Cool Copenhagen

So after 4 days communing with nature, Alex and I headed to Gothemburg on Sweden's west coast for two nights. Very cool town but not much to show really. Is it possible I am getting sick of taking pictures?! 3 weeks left...hang in there Alys. From Gothemburg we took the train down the coast of Sweden and crossed the amazing Öresund Bridge to Copenhagen, Denmark. Something like 9,000 people a day cross the bridge. Its a major engineering feet.

The design tour of Scandinavia continues...our first stop in Copenhagen was to the Dansk Design Museum. They had an awesome exhibit on Danish design from the 1920s-80s and then a more modern general design exhibit upstairs. This had to be one of my favorite objects...design problem, design a chair for inmates, must be cheap, green, safe, can't make noise when hurled at walls, can't hide anything in it. Solution, the chair is made from recycled plastic bottles that are then pressed into this form. Really cool and comfortable.

When in Copenhagen you have to ride bikes. Cars appear to be in the minority here. It is just so easy to get around with bike lanes and stop lights. Bikes in Copenhagen are like mopeds in Hanoi. Crowding every sidewalk and street. Alex and I laughed that Copenhagen rush hour probably looks something like Beijing rush hour used to look. Hopefully China will eventually come back around to the amazing efficiency of the bicycle.

Cute little canals lined with residential blocks. I feel like we've been sort of kidding ourselves with this weather. I mean its been perfect. Its a little like when I visit my in-laws in Minnesota in August...."This is beautiful...I could live here." I might need to see Scandinavia in the winter before we pack our bags to move over here but the summers are definitely awesome.

In case you don't recognize him, that's Alex on my right. He's getting in touch with his viking roots I think. Nyhavn is one of the most famous little canals in Copenhagen. After almost 10 months on the road, if we've learned one thing, its that people will come in droves to see cute painted buildings lined up in a row.  

Nyhavn is no exception. Tons of people but its easy to see why. Cutie cute cute.

OK, located right in the center of Copenhagen is the Tivoli Amusemant Park. This baby puts Six Flags and Busch Gardens to shame. It is totally old world. Brightly colored glass bulbs everywhere. Beautiful landscaping. Fountains. Bumper cars and other old school rides. And, no offense to the high school kids serving burgers and fries at our amusement parks, but the kids here all looked like they just stepped out of an LL Bean catalogue.

I have gotten old. Last time I did an amusement park ride at the Minnesota State Fair and I seriously almost lost it. Alex may never regain feeling in his left hand. Needless to say we did not do this ride but I did pick a granny ride where we sat in swings and spun around and were lifted up for a view of the city. We waited about 40 minutes for a 3 minute ride but it was still totally fun.

Alex and I took the subway a bit outside of town to visit the Klassic Moderne furniture warehouse. If you are into Danish modern furniture like we are then you would have been in heaven.

This is where design classics from the 20s-70s come to be reborn (and sold at extremely high prices). Alex and did find one bargain though, in the form of two Safari chairs by Kaare Klint. Not only were they reasonably priced, the chairs collapsed into a small package so they could be shipped home relatively easily. I'm psyched we got something to remember this trip by.

Next we visited the hippie commune/little Amsterdam right outside of the city center called Christiana. Basically it was a large plot of land that some people "re-claimed" in the 1960s. Now it is highly sought after by real-estate developers but is still highly prized by most Copenhagians. Where else are they going to buy their pot? Just kidding. But it was pretty cool. We ate burgers and watched kids get stoned and walked through the little alleys lined with small homes and prayer flags.

What commune would be complete without a bowl in a barn?

This was fun for a second but I can't imagine wearing a wool uniform every day and standing in this sauna for hours.

And just for the record, I am in love with these tricycles. Moms push babies. Dads push moms. Its so quaint and so much cooler than those little trailer things we use in the States. Me likey.