High Trust

This morning, Rachel, Wayne, and their son, Ben met me at the hotel as we had a casual day planned in Copenhagen. After breakfast, Mikey and William had to handle a few things for work, so the rest of us ventured out to explore the city.

Our main agenda revolved around food and biking - very Copenhagen appropriate. The original plan was to rent a bike again from the hotel, but unfortunately they were out of the lower bikes. So I headed over to nearby Rosenborg Cycle as recommended by our concierge. 

The shop provided me a brand new bike which had high handlebars, and therefore more comfortable than the hotel bike where I was hunched over. The lock was also much easier to use as it was lighter and uses a code. In order to rent the bike, I only had to pay him and leave him my phone number. No credit card on file needed or driver’s license left behind - nothing. Also, the shop closes at 3 pm and closed tomorrow as its Sunday. So I am supposed to just return the bike and leave it in front of the store with a lock around the spoke until Monday when I paid for just 24 hours. 

This would never happen in most other countries and especially not in the US. Denmark is known for being a “high trust” society and residents follow the rules and treat others with a lot of ethical integrity. Copenhagen itself is also ranked very highly from a quality of life standpoint. The education, healthcare, and services are well-rated. Indeed, Rachel and the family seem to be really enjoying their experience here and everything has been really pleasant. 

We headed to Nordhavn, or north harbor area. I remarked that the area gave me waterfront hipster vibes. Our lunch plans were to check out Hija de Sanchez, a popular taco restaurant founded by a former Noma dessert chef. The ingredients were super fresh and the tortillas made from heirloom corn from Mexico. A collage from our lunch below:



After lunch, we biked northward to an even more industrial area and tracked down another troll by Thomas Dambo. Some photos below:





It took us a little bit to find the troll sculpture, but we were confident we would eventually get there as we could see it from the road - it was definitely a “look kids, there’s Big Ben” moment:





As the Danish are known for excellent baked goods, we headed to Juno the bakery located in nearby Østerbro which means eastern bridge. We rested and enjoyed sun-berry juice and various pastries with vanilla, apple, and cardamom:



And because one bakery isn’t enough, we decided to cycle over to Leckerbaer 3 minutes away where we picked up some more goodies:



We headed back to the hotel and shared the pastries with Mikey and William for a mid-afternoon break. The pastries were all consumed very quickly and the cycling crew then headed out to check out the Danish War Museum.

It was a very impressive museum with an exhibition on Afghanistan. The displays on the second floor were also very extensive. Who knew there was even a bicycling brigade in the Danish army? But definitely not a surprise:



After the museum, we actually biked up to Hellerup which took about forty minutes and I got to check out where the family lives. On our way, we stopped by a grocery store which I love to do while traveling and passed several Joe & the Juice’s - had not realized this coffee and juice shop started in Denmark. At the house, I got to see Ruth who had spent the day with a friend. 

For dinner, we dined on drumsticks, roasted carrots, and bread rolls. We also enjoyed it by candlelight for the ambiance:



It was fun to catch up with the kids some more as they have really grown into bonafide teenagers with engaging hobbies and making new friends. Hope someday they have the same level of high trust friendships that this Copenhagen crew has!

Although it was technically early, but also dark because we are in Denmark, I decided to head back to the hotel for an early night’s rest. We have been walking more than 16,000 steps a day and with all the cycling today, I was a bit tired. However, cycling here is pretty easy as it is very flat and the bike lanes are very well-maintained and defined. I’m used to the craziness of Manhattan and negotiating with the cars and taxis on the road. The bikes are also much lighter than the heavy Citibikes. 

With an AirPod in my ear announcing google map directions over my playlist, I rode for 25 minutes into town. Here is a bike-by photo as I crossed Queen Louise bridge:



Here I am waiting at an intersection, leaning on to a bike rest for balance and where you can also rest your foot:



After returning my bike and just leaving it outside the shop, I returned to our hotel. I know Rachel was worried and suggested taking the bus back into town, but I wanted to maximize my bike rental and felt very comfortable in this high trust city!

