Unlike many cultures in the world, Danes kept their enthusiasm for bike-riding.
Even after copying America's 1950s "automotive boom", they reverted back—thus avoiding car-clogged/polluted cities.
Unlike America, they learned from the 1970s Oil Crisis to use healthier options... just like the Netherlands did!
In fact, bikes can be brought onto taxis, buses, ferries, commuter trains, and the subway. Equal to its fashion-sense, the city promotes "Cycle Chic" ways of dressing and customizing bikes for various needs. Retail companies cater to that desire.
Raised from the streets, there are designated bike lanes—separate from the (further) raised sidewalks. Even the cobblestone streets have less-resistant stonework for bikes.
Numerous bridges were erected ONLY FOR bikers and pedestrians.
Special traffic signals are just for bikers.
Underpasses and tunnels seamlessly avert bikers from losing momentum to cross major boulevards. We used them, and they are sensible and wonderful!
Intersections have foot rails and hand rails to rest on.
Couple that with Copenhagen's safety level and policing: constables patrol the capital using bikes, horses, and cars in every season.
Consequently, wherever we parked our bikes, locked the tires, and left them for hours, they were still there when we returned. We left them safely locked outside of stores, on alleys, behind buildings, and on the side of the road. All Copenhageners do it.
Lewis took some time to overcome his Manhattan-bred fear of bike theft, but then he was happily relaxed. It felt so safe and free to cycle across Copenhagen. A joy!
Interestingly, Copenhagen “twinned” itself with another capital city, Beijing (to foster friendship and cultural understanding), and both cultures historically enjoy the practicality of bicycling! So smart.
And so, we joined the throngs and pedaled anywhere we felt like going. The lack of road-rage, bad drivers, blaring horns, and jaywalkers was heavenly. It was refreshing to be around normal, well-bred people.
Our bikes from Ibsens Hotel were equipped with white-wall tires, baskets, tire locks, a bell on the handlebars, and anti-theft GPS.
Here's a video of me exiting the hotel's automatic doors onto the sunny bike-friendly streets...
Here are the pictures that I took around Christianshavn "Christian's Harbor" (the Danish language joins words).
Avant-garde architecture and electric vehicle charging stations are prevalent in the city.
_-_courtyard_02.jpg)
Above, you'll see our bikes parked by a canal, as we ascended to the artistically-designed Circle Bridge, one of the city's picturesque pedestrian bridges. Built in 2015, it has a view of the modern-looking Royal Library, across the river.
Established in 1648, the Royal Library is one of the largest in the world! It safeguards almost all Danish printed works (35.4 million)—including Denmark’s first books in 1482, a handwritten history of Andes/Inca culture suffering under Spanish conquistadors in 1615, and English parchment from 1160. Made of Zimbabwe granite, the Black Diamond has double-height rooms, several “moving sidewalks”, and skywalks. The older half was built in 1906, modeled on Roman Emperor Charlemagne’s Frankish chapel in Aachen Cathedral, circa 800 (which also had skywalks).
*To see the impressive interiors of NYC's most-famous library, please use this link:
Thanks to Google-Maps (which was invented by a Dane, just like Skype), we biked over a couple of bridges to Friendships:
1. Inderhavnsbroen Bridge is a pedestrian/bike bridge over the Inner Harbor.
2. Trangravsbroen is a 3-way "butterfly" drawbridge to allow sailboats. (Danes have infrastructure!)
But our path was barricaded, due to construction work.
Assuming that the workmen would be like gruff American constructions guys who'd keep us out, we tried to enter from the other side. Another man was at that end, too. So, we approached him. With a smile, he said, "Oh, you're going to rent a boat? That's okay. Come in and bring your bikes." While the machinery was still working, he let us amble past the hammering. Relieved, we wheeled our bikes down the floating ramp to FriendShips. Danes are so accommodating and respectful. In fact, Friendships nourished potted flowers around their picnic tables... for whomever visited them. Danes are thoughtful lovers of Nature!
