Copenhagen is the city of libraries

A lot of people are aware that Copenhagen is a city of happiness but besides this is a city of libraries, bookshops, and people reading everywhere.

My first trip to Copenhagen was about 5-6 years ago cold January during my Birthday. My second journey was this warm September 2023 with receiving afterward COVID positive as a bonus for my two-day expedition.

This time again I had an exchange holiday as I had before in Rotterdam. Again I booked an apartment on Airbnb and I did not know that the owner lived there and from time to time he proposed his apartment for renting on Airbnb. Unfortunately, this time I was not lucky. The apartment was dirty, there was a huge quantity of alcohol, the strange smell of herring, BUT besides.... there were a lot of different books - horror, thrillers, self-care and motivational, business and psychological. My mind was screaming and not understanding how it's possible to combine. I was watching and examining book after book, imagining who the owner could be.... I am curious, of course, I found him on LinkedIN and my stereotypes were destroyed.

This time my journey was more conscious and calm, I contemplated the beauty of the city, observed dwellers, and behaved like a native and not like a tourist.

LIBRARIES AND READING

The first thing that I noticed was the quantity of bookshops and people reading everywhere. Fascinating!!! They were laying on the grass and reading, benching and reading, drinking coffee in a small coffee bar and reading and they did it like a date with their book, but not with another person. Inspiring!!!

There are 20 libraries in Copenhagen, a main and 19 branch libraries. And these libraries are open almost every day and everyone can enter just to goggle, drink coffee and eat some pie, read or write, or borrow a book for some time and read at home....

"KKB (Copenhagen Libraries) has 194,440 active users, it is the largest municipal library system in Denmark. In 2018 the circulation was 2,567,855 from a collection of 971,059 items". Data according to Lyngsoe Systems – Solutions for Libraries

The Royal Library, the National Library of Denmark, and the Copenhagen University Library are the fantastic spaces where modern architecture full of black marble and glass known as the Black Diamond and built in 1999 meets the old ones made out of brick and built in 1906.

The Black Diamond besides being a library, houses also a 600-seat auditorium, the Queen's Hall, used for concerts, conferences, literary events, and theatrical performances.

HUMAN LIBRARY

This is my revelation in Copenhagen. Human Library is the same as a conventional library but only with one difference - people read there not books, but stories with people. There could be a person with such stories / covers as depression, panic attacks, bipolar disorder, transgender, alcoholic, drug addicted, single mother, fired person, etc. So you come to this library and choose a story you would like to listen to, and this story is told by a particular person because this is his/her personal story. Now human libraries are in a lot of big cities in the world and you also can become a story, a next book that other people will read, or you can be just a visitor, a reader.

SMøRREBRøD

"Smørrebrød (originally smør og brød, "butter and bread"), is a traditional open-faced sandwich in the cuisines of Denmark, Norway and Sweden that usually consists of a piece of buttered rye bread, topped with commercial or homemade cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and garnishes". Definition according to Smørrebrød - Wikipedia

I recommend eating Smørrebrød in Torvehallerne (Nørreport Station), this is a traditional Danish food market which offers more than 80 shops where you can find food manufacturers and small famous cafes and restaurants and eat directly on this market or take away, also you can buy there flowers, vegetables and fruits.

CASTLES & PALACES

The old city center of tiny Copenhagen is full of beautiful castles, palaces, and parks. The most beautiful are Rosenborg Castle, Christiansborg Palace and Amalienborg. My favorite is Rosenborg because it is surrounded by a big and very clean park and small lake and you can find a calm and quiet place for yourself and read, write, listen, observe, contemplate, meditate, etc. and just be there for a long time and energize yourself.

NYHAVN

"Nyhavn is a 17th-century waterfront, canal, and entertainment district in Copenhagen. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbor front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th-century townhouses and bars, cafes, and restaurants. The canal harbors many historical wooden ships". The definition according to Nyhavn - Wikipedia

I think that this is the most famous, popular and visited place in Copenhagen and if you don't like crowds and would like to feel the real energy of this place you need to go there early in the morning while the majority of tourists still sleep or have their breakfasts.

You can also take a canal tour and gaze the beauty of this city from water.

NATIONAL OPERA

The Copenhagen Opera House (Opera House of Denmark) is the most modern opera in the world. And also is the most expensive 2.5 billion DKK (c. 370,000,000 USD).

It is already finished and was officially opened but there are still the construction work nearby, there are no people besides workers, and it looks like a huge ghost of glass and metal.

CHRISTIANIA

Freetown Christiania is an international community situated in Christianshavn in Copenhagen known as a free society living by their own rules and way of life. There is a Pusher Street there that is famous for its open trade of cannabis, despite of that fact that cannabis is illegal in Denmark.

My first time in Copenhagen I did not go to Christiania, but this time I decided to go and I do not like it. For me this place is very controversial and unpleasant, I did not feel comfortable there, I did not feel the energy of freedom there instead I felt the ugly smell of cannabis everywhere, I did not find creativity there but instead primitive and limited art, and even more I did not meet there happy and free people instead I met very strange personalities sometimes making me feel afraid and not safe.

I understood that I perceive freedom differently and profoundly, and the hippie lifestyle is not for me. To smoke cannabis all day round and feel that you are a free person letting go of all materialistic attachments is not real freedom, this a manipulation, this is an illusion doubled in illusion.

When we came to Chirstiania there were two groups of tourists with their guides. If not them, I would not have gone to that place as from the very beginning I felt there not appropriate energy for me. Everything there was very primitive and simple, disconnected from the outer world, society, and ego attachments, but extremely connected to cannabis, and not only. Frankly speaking, I am sure that a person could buy there much more than cannabis. When we came closer to Pusher Street, I began to feel even more uncomfortable, like I was watching a movie about very poor regions of South Africa full of drugs and weapons, but it was a reality show and not a movie. We decided not to go through that stress and go out with the other group. Honestly, this is a tourist destination mentioned in all Copenhagen guides, but for me, it was a bad idea. The positive side, I saw a very different Copenhagen not being blind and living in the illusion.

THE HAPPY PEOPLE

Due to my observation danish people are happy because of these factors:

• Art of hygge. You can read about this phenomenon in Meik Wiking's book "The little book of HYGGE".

• Danish people live a very simple life and are thankful for everything they have.

• Danish people leave for themselves and not for social media making other people jealous and not to boast them and their lives.

Among other attractions, you can find The Round Tower, Glyptoteket, Kastellet, The Marble Church, Church of our Saviour, fashion street Strøget, Tivoli Gardens, and even much more. The best way is to walk and contemplate everything getting closer to natives and the city.

October 10, 2023.