Copenhagen Days

I launched into a cloudy sky to break into sunlight for the first time not more than 15 minutes after leaving the runway. This was the last time I saw the sun for the next 4 days spent in Copenhagen. They call it the off season for a reason, and its clear (actually, mostly cloudy) why.

Copenhagen is an interesting modern city, embellished with remnants of a long history of many religions and many kings. Its was an influential port city for many empires. There is the obvious Nordic and Germanic influences, but there is old English influence, as well as many Christian empires leaving unmistakable landmarks while trying pushing to grasp hold. Not least of influences is the last Dutch empire under Christian (the King, not the religion).

The city reflects this is many ways. As you walk the modern streets of the upper east side, you pass many high end boutique storefront slinging modern dutch design in rather customary English tableware. All of this before stumbling across the first of many royal abodes. This one in particular is Amelienborg, the quarters for the current royal family, doings its best English style adorned with roman revival columns and statues. A little further down is the retired home of Christian himself. It is now an opulent museum of his treasures while the most prolific king under the Imperialistic Dutch kingdom.

If you wander inland, towards the center of this strange peninsula/island, you will find Copenhagen's central park, or parks. It consists of 3 large tracks of land that have been heavily landscaped and curated with the regional flowers specific to the northern coasts. But this isn't the handy work of Christian, or the Amelie royalty. This is the work of the Rosen family. That's right. A city that occupies an island two thirds the size of Manhattan has effectively 3 castles. Three illustrious families have called Copenhagen home since its founding as an important seaport in the medieval era. The first to come here were the Christians, though - well, after the Celts, Nords, and Germanic tribes called it home.

Rosenborg castle is a beautiful castle overlooking the center of the city. It has palatial gardens surrounding it on all sides. A jaunt north will bring you to the botanical garden, which I assume is beautiful if its not at the end of February.

The lower quarter of the city is where you find the oldest churches and street ways that put Boston's civil engineering to shame (it's even worse street layout, I swear). In some way's it a bustling shopping center that abuts the red light district. On the other hand, it is a trendy boutique area full of international college students.

Studded through the rest of the city is many large public building oozing with renaissance and renaissance revival architecture. There is a sight on every other corner.

The last oddity are the old sea fortifications that are still military buildings. Here you find isolated parks, one off windmills, and statues of the little mermaid just chilling out a stones throw away.

To say the least, the city is eclectic. It has monolithic religious buildings and more royalty than any one city has the right to have. Bikes are more common than cars. It has a vague similarity to New York, in the way the regions mimic New York's (the east side, lower Manhattan, central park and Midtown all located appropriately). Of course, it has about abut 600 years on it.

The next place to step into was the old(er) city of Roskilde.