Remarkable Denmark

Lonely with the boy gone and itching for a distraction, I took last Thursday and Friday off and spent a long weekend in Copenhagen, Denmark. This was my first venture into Scandanavia, and it didn't disappoint. The weather was chilly (I had to walk home in freezing rain after missing the last metro the first night, then saw my first snowfall of the year the next day) and dark (the sunset currently occurs around 4pm, and will apparently only get earlier as winter progresses). However, the city was charming and the cleanest that I've seen in Europe, and despite the climate, its people went out of their way to be friendly and welcoming (in perfect English, no less). They were, for the most part, predictably tall, blonde, and beautiful (although I couldn't take them entirely seriously given that listening to their native tongue reminded me of the Swedish Chef).

I'll stick with the Danish theme for the next few days, so stay tuned for more Copenhageries. I'll start off with a few general street shots from my wanderings to set the tone:

View towards the sea from atop the appropriately named "round tower":
Different view:
Saturday window shoppers on the street below:
Central plaza at nighttime:
The spire rising from hippie haven Christiania, and a few of Copenhagen's huge collection of bikes:
The old stock exchange (the twirls on the spire are actually the twisting tails of two dragons):
Noreport harbour and its rainbow row houses: