Copenhagen, Denmark

I was able to enjoy two stops in Denmark, both at the same ports in Copenhagen. Stop one: took pictures at the famous Little Mermaid statue which, honestly, I did not see what the big deal was. However, across the way from the statue was a very interesting grouping of buildings that have served as an army base and continue to operate as such to this day. Approaching up to the base we saw an awesome sculpture and two big, white swans swimming in the creek. The base featured some old cannons and a windmill. The scenery, nestled at the edge of town and overlooking the ocean, was pristine. From there we walked through the main streets of town, had snacks at a café, then visited a Castle wherein the Royal Jewels are held. Traveling Europe on the cheap means that sometimes you just take pictures of famous locations where famous items are stored, and not see the items themselves; this was one of those times

Stop Two found us enjoying some absolutely wonderful pastries: a chocolate cake, a berry custard crepe, and something else that looked delicious and had some kind of hard cookie texture under a mound of berries and whipped cream. To die for! This was followed by more walking and some more photos of statues and notable landmarks/structures until we really cut loose, shed our rules and standards, and walked into Christiania. This small, independent autonomous village has been such since 1971 and, from all I understand of it and witnessed that day, does not recognize Danish or E.U. laws and policies. It was a total peaceful hippie commune. Bob Marley and smoker gear for sale throughout, a brightly-artistically painted garbage truck, compost piles, people with dreadlocks, tents, but nevertheless a fully functioning society complete with cafes, restaurants, and clubs. A sign on the way out says, “you are now entering the E.U.” I’m not sure if they really do have established freedoms and no limits to that freedom or if this is one flea not yet big enough for the dog to scratch…but I am interested in researching this a bit further and to do some online translation of some signs I photographed to get a sense for the town’s political ideas.