Oops, disappeared! The mascot of Copenhagen is actually in China for the moment for the Shanghai Expo. She won't be back before November. In the meantime, see what is provided for mermaid-sick tourists:
"Mermaid Exchange-Remote" is the name of this piece of art,
by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei
It's supposed to be a live broadcast via the Internet of the Danish pavilion. Well, I don't recognize the Little Mermaid there, and then if you look at the picture carefully, you will notice that the video has... crashed!
If you want to surprise your friends, bring them instead along the Frederiksholms Kanal, on the little bridge leading to Højbro Plads. Bend you heard on Christiansborg's side, and you will see this:
This is a sculpture in the water on purpose. When the water level is low, you can see the skulls showing on the surface, it's scary. It's a creation of the Danish artist Susta Bonnen, and it was installed in 1992. The label on the edge of the bridge indicates "Agnete og Havmanden". English translation: The Mermaid with 7 Sons (?), inspired by a tale from the one you all know now.
One day I was wandering without asking anything to anyone on the docks of Christianshavn around the old warehouses (today a delightfully restored area), I came across a weird object:
Yes, a cabin with paws
Information taken from the young man who was inside, it is a scientific and artistic project called the Walking House, made by a collective of Danish artists called N55, in collaboration with engineers from the MIT. Yep, it moves itself, watch the video if you don't believe me:
That gizmo being supposed to be green, uses therefore solar and wind energy. It has a bed, a mini living-room, toilets (composting system of course), a wood burning stove and of course a lot of electronics. Its paws have hydraulic cylinders that allow it to reach the kick-ass speed of 5 km/h maximum. Suddenly you wonder if the project really has an ambition other than purely artistic (or if it's just coming from a big engineers'trip).
But in fact this is done on purpose, because I quote: "It is a common fact that walking often helps a person concentrate their thoughts and creates a mental state that enforces mobility of the mind. The Walking House is constructed to move at human muscle speed for exactly this reason".
It seems to me that the guy told me that the House was to be shown in an exhibition soon, but I do not remember where. Anyway, if you have the occasion, have a walk in this area, it really worth it.
And at a time, you will inevitably come across to the famous restaurant Noma, who was ranked "best restaurant on the planet" last month by British magazine Restaurant Magazine. If you feel like to have dinner there, the waiting list for a table is several months!
As I was saying the last time, within Christiania is hidden an incredible alternative cultural life that a non-informed tourist wondering through the aisles couldn't suspect at first sight. Despite the fact that this zone is the third touristical attraction of Denmark, a lot of visitors ignore that it is a fantastic place to go out by night.
Indeed, there are actually concert halls, bars and even restaurants! They all have a special atmosphere unique to Christiania, and that's why I love them. So I will give you an overview of the key spots.
Let's start with the Loppen (the Flea). It's the easiest to find: the first building at the entrance.
It's reached through a very dark hall, and then you climb those weed-flavored stairs:
Upstairs is the Musikloppen, the concert hall with candles inside and exposed beams, one of the most popular concert venues in Copenhagen.
And at the second floor, you push a door with just black graffiti on it and then, this is magic:
You are in the Spiseloppen, an excellent organic restaurant. I tested it twice, I assure you that the food is delicious (no so cheap, but it's still reasonable). There is an exhibition gallery in the opposite room.
Going up on Pusher Street, you find the Børneteatret (Jazz Club). It was a children's theater at the beginning as its name indicates, then it was transformed into a stage dedicated to jazz, blues and hip hop. Famous jam sessions.
A little bit further, my favorite, Operaen. It does cafe, bar, concert hall and theater and its decoration is really lovely.
But I never go to Christiania without hanging out at the Woodstock:
(image spiseliv.dk)
It's a kind of crazy place, it looks like an old bistro, and it gathers all kinds of people: old, young, pure Christianites, foreigners, a bunch of Greenlanders, hippies, students ... They drink, smoke, get high, play backgammon and wiggle after nightfall.
In a different style, you have the Månefiskeren (the Moon Fisher). It doesn't serve any alcohol. In fact, you go there especially to enjoy a good coffee, eat cakes, and enjoy the cool atmosphere. And sometimes to play billiards.
From time to time I also go to the Nemoland café. It is less warm than the others in my opinion, but it has a beautiful terrace that makes sense in the summer, with an outdoor stage.
(images nemoland.dk)
And there are still others that I have not yet had the opportunity to test!
Den Grå Hal (the Grey Hall) for example. It is the largest concert hall in Christiania, but it also hosts theater performances, meetings, the Christmas market ...
Or the Morgenstedet (the Morning Place). It is a very small restaurant, a little bit hard to find, which serves organic vegetarian cuisine from around the world, and ironically, opens at noon.
Phew, and I didn't even mention all of them. And I didn't say either that you can find in Christiania grocery stores, a bakery, a bike shop, a shoe store, another one for clothes, a movie theater, art galleries, recycling workshops, sculpter and painter's studios, a horse-riding club, a school, a common bathroom, a yoga center, a radio station, a post office ...
In all, there are about 120 companies registered as such in Christiania (source christiania.org). Here is a non-exhaustive list of them.
To finish, I have selected a video if you want to learn more:
In the next episode I will tell you the story of Christiania and the daily lives of its inhabitants.
