Day 5: Sightseeing & Smørrebrød
Bike tours & local cuisine
June 20, 2022
Following breakfast at the hotel, we went on a quick trip to the shop we rented our bikes from for some small alterations since we had a longer bike tour scheduled for the day, a bike tour to Nordhavnen, a harbor area/upcoming neighborhood. At the cycle shop, which was located just up the road from Rosenborg Castle, we were able to hear and vaguely see in the distance some military drills happening at the Rosenborg Barracks (Livgardens Kaserne) while we waited for everyone’s alterations to be done.
Our First Lesson
Once biking to the DIS classroom between some brief rain, we had a short lecture from Charlotte Algreen, an architect and sustainability specialist, who briefed us on the developments occurring at Nordhavnen, which is currently one of Scandinavia’s largest sustainable urban development areas currently under construction, which by 2040 is set to house 40,000 residents with workspaces for 40,000 more.
By the time we were ready to bike to Nordhavnen, about a 20-minute ride away, the sun had broken through with blue skies, although the forecast said more rain was on the way later. Using whisper headsets, a wireless audio tour guide system, Charlotte was able to talk while we rode our bikes, ensuring we didn’t have to stop along the way.
Nordhavnen
Upon reaching Nordhavnen around 12 pm, the first surprise was how many jellyfish there were in the water! Apparently this time of year the canals of Copenhagen pulse with jellyfish, making us wonder how areas were set aside for swimming since so many Danes enjoyed jumping in and swimming in the canals on warm summer days.
We talked for a bit about the history of the area by the water before we started touring the development, eventually coming to an interesting structure, Park n’ Play (Konditaget Lüders), a parking garage that had a playground on top. Being a bright red structure with one side draped in greenery and the other metal side with designs depicting the history of the Copenhagen area and how it developed, the parking garage stood out to us. After climbing up the stairs, we were amazed to see trampolines, swings, and climbing structures all open to the public to encourage community engagement and physical activity where we also learned more about the importance of “play” at all ages in order to keep people happy and healthy (something they really promote in Denmark, is it a surprise they’re internationally ranked in the World Happiness Report?!).
By the time we had started to wrap up, the previously blue skies had begun to be overshadowed by threatening rainclouds, which was perfect timing since we had a lunch reservation at the Silo, a former grain silo that had been converted into apartments along with a rooftop bar and restaurant that wasn’t too far away. On our way, we got a little sidetracked to stop at a recycling area at the bottom of one of the buildings because of its unique look. Rather than just having different bins for everything to be separated, the circular area had dozens of different tubes of materials in different categories (ex - textiles, metal, paper, etc) - which almost in itself created a mosaic of colors!
Along the way, we saw some more of the development from street level, as well as a preliminary plan to drain a lagoon and build a new artificial island for residences before allowing the water back in. By the time we reached the Silo, the rain picked up once again, but this time we were able to watch it roll by from atop the building, which offered amazing views of Nordhavnen and the Øresund strait through panoramic glass windows. Since it was the middle of the day on a Monday, it was relatively quiet, with mostly just some recent graduates and their families there for lunch (identifiable by their Danish graduation caps, which lightly resembled a sailor’s cap). For lunch, we were treated to two different types of smørrebrød - Danish open-face sandwiches, one of which was topped with mini potatoes, avocado, and crispy onions, while the other had soft-boiled eggs, asparagus, and dill - and afterward, we had some coffee and light desserts.
Around 2:30 pm, by the time we were done lunch, the rain had also stopped so we were ready to bike back to the DIS classroom and wrap up our tour and activities for the day. On our ride back, we passed through Fælledparken - a large public park that hosts numerous facilities such as playgrounds, soccer fields, and a traffic garden (more on that later!) - as well as past the three large rectangular lakes that we had found on our first day in Copenhagen near the meatpacking district. Once we had returned to the DIS building, we wrapped up our tour and seeing how it was relatively early (around 3:30 pm) with no other scheduled activities, one of my classmates and I decided to return back to the rectangular lakes since they were close by to learn more about them.
Returning to the Lakes
Back at the lakes, we parked our bikes and walked around for a bit, finding a few more signs and maps for the upcoming Tour de France Grand Depart, as well as learning the lakes were known as Søerne, three rectangular lakes west of the city center, which is largely popular for outdoor recreation. With no other pressing plans for the rest of the day, we wandered around Sortedams Sø, one of the northern lakes, where there were a few swans leisurely swimming around (the national bird of Denmark!)
After checking out a few shops we went our separate ways for a bit, with plans to meet up later in the evening to go to the old part of the city before our group dinner later that night. Heading back towards Strøget and Rådhuspladsen to do some souvenir shopping, I picked up a few things before heading back towards the hotel to drop off my new purchases and was surrounded by even more Tour de France decor. With yellow, white, and green banners strung across the pedestrian streets and roads painted yellow, it was as if you were following your own yellow brick road from point to point across the city.
Downtown & Dinnertime
A little later, my classmate and I met up again to head back towards the old part of the city, riding from Vesterbro to Slotsholmen to walk around Chrsitiansborg Palace and the Royal Library’s Gardens once again where a recent art installation had been installed. A bit later, we heard from the rest of the group that they were meeting up at Warpigs Brewpub, a BBQ spot in the meat-packing district, which when we got there, was packed!
After dinner, since we had another busy day the next day, we headed back to the hotel, with a few of us staying up a little later to work on our blog assignments for the program, but ultimately calling it an early night.
Comments