Danmark
Copenhagen is Scandinavia after being hit with 10,000 volts of Danish attitude. The endless graffiti, easy rider bikes, Vikings, hip-hop clothes, squatting psychedelic villages, and little mermaids all crash together in a chaotic cultural pile-up that you just can’t help but watch. We were lucky enough to be hosted by Bjorn and his girlfriend Nana during our stay.
Bjorn is a wall of a man with more tenacity in his pinky toe than I could hope to muster up in my whole life. Apart from being a common judge, an active member of a leftist political party, nearly a black belt in Aikido, a social worker, a carpenter, and a father to two beautiful children, he also enjoys building Viking ships using traditional methods, crafting traditional Viking war clothes and weapons, and sailing around the world doing Viking warship reenactments with his troop of fellow Vikings. He has also been known to pack only what actual Vikings would have had for survival gear and set of into the tundra for weeks at a time. Talking to him definitely broadened my definition for the word ‘badass.’
‘Badass’ would be a good word to describe Copenhagen as well. Besides being home to outcasts like H.C. Anderson, the author of “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Little Mermaid,” Copenhagen hosts a rambunctious populace that isn’t afraid to stand up to the Man. The vigor seems to be the same whether it’s the youth fighting for the rights to the Ungdomshuset, or their middle-aged counterparts refusing to give up Christiania. On the way to the site of the recently demolished Ungdomshuset we noticed every other store window was destroyed by the anniversary riot just two nights previous. The nearby McDonalds (the poster child for everything the Danish youth loath) fared the worst.
At the other end of the spectrum is the less violent squatter village of Christiania. We walked around the ex-military base eyeing the hippie propaganda before sitting down to a hearty vegan meal. One thing that stands out amongst the usual cries for universal peace, freedom, and tolerance is the notion that these people don’t just talk the talk. They’ve ceased a part of this capital city and use it as a beacon to spread their message.
Fond memories of Denmark include playing Playstation with the two little miniature Bjorns – Sigga and Kelle, trying on homemade Viking chain maille, finding an Indian buffet and tearing it to pieces, reading about the sex lives of historical figures at the Museum of Erotica, discovering tons of progressive art, and of course hanging out with Bjorn and Nana who couldnt have been more accomodating as hosts.
Our flight out of Copenhagen took us towards a whole other world – Roma.
Tags: Travel
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