This weekend, I was browsing through my archives of photos of Copenhagen, and I thought it might be nice to show you the best pieces of my collection. Coz I almost haven't seen the blue sky since four months, and at a time when the spring is desired so strongly, it is worth remembering how the city is beautiful. Only one more month to go. Yes, we can do it. And it is guaranteed without retouchings.
Here are fifty pictures of the city itself and the surrounding area:
And as a bonus, a selection of images taken from above:
When I see this review, after a year of pictures, I tell myself that I still have so much to show you ...
Here comes finally the first article on the definitely most unusual place of Copenhagen, Christiania. Perhaps you've already heard of it even if you have neer been in Denmark ... It is actually a giant squat, which has the singularities of being tolerated and being located right in the middle of the city. Even more than just a squat, it is a village in the city, a kind of hippie self-governed community, I would even say a semi-independent micro-state. The Danes call it "Fristaden", "The Freetown".
Let's look at the map to get an idea of the place:
Christiania is located on the island of Christianshavn (hence its name), and occupies much of the ancient city walls built by King Christian IV in 1617 (the odd pins).
34 hectares still
As you can see, the area forms a green enclave, naturally isolated from the rest of the city. However, there is a surronding wall along Prinsessegade street :
And there is the famous main entrance:
(photo Alex Rosa)
This is how it looks from behind:
And that's the small entrance at the corner of Princessegade and Bådsmandsstræde:
Once passed over, we enter in another world. The buildings are former military barracks rehabilitated by the Christianites themselves, or constructions of their own. Absolutely everything is covered with tags, some really beautiful. The contrast with the neat and middle-class city in which we were just 5 minutes earlier is striking. a very short walk and we arrive in Pusher Street, the main arterial road. There is a small market square at the entrance where they sell souvenir t-shirts, various trinkets and all the accessories needed for ...
... making cones. And scattered along the street, small stalls providing the stuffing. At this point, taking pictures is absolutely forbidden as numerous signs everywhere remind, the sellers do not really appreciate that. Though, oh my God, it itches tremendously.
So I've found a picture from Wikimedia Commons
The vision of this exhibition of substances, these extraordinary murals, these shady guys, these pitbulls and all this in a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere has something fascinating. But most tourists, frightened by this scene sometimes murky I admit, dare not venture further. Even many Copenhageners have only that image in mind.
This is a pity because Christiania is not (only) a haunt of marginals, even if it attracts them a lot, and certainly not a slum. It is a perfectly structured society of people people who have chosen to live an alternative life. It is as if everything subversive and wild in Denmark were aggregated in one place.
The residents have adopted a flag, displayed everywhere:
The 3 dots symbolise the 3 dots on the "i" in "Christiania"
There is some regulation
Cars are banned
Garbage is meticulously sorted
There is even guided tours (never tested)
Every time I stroll there, I discover new funny details.
Then of course, because one article on Christiania is not enough, I'm going to tell you more about it in the future episodes:
Part 2: Guided tour of the village (no, it's not just crumbling and yucky shacks, there is an astounding cultural and social life stashed inside)
Part 3: But how on earth the Danish authorities could tolerate such a mess?
Well, they left last weekend anyway, even if Halloween is next week. Actually, Tivoli has reopened just 9 short days, just the time of the autumn holidays (eftersårferie). It's a bit short to enjoy it I think.
So I know I'm a little bit late for this article. But anyway, if you live in Copenhagen, you've probably already been there, otherwise you have the Christmas holidays to catch up. And if you don't live here, you're probably asking yourself "but what she is talking about?"
Let's start from the beginning. In fact it is an amusement park located in the heart of Copenhagen (between the City Hall and the central station to be more precise). And this is not just any amusement park, it is the second oldest in the world still working after Dyrehavsbakken (*), which is also Danish (located in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen).
Tivoli was founded in 1843 by a man called Georg Carstensen. At this time the park was located outside the city and it was called "Tivoli & Vauxhall". "Tivoli" in tribute to the Tivoli Gardens in Paris, now extinct, which were named after the Roman gardens of the same name, and "Vauxhall" for the Vauxhall Gardens in London.
Because of its location, it is quite small and has no possibility of extension. So of course it's hard to compete with the major theme parks such as you know. But the designers have more than one trick up their sleeve and they managed the feat of installing an incredible amount of attractions. The modern ones are just nearby the very old ones. So, they are located a little over each other, and in this exuberant mess, it is sometimes difficult to find the entrance of your ride. But after all, it is what makes the charm of Tivoli.
It is a true coming-back to your childhood, there are funfair stands (pigeon shooting, bumper cars), and even if the park is primarily dedicated to kids, there are some exciting rides:
Dæmonen (the Demon), short but really effective
Det Gyldne Tårn (The Golden Tower), a good adrenaline shoot
Himmelskibet (The Flying Ship), where you definitively have the best view of CPH
The Vertigo, a barbaric invention: you will drive yourself the small plane (you can rotate it in all directions)
And for Halloween, all the park was redecorated:
In this picture is hidden a typical Danish touch, can you guess what it is?
The park is open daily during the summer. With a little bonus: every Friday evening from May to September a different group is playing on the big stage. The event is known as Fredagsrock. So if like me you are a happy owner of an årskort (annual pass), you can enter for free. Because, of course, the entrance to Tivoli is not free, but buying the årskort is completely justified if you go at least twice a year.
And it will reopen from the 20th of November to the 30th of December for the Christmas market (that promises great pictures).
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