I'll share some pictures and stories here, but the vast majority of pictures are on Facebook (something to the tune of 282), so if you'd like to check those out, they're here.
Our journey started on a little puddle jumper from Detroit to Toronto.
After some turbulence, and a few near panic attacks on my part, we landed in Toronto. For our second flight (the important one that took us to Copenhagen), we got a large airbus. We were lucky enough to have our own row (score!) and they served us some (as far as plane food goes) really yummy vegan meals. And they kept pushing beer on us, because, get this, it was free!
The flight was one of the smoothest/best I've been on. I took a motion sickness pill, which knocked me out and probably made me seem like an alcoholic to the flight attendants (P.S. Dramamine + beer = one silly, drooly, giggly Kate). I slept for a large portion of the journey, and before I knew it, we had arrived!
Jason and Line, our friends (and wonderful hosts), picked us up at the airport. It was so great to see them, as it had been since 2009 (we all used to work together in Virginia)!
We got right down to sight-seeing business and started at the Viking Ship Museum.
We came home that night, met Indy (Jason and Line's cat) and hit the sack. I slept like a baby!
Jason and Line live in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen. It's a wonderful neighborhood that features everything from anarchist collectives to cheap falafel places. The best part is, it's right in the city, but still quiet, so it was perfect for sleeping.
The next day, we were treated to some traditional Danish food, and they even secured bikes for us. Everyone bikes in Copenhagen, and the bikes have their own separate lane and signals. I was quite nervous as the last time I had ridden a bike was probably in fifth grade, but I quickly got the hang out of it. Before long, I was in love with feeling the wind through my hair and getting to use hand signals (although it certainly took me a while to lift one hand from the handlebars without feeling like I was going to tip over).
Here is the veganized version of tarteletter (one of many home-cooked meals we were treated to), which was excellent!
They also taught us about the concept of "hygge" (pronounced: hooga). According to The Boston Globe, "'Hygge' is pretty much untranslatable, though words like ''cozy," ''snug," or ''feel-good" approach the meaning. An occasion that evokes hygge will be generous, familiar, unchallenging, and happy. Friends will raise toasts, most likely over candlelight or an open fire."
Hygge and "Jeg taler ikke Dansk" (I don't speak Danish) are some of the few Danish words I know, but since I'm tall and blonde, a lot of people assumed I was Danish and spoke to me. I quickly perfected my confused-I-don't-know-what-you're-saying face since I used it so often. Since I'm mostly used to traveling in Latin American countries, where I'm not mistaken for a local (and a lot of folks seem genuinely surprised when I speak to them in Spanish), this was definitely a new concept.
Luckily, Line is Danish and Jason (who is from the U.S.) speaks fluent Danish. Oh, and nearly every single person speaks English. In fact, some clerks/restaurant servers don't speak Danish at all and use English to communicate with customers.
Jason and Line showed us many parts of the city, and we saw so many sights:
-Red Square ($5 if you can spot the inappropriate graffiti):
-National Museum:
-The Art Museum:
Apparently, some of us enjoy modern art more than others.
-The Round Tower (where we climbed to the top):
-This wonderfully hygge, all-volunteer run, non-profit coffee shop (which scored so many bonus points for not charging extra for soy milk):
I even spotted a comedy club (the performances were all in Danish and since understanding the language is kind of imperative to enjoying a show, I passed on going inside)!
They also took us to some awesome restaurants (like Cafe N, where I got this yummy dish).
And Jason introduced us to Snaps (a very strong Danish liquor taken in shot form) and taught us to say "skål" ("cheers" in Danish). Here's a picture of said Snaps (and more delicious food). My stomach and brain were quite happy that night.
We also made several stops at a hotdog stand, which served out-of-this-world vegan sausages.
Trust me, Drew is happier than his face lets on.
On one of our days in Copenhagen, Jason took us to Christiania. According to wikipedia, "Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (84 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Civic authorities in Copenhagen regard Christiania as a large commune, but the area has a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989 which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state."
One of the main features of the neighborhood: you can buy hash on the street. This is also why there is no photography permitted (since hash is still technically illegal), although I did snap a couple pictures.
On another day, we got to attend a Midsummer bonfire. Midsummer, which is considered a holiday since it's the longest day of summer, is celebrated all throughout Denmark. People light large fires, drink liquor and sing songs.
Jason works for a Danish animal rights group, and he figured there would be a captive audience at the Midsummer fest. So what better place to handout vegan leaflets? He mentioned that he was looking for someone to wear a cow costume, and I quickly volunteered.
We met some great activists at the festival! This is all of us:
One of the best parts about leafleting in Denmark is that people are so polite! When people turn you down, they usually do so nicely and don't say much of anything. And most people accept what you're handing them, and even thank you for it! Quite different than in the States.
I loved being the cow and getting to meet so many adorable children. But, it was tough since I didn't speak the language. The kids would ask me questions, I would just stare at them blankly (well, as much as a stuffed cow head can stare blankly) and they would walk away confused. Luckily, the word for cow (ko) in Danish is quite similar. So when the kids would say "hej ko," I knew what they were saying. Also, they would ask for a high-five in English since there is so Danish word for it.
The best part of the day was when I got to dance with a Danish supermodel. Check out Oliver Bjerrehuus:
After he left, one of the other activists explained who he was.
I was struck by so many things in Copenhagen: how little poverty there was (I didn't see any homeless people), the number of men pushing baby carriages and playing with their children, how happy everyone seemed, and the lack of temper tantrums by children (they seemed really happy, too). When we discussed these issues, Jason and Line said it was because of Denmark's strong welfare state. People are not in poverty because the minimum wage is $20 per hour. Men are involved with their children because there is state-sponsored paternity leave. And children seem happy because their parents aren't stressed out and screaming at them. Kids aren't a financial drain on families (since there are so many services offered by the government), and they're, for the most part, wanted since birth control and abortion are readily available and not looked down upon.
When you add free healthcare, free college education and very little crime into the mix, it seems like an amazing place! I can see why Line and Jason love it so, and I'm so thankful that they showed us such a wonderful time!
Wonderful picturesque Blog, Kate! Skal!
ReplyDelete