Two Brown Girls. Two Bikes. One City.

Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am long, long overdue on a blog post. In fact, I am writing this one at 11:43 PM even though I have an 8:00 AM tomorrow because I am acutely aware (and feel mildly guilty about) how behind I am on these, and it’s just going to get worse. Why? Because I plan on catching you all up in a 3 blog trifecta. First, I’ll blog about Indra’s trip to Copenhagen (the one you’re reading), then I’ll update you on my trip around Denmark, finally I’ll do a final new blog post on my trip to Berlin and Munich for Oktoberfest. Oh, and I also leave for Stockholm tomorrow. Nonetheless, welcome back.

Today’s Episode is called “Two Brown Girls, Two Bikes, One City.” I’m your host Mira Hayre, giving you the freshest updates on my exchange in Copenhagen, Denmark.

My sister randomly texted me telling me she was thinking of coming to Denmark, and two days later arrived at my doorstep in overalls and a red jacket. As I mentioned in my last blog post, simply embarrassing. But as a sister, I welcomed her in. We traded her overalls for black turtlenecks, we equipped her with a bike rental, I taught her the biking hand signals, and made sure she was ready for her journey.

The Arrival: Tuesday, September 11^th

I already gave you the low down on this day in my last blog post. So, flip back, give it a read, and flip back over if you haven’t read it yet. If you’re lazy and want the TLDR: we went to Church of our Saviour but it was closed, Christiania, ate Danish pastries, walked in Frederiksberg Park and ate butter chicken (the cheater type that comes in a can).

Wednesday, September 12^th

Wednesday’s I don’t have class. Naturally, I was ready to give Indra the full Copenhagen experience. Yes, that’s right. I took her on a Canal tour. We biked over to Nyhavn in the bright and early morning and got on the first tour. We did a Stromma tour, for those readers who are thinking about visiting Copenhagen. The morning started overcast, a little cloudy, a little cold, but nothing a Vancouverite could not handle. We sat on the outside, eager for the tour. Stromma tours are offered in multiple languages (up to 3 per tour), but ours was just Danish and English. The Canal tour took us to see many different sites, the Opera House, the Royal Palaces, and the Little Mermaid were just some of the stops we cruised by. To be honest, the Little Mermaid is a little underwhelming. It’s also pretty small. Nonetheless, it’s the Danes pride and joy. Our tour guide said the Little Mermaid was sent to Tokyo for an art exhibit at one point, and in her place the Danes literally but a TV on the rock she sits on to show what she was up to in Tokyo. However, with the time change, she said the screen was usually black. To clarify, yes we are talking about a small stone statue. It started to * r a i n * mid way through our tour. But you see, Indra and I, we are Vancouverites. Rain does not bug us. Going inside to the undercover area would be a defeat, it was for the weak only. Until about half way through the tour, where we shamefully made our way inside.

Then we biked all the way back to Flintholm to get a text book from a friend, and at this point we were tired and biked out. We were not made to bike that long, and we filled our stomachs with full on buffet plates from the Canteen and Danish pastries. So yummy.

Next Stop: Tivoli. Tivoli Amusement Park is the second oldest amusement park in the word, having opened its doors in August of 1843. It’s super picturesque and retro, not to mention the ride selection definitely trumps Playland. But while it trumps Playland in ride selection, it also almost doubles them in price. With entrance and a ride pass, you’re looking at $80 CAD. That’s not including the pricey food options and inevitable post card purchases. Yikes. We decided against getting an unlimited ride pass, and instead buying 5 ride tickets ($30 CAD). Rides are separated into three tiers – 3 ticket rides, 2 ticket rides, and 1 ticket rides. While looking at our ride map we saw a ride that used virtual reality (VR) and got super excited. It was a 2 ticket ride, but VR would definitely be worth it. It was a mountain themed ride, and naturally we walked towards the fake mountain at the amusement park and lined right up. It was a mini rollercoaster set up. Excited for our VR adventure, we piled in and were ready for the thrill. It was a pretty basic children’s rollercoaster, with some moving Polar Bears and one part that went pitch black for 10 seconds. Disappointed with the ride, and the $12 purchase, we were confused. Were the electronic polar bears with moving heads the VR? Then we saw it. There was a second mountain. At that second mountain, right beside our past ride, was the VR ride. With 3 tickets left in hand, and disappointment in our souls, we decided to use all three on a roller coaster. I hate to sound like a downer, but this was also a disappointing experience. However, the roller coaster went around it’s track three whole times and the the workers waved to you happily each time you passed them which was pretty entertaining considering it was just 3 grown adults on the ride. Take THAT Playland.

While me and Indra were exhausted after our Tivoli day, we decided why not push ourselves to the point of exhaustion and do more? We decided to go to Mikeller, a cool brewery and bar about 2 km from my place that my cousin Amit likes. Let me be clear, Amit has never tasted this beer but he found their account on Instagram by chance and really likes their packaging. That is the power of good marketing people – don’t forget it. The vibe of the place is super cute, indie and minimalistic. I had a lager and Indra had a sour. I’ll never understand hipsters and their sours but beer was pretty good (although I did have to pay more than I am willing to admit for it). A shoutout to my cousin Amit, who happened to find me good craft beer within 10 minutes of my house, by accident and from across the world. We ended the day by stopping at Netto to get Sour Cream and Onion Chips. What a power move.

Thursday, September 15th 

I had class bright and early this morning at 8:00 am. Indra decided to go for the full Copenhagen experience and buy $8 coffee at a cafe. For those of you reading at home, please never forget to cherish Tim Hortons. We met up and made our way back to Church of Our Saviour. Third time was finally the charm and we took the stairs right to the top of the spiral in my photo from my last blog. You get a beautiful view overlooking the entire city. The church inside is equally as beautiful and ornate. It blew my mind.

Then, we went to Christianborg Palace and toured the Royal Apartments. The apartments were absolutely stunning and it blew my mind that people lived like that.  Indra spent the night with our friends from UBC, Tommy and Charlie, and I stayed at home and was supposed to be studying. Instead I planned a trip to Stockholm with Curt. Whoopsies. She came home with more Sour Cream and Onion Chips. Getting an idea of the way into my heart?

The next morning, I had to leave for my Denmark Trip (cue the next blog post) and Indra and I went our separate ways.

That’s what you missed on Denmark First, Tomorrow the World. I’m your host Mira, signing out, but not for long because I’m severely behind on these blog posts.