Here is the second edition of the top 10 of amazing bikes (here was the first one).
Today's theme: "extreme bike tuning". Be careful, I have to warn you, your eyes might sting a little bit.
10.
To begin smoothly, some entirely repainted, more or less successfuly.
9.
Arg, the mad striper struck at least twice.
8.
Yes, bicycles are a green mean of transportation.
7.
Made in Christiania.
6.
This one is actually is a sign shop.
5.
Pimp you bike yourself.
4.
Unidentified dead body, lying somewhere in Christiania, I would be unable to find it again. But is it a sculpture, or the remains of something that really drove?
3.
Nice idea.
2.
The stuntman, seen at the demonstration of COP 15. To measure up with that event, some have let their imagination go, and by putting two like this, you get the number 1:
1.
I was assured that both had indeed demonstrated that day.
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, the question of transportation starts to become a problem in town, because snow fell at full blast those days, even the subway entirely stopped for a while yesterday.
To be honest, Copenhagen has been non-stop snowy since I returned from vacation in early January. So ok, this is making the city even more picturesque and the lakes ice-skatable (something unimaginable last year). But it is not so compatible with my daily biking practise. I'm getting kind of tired of almost failing whenever I make a turn. And then I found that my bike chain put itself in bright orange alert, do you think that it's a good sign?
The Danes claim that they have never seen so much in the last 30 years. The fact remains that those irreducible Vikings, snow or not, still get on their usual bikes as if nothing had happened.
I've even seen some of them biking with ski goggles!
Yes, it's cold in Copenhagen this weekend, and it's a good reason to rub our hands (with glee). These drags from DMI had however announced snow, and then not, and I prefer it. The reason for this incongruous joy? This is the subject of an article on AOK (Alt Om København), thus my Danish had been useful. For the lazy ones who will not attempt to click + Google Translation, I will explain: yippee, it's cold enough to skate on the lakes of Copenhagen! And I looove skating.
Everywhere but not in Nyhavn
To help you to make to right choice, the Berlingske Tidende has graciously made a list of all the ice rinks available in the city and its surroundings on a beautiful map. There are both artificial and natural. (By the way, if you want to sledge read that).
I went for an exploring stroll on Saturday:
Number 1, at the end of Nyhavn:
Yes, it isn't so big, but it actually replaces the magnificent ice ring that was on Kongens Nytorv the previous years, which has not been installed this year due to the works for the future metro line. Well, it's the waterfront, so it's nice anyway. Skates rental.
Number 2, Kastellet:
That's for those who like skating in the wild But this mysterious circle seems to be made for skaters
It serves as a swimming spot as well
Number 3, the watering place of Fælledparken:
Well, there was also a similar ring. The immense park was incredibly deserted when I went on Saturday afternoon. Then I told myself that if there was a place where I could see some skaters, it would be on the great lakes.
Number 4, the Peblinge Sø, the lake in the middle:
I was right, you would have thought that all the Copenhageners with blades had made an appointment here. Well, it is understandable, those interconnected lakes make really giant ice rinks. But skating is only allowed on the Peblinge Sø, that not prevents the Danes drunk or not to walk on the others.
So in front of this heavenly vision, my heart skipped a beat. I immediately felt a urge that I had to relieve only Peblinge Sø straightaway: I rushed into the nearest mall to seize the only remaining pair of 41-size crappy hockey skates (*). For only 279 kroner (40 euros), I didn't ruined myself, but I suspect they were running out of skates.
I went back triumphantly the next day to try my new toys. It was the first time I was skating on a real lake. What about the sensations? The ice is naturally bumpy and brown, and the small ice chips we tear off form the surface with our blades are instantly swept away by the wind and accumulated in certain zones it is better to avoid skating on. As a result, the surface is cleaned continuously and we can admire the water content, like algae, herbs, and other plastic bags frozen in their movement, amazing.
Here is myself just above gritting my teeth in my new torture devices
But, there is the snag, no skates rental. And I brought friends without skates. So we came to the spot number 5, just a couple of steps away, on the cute little Blågårds Plads, where we could rent.
Number 5:
Watch out, it is overrun by trolls
I confess I didn't have time to test the rink in Frederiksberg (number 6), but I know that the park next door (Frederiksberg Have) is a good place for sledding. Perched on a micro-hill, this is the only place in Copenhagen in slope.
Otherwise, I presume that the spots number 7 and 8 in Christianshavn are quite delicious, surrounded by nature and funny houses, maybe I'll check it out.
(*) I implore you, if you know a BIG DECENT sports shop in Copenhagen, please tell me where it is.
The other day, I was browsing my Copenhagen pictures archive, and I came across this one. So I decided that it was time to show it. It was taken in the ladies room at the central station (Hovedbanegård). Actually, this is the little piece of paper prominently taped on the mirror.
How much to comb your hair? What does "etc" mean exactly?
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