At the airport I have a cigarette and then head for the Metro station. A British man in business attire, clearly on his way home, offers me a 10-ride clip ticket with 5 rides left. I get on the Metro without even clipping it in the machine! Good thing I did not bump into a ticket inspector. From Forum station, start walking to the youth hostel, Sleep In Heaven. Already it is getting quite warm, and I know it will be a hot day. Checked in, but can not go to the room until noon, so take some shorts and the stash out of the luggage and lock it in the storage area. They are playing Tom Waits in the lobby/common area; the atmosphere and décor are relaxed and I immediately like the place. The other guests are mostly half my age, but I don’t mind. I am probably acting more like a teen-ager and they more like adults, as I smoke dope on the patio while they study their maps and guide books. From the internet I knew about a bicycle rental place called Baisikeli conveniently located and with a progressive purpose! I heartily endorse their efforts. The following summary is from their website:
Henrik helps me select a bike. I tell him I am here to see Leonard Cohen, and he expresses some interest in my extra ticket. He will ask his girlfriend if she wants to go, and I give him “first right of refusal” until the next day. I practice riding in the nearby park, Ørstedparken. When I come out from the paths I am disoriented and get quite lost for half an hour. When I find my way nearly back to where I started, I recognized some landmarks and headed for the Rosenborg Castle, to see the venue where Leonard Cohen will perform in a few days. I stop by the lake and consult my map. A guy walks up to me and says: "What is the best day of your life?" to which I reply, "Today is pretty good. The best day should always be today or tomorrow." He seems satisfied with my answer and walks on. At the entrance to the Rosenborg parade grounds, I make contact with one of the local crew members setting up the venue. We talk shop about bands and the concert business, I tell him about my Neil Young addiction and my travel plans. I ride through the old town, walking the bike in the crowded pedestrian areas of Strogade and Nyhavn, and then across the bridge to Christianshavn. Look at some house boats and people swimming in the saltwater canals. Bike past the entrance to Christiania and double back – I found it! Christiania is a freehold town, founded by squatters in 1971 who took over land and facilities of an abandoned Naval base. Today it is a vibrant community of artists, rebels, hippies and nonconformists, with colorfully creative homes and art installations. The main “road” leading into the “town square” of Christiania is called Pusher Street. There is a flea market area, a children’s theatre, a few bars with large outdoor seating areas, grocery and food stores, a vegetarian restaurant, a bicycle gallery with the most extraordinarily beautiful hand painted bikes I have ever seen. I buy a beer at the bar with the most outside seating, and join a table in the shade to puff and drink and watch the crowd. A Danish dude who spends a few weeks here each summer tells me a little about the scene, how the cops raid sometimes, how the hard drugs have been mostly eliminated through ‘self-policing’ and he encourages me to wander deep into the trails to see the residences of Christiania. Treating my poor old street bike like a mountain bike, I pedal the pathways and trails through the residential area. Some of the houses are old military structures, many are nouveau hippy architecture, some are just temporary shelters. Everything is colorfully painted and decorated, the area is lush and green, strange art objects and antiquities are everywhere. Eyes full of wonder as I reach the canals and see the tree houses and houseboats and so much open space. Birds are everywhere, and the day is bright and warm. Serenity comes and I decide I have found my ‘spiritual home’ at last. I cross a footbridge and find the adjunct gypsy caravan community of Refshalevej. Essentially a road along the canal opposite Christiania, parked along it are kombis, trailers, caravans, tents, painted cardboard boxes and other temporary shelters. If I had a microbus and lived in Europe, I would camp here for as long as I possibly could. I want to go back to town and shower before the evening, but I have broken the transmission on my bike, and it is only in the 1st position forcing me to work much harder and still go slow – there is no resistance. I park it for a while at Højbro Plads and walk through the Stroget window-shopping and people watching. I climb the Round Tower to see and photograph the skyline of Copenhagen. You can see the bridge to Malmo, Sweden crossing the sea, if you look in the direction of Christiania. Halfway down the tower there is an art gallery showing modern African art, and I especially enjoy the sculptures and puppets. I buy a couple of postcards at the gift shop. I return to Baisikeli, and select a new bike, and a much better one at that. Henrik tells me it was not my fault the other one broke, but I know I pushed it hard on those trails, and don’t know how to shift properly either. Anyway, I am back in action. A working bicycle is essential here. It is mostly flat terrain, every major road has wide bike lanes, all of the motorists are bike-aware, and there are even separate traffic signals for cyclists. I get an email from a guy named Andy on my Blackberry. He saw my craigslist ad and wants my extra ticket for Leonard. I tell him he’s next in line if the guy from the bike shop turns it down, and I will get back to him tomorrow. Tonight I am supposed to meet Jonesy, a member of the Leonard Cohen forum from whom I have arranged to buy an extra ticket for the “Golden Circle.” She is coming from Athens to see LC for the first time. Back at the hostel I shower, put on warmer clothes for the evening and bike back to town. I just can’t get enough of Christiania, so I head back there to pass the time until she calls. I meet Jonesy late in the evening on the steps of the city hall, Københavns Rådhus. We stroll through the Latin Quarter searching for dinner, but end up back on the Strogade at the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen, Det lille Apotek (the little pharmacy). They are trying to close, so we order quickly. Jonesy is vegetarian and has something like a quiche. I want protein, and the house specialty is Stone Beef. I order it not realizing it is served as a raw lump of steak on a hot stone plate. You cut it and flip it and cook it at the table. Poor Jonesy held her tongue as she watched this barbaric display of protein consumption. I notice she does not finish her meal. I do. I buy the ticket from her and pay for dinner. Over beers we exchange some life stories and become friends. I walk her back through the red light district to her somewhat seedy hotel near the train station. She plans to do her sight-seeing tomorrow, and we will meet again before the concert on Saturday. |
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