After using their restroom, a ruggedly handsome guy in overalls showed us how to safely operate the boat. Then, he maneuvered us around their dead-end canal. He hopped off onto another gangplank. Grasping the wheel, Lewis steered us under bridges and past houseboats. He and I navigated back to Circle Bridge. It was a gorgeous day for an adventure.
Enjoy this quick video...
Our only mishap was when a larger Tour Barge came behind us faster than we were going.
It startled Lewis who accidentally spun our boat to the side of the canal. A passerby carrying his coffee nicely leaned over the side of the canal and calmly instructed us how to steer ourselves around again (in English). A good Samaritan! He's probably seen it happen hundreds of times. We laughed at ourselves and waved a Thank-you.
We video-recorded our nautical maneuvering under Circle Bridge. Please turn the sound on...
Coming out on the other side put us in Copenhagen Inner Harbor, seen below.
Looking across the river, we saw the outdoor swimming area named Havnebadet Havnegade. In warmer months, it's one of several public swimming areas that Copenhageners have. It looks like this...
That is wonderful infrastructure for Life/Work Balance.
Copenhagen does not have a Chinatown for the same reason it does not have a "gayborhood" or district of gay bars: it never needed them. Being an openly-accepting society, all creeds and cultures were able to assimilate without needing a district of their own. :-)
On the way to the spacious/immaculate restrooms, I caught glimpses of the building's courtyard—as brightly-colored as many of Denmark's.
Lewis spoke fluently in Mandarin to our young waiter, and the man chatted in perfect English with me. Their large pot of green tea was affordable, as were the handmade shrimp/pea shoot dumplings, soup dumplings (Shanghai's were still better), shrimp rice rolls, turnip cakes, and a platter of succulent duck—all breast meat—in soy sauce glaze.
The Danish word for "speed" is "fart". So, if you're speedy, I'll call you farty! Ha ha!
We pedaled to the hotel by going under Queen Louise Bridge...
...then curling around and going across it—where Lewis posed earlier. In total, we biked 11 miles!
Always timely, the church bells tolled 5pm, signaling the start of our hotel's Cozy Hour. We sipped our complimentary glasses of (white) wine in the bar. Then, I purchased a cocktail.
Lewis decided that we should try the hotel's breakfast, the next morning, too. Join us for that...
Lewis took some time to overcome his Manhattan-bred fear of bike theft, but then he was happily relaxed. It felt so safe and free to cycle across Copenhagen. A joy!
And so, we joined the throngs and pedaled anywhere we felt like going. The lack of road-rage, bad drivers, blaring horns, and jaywalkers was heavenly. It was refreshing to be around normal, well-bred people.
Here's a video of me exiting the hotel's automatic doors onto the sunny bike-friendly streets...
Here are the pictures that I took around Christianshavn "Christian's Harbor" (the Danish language joins words).
Avant-garde architecture and electric vehicle charging stations are prevalent in the city.
After cycling across a car-free bridge, Lewis and I ventured through two islands that are against the canal.
You might call it "island hopping". :-) It was very pretty.
_-_courtyard_02.jpg)
Above, you'll see our bikes parked by a canal, as we ascended to the artistically-designed Circle Bridge, one of the city's picturesque pedestrian bridges. Built in 2015, it has a view of the modern-looking Royal Library, across the river.
Established in 1648, the Royal Library is one of the largest in the world! It safeguards almost all Danish printed works (35.4 million)—including Denmark’s first books in 1482, a handwritten history of Andes/Inca culture suffering under Spanish conquistadors in 1615, and English parchment from 1160. Made of Zimbabwe granite, the Black Diamond has double-height rooms, several “moving sidewalks”, and skywalks. The older half was built in 1906, modeled on Roman Emperor Charlemagne’s Frankish chapel in Aachen Cathedral, circa 800 (which also had skywalks).