Copenhagen

After a lovely hotel breakfast, we rented bikes from the concierge who gave us very explicit and direct instructions, like how to turn left and use our locks and lock bag. Some fun photos here starting our Copenhagen Cycling Adventure:





William, with the help of Google maps in his earpiece, navigated us to the famous Little Mermaid statue based upon the story by Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. The ride took about 10 minutes and we crossed a fortress island shaped like a star. The statue is easy to pass by as we were told and since it’s relatively small. But it was helpful that Google maps advised in William’s ear, “your destination is on the left” and so we found it quickly:





We then headed to Frederick’s Church, also known as the Marble Church which has the largest church dome in Scandinavia. It’s a Lutheran Church and was very pretty:







There were statues surrounding the church of famous Danes. Here’s William in front of the famous Danish philosopher Kierkegaard:



We then headed to Amalienborg Palace. It’s a Royal Palace and the second floor was closed, so we only saw the first floor of one of the buildings. Here’s a photo of a pretty chandelier and you can see Mikey in the mirror reflection:



I didn’t take many photos, but here’s an interesting champagne cooler:



It was around noon and we could see that the guards were changing position as crowds were forming in the plaza, so I insisted we go observe:



We left the palace and while biking we saw these colorful buildings in the new harbor that are often in pictures of Copenhagen. So we stopped to take some fun photos:







We decided to bike over to Christiana island where we headed to the famous Church of Our Savior that has a famous spire where you can actually walk on the outside. 

Here’s the church:

Here’s the steeple and the people: 

Although I suggested that we come to the church, I was banking on one of the guys not wanting to climb the entire spire, but we accidentally walked into the entrance to lead you straight to the spire. So we were all in and made it after a steep climb and negotiating the space with those descending. The views of Copenhagen were lovely:

Inside the church was absolutely beautiful and it was nice to understand different parts of the church. We had sat to watch a short animated film about the church as part of a rest stop of our spire ascent:



The organ sits on top of two elephants, symbolizing the Danish ties to India:



The short film was actually narrated by a small puffin that you can see here on the organ. Apparently it was a tribute to other Nordic countries:



Famous baptismal font commissioned by the mistress of the king per the cartoon puffin:



We then walked over to Freetown Christiana which is a commune that had a skate park, some shops, and is known for “pusher street” where you can purchase cannabis. Here’s one of the entrances:



Within the commune was one of many troll statues that exist around Denmark designed by Thomas Dambo. We will see how many trolls we find on this trip:





We are reminded this is an independent “nation” when leaving:



We biked back to the new harbor area and walked up and down the Christmas market, enjoying a cup of glög, which is actually mulled red wine:





We walked to the New Kings Plaza where we saw the famous Hotel Angleterre, and hoped to see some Christmas windows in the nearby department store, but alas, they had dropped ceilings and minimal decorations.

After taking some photos for some nice French tourists, who tried to show me how to use an iPhone. we enjoyed a lunch of fish and chips, pâté, meatballs, and all sorts of sides of potato salad, pickles, and beets. A photo collage of our glög and meal and a photo of Mikey and me at lunch:





We then cycled over to Christiansborg Palace. William did pedal a little too far in front of us as you can see him waiting across the street below:



After mistakenly entering the parliament building, we made it into the Royal Reception Rooms and enjoyed how they try to relive the many parties hosted there. For those who have planned events or supported event planners, the exhibits definitely spoke to us. Some photos while walking through the palace and rooms:







Many wonderful and brightly colored tapestries hung here:



We enjoyed the visuals of the physical dresses:



And the digital ones:







A beautiful chandelier with blue stones in a library that once hosted the Obamas:



And then a room where they host New Year’s Eve parties with ambassadors from different countries, including Korea:



We were sad to hear that the Tivoli Gardens were closed due to preparing for Christmas decorations. Tivoli was the inspiration for Disneyland and appears to be a fun amusement park. However, we decided to bike over anyway and take some pictures from the outside:







After navigating rush-hour traffic on bikes, we made it back to the hotel safely. It was a very European day of biking and exploring and William led us safely and Mikey often counted me off “1-2-3 Cynthia” to make sure he gave me enough space before he started to pedal behind me.

After some rest, and a little catch up on work, we headed to the bus that took us to Amass, a well-known restaurant where Rachel and Wayne met us. The service was lovely with a wonderful modern vibe.

Here’s a picture of the menu of our 10 course meal that was savory and sweet, and all sorts of delicious food:



And of course, the obligatory food grid:



But the best part of the meal was hanging with this crew as we animatedly talked to each other about animals, life in Denmark, and laughing throughout the night. It’s so lovely to spend time like this together:



And I end the night with this inspiration from the Christmas ad from a department store where I remarked they smile stone-faced like my family. Remember to give the gift of love and joy, as Copenhagen gave us today (stone-faced):