Discovery of the Week: Bryggebroen Love Locks

Like so many other discoveries, this one was stumbled upon when I least expected it.

It was my first Saturday in Copenhagen (and a rainy one too) so Dad and I decided to visit the Fiskertovet mall located close to the campus where I'm taking my Danish Language Course. As we were crossing the bridge from the Amager area of Copenhagen to the mainland, we came across a phenomenon that I had only read about!

The only place where I thought love locks existed was in the famous "City of Love" - Paris. So when I saw hundreds of locks securely attached to the wire Bryggebroen bridge it was unexpected and exciting!

For those of you who haven't heard of love locks before I will briefly explain. Couples write their initials on a padlock, attach it to the bridge, and then throw away the key into the water symbolizing their unbreakable bond. It's a very simple gesture but tells the love stories of couples from all over the world.

{rain-soaked Copenhagen love locks}

{the Bryggebroen bridge - the site of the love locks}

{ a cluster of locks}

{ a close-up of the locks}

Mystery Solved


Remember a previous post where I mentioned a "baby tree"? Well it turns out that like the love locks, I had uncovered a cultural phenomenon (and without even meaning to)! There are several trees in Copenhagen dubbed "pacifier trees". When a Scandinavian child reaches the age of 3 they make a pilgrimage to one of the city's pacifier trees. Their journey to a pacifier tree is a rite of passage that symbolizes a toddler's first conscious decision to grow up. I think this a fabulous idea and there should be pacifier trees in Canada. They double as an art piece as well as a meaningful cultural object.


In Other News

1. I have a week off between my exams for the Danish Language Course and my first day at school, so my friend Lauren and I are going to the UK! Each of us has friends living in the area who we will be meeting up with. We are starting in London where we will stay for a few days before spending time in Scotland. I have never been to the UK before and am really excited. Any suggestions about where to stay, where to eat, or what to see would be greatly appreciated!

2. I finally purchases a bike this Sunday! I bought it off of an Australian exchange student who is done her exchange. It's a little worse for wear but I still really like it. It's in the repair shop right now getting the chain replaced but I will be sure to post pictures of it soon! I rode a bike this weekend and felt like a true Dane. I really love bike riding and am so happy to have a bike of my very own!

3. I have my final exams for my Danish language course this Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday is the written portion and Thursday is the oral portion. I am really nervous for them especially the oral exam since I have never had an oral exam before!

4. In Danish I would say: "Jeg er syg". That means "I am sick" in english. Unfortunately I woke up with a bit of a cold this Sunday which I am hoping only lasts a few days at most. It is impossible to find medicine in Copenhagen! Apparently the Danes have the toughest immune systems.


On another note, I would just like to say that I really appreciate everyone's comments. It's nice to know that people actually read this!

Found Objects

This past Monday, I had a couple of free hours between my Danish Class and my excursion to the Black Diamond Royal Library. I used my free time as an opportunity to wander around the city with my camera. During my various jaunts around the city I have often stumbled upon things that I would have otherwise overlooked if I were in a hurry.


Here are some photographs of things that I discovered by wandering off the beaten path:


 Posts Adorned with Artistic Collages 

I then wandered around the side of the National Museum and discovered a park with interesting installations: 

A Contemplative Statue Guarding the National Museum Park

A Tree Where Tons of Pacifiers Were Tied to it. I Nicknamed it "The Baby Tree"

The Inside is Brought Outside (I Would Have Loved this as a Kid)

A Beautiful Blue Bird Sitting in a Tree

An Urban Playground for Copenhagen Schoolchildren

Birds in the Harbour. I Have Walked Past them Many Times, but Have Never Taken Pictures!

I am looking forward to discovering many more parts of Copenhagen. I hope to explore my neighbourhood Norrebro tomorrow!

Discovery of the Week: Christiania

Every week I will be posting about discoveries that I have made while living in Copenhagen. These discoveries can be places, thoughts, observations, or even realizations about myself and the world around me. Either way, my discoveries will be things that I think are worth sharing!

