Jam and Jim came up with me to Copenhagen for the weekend to get me settled...well and of course to do some sightseeing. Felt like I was in undergrad again!
We did a city bus tour and it was freezing!! I started wonder how I was going to survive the winter in Copenhagen and how I was going to bike to school in this weather. We learned all about King Christian IV who moved Copenhagen from a fishing village to a vibrant city marked on the map.
The city of Copenhagen is divided into several municipalities. The central and largest is Copenhagen municipality, the second largest is Frederiksberg municipality which is an enclave inside Copenhagen municipality - I live in Frederiksberg and that is where Copenhagen business school is located. Photos will come shortly.
My first impressions of the city are very good - Copenhagen is a very small city and has a population of 1.7 million. The city is very beautiful with lots of very historic structures and Nordic culture. The people are very friendly and speak amazing English - most don't even hesitate when you address them in English. They start to learn English in the second grade, have English channels on the TV and even show movies in the original language!
However, right now the city is gray and cold. It rains almost every day here, but a light gentle (COLD) rain. The days are bleak and short. Sunshine is a rarity. Must soak it up as much as possible when it shows itself. Oh yes, and it's VERY expensive here. Besides the dollar continually falling, food and drink is uber expensive - for example for a bunch of bananas it was 20DKK (danish krone) which is about 4 USD!!
On another note: You'll be happy to know that Starbucks hasn't taken over Copenhagen, I think there is only one and that is in the airport!!
Last fun fact: The Nordic region pays the world's highest taxes - Denmark following Sweden for the highest amount. The top-taxed Dane pays 68% of their hard-earned crowns (basic tax rate begins at 42%). Meanwhile, surveys show that Danes are the happiest people in the world and that Copenhagen is among the world's best cities to live in.
Photos:
1 - My roomate Isabell with her boyfriend Matthias and Jim at our first night's dinner - yummy Mexican food
2 - View of the harbor
3 - Jam and I in front of the Amalienborg Palace (home of the Danish royal family)
4 - The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen harbor
5 - Nyhavn's colorful buildings like the waterfront - would be great in the summertime
6 - Rodin's Thinker statue near the Tivoli Gardens
No comments:
Post a Comment