Journey to Verne's Copenhagen<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Copenhagen<\/p>\n
Most people associate Denmark with famous author Hans
\nChristian Andersen, or maybe the brilliant scientist Niels Bohr,
\nwho discovered the atomic theory, or probably rock band
\nMetallica's drummer Lars Ulrich, but I found Denmark between the
\npages of a Jules Verne book titled A Journey to the Center of the
\nEarth.<\/p>\n
The book, which I read over and over from the age of 15, told
\nhow Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel, the main characters
\nof the story, took their preparations here before moving to
\nisolated Iceland where their journey began.<\/p>\n
I decided I would do the same during my two-week vacation in
\nthe land of fairy tales, as some people call it, referring to the
\nfairy tales told by H.C. Andersen.<\/p>\n
My first stop was Kongens Nytorv, or the King's New Square in
\nEnglish, there was a green horsemen statue of Christian V, former
\nKing of Denmark, standing in the middle of the square facing Det
\nKongelige Teater (The Royal Theater).<\/p>\n
Almost everything looks green in Denmark, the roofs of old
\nbuildings, churches, statues and castles since most of them were
\nmade with by copper and later oxidized and turned green after
\nseveral years, giving the city an "ancient" look.<\/p>\n
Obviously the square has changed a lot from the time when
\nVerne wrote the book, as it is now surrounded by stylish shops
\nand fancy restaurants, including an Indonesian restaurant, rather
\nthan 19th century buildings.<\/p>\n
As it was a sunny day and Nyhavn (New Harbor) was just a few
\nsteps away from the square, my Danish friend took me to one of
\nthe many cafeterias along the harbor to enjoy the sunny afternoon
\nwhile sipping famous Danish beers.<\/p>\n
I saw many people carrying big plastic supermarket bags to
\ncollect used bottles, either picking up left bottles or asking
\nvisitors for theirs at the harbor. The bottles are apparently
\nworth some money in the city.<\/p>\n
Leaving Nyhavn just in time, I took a bus and crossed a bridge
\nfrom Sjaelland to Amager, two islands which form the city, I
\ncontinued my mission to visit all the places written in the book,
\nincluding a church named Vor Frelsers Kirke or Our Saviour's
\nChurch.<\/p>\n
There was nothing remarkable about the church when compared to
\nmany other churches in Copenhagen, such as the Marble Church
\n(Marmokirken), which has a grander design and historical value.
\nBut, the name of the church has been on my mind since I was a
\nteen, thanks to the book.<\/p>\n
In the book, Professor Lidenbrock took his nephew to climb the
\nspires each day just to make him get used to the abyss and
\nconquer his acrophobia. It was part of their preparation for the
\njourney to the center of the earth.<\/p>\n
After buying an entry ticket for 20 crowns, I began to ascend
\nthe staircase that lead to the top of the tower which is adorned
\nwith a gold-gilded globe and flag-bearing Christ figure. The
\nstaircase consists of 400 steps, about half of which are situated
\ninside the tower with the rest on the external part of the tower.<\/p>\n
Cold freezing wind snapped at my face and my fingers went numb
\nwhen I reached the external part of the staircase of the 90-meter
\nhigh spiral tower. I continued climbing to reach the top of the
\ntower, while enjoying the breathtaking view around me.<\/p>\n
The whole city lied beneath me. The houses below looked like
\ndoll houses and the scenery looked like the one we often see in
\nthe paintings of the renaissance era. In the distance, I could
\nglimpse the coast of Sweden looking gray under the afternoon sun.<\/p>\n
Descending was much easier than ascending, obviously. But, we
\nhad to rush to take pictures of the old stock exchange building
\nbefore the sunset. The building has a weird-looking spire
\ncomposed of twisted tails of four bronze dragons.<\/p>\n
We hopped on a bus again and headed for Tivoli, the famous
\namusement park, for some afternoon fun.<\/p>\n
There is a rock concert in the park each day. After paying a
\n150-crown entrance fee, you will be able to watch the rock
\nconcert, get two free beers and a free ride in the park's famous
\nroller coaster "The Demon".<\/p>\n
I chilled out with some Danish friends while waiting for the
\nmidnight fireworks.<\/p>\n
After waiting for several hours, a Tivoli park official told
\nus that there were no fireworks on Friday, asking us to come on
\nWednesday. We rushed home at half past midnight in the freezing
\ncold night.<\/p>\n
I completed my mission to see everything described in the book
\nin one day. After that, I, just like any regular tourist, went to
\nsee the famous places and objects in Copenhagen, including the
\nLittle Mermaid statue -- or Den Lille Havfrue in Danish -- which
\nis based on another Andersen tale. The statue is located near the
\nharbor, not far from the Amalienborg Palace, where the queen
\nlives.<\/p>\n
I also noticed many footsteps scattered around the city.
\nTourism brochures say the footsteps, which total 200, were
\ncreated to mark Andersen's 200th birthday. The footsteps are
\nlocated in places where Andersen loved to visit during his
\nlifetime.<\/p>\n
Too bad that I was not in Denmark in April, when celebrations
\nof his birthday were held around the city.<\/p>\n
Only Tivoli still holds Andersen shows every week.<\/p>\n
Hundreds more beautiful churches and museums are worth
\nvisiting in the city, ranging from historical to erotic museums,
\nwhich are open for tourists daily. You can also taste the famous
\nDanish pastries for breakfast as well as munching butter cookies
\nduring your trip.<\/p>\n
Two weeks of my vacation felt like two days. When I had to say
\ngoodbye to the city, I said to myself I would be back again to
\nfinish my journey exploring the fairy tale land.<\/p>\n
How to get around<\/p>\n
It is very easy to travel around in Denmark, since there are
\nmaps of the city displayed everywhere, in bus stops and tourist
\nplaces so there is no need to be afraid of getting lost.<\/p>\n
Buses and the metro (subway) are the easiest public
\ntransportation methods in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n
If you want to buy a ticket per ride, you have to pay 17
\ncrowns for a minimum of a two-zone single ticket, but if you
\nthink you will often take the bus, metro or train, you better get
\na clip card.<\/p>\n
A two-zone 10 clip card costs 110 crowns and you can use it
\nfor every means of public transportation and you can use it for
\nfree if you have clipped it less than one hour.<\/p>\n
Want more adventure? Get a bike for by dropping a 20-crown
\ndeposit at some automatic bicycle rental station, but you cannot
\ntake the bike further than banks of water in old town area or,
\nelse, you will get fined.<\/p>",
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