Christiania

In the 1970s, Danish squatters occupied an abandoned military base and turned it into a laissez-faire society which had its own set of laws and no tax system. Nowadays the free state of Christiania still exhibits the ideals which it demonstrated in it's meager beginning but has become a bit more conventional since its residents have been paying taxes since 1994. However, there is continual tension between Christiania and the Danish authorities who wish to disband the free state.

The creativity and free spirt of the Christianites is greatly demonstrated through the beautiful artwork my Dad and I found throughout the community.

I think the story of Christiania is best told through photographs:

A very colourful DIY house. The sticker in the door window is Christiania's symbol.

A bird in flight on it's way to the free state.

I thought this doll looked really eerie in the window.

A sticker in support of Christiania. I don't actually know what "bevar" means.

A very personalized house. The homes in Christiania really reflect the inhabitants' personalities.

Most signs are like this - very artistic!

Another Christiania sign.

Every building I saw was decorated in some way.

Danish design in the free state.

Decorated bench.

The community notice board.

A beautiful and very interesting drawing.

Velkommen.

A beautiful mural.

Close-up of the mural.

Back to the EU.

Can you tell that I loved it there? Christiania is quite possibly my favourite picture taking spot in Copenhagen thus far, I am definitely coming back in the springtime (or maybe even sooner!)

You can read more about Christiania here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

5 Things

Life in Copenhagen moves at a much faster pace than life at home.


I have been in Copenhagen for about a week now and so much has happened already!




The following are 5 things that have happened since my last post


1. All moved-in!


After a lot of frustration, locked doors and wrong turns, I finally got the key to my student residence Keops! I am now moved in and am faced with organizing 6 months worth of things into a tiny space. My room in Keops is on the first floor and is a private room with a kitchenette, tiny washroom, and even a Juliet balcony! There are 9 floors in total in Keops which are mostly occupied by the Danes (who tend to keep to themselves.) Out of the two Keops building there are about 75 rooms that are given to international students such as myself. It is a very quiet building but I am hoping that that will change this weekend! 

My lovely home for the next 6 months! (My building is the closest one to me in the picture).

2. International Night

Last night I went to my friend Lauren's (from the U.S) shared student apartment to go with her and her apartment mates to the University of Copenhagen's International Night! International Night is located in "Studenthurset" (also called the international cafe) located in downtown Copenhagen. It is the only central meeting place for International students at the University of Copenhagen. It was a lot of fun - I made some new friends and got to know "older" friends better. A lot of people from my Danish language class were there, it was so nice to see them outside the classroom. Needless to say, I definitely know where I will be every Wednesday night!

3. On my own

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, my Dad come down to Copenhagen with me to help me get settled. He left Wednesday afternoon for his flight to Canada. I really appreciated his help and will miss him. 

4. Euro Cell

I never thought I'd say this but: I am now the proud owner of a pawned cell phone! Dad and I found a cheap(ish) cell phone at a store by the hotel that we stayed in. I am pretty sure it was stolen and then pawned because it still has the previous owner's information on it! I know way too much about her life: I can see her text messages (in Danish) as well as her pictures. I also received a very entertaining reminder that she had sent herself, which made my friend Anna (from Finland) and I burst out laughing in the middle of Danish class!

5. Getting Adjusted 

I am slowly starting to adjust to my Copenhagen life. Things are way different here than they are back home. Firstly, I have never lived in a metropolitan city and am still getting used to fast pace of city life. But I find city life very exciting - there is always something to do and people to do it with!

I know this post definitely lacked pictures, but I can promise that there will be an overload of pictures very shortly!

