Køpenhaven Pt I: Whateva Girrrlfriend! and a trashcan campfire.

A quick summary of what I've been up to. (Quick not for lack of things to say, but because I don't want to be that girl using up the internet).

Friday was rainy and I was exhausted. So, instead of taking pictures of all the touristy things per plan, I went to the National Museum instead. Which actually turned out to be a good idea, as it is no longer free every day (so going Monday morning would have been a bummer), but it is free on Friday. The museum was quite good, although there was a really awkward section on foreign cultures.

This morning I went to Malmö. I was very excited to go to Sweden, but sad that no one looked at my passport, much less stamped it. They didn't even check my train ticket. I sat with a Swedish family who chatted the whole time, and I clearly understood nothing, but every once in a while the absolutely charming 13ish year old daughter would do the 'snapsnapsnap whateva girlfriend!' while telling some story that apparently required attitude, and a few times she made an L on her forehead and called her sister a loser. So, I don't speak Swedish in the slightest, but some things are universal.

Malmö was adorable, and small enough to fit into a few hours. I went to the biggest art exhibition space in Europe. I walked the entire town. I roamed the King's Garden, saw the castles and windmills. Every castle in this area has a moat. It's awesome. I had lunch off the main square and then hopped on the train back to Køpenhaven.

I made it back by 2:30, which was earlier than expected, so I got really excited about being able to go see the Marmokirken, which is this really beautiful church downtown. At 1pm and 3pm sharp, only on weekends, they open the tower for what are supposed to be awesome 360 degree views. I didn't think I was going to be able to see it, since I had planned day trips for both Saturday and Sunday. I didn't want to chance a walk, because that was cutting it close, so I decided to take the bus. I knew the number 15 bus took me there, but I didn't know which direction I should take it in. So, one of them pulls up to the train station and I get on and show the driver the address, photo and name of the Marmokirken, and attempted to pronounce it. I also asked him if I should take his bus, or the number 15 in the opposite direction. He responded in English, saying that the bus would take me there, but I would have to walk a bit. I figured that would be fine, and asked him to let me know when to get off. Turns out he lied, because we went in the completely completely wrong direction, which, since I don't read or speak Danish, I didn't realize until we were way out in the suburbs. Naturally I assumed that he would just loop around, and I should stay on. Again, incorrect, as we got to the end of the line and he kicked me off. So I had to wait for the next one to come, and then by the time I actually got to where I wanted to be it was 3:30. Like a slap in the face, I was just in time for all the tourists to be coming down from the tower, talking about how that was 'the most awesome view ever ever!' The first English I hear in forever and I didn't want to hear it at all. So annoyed still.

Instead, I walked over to Christiania. Google it. In the 1960s, the neighborhood was a bunch of abandoned navy barracks, then the hippies came. Now it's a giant clusterfuck of ramshackle houses made of everything from busses to boats to random bits of tin to the original barracks to barns to pretty much everything concievable. Everything is covered in grafitti, hippies and junkies, in a good way. Google it, because I couldn't take too many pictures. There were a bunch of signs that said no photo zone, and I was afraid of the hippies crouched menacingly around their trashcan campfire. I went to a vegetarian restaurant there for dinner, which serves one dish a day and everyone sits at communal tables - so appropriate. I sort of chatted over dinner with this crazy, old hippy, and then walked back. Now I'm here, attempting to awkwardly make plans to go out with the random Persians in my dorm.


Tomorrow I'm going to try to go to Roskilde, wich is where all the Viking ships are. In the summer you can pretend to be a viking - get dressed up and row the boat and everything. Unfortunately, I think I just get to see the museum - boo. Then tomorrow night, I'm having dinner with a Danish couple at their apartment so I can learn the true meaning of hygge.
I hope everyone is having a lovely spring break!

-L