*To see the impressive interiors of NYC's most-famous library, please use this link:
The library is a spectator area of the Christiansborg Open Swim. The city's waters are unpolluted, so citizens can enjoy fun activities in their urban-center. Can you swim in your city's rivers? Nobody does it in NYC.
The bridge was so attractive, that we decided to rent a motorboat and sail under it! Using my iPhone, I found the website of FriendShips (which has a better value than GoBoat): $60 for an hour of boating. Their boats use steering wheels with hidden propellers (seen in their image below), while GoBoat merely uses a rudder on an outboard motor. Both companies' boats boast cushy seats and tables for picnics or "wine after work".
Thanks to Google-Maps (which was invented by a Dane, just like Skype), we biked over a couple of bridges to Friendships:
1. Inderhavnsbroen Bridge is a pedestrian/bike bridge over the Inner Harbor.
2. Trangravsbroen is a 3-way "butterfly" drawbridge to allow sailboats. (Danes have infrastructure!)
But our path was barricaded, due to construction work.
Assuming that the workmen would be like gruff American constructions guys who'd keep us out, we tried to enter from the other side. Another man was at that end, too. So, we approached him. With a smile, he said, "Oh, you're going to rent a boat? That's okay. Come in and bring your bikes." While the machinery was still working, he let us amble past the hammering. Relieved, we wheeled our bikes down the floating ramp to FriendShips. Danes are so accommodating and respectful. In fact, Friendships nourished potted flowers around their picnic tables... for whomever visited them. Danes are thoughtful lovers of Nature!
After using their restroom, a ruggedly handsome guy in overalls showed us how to safely operate the boat. Then, he maneuvered us around their dead-end canal. He hopped off onto another gangplank. Grasping the wheel, Lewis steered us under bridges and past houseboats. He and I navigated back to Circle Bridge. It was a gorgeous day for an adventure.
Enjoy this quick video...
We loved boating in Christianshavn (Christian's Harbor), which King Christian IV modeled after Amsterdam. Amsterdam began construction of its canals in 1613. Copenhagen got its canals in 1639. As you can see, Denmark was an “early adaptor” of trends and strategy—even back then!
*To see our impressive trip to beautiful Amsterdam, go here: https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2019/08/our-trip-to-netherlands-part-1-of.html
Initially, Christianshavn was its own fortified town, and this was its coat of arms.
Now it is a series of picturesque waterways that are lined with perfectly-preserved historic buildings.
Our only mishap was when a larger Tour Barge came behind us faster than we were going.
It startled Lewis who accidentally spun our boat to the side of the canal. A passerby carrying his coffee nicely leaned over the side of the canal and calmly instructed us how to steer ourselves around again (in English). A good Samaritan! He's probably seen it happen hundreds of times. We laughed at ourselves and waved a Thank-you.
We video-recorded our nautical maneuvering under Circle Bridge. Please turn the sound on...
Looking across the river, we saw the outdoor swimming area named Havnebadet Havnegade. In warmer months, it's one of several public swimming areas that Copenhageners have. It looks like this...
That is wonderful infrastructure for Life/Work Balance.
We sailed along, resisting the river's current and going underneath Inderhavnsbroen Bridge...
...and much larger drawbridges that held traffic, like Knippel Bridge.
We decided not to venture past the Royal Playhouse.
Opened in 2008, it won the RIBA European Award for architecture, as well as a Red Dot Design Award for its chairs. Since 2005, Denmark received a RIBA nearly every year: National Pension Headquarters, Copenhagen Business School, student resident hall named Tietgenkollegiet (inspired by Chinese design), Fuglsang Art Museum, Harbor Isle Apartments, Sorø Art Museum, SEB Bank, Frederiksberg Courthouse, Danish Maritime Museum, and “Blue Planet” Aquarium. (Here is a view from inside the playhouse).
(If you go past it, a revitalized pier called Ofelia Plads is used for "floating" waterside concerts, sunbathing, sipping wine in municipal deckchairs, and people enjoying hygge.)