First Impressions

Goddag Kovenhavn

I remember stepping off the plane this past Wednesday red-eyed but excited. It was about 10:30am Copenhagen time (3:30am Canadian time) and everything was so gorgeous and fairly sunny. My Dad and I took the Metro to Amagerbro Station (where I am staying at a hotel with my Dad until Tuesday). I was and still am, very impressed by the Metro, more so impressed by the design of it. It is very streamlined and clean in contrast to the TTC. Everything in Copenhagen whether it be a Metro car or an office, is designed beautifully; the Danes have such an attention to detail. I have been here for four days and am still, and will most likely be continue to be, amazed by the architecture and design of this gorgeous city. 

The Danish Lifestyle

A noteworthy feature of Danish design would be the use of large windows. Winter months in Copenhagen are very dark. So far there has only been one particularly sunny day, most of the time it's rainy or windy. The Danes definitely operate on a different schedule because of this lack of sun. From what I've noticed, they seem to work from 6am until 3 or 4pm and I think this is to make full use of the sun. By the time it's 4pm it starts to get really dark outside and I feel like I'm ready for bed. For this reason, many places (besides hospitality services) close around that time. 

Examples of Danish architecture in the center of Copenhagen

In Pursuit of the Key


One of the greatest trials that I have faced (and my Dad has faced along with me) has been getting the key for my residence Keops Kollegiet. I have been so anxious to move in because I know that, due to proximity, the people in my residence are most likely to be some of my closest friends here. The key pick-up is at the International Office whose hours are Monday - Friday 10am - 3pm and Thursdays 12 - 5pm. For an International student who has Danish lessons from 9am - 12:30pm (more on that later), it is rather difficult to pick up the keys and is almost impossible to actually find out where the pickup is! 


So far it has taken my Dad and I 3 unsuccessful tries:


Try 1: We got lost getting there (street names are Danish and confusing, and are not clearly laid out, also it is especially hard to find things when it is dark out)


Try 2: We found the building (Norregade 10) but the door was locked! We took the opportunity to take a well-deserved photo op and decided to check back the next day.

Photo op in front of Norregade 10, the supposed key-pick up location

Try 3: We found Norregade 10 in no time after our previous day's exploration. Upon opening the door we realized that we were in courtyard and did not know where to go next. 
30 minutes later: after asking a few Danes for directions (including walking into the Professors' shared office and asking one of them) and opening many doors with maze-like maps, we found the key pickup in a courtyard just as the key clerk was closing up at about 3:15pm. 


My Dad is just going to try and get my key while I am in class this Monday ( I will probably have to write a letter of permission) and if unsuccessful, we will just go together for the fourth and hopefully final time, to "Norregade 10."




Now time for some pictures!

Some very fat, or very cold pigeons in the center of Copenhagen

The entrance to Tivoli: a wonderful and magical amusement park that re-opens on April 17th - I can't wait!

My birthday twin Hans Christian Anderson and I. We share the same birthday on April 2nd but he was born about 200 years before me in 1805. He was voted the most famous Dane!

The front of the Hans Christian Anderson exhibit at Ripley's Believe it or Not

Walking in my new 'hood Norrebro also an example of the typical Copenhagen side street. 

Also on a side note, fireworks seem to be set off here for no reason. But now that I think about it, do you need a distinct reason to set off fireworks? 

Bon Voyage

2012 - The Year of Many Firsts.

• First blog post ever
• First time living in a European city (Copenhagen!)
• First time being away from Canada for 7 months

Although these new experiences are daunting they are also very exciting. As corny as this sounds, I know that the person who leaves Pearson airport this Tuesday will not be the same person to arrive at Pearson in early August. 


I have been a real homebody this Christmas break (which is pretty uncharacteristic of me) because I know that I will be away from home for a long time. 


The following are photographs of the little pieces of home that I will remember when I'm overseas:

Our eclectic Christmas tree

How Christmasy my home looks in the wintertime 

A big red Christmas bow on our banister

A very sleepy Miranda (too much turkey)

Joey and his black nose 

Only two more sleeps until Copenhagen! The next time I post I will be living in one of the

world's major cities, I cannot believe it!