We endured 22 hours of train rides (eleven there and eleven back) to get to Copenhagen, Denmark from Amsterdam. Continue reading to see if it the train ride was worth it...

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, was our first and only foray in Scandanavia on the Trip. Copenhagen is expensive! It's a real working town, but also touristic, like so many other European cities. The central area is quite managable to walk around in, but the Danes like their bikes as much as the Dutch. We spent three nights here in a private home we found in our guide book (Rick Steves); our host, a Danish gentleman, provided a glimpse into everyday life in Copenhagen.

Hans Christian Anderson, the 19th century writer, is Copenhagen's pride and joy. 2005 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth, and he was everywhere. One of his creations, the Little Mermaid, is a big draw at the banks of the harbour.

We explored the neighborhood of Christiana, which, since 1971, has been a "Free City" founded by hippies. It is a former military base that the was taken over by about 700 original inhabitants. Today it is an interesting place, reminicent of Eugene, Oregon, and Ithaca and Woodstock, New York, with graffittied shops selling hemp clothes, incense, bongs, vegetarian felafal pitas etc. and info on freeing Tibet. The area is camera free, so we couldn't take any photos of all the folks hanging around, drinking beer and watching out for the Man. We felt really really mainstream. Really.

We visited a really cool castle, Rosenborg, originally built by King Christian IV in the late 1600's. (Most Danish kings are named either Christian or Frederik). The castle has many original rooms filled with items fit for a king, all gold and jewel encrusted. The Danish Crown Jewels are also held in a vault in the basement of the castle.

We took a canal boat tour around the city. The tour leaves from Nyhavn (means new harbor, even though it's quite old), and goes around the harbor and along the many canals. On the tour, we passed the apartment building we stayed in. We also passed the Queen's residence, Amelienborn.

In front of City Hall are these creatures, which we thought looked cool. The city has a free bike program where for a 20 Kroner deposit, one can ride a bike around town. We saw this one on a side street, but someone had taken the seat off - tsk, against the rules.

A famous aspect of Scandanavia, and especially Denmark, is design, both of architecture, and objects. Here we see the blending of old and new buildings. Here is a unique church steeple, with the steps up to the top on the outside.

All in all, Copenhagen was a wonderful place.