Showing posts with label Copenhagen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Copenhagen. Show all posts

Monday, July 4, 2011

Sunday, July 3, 2011



The city center is blessed by three placid lakes: Sankt Jørgen Sø, Peblinge Sø (Little Priests' Lake, in reference to the students, back when education was a product of the church) and Sortedams Sø (Black Pond) -- three meters deep and 6.4 km all around.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Breakfast at The Royal Cafe for Copenhagen's best smørrebrød, the long walk up and down Strøget, the world's longest pedestrian street, then lunch across the street by the fountain at Europa: lobster bisque and a glass of champagne.
The grassy lawn behind Statens Museum for Kunst, the national gallery. Copenhagen sports a grassy space like this almost around every corner and Danes love the sun. It's so refreshing. Copenhagen is simply the greenest city in the world. It's a comfortable 40 minutes around the placid lakes a few blocks away and the trails are popular. The major parks like Kongens Haven are large and full of nude or half-nude sunbathers, runners, cyclists, baby carriages (so many baby carriages I feel like I should get one just to fit in). On the streets army wagons circle for days filled with inebriated high schoolers wearing their studenterhue. According to the Google translated Danish wikipage, it's bad luck to wear your studenterhue (graduation cap) before your last exam, students write their last exam's grade on the lining and the student with the biggest or smallest head buys a round for their classmates. Skål.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Christian V drove Denmark's economy into the ground during the late 1670s trying to win back the parts of southern Sweden his father, Frederick III, had lost. He was widely considered an idiot whose only interests were hunting, sex and war. But he did plan Kongens Nytorv, or King's New Square, moving the center of Copenhagen from the muddy markets of Gammeltorv (Old Square) to the finely lined streets beside the Nyhavn waterfront. Then again, he appears to have stolen the idea from Paris. It's lovely there though and there are small stands selling beer with lounge chairs laid out on the cobbles.

The Bishops Arms on Ny Østergade 14 for a Gammel Dansk, bitters liquor made with nutmeg, anise, ginger, Seville orange, cinnamon and 24 other herbs, spices and flowers. Stiff stuff. I nursed it with a Bitburger then had the Aalborg Taffel Akvavit, or Rød Aalborg, a cumin schnapps older Danes drink with breakfast or on Christmas and Easter. It's meant to keep you fit, which I believe since it tastes like medicine.
Through the Botanisk Have every morning to Kongens Have and then the backstreets of Nørreport while I study German.
Le Quattro Stagioni on Sølvgade 90 has the best pizza I've ever had. Goat cheese, arugula, ventricina, sundried tomatoes and pesto for 67 DKK.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

I passed this elegante cykel parked by a garden near the Botanisk Have: wooden box, matching handlebar grips and saddle.



Saturday, June 25, 2011




Rugbrød, rye bread, and yogurt at Paludan's in Nørreport then a Gouden Carolus on a bench by the Nyhavn waterfront to watch drunken sailors from one of the café tables outside Hans Christian Andersen's old home. Pickled herring and smørrebrød with ale - Danish staples - and two small cups of brandevin: elderflower and apple. Schnaps, essentially.