The cosmopolitic center of Scandinavia
By
Tine Toft
Pubblished on
23-Nov-2005
Section
City Live
© Tine Toft
Being from Denmark(located just north of Germany), it feels natural for me writing about our capital-Beautiful Copenhagen. When travelling around Europe it seems to me many foreingers do not go to the Scandinavian countries, because they think these countries have nothing special to offer. But this is far from right and it is certainly not the case with Copenhagen!
Because of its relatively small population of only approximately 1.3 million people, Copenhagen might not seem very interesting compared to the bigger European capitals such as London, Paris, and Rome. Again this is a wrong impression; actually Copenhagen is the cosmopolitic center of Scandinavia offering a variety of attractions and things to do.
RAADHUSPLADSEN: The square is located between the main train station and the inner centre of the city. Occasionally concerts take place here, there are different markets, tourists rest here; all in all it is the place to meet people.
STROEGET: This is the maon shopping street of Copenhagen, infact it is the longest shopping street in Europe. I think you can probably compare it to Oxford street in London or Via del Corso in Rome. Everything can be found here, and there are stores for everybody and for every budget-from the fanciest designer brands to the smallest inexpensive shags- so if your old grandma did not give you a big fat cheque you do not have to worry.
NYHAVN: The atmosphere in Nyhavn can hardly be descriped. In the summer it is always crowded with people sitting in one of the many outdoor bars chatting, enjoying a cold beer, and the sunshine(For those who thought otherwise it does not always rain in Denmark)
DEN LILLE HAVFRUE: The little mermaid has become world famous due to the fable The little mermaid written by the Danish story teller H. C Andersen. Through time the mermaid has been exposed to a lot of different things. Two times she has been de-capitaded and one time she was painted red by young people protestating. But every time something has happened she has been repared, propably because she is the main symbol of Denmark.
AMALIENBORG: This is the recidence of the Danish queen, Margrethe the 2nd. Every day at 12o clock the Danish royal lifeguard change shift. For bigger events like engagements in the family or the queens birthday(16th of April), the royal family step out on the balcony to wave down to the greeding crowd.
CHRISTIANSHAVN: Visiting this place is a rather interesting experience. It was formed back in the 1970\'s by the hippies and the atmosphere and lifestyle today is just like back then.
TIVOLI: A visit to the Tivoli Garden can be the perfect end of a perfect day. This storical park offers a lot of different things to both children as well as to adults. There are a number of rides and amusements, but also just walking around the park watching the encountless number of flowers and plants is an adventure itself. For the younger crowd there are many different cafes, for example The Hard Rock Cafe.
NIGHT LIFE: For foreingers the Danish night life can seem a little overwhelming. In Copenhagen there are tons of restaurants, bars, pubs, and discoteques. Usually you have to pay an entrance fee, and to me it seems drink and beverages are more expensive than in other capital cities, but you get back what you have paid for. We Danes seldomly go out before midnight, but once we are out we stay out all night partying it up.
The article above is just a very brief description of some of the MANY attractions which Copenhagen offer. It is hard to explain what everything is like- It is a certain feeling when you stand among 100.000 people holding the Danish flag waving to the queen, the walk down through Stroeget, or the atmophere in Nyhavn. It is something that should be experienced in order to understand. When I have talked to foreingers who have visited Copenhagen or Denmark they often tell me the Danish people seem very unfriendly and cold. I think this is a wrong impression. We might be a little reserved, but if you travel with an open mind and respect the rules of the countries you are visiting, it is most likely people are going to welcome you with open arms- This is the case with Denmark and Copenhagen, too...so come and explore.
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