Denmark: The Conclusion

By Katy Scrogin
My delay in reporting may have had you wondering if I’d wandered straight off the map—an event which did, in fact, happen on my last full day in Copenhagen. On Saturday morning, a friend and I set out for a stroll around the Nørrebro neighborhood. We were out and about too early to take advantage of the funky shops and smorgasborg of cultures that are said to populate the place, but we did see some great murals, and soon found our way to the Assistens Cemetery. It was great to walk around in the quiet greenery, and we found the graves of Søren Kierkegaard, Niels Bohr, and Hans Christian Andersen. I wanted to leave poor Søren a cookie, but such forms of tribute weren’t in vogue in this cemetery, so I kept my offering to myself. The spot seemed to be popular with walkers and bikers as well, and for good reason: the garden-like feel of the place is a nice way to escape city noise and traffic.

A mural near Assistens Cemetery

Maybe it was all of that bustle after the calm that disoriented me; when my friend and I split off after our visit, I headed towards what I thought would be Fredericksberg, what was described to me as a very posh and green neighborhood. What I was experiencing though, was something increasingly opposed to that description; when missionaries began approaching me outside of secondhand electronics stores, I decided I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. Noticing that the cross streets I was on were nowhere on the map, and now completely disoriented, I did the only thing I could think of, and headed back to the cemetery. Once there, I realized I had been on the right street—only I’d been going in the wrong direction. Too tired now, though, to trudge back towards Fredericksberg and wash up before my afternoon conference activities, I decided to go back to the hostel. On the way, I picked up a chickpea salad at ChiliMili on Rådhusplads. After a quick lunch, shower, and a micro-nap, I went back to the university for a few panels.
The evening was spent with great new people I met at the conference, hanging out at Riz-Raz until I realized I hadn’t packed yet, and that my 4:45 a.m. wake-up time the next morning was going to be pretty painful. Unwillingly leaving the group behind, I went back to the hostel, packed, and was in bed by 1:00.
Although I wasn’t up before sunrise, the morning still came too soon. Thankfully, though, it was no problem to catch the train back to the airport, and this time, I had change to buy the 36-kroner ticket from the machine. A good thing, too, as the travel office in the station was still closed.

An owl on Niels Bohr's gravestone

The airport was already a madhouse upon our arrival, and my friend and I went off to find our respective gates. When I got to my own terminal, I was so tired that I didn’t even realize I’d walked into the men’s room until I was filling my water bottle up at the sink. I thought it was strange that there were urinals against the wall, but the guy who walked into a stall and gave me a puzzled look set me straight.  As I slunk out into the hall, I looked up at the sign above the bathroom; I chalked up my gaffe to the fact that, in addition to the little male figure above the door, there was also the picture of a baby on a changing station. Unused to seeing the two symbols combined, I think my exhausted eyes added a skirt to the would-be indicator of gender.
As for the plane ride, I was again consigned to the nightmare that is a transatlantic journey in a small aircraft, specifically, I think, a Boeing 757. Part of the reason that my flight to Denmark wasn’t so bad was that it took place in an Airbus, and we all had room to move around. With only one aisle between the two rows of three seats each, though, we were all squashed in for the duration this time. Before I make another long flight, I’m checking which type of aircraft is making the journey, and not settling for anything less than a plane with at least two aisles.
Prepared for an ungodly eight-hour layover in Newark, I took my time going through customs and changing my money. The boarding pass I’d been issued in Copenhagen, though, had me on a different flight and a different route than originally planned, and so I headed over to Continental’s service desk to make sure everything was in order. All was OK—but the angel of mercy behind the counter offered to put me on a flight that took off five hours earlier, and even though it was a middle seat, I thanked her profusely and accepted her offer. With an hour to spare, I made the unbelievable purchase of a macrobiotic vegan dinner to take along, thanks to Balducci’s right near terminal C’s security checkpoint.
Stocked up and ready to fly, I got on the plane, made it home long before I’d expected to, and was in bed by 7:15. Although I got a good amount of sleep last night, I’m still discombobulated, and as soon as the laundry’s done, I’m heading back to bed, where all lingering questions about time zone and sleep schedules will hopefully be answered to my body’s satisfaction. Until then, I’m functioning as a zombie.
All in all, then, an excellent trip, with great sights and even more fantastic new friends. In general, I’ll leave you with a few bullet points. Enjoy your own travels!
-       Copenhagen is expensive. I’d budget $20-$50 more per day for this city than I would on other travels.
-       The place is easy to get around on foot: I had no problem orienting myself (save for my last day), and the locals seemed friendly and willing to help turned-around strangers.
-       The Danhostel is adequate at best. If you value quiet and some sort of order, I’d recommend getting a private room with friends. The front counter, right off the always-busy and techno-blasting lobby, is continually busy, and you’ll probably need to wait a while in line before getting questions answered. All transactions, down to vending machines and washer and dryer, are done by adding money to your room card—so if you get there before check-in and want a snack, you’ll need to go somewhere else. The main draw of the place is that it’s more affordable than other hotels in the city center—but if you want a bit of luxury, I’d go elsewhere.
-       I didn’t mind the long hours of sunshine—from before 4 a.m. to after 10 p.m.—but if the light bothers your sleep, you might not want to visit during the summer—or should at least find a room with thick curtains.
-       Make sure that you have a PIN number if you want to use a credit card.

Copenhagen from the Rundetårn