unexpected copenhagen

I was woken up with bright lights, a stranger under me, and a crick in my neck. Gotta love hostels.
In all seriousness, though. I love them. I don’t even mind staying in this 66 bed room. It’s interesting to say the least.
The lights went on at 9am, and I was out by 9:40. I decided to walk to Grød, a little breakfast spot recommended to me by Ruchi, who I had the pleasure of seeing in London! The menu written on the board is in Danish, but PRO TIP you can snag an English menu from the counter. I had the oat porridge 1, which was oat porridge with soy milk, almonds, apples, and dulce de leche. It was piping hot and made the chilly morning quite cozy! While eating my oats, I talked to two Canadians on a 4 day road trip from Oslo. That sounds like such a fun trip, although I must say that I’d rather road trip in a tuk tuk across India. To each their own!
The cafe is a bit hard to find, as “Grød” translates to “porridge” and googling that can take you to a billion places. Here’s the address:

Jægersborggade 50, 2200 København N

It was about 11:30 by the time I left Grød (it took about an hour to walk there), and I reached the Little Mermaid (statue) at around 12:15. I don’t mind the long walks, as I find walking the easiest (and best!) way to explore a new city. It’s also when I do the most reflecting. As I walked around the city, I was overwhelmed with how orderly Copenhagen is. I only saw ONE PERSON jay walk, and they were clearly not in their usual state, as they were coming home from a big night out.

The Little Mermaid was cute, along the seaside. I honestly preferred looking at the ocean more than the statue. While it’s beautiful, the reality behind it is that it’s a metal statue on a rock. But it was a classic tourist thing, so I had to see it, and I’m glad I did!

I walked along the water to Nyhavn, the New Port. Although touristy, Nyhavn is adorable! I wanted to eat at one of the cute little cafes lining the canal/port, but I knew that wouldn’t leave much in my wallet, and well, I’ve got more adventures to be saving up for!
Instead, I ignored the hunger pangs and walked to Christiania, Denmark’s free town. It is known as a hippie-town, with it’s own rules, independence from the Danish government, and relaxed vibes. Christiania is a social experiment. COOL.
There are no photos allowed in Christiania, mainly due to Pusher Street, a huge marketplace of drugs. While drugs are not tolerated, they’re freely sold here, and it seems as if a blind eye is turned to it.
The people who own the stalls wear ski masks and sunglasses to protect their identity; the smell of weed overtakes every other scent in the area. Christiania is something else. I guess I could compare it to a more intense Amsterdam, but it’s more than that. It’s a really interesting little place AND I LIKED IT. The residents aren’t crazy druggies or anything- they’re intellectuals with really awesome abstract ideas. I also LOVE how there are no cars in the freetown- just bikes and your own two feet!
Speaking of feet, mine were aching at this point, but I wasn’t ready to go back to the hostel just yet, so I took a stroll down Strøget, Copenhagen’s main shopping street. There’s everything there, from H&M to Pandora to Louis Vuitton. I finally decided to get some food, and settled on getting a kebab/gyro/shwarma. How expensive could one of those be?
Copenhagen is HELLA expensive, guys. I couldn’t see myself forking over 70 krone, about $15 sgd for some meat and a pita. Instead, I got pita, tzatziki, AND a water for $9 sgd.
After finishing that and reading for a bit, I decided to head back to the hostel. It was about 6:30 by the time I walked home, and I don’t think I could be bothered to do something tonight. I’ll spend my Friday night researching and planning tomorrow’s adventure, then writing and reading more. I’m currently reading The Beach and I’m 100% hooked! It doesn’t help that I’ve been to Maya Bay, the filming location for the movie adaptation! I can just picture the sparkling ocean and white sand…. Ooohhhh man, I love you, Thailand (and Southeast Asia).
And Copenhagen? Even though I’ve just met you, I quite like you too 🙂