Some of the Promised Miscellany!

It can be fairly difficult to get a sense of the city, any city, particularly if you are not living there. This is especially true for a city like Copenhagen, which doesn't have an iconic building or skyline to advertise itself. This is not to say that there isn't any interesting architecture in Copenhagen; on the contrary there is enough to warrant field trips every week in my Danish architecture class to different sites. But the city doesn't have a building like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben or the Opera House* to mark it immediately as Copenhagen. This might change in the future, but for the time being, many people in the United States actually don't realize that Copenhagen is in Denmark. 

Since there aren't any international landmarks, how do you describe Copenhagen? I think of it from the ground level, in materials and layout. I think in terms of brick and yellow stucco, and streets that change names when you don't expect it, in beautiful canals that prevent you from getting to the library in a timely manner, cobblestones that can trip you up if you are silly enough to wear Danskos on the day you're late for class, and the contrast between the city above and the Metro below.

How about a couple of photos to back up that poetic description?

This is the inside of my Metro Stop, Amagerbo. The Metro is incredibly new, with my line finished as recently as 2002. I like it because during rush hour, a train arrives every three minutes. 

This is the street I walk down to catch the Metro, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you the name. I have difficulty remembering street names in Copenhagen, so I look for landmarks instead. My street has two fruit stands, a bank, and a Salvation Army shop. And lots of brick. 

This is a photo from August that I haven't had the chance to post. It's a view of the canal that goes by Christianborg Slot, in the middle of Copenhagen. Copenhagen isn't famous for it's canals like Amsterdam is, but there are quite a few, and the core of the city is surrounded by bodies of water. 

The ad on this building, which faces Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square) is for Carlsberg beer, and reads "Probably the best beer in town." I wish advertising in the United States was that entertaining. 

Of course, not all of Copenhagen is old and picturesque. There's a new area of development southwest of the inner city, which is the site of the Gemini Towers. Walking through is a stark contrast to the center, which is less than 2 kilometers away. 

There really is not much of a point to this post. I just wanted to post images of Copenhagen that I haven't yet, because I realized last week that I've been here for two months already. The semester is half way over! It is very difficult to believe. I think I'm going to miss going to school in an urban environment. You see so many different things every day when you have to commute to class, rather than just stumbling to and from the dining hall. 

*This is a test for you. Which Opera House am I referring to? It isn't in Denmark, but it has a Danish connection. First person to let me know will get something random from Denmark.