Sleepless in Copenhagen

Original Post circa August 2004

SLEEPLESS IN COPENHAGEN


Copenhagen is sizzling these days - as is the rest of Scandinavia. Apparently, Delhi was cooler than CPH, Stockholm and Oslo yesterday. With temperatures around 32 and no airconditioning, it had been a series of sleepless nights till yesterday when I finally decided to shift from the hotel that I've always stayed in - the charming period hotel - Kong Arthur to the more modern and hence, more expensive SAS Radisson.

Copenhagen, anyways is not a city for the light-walleted. Its expensive and how! You pay for everything. In the public loo at the Railway station, theres a sign which says: Washing of hands is free. To wash anything else, please pay Kr 5 to the attendant!! A packet of Marlboro's costs Kr 30 (approx Rs. 225) and a 500 ml bottle of Coke (the beverage and not the sniff - which also is freely available in the area called Christianshavn) is Kr 20 (Rs. 150).

Founded in 1167 by Bishop Absalon, Copenhagen, is currently undergoing an exciting rebirth with new buildings going up all around the town and new quarters burgeoning everywhere. It is quite amazing to see the transformation from old ornate designs to the new minimalistic Danish design.

CPH has much to offer in way of unique experiences, having developed down the centuries from a little Baltic trading centre to a major Nordic focal point and the largest Scandinavian metropolis. Take a stroll around CPH and you will not fail to witness the ever changing street scene in a scenario where renaissance castles and medieval houses stand besides modernistic architecture. Culture has always been a key element in CPH - the fairy tale author - Hans Christian Andersen, the existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and the composer Carl Nielsen, all lived and worked here. And culture still plays a dominant role in the Danish capital today with a wide range of art, design and music available on the tap.

Last night, I caught up with an amazing performance of Romeo and Juliet (first live performance of a Shakespearean drama that I've ever seen) at the open air theater at Rosenborg Slot-Garden. It was wonderful to see the original Romeo and Juliet - freed from the cliches of the West Side Story and the later film starring Leonardo de Caprio. Verona was brought to stage in all its classical glory along with Latin passion and the Baroque decadence.

But along with this, you also cannot escape the fact that CPH is a modern European capital and while it may lack the buzz of contemporary metopolises like London, New York, Berlin, etc, lets face it - Copenhagen works. Its public transport system, its downtown pedestrian precincts, lack of major traffic problems and an extremely low crime rate makes this city extremely stress free. Its a nice package with an abundance of history, castles, museums and sights - all easily accesible. One also gets the feeling that Copenahgen is sitting on the threshold of metamorphosis and is a general reflection of Denmarks's inexorable progress towards becoming a truly multi-ethnic society.

NIGHTLIFE:Pretty staid with a few pubs and clubs but most of them feature fringe bands playing live on weekends.

DINING OUT: My Danish friends have taken me out for dinner to Itallian, Greek, Lebanese, Chinese, Indian, French, Tex-Mex and even Irish but have never taken me to a Danish Restaurant. Methinks that the Danish cuisine is limited to the famed pastries but I could be wrong.

DANISH PEOPLE: Boring. Thats how the Danes are in one word - either they don't have a sense of humour or I don't understand theirs. This makes life very difficult for somebody like me who relies so heavily on his humor to get around in life. Danish women are pretty in an Anglo saxon mould BUT... more about the Danish wimmen elsewhere!!!!