End of trip kitchen sink blogs - Part 1

Public transportation in Copenhagen is kind of baller, as my friend Tara would say. It all runs so well, which contributes to the overall low-keyness and pleasantness of the city.** They run several smaller trains on an automated system, so your train is always arriving in 2 minutes or less. People don't crowd around the exits like they do in DC, which made me want to hand out Hershey's kisses to fellow metro riders as a small token of my appreciation. Here's a picture of my metro station in Frederiksberg, courtesy of WikiCommons.

The buses were also very nice and usually full of students or nice old ladies in very serious looking winter coats. I have chosen to forgive the one bus driver who took me to the central train station downtown rather than the metro. It was my fault too, sir. Here is me in happier bus-taking times waiting for the #18, which I took on my way to COP15 every morning:


Copenhagen is also an incredibly bike friendly city. There are bike lanes along what seemed like every street. Tons of residents, from kids to chubby old ladies, hop on their bicycles to get where they're going. Here's a whole blog about biking in Copenhagen if you're interested in learning more- http://www.copenhagenize.com/. In addition to the crazy number of bikes and the fact that I nearly got plowed over by a few after forgetting about the bike lane thing, I was struck by the fact that the vast majority of bikes are left unlocked. Since I didn't see anyone chasing any bike riders with raised fists screaming something like "Jö shtohl mi bikken!", I will conclude that bikes are rarely stolen. Here are some bikes outside of Frederiksberg metro station.


**Have I mentioned in previous blogs that Copenhagen is so nice that it's kind of annoying? Everything is just so... so.... g*d damn pleasant in a totally vanilla way - nothing is super great, but nothing is super awful either. The people are perfectly nice. Trains run on time. Everyone speaks English, making it really easy to navigate. Danish children resembling Precious Moments dolls waddle around in snowsuits. The beer and food are good. The buildings are lovely and very old world looking, but the architecture doesn't totally blow you away. Copenhagen is that polite, even-keeled friend that makes you want to shake them and scream "doesn't anything get to you???!!!"

Tivoli Gardens

Today we had the day off and went to the most magical place on earth which, as it turns out, is not Disney World. It's Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli is an amusement park in southwest of the city where there are rides, hot chocolate, cute Danish children in snowsuits, and employees who offer you free shots of mulled cider with rum. Also there are peacocks. Just in case it wasn't wonderland-y enough.

Here are some lovely pictures of rides and general wintry splendor:

And me on a carousel. Because I'm an adult.

Diet Cokenhavn

Today was my first full day at the Bella Center, where the Climate Conference is being held. I'm not attending any of the actual agreement negotiations, but the side events have been interesting. If you're interested in what's going on in the important people rooms, the NY Times has a good summary page of discussions and the conference in general.

Here is me at the Climate Conference today:

Judging by my smile you'd never know the deep sense of disappointment and betrayal I'm feeling. Why? I'll tell you why. Diet Coke costs $5 in Copenhagen. Not five krona. Five American dollars, people. Not a normal 20 oz. bottle, but one of those crummy half liter ones. Not only at the conference center, where you'd expect crazy prices. Nay, at the 7-Eleven down the block from my apartment. I'm just hurt, you know? They knew I was coming and it's like they did it on purpose. That's cool, Denmark.

Velkommen til København

Hello five people who read this blog!

I'm finally out of the country again and my travel blog is back. Do people still blog anymore? Should I be tweeting this?

I arrived in Copenhagen this afternoon and, if not in love yet because we only just met, am definitly in deep like. Here's the view from my apartment. The building with the green top is the Carlsberg brewery. I see a tour in my future. Also the Danes invented Legos. I will find their museum and build myself an apartment with a dishwasher and a real bedroom. I'll do it, so help me!




Our apartment is very sweet. Its only major setback is that it's a five floor walk up, which I believe is the travel gods' way of telling me to not pack the entire contents of my life into suitcases. I have also never been so grateful to be a former smoker.

Before I go to bed, I leave you with perhaps the greatest artistic achievement of the century, as viewed from the streets of Frederiksberg. In the window of a harmless looking hair salon is this piece of work that would make Tim Gunn weep magical tears. Now think hard. It's in the window of a hair salon. It's made of yes and good night.