New Perspectives

Part 16—Tivoli

So, I was slowed down for the first couple days of last week (incidentally, also the first couple days of my new class) by the cold virus that had been circulating through the DIS population. However, the realization that my actual time in Copenhagen is dwindling, made me realize that I still had some sights to see. So, Wednesday afternoon and evening, after returning from my field study, I headed to Tivoli, a famous amusement park in downtown Copenhagen, with a group of people. In many respects Tivoli is your basic amusement park: crowds of people, overpriced food and candy, and a selection of rides for all ages. However, there were a few differences. For instance, there was the obvious difference that it was in the middle of a rather sizable city, rather than out on the edges of an otherwise small town, and it was consequently rather compact. I don’t mean to say it was small, exactly, because, while it certainly wasn’t huge, it also was far from tiny. Many of the rides just seemed to overlap each other and be kept in rather close proximity. Another interesting feature was the pantomime show that was going on at one of the stages near the entrance to the park. I mean it seems like it was pretty much what you would expect from a pantomime show—exaggerated makeup and slapstick comedy, I just wasn’t really expecting to run across a pantomime show at all.

Despite its quirks, or perhaps because of them, however, I found Tivoli to be quite enjoyable. The rides, while still rather moderately sized by American standards (as most things are over here, I’ve found), were pretty fun and definitely won out over those of Lego Land. As an added bonus, the park lights up at night, and all of the buildings and rides have fun, colorful lights creating a nice ambiance that still feels summery and fun, despite its slightly Christmas-like light show. All in all, I would definitely say to check it out if you’re ever in the area!

Part 17—Canal Tour

Thursday started off rather rainy and chilly, as many days do here, but by a happy decision by the weather gods, the afternoon turned out to be sunny and a little warmer—perfect weather for a canal tour. The tour led us through the canals and harbors of Copenhagen, allowing for a nice view of the city and a new perspective of a lot of the sites I’d previously explored on foot. I kind of wish that I had taken the tour a little earlier in my stay here, as I think it would have been a little more beneficial at that juncture, but it was fairly entertaining nonetheless. For instance, I got to see the official flag of Denmark, whose lead all other Danish flags must follow, and I learned that the Little Mermaid statue has had a rather rough life, having been graffitied and decapitated on multiple occasions (her head has now been fortified with concrete). Perhaps the most impressive part of the tour though, was that I got to hear all of these lovely Copenhagen facts not only in English and Danish, but also in Spanish, all of which were spoken fluently by our tour guide. I was quite impressed, and rather jealous. It really made me miss Spanish and foreign language in general. I’m now seriously thinking about picking up a new language class in the near future… It could be fun.

Part 18—Like Pears and Bananas: Journey to Bornholm

This weekend I signed up for the biking trip in Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic, known primarily for its bike paths, glass work, round churches, and quaint little towns. So, Friday night, the DIS group took an overnight ferry to the island, which departed at 11:30 and arrived bright and early at 6 am. Of course, we did not do the smart thing and sleep the whole way, no, we had to run around the decks and do Titanic impressions along the railing. Unfortunately, there was nothing to slow the ferry’s arrival and we had to disembark right at 6am, after which we were bussed to our hostel in Gudhejm . Right after getting our room assignments and some breakfast, we were allowed to check out our bikes and hit the road. Let me tell you, they don’t mess around with biking or bike paths. As I somehow did not find the concept of the 65 km “Killer Tour” all that appealing after a week of being sick and 4 hours sleep the night before, I opted for the shorter “Cultural Tour” which still allowed me to bike a good 30 km or so and have time to explore the cool little Bornholm art museum, do some hiking along the Sacred Cliffs, and visit the island’s tallest Round Church before we had to reconvene for dinner that evening. Although I did not get to the beach whose sand is coveted for use in hourglasses, I still felt like I got a good taste of the island. What’s more, the cliffs and the rest of the island in general were quite beautiful and conveyed an undeniable sense of peace and calm.

On Sunday I decided to devote my day to exploring Gudhejm, which I had noticed had lots of cool little glass shops and a beautiful coast line all its own. I enjoyed the day of relaxation and the chance to actually have some time to enjoy the serenity of the island. To sum up the three major highlights of day: 1. The glass shops were amazing. All of the glass work was quite beautiful and unique. I wanted to buy so much of it, but it was way too expensive and would have been impossible to get home. 2. You could climb out onto the outcroppings of rocks along the shore all along the town, and I quite enjoyed just sitting on them, enjoying the view and pleasant conversations. You could just kind of fade in and out of conversation at your leisure and it was perfectly acceptable, the environment almost insisted upon it. 3. Bornholm does a good job at staying fairly self-sufficient and produces a lot of its own dairy products, including some delicious ice cream. The pistachio was delicious.

Anyway, we concluded our trip with a viewing of the sunset over the Baltic Sea on the longest day of the year, before heading to our overnight ferry and ultimately home in Copenhagen this morning. Overall I was left with an impression that while Bornholm was still very much Danish, it was still quite distinct from the cities I’d visited previously. However, where we would compare apples and oranges, both fruit, but clearly distinct, Danes apparently compare pears and bananas. With that little tidbit, I leave you for now.