Copenhagen, home of beautiful people, hotdogs, and hippies.

Welcome to Copenhagen!  It's a city where you'll find plenty of beautiful cobblestone streets and copper sculptures in every square and atop many buildings.  It has tall, narrow buildings and canals much like Amsterdam - but this city has a bit more flair, and space (as in people give you bubble space here - Amsterdammers don't!)!

Copenhagen is known for a few things.

It's been rated as the best city to live in the world for quality of life (2008, Monocle magazine).  It's known for being full of beautiful, fashionable people.  Every corner has a hotdog stand.  And hippies?  There's an autonomous neighborhood of about 850 people in the midst of this metropolis - "Freetown Christiania",  which is probably best known for it's hippies, art and mary jane. 

Dog, curry ketchup, fried onions, sweet pickles.  *so Danish!*  You eat it standing up at the "Poelse" cart!

One of the reasons Copenhagen is lauded for quality of life it's walking streets and bike lanes which creates community and is environmentally savvy.

This is the main walking street.  It's packed with shoppers and boasts street performers, musicians and open-air galleries.

And there are tons of bikes!

After an afternoon exploring the city, it was time for a stop at the bakery for a coffee!

Ahhh, coffee!

 Christiania is a strangely wonderful, yet tacky place.  It got its start about 40 years ago when some squatters took over a Naval base (below: Christiania follows the coast line where you see all the trees and the land juts out).  They made it the home of free spirits who wanted a different kind of life.

 Being here felt a bit like Peter Pan's land of imagination.  If you can dream it, and scrounge up materials for it - you can make it! There are no rules.

Okay, there are a few rules: their Common law includes things like "no guns", "no hard drugs", and "no explosives". Not bad. 

There was graphitti absolutely everywhere!!

Wandering through the different neighborhoods within this "neighborhood" you constantly feet lost.  Dirt roads curve from a cluster of houses with erratically spaced out-buildings and random uses of space - a ship under a tarp "guarded" by an image of Daffy Duck, an industrial-sized dumpster plopped sideways next to a house, and stacks of all sorts of lumber here and there.  Generally, it's chaotic, if not colorful.  Yards seemed to always be quite unruly, but filled with flowers! ...and in the case of this house... marijuana.

Maybe this is why there are "NO PHOTOS" signs everywhere???

Haha!  Oops - got a photo anyway..!

This is one sweet ride!

After a few hours I was ready to head back out into the "real world":

Next stop: the Palace.

The Queen's guard.

The Palace consists of 4 buildings.  Here you see one of them, and the statue in the center of the square.

Time for a night out!  Notice the sign which reads, "Probably the Best Beer in Town".  Not too tempting.. sorry.

Prefunc: listening to the DJ spin jazz before dancing the night away!

After a 4-day weekend, if asked my rating I would say.... Copenhagen is great.  Fantastic even.  But the catch -  this city is about twice as expensive as other European cities such as Amsterdam or Barcelona.  Youch!  So, I'm sorry Copenhagen,  you're just shy of winning the "amazing" award from me.  But still - it's a wonderful place to visit!

Denmark, you are adorable!

Last weekend I spent my Saturday venturing to the "big city" from my tiny village.  This town is about the size of Hood River... but what I found did not disappoint!  

Welcome to the hustling, bustling enchanting little town called "Svendborg".  Join me for a virtual tour...

First stop: town square!  This is where you'll find the essentials: food, flowers and fashion!

Let's start with food!

First stop: the fish cart!

Here you can buy smoked fish roe (caviar), pickled fish... and fish balls!  These look like a little muffin or pastry, but they're savory and SO delicious!

At the cheese cart you can find incredible cheeses from all over Europe.  Including whiskey cheddar from Great Britain, and this coriander Gouda from Holland.  Yummmm!

Flowers!  There are rows of flower stands. The woman in this photo is "very Danish".  Blonde, short hair and wearing earth tones or a monochromatic ensemble of some sort.

And while we're talking fashion...

These teens and their skinny jeans are on a mission - shopping!!

Speaking of shopping...  I found a really adorable boutique there.  The clothes are great, but I found something even more impressive...

...this antique cash register!  (yes, this is still what they use!!!)

 

This woman is just sitting taking in the whole market square while she has her coffee and a smoke.

Bikes are big here in Denmark too!  It looks and feels a lot like Holland that way.

Just down around the corner, past the Apothek (pharmacy), cerca 1879, I found lots more shopping, people-watching and food!

Hot dogs!!!  Now, I'm not much on hot dogs normally, but Danes are known for their pork, and this is one amazing hot dog!    It's roasted to perfection until the skin is just crunchy.  Then it's crammed in to a slightly toasted pistol roll, covered in secret sauce, and it's unlike any American dog I've met!!

As I was wandering down the street - hot dog in hand - I came up to a grocery store.  Which is where found this little cart with dogs locked inside.  And I met "Mick" the dog dude.

Apparently I caught him on day one of his business pilot: "Dog Safe".  He sells these little.... dare I say "dog locker"s?  It's a brilliant business really.  If little Fluffy can't join you when you stop in for bread, cheese and licorice, wouldn't it be nice if you could tuck her away for 10 minutes while you run in? Now you can.  Thanks Mick!

Well, my day in Svendborg was a success.  I got to see everything, meet people, try the food, and I found this:

Design Sale!  Next Sunday... sweet!  Guess what I'll be doing next weekend? :-)