Free Time in Copenhagen – Colorful Christiania

Ylva gave us several tips. Look for the spiral tower of Our Savior's Church. Keep going into the heart of the community. Several blocks of "normal" looking cafes and commercial buildings hid the real Christiania – home to idealists, hippies, potheads, non-materialists and "free-to-be" people of all ages. We walked through the main gate into a colorful scene. Pot grew in garden beds, a jazz band entertained the tourists, and symbols of Christianians' alternative lifestyle prevailed. The cart bicycles are a local industry, designed to carry people and goods. Green Hall serves as a warehouse for recycling and building materials for the community's owner-built homes.

A Peaceful Retreat

We took a break between Christiania and Tivoli. We used our guidebook to pick a tasty smørrebrød lunch at the recommended Kronborg Dansk Restaurant.

After lunch, we entered the nearby Cathedral of Our Lady. Symbols of Catholicism were removed as a result of the Reformation, and the cathedral became a Lutheran Church in 1536. After many years of destruction by fire, the Protestant Reformation, and wreckage by foreign invaders, the cathedral was rebuilt in the early nineteenth century in the Neoclassical style of the day.

Reinvigorated, we headed for Tivoli.

Playful Tivoli – Denmark's "Magic Kingdom"

We entered with the afternoon crowd. Multiple bands were assembled – providing an entertaining concert, followed by a marching parade. We had fun people watching and exploring the sights, as we strolled the garden. We decided not to stay for the evening fun – our 10-mile day was beginning to slow us down!

Tomorrow – another bus ride!

Day 6 – Roskilde