I Want to Ride my Bicycle

…and by my bicycle, I mean my dad’s 20 year old Bianchi bike. But this will have to do. 

The City Bike Program in Copenhagen is pretty famous. It is also really simple. First, you find a bike rack with the city bikes attached to it, which  fairly is easy because the bikes have solid wheels and a map attached to the handlebars. To unlock the bike, you insert a 20 Kroner piece into the handlebars, and the bike is unlocked. You get the 20 kroner piece back when you return the bike. I very much like this system.

The one drawback to the free bike is that it is the cheapest bike imaginable; I was the slowest person on the road. Also, it did not have much in the way of shock absorbers so I would not recommend riding it over cobblestones. But I didn’t mind. A free bike ride is a free bike ride.

The bikes are limited to the city center so the city can keep track of them but there is still a lot to see in that area. And the old defensive fortress, Kastellet,  is still within the limits. Even though they allow tourists inside, it is still an active military base! I know this because of the signs, and because I watched a six foot tall Danish soldier walk determinedly around the ramparts and yell at people to not bike on the footpaths and to stop picnicking on the grass. 

A View from the Ramparts of Kastellet. My camera doesn't really do it justice. I especially like the contrast between the church spires and the industrial buildings in the background. 

Looking up at the fortress from outside it. There is a path that goes all the way along the top. They really don't like cyclists up there. 

The buildings inside are pretty nice too. I don't know what style they are - I'll go find it out, for those who are interested. Note the cobblestones. 

I also went to go and see the Little Mermaid Statue. Or rather, the television screen that shows her at the Shanghai  Expo. 

And that was my short day of sightseeing. I hope to travel around the other neighborhoods in Copenhagen to see and experience things that are not specifically touristy. This weekend I am going to Western Denmark on a school trip, so I will write about that later!