Copenhagen, we hardly knew ye

Monday in Copenhagen.  I was blissfully sunburned, sore and blistered.

Awoke early, had our musli yogurt and juice, and headed out in search of a couple of Bikes and a Mike to show us his town.We walked the mile and half to the main train station where the bicycle rental was, got our two big red cruisers, and met Mike at the appointed spot.

Biking with Mike was not for the new rider, the out-of-shape, or the faint of heart.  Our list of instructions bfore we began included "the time for talk is when we stop.  When we ride, we ride and let the City do the talking."  And so we began, hopping on and peddling madly through the streets, bouncing over cobblestones, weaving in and out of traffic, amongst other bikes, cars, pedestrians,dogs.  Mike occasionally glanced back to make sure we no more than a few traffic signals behind, but mostly we were on our own.

Things Mike taught us:

1. Copenhagen proper population is 1.7 million
2. It has the oldest Monarchy in Europe, and the youngest democracy.
3. tax rates of 50%, plus VAT, but no one pays for health, secondary education, and all have a full pension regardless of level of work
4. minimum wage is 105 kroner per hour, $21.00, and most make more than that.
5. 40% commute regularly by bicycle, except for the bad months January - March.  The goal to increase it to 50% in 4 years.
6. religion had very little presence during his childhood, but now is growing: Copenhagen is 20% immigrant, mostly religious muslim, and the younger 20-something generation is turning to new-agey religions.

We learned oh so much more, but I'm trying to keep you all interested, so I'll stop now.

We rode through oldest Copenhagen, and newest.  We rode through the most beautiful cemetary I've ever seen.  We wound our way through the streets filled with immigrants.  We dodged women and men pushing baby buggies.  We saw statues and forts and mermaids and canals and brand new sparkling buildings and houses sinking and shifting after 400 years of habitation.  wait, just a few more facts for you... don't abandon me!

7.  Copenhagen is now 20% immigrants, mostly from Pakistan and Turkey.  and not cosmopolitan areas, but tiny villages. the gap of knowledge and livings standards is immense.
8.  The Danish enjoy seven weeks of paid vacation per year. That is unheard of in our country, unless you happen to be a Eugene Firefighter in his/her last year before retirement. :)
9.  89% of women have full-time, full-fledged careers.  I think it's abou the same percentage for men.

After our ride, we bid a fond farewell to our new friend Mike.  We were able to have philosophical debates with him on the many stops during our ride.  He pointed us to a little outside cafe in his neighborhood called the Bastionnen + Loven for some localfood.  We had what the waiter recommended, fish cakes with cod and salmon.  He said "you can have the beef anywhere.While in Denmark, you must have the fish."  Again, yummy.

We pedeled our bikes through Christianhavn, to climb another tower. This was in a church, and the last of the
way up was on a spiral staircase circling the outside of the spire.  It was wonderful, the views almost better that the Round Tower.

We negotiated the route back to our bicycle rental, dropped of our cruisers, and walked through Tivoli to a brewpub I'd heard of.  It was called, um..."Brewpub."  We partook of the finest brew in all of Copenhagen, the Armstrong IPA.  For those who know me, more needs to be said.

We spent an hour or so wandering back to the Adina, turning onto any street that looked interesting. What a beautiful city.  We stopped a little market called Irma's grocery, and pondered over inexplicable items that appeared to be food.  We purchased a sausage and a panna cotta to eat with the rest of our cheese and bread.

So many things about Copenhagen I didn't tell you: like the fact the little mermaid will be removed from her perch for the first time ever and sent to China for a year, replaced by a chinese artist's interpretation.  And the City is filled with runners, almost as many as Eugene.  And the Danish fascination with Harley Davidsons - really, Danes?  Harleys?? and the windmills in the water, so elegant yet  imposing and out of place and providing 20% of Danish power...

Goodbye Copenhagen - we'll miss your cobblestoned, narrow boulevards, your clean streets, your funny language, the way you ALWAYS obey your traffic signals but never obey your speed limits.  You are beautiful.