Farther down is the modern waterside Opera House.
*For comparison, to see New York City's waterfront properties, please use this link:
...and much larger drawbridges that held traffic, like Knippel Bridge.
We decided not to venture past the Royal Playhouse.
Opened in 2008, it won the RIBA European Award for architecture, as well as a Red Dot Design Award for its chairs. Since 2005, Denmark received a RIBA nearly every year: National Pension Headquarters, Copenhagen Business School, student resident hall named Tietgenkollegiet (inspired by Chinese design), Fuglsang Art Museum, Harbor Isle Apartments, Sorø Art Museum, SEB Bank, Frederiksberg Courthouse, Danish Maritime Museum, and “Blue Planet” Aquarium. (Here is a view from inside the playhouse).
(If you go past it, a revitalized pier called Ofelia Plads is used for "floating" waterside concerts, sunbathing, sipping wine in municipal deckchairs, and people enjoying hygge.)
Farther down is the modern waterside Opera House.
*For comparison, to see New York City's waterfront properties, please use this link:
Turning the motorboat around, I steered us under the 3-way bridge... being mindful of its boat traffic lights.
I expertly docked us, just before our hour ended.
We biked passed Christiania "Free Town" (unique in the world, it's a government-sanctioned commune of semi-self-governed marijuana-selling hippies).
We saw royal guards on the street, and that indicated that the time was approaching 12 noon.
So, we lunched at an immaculate place called Hidden Dim Sum.
The building's facade has heraldry: the Danish Coat of Arms.
Ironically, it's located adjacent to the city courthouse (built in 1803), just like our favorite dim sum place in Manhattan is also near a courthouse!
Lewis and I agreed that its interior was the cleanest dim sum eatery that we ever saw—including in China!
I expertly docked us, just before our hour ended.
We biked passed Christiania "Free Town" (unique in the world, it's a government-sanctioned commune of semi-self-governed marijuana-selling hippies).
We saw royal guards on the street, and that indicated that the time was approaching 12 noon.
So, we lunched at an immaculate place called Hidden Dim Sum.
The building's facade has heraldry: the Danish Coat of Arms.
Ironically, it's located adjacent to the city courthouse (built in 1803), just like our favorite dim sum place in Manhattan is also near a courthouse!
Lewis and I agreed that its interior was the cleanest dim sum eatery that we ever saw—including in China!
*To learn about our trip to China, please go here:
Copenhagen does not have a Chinatown for the same reason it does not have a "gayborhood" or district of gay bars: it never needed them. Being an openly-accepting society, all creeds and cultures were able to assimilate without needing a district of their own. :-)
On the way to the spacious/immaculate restrooms, I caught glimpses of the building's courtyard—as brightly-colored as many of Denmark's.
Lewis spoke fluently in Mandarin to our young waiter, and the man chatted in perfect English with me. Their large pot of green tea was affordable, as were the handmade shrimp/pea shoot dumplings, soup dumplings (Shanghai's were still better), shrimp rice rolls, turnip cakes, and a platter of succulent duck—all breast meat—in soy sauce glaze.
Obviously, there were no fortune cookies because Danes know that they are not part of Chinese gastronomy. Japanese immigrants brought them to California at the turn-of-the-century. After America racistly and illegally imprisoned Japanese immigrants and citizens during WWII, Americans still wanted fortune cookies. They urged Chinese restaurants to make them, and the Japanese cookie industry was assumed by Chinese immigrants in California. In typical American style, the treats were perverted into nothingness and are still ignorantly applied to China. Americans are the only ones who still expect fortune cookies from basic Chinese restaurants, uncaring that it's the wrong culture.
*To see when we learned about them in Japan, use this link:
Outside, the cobbled plaza, called Nytorv Square, filled with beer sippers and lunching townsfolk.
When we returned to our bikes, someone from Unilqo gave everyone free seat covers. We kept them as souvenirs to regift to friends who ride bikes in NYC.
