Christiania, a Cathedral, and Roller Coasters

Thursday, July 19:

                Thursday in Copenhagen was probably one of the busiest days we have had on the trip so far. After our initial plans for the morning unfortunately had to be cancelled, we decided to take a three-hour walking tour of the city. It felt good to walk around, knowing we were being sustainable and preventing excess carbon emissions from being produced. The tour guide was an Irish man that was very witty and funny. I learned so much about Denmark from him and reveled in the many sights. For example, according to reviews, Copenhagen hosts the “best restaurant in the world”. In order to eat there, a reservation must be made six months in advance. Once you get a reservation, the time and the choice of food cooked is not an option. Guests are served whatever the chef prepares and will be penciled into whatever time works for the restaurant’s schedule. All the food served is organic and derived from resources found only in Scandinavia. I am not sure if waiting that long and being uncertain is worth it, but it sure sounds interesting!
    After a good calorie burn and a pleasant walk, our group visited a secluded neighborhood in Denmark called Christiania. The district is governed by the people who reside there and specifically by their own rules and laws that they have established. These are no weapons, bulletproof vests, biker vests, violence, hard drugs, nor overall crime. It is a very remarkable setup that has been successful since the 1970s. I was inspired viewing the homes and learning more about this peculiar subculture. I am curious how this district thrives so well separately from the government. 

    The tour finished up and a few of us went to climb the Christ Our Savior cathedral nearby. It has 400 steps and has a great panoramic view of the city. While we were all huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top, it was definitely worth the view! You could see all the major industries, buildings, and even the canal area from the top.
    The last task on our list was to visit Tivoli Gardens. I personally was super excited about this. In fact, I had been voicing this enthusiasm to my friends before we even left the states! The Gardens are absolutely beautiful, particularly at night. It is like a small Six Flags, but better! There are different areas of the garden to choose from; Arabic-themed, Japanese themed, and so on. We were really grateful because there were hardly any lines! Megan, Tori, and I enjoyed a sit-down Italian meal and then immediately afterwards rode some of their best roller coasters. I made a mental note to myself to never have Italian food again before something like this, as I was very nauseated. Nevertheless, it was definitely a blast! We first got to ride the world’s oldest roller coaster built in 1907. It is still made of wood! Having different safety precautions in Denmark than Texas, I felt a little unsafe on the rides. However, I believe that was what made it even more thrilling! Once we got off, shortly thereafter it started to rain hard and we were completely soaked on the remaining rides. I do not think I will ever forget being on one of the highest rides overlooking the city being pelted by raindrops and freezing every second of it. It was quite the experience. Once we had enough fun, we exited the gardens and appreciated the splendid lights all around us on the way out.

    Although it is a theme park, I noticed sustainable acts inside. There were solar panels on the roofs of numerous rides, and the roofs were also green with plants everywhere. It is really neat how a place you would least expect to be eco-friendly could indeed possess these traits! If Six Flags could implement some things like that in America, we would be making steps in the right direction!