at just how diminutive the statue is. I mean, I know she’s the little mermaid but still.

The Little Mermaid.

Unfortunately, I have few photos from my visit. I can’t even remember what kind of camera I had back then or even where in Copenhagen I stayed. It was a hostel of some sort.

What I do remember is that on each day I walked and walked from pretty much dawn to dusk, exploring the various streets, lanes, parks and squares. One building I did stop to photograph was Frederik’s Church, also known as The Marble Church.

The building dates back to 1749 when King Frederik V ordered its construction as part of a grand plan to build a sparkling new city district called Frederiksstaden.

Sadly the project was riddled with troubles, including funding issues and the death of its lead architect mid-construction. Eventually, it opened in 1894. It really is an impressive and imposing structure, especially the giant copper green dome which is the largest church dome in Scandinavia.

Photo courtesy of Pudelek.

The thing that struck me the most about it was the row of eye-shaped windows that line the base of the dome. Literally like a line of eyes watching me as I approached.

My most memorable site of that visit was a stroll through the controversial neighbourhood known as Freetown Christiania. Located in the district of Christianshavn, it was established by a group of hippies in 1971 as a way to keep hold of an abandoned military barracks they’d been squatting in. 

Snippets of Copenhagen.

Photo courtesy of Neptuul.

Soon after they declared themselves “a free state independent from Denmark” that would live according to its own laws. Heck, they even designed their own flag! Central to their way of living was having the freedom to smoke and indeed distribute marijuana as they pleased.

Amazingly, the Danish government decided not to immediately shut the place down. Instead, they allowed the project to develop as a social experiment that they could monitor.

Over time the community opened its own shops, cafes and a number of food stalls. As more and more curious people came to check out the neighbourhood, its residents also began selling Christiania themed souvenirs. Meanwhile, on the cobblestone stretch called Pusher’s Street, sellers openly traded in hash.

Photo courtesy of Steffen Hillebran.

On the day of my visit I took care to read the rules and regulations hand painted onto a large wooden board. Absolutely no photographs, it insisted. Hard drugs of any description were also forbidden, as was the act of running. You see, if someone started running, residents would assume that the police had entered the compound, which would result in them instantly shutting everything down for the day.

Freetown Christiania.

Despite tolerating the community, police raids did happen from time to time. As fate would have it, one such bust took place on the day I visited! One moment I was walking down peaceful Pusher’s Street getting my first smell of hash, the next thing I knew all hell had broken loose. 

All of a sudden I saw people fleeing in all directions. Seconds later a police van rolled up and out jumped twenty or so armed officers. Some of them formed a line on the street, others scampered off to force their way into various houses. Eventually they re-emerged, sometimes alone, other times with someone in handcuffs.

All the while I stood frozen to the spot, not wanting to draw attention to myself. And yet, I still chose to take something of a risk under the circumstances. Call me ballsy, call me foolish (either way I put it down to youth), but I decided to take advantage of the chaos and grab some sneaky photographs.

Firstly of the scene unfolding before me. Then of myself trying to appear cool and collected. An American guy called Rob from Colorado did the honours, as long as I promised to return the favour. Definitely something I wouldn’t do today. 

Snippets of Copenhagen.

I can’t think of a greater contrast to the Christiania experience than Tivoli Gardens. Opening its doors in 1843, this wonderfully innocent and nostalgic place stands as the world’s second oldest amusement park.

The Danish army officer, designer and entrepreneur Georg Carstensen established the gardens. Amusingly, he succeeded in getting land from King Christian VIII by convincing him that “When the people can amuse themselves they will not have time to be concerned bout politics”. 

From the beginning Tivoli offered amusement rides, restaurants and teahouses set among lavish buildings constructed in the oriental style. This tradition remains today, particularly in the gorgeous Moorish palace stylings of Hotel Nimb.

Photo courtesy of MattXDA.

During my stroll around the gardens I admired the 19th century merry-go-round and looked on in mild horror as riders found themselves viciously spun around on the hair-raising Dæmonen rollercoaster with its vertical loop and zero gravity roll.

Tivoli Gardens.

Moreover, it was in Tivoli that I enjoyed my first taste of Smørrebrød, a traditional Danish open-top sandwich where a thick wedge of buttered rye bread comes topped with a handsome hillock of cold cuts and cheese. 

Photo courtesy of Danish Designs.

It pains me somewhat to think of all the things I didn’t photograph throughout that stay in Copenhagen. Especially when one considers that I did take the time to grab a shot of a quirky street performer on Amager Square.

He was showcasing his amusing  Incredible Singing Dolls, a quintet of hand-operated head-banging creations that manically thrashed around to the banging tracks of heavy metal maestros Megadeth and Metallica. I tried Googling the man and his show but there is absolutely nothing. Which I guess makes this the only record of its existence. 

For more on my adventures in the country, check out my other reports from around Denmark.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 40 countries.