A 10-minute ride gets you to the Canal District of Sluseholmen: a Netherlandish spot for swimmers & boaters.
We went the other way to Østerbro, an upscale family-oriented neighborhood, full of pretty buildings that are capped with round turrets and topped by copper spires. The fifth lake ends there, and its "shopping street", Østerbrogade, is trendy.
When we returned to our bikes, someone from Unilqo gave everyone free seat covers. We kept them as souvenirs to regift to friends who ride bikes in NYC.
A 10-minute ride gets you to the Canal District of Sluseholmen: a Netherlandish spot for swimmers & boaters.
We went the other way to Østerbro, an upscale family-oriented neighborhood, full of pretty buildings that are capped with round turrets and topped by copper spires. The fifth lake ends there, and its "shopping street", Østerbrogade, is trendy.
We enjoyed the variety of shops such as Noa Noa, Men Under Development, and McVERDI Østerbro.
Below, those cheery, two-tone row-houses are called Brumleby, known for an avant-garde playground, and one of their neighbors is the Royal Belgian Embassy.
Drawn in by their outside displays, Lewis bought a summery dress for his Mom at this store. Alongside their fragrances, they even sell scented disinfectant wipes (such a clean society).
Seen below, I was taking a picture of scenery, when a boy walked by wearing ancient Roman armor. Thinking the picture was of him, he waved back at me! So friendly.
We ate them by the lake, where out bikes were locked beside the road. People traipsed by, smiling at us.
Below, those cheery, two-tone row-houses are called Brumleby, known for an avant-garde playground, and one of their neighbors is the Royal Belgian Embassy.
Drawn in by their outside displays, Lewis bought a summery dress for his Mom at this store. Alongside their fragrances, they even sell scented disinfectant wipes (such a clean society).
Returning to where we left our bicycles, an hour earlier, we paused inside Bosse Bageri (which is Danish for Bakery).
Lewis bought two chocolate-covered marzipan "eggs" called påskeæg. I got a marzipan log filled with rum-soaked sponge cake for $3.50. In New York, a globally-prominent chain of Danish cafés called Ole & Steen (which began from a corner bakeshop named Lagkagehuset in Copenhagen) sells those logs for $6.00 (because NYC is greedy). Seen below, Lagkagehuset sells their logs at the same low price as Bosse.
Devouring one egg, Lewis quickly went back into the bakery for another... only to discover that he got the third egg at a discount because the shopkeeper was so flattered!
Lewis bought two chocolate-covered marzipan "eggs" called påskeæg. I got a marzipan log filled with rum-soaked sponge cake for $3.50. In New York, a globally-prominent chain of Danish cafés called Ole & Steen (which began from a corner bakeshop named Lagkagehuset in Copenhagen) sells those logs for $6.00 (because NYC is greedy). Seen below, Lagkagehuset sells their logs at the same low price as Bosse.
Devouring one egg, Lewis quickly went back into the bakery for another... only to discover that he got the third egg at a discount because the shopkeeper was so flattered!
We ate them by the lake, where out bikes were locked beside the road. People traipsed by, smiling at us.
The Danish word for "speed" is "fart". So, if you're speedy, I'll call you farty! Ha ha!
We pedaled to the hotel by going under Queen Louise Bridge...
...then curling around and going across it—where Lewis posed earlier. In total, we biked 11 miles!
Always timely, the church bells tolled 5pm, signaling the start of our hotel's Cozy Hour. We sipped our complimentary glasses of (white) wine in the bar. Then, I purchased a cocktail.
We dined in the hotel's Italian restaurant: La Rocca. The interior is sleek and elegant. With élan, our waiter made us comfortable for a meal of Zuppa Di Mare, Linguine with Clams, thickly-cut Chops, and Veal tenderloin with mushroom gravy. Delicious!
Lewis decided that we should try the hotel's breakfast, the next morning, too. Join us for that...
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