Putting a Denmark on the map

Next stop from Berlin was the rich port city of Copenhagen in Denmark. I originally hadn't planned to visit Copenhagen, however a friend I dived with had just moved there and offered to put me up!

After an eight hour bus/ferry ride across from Berlin I arrived.

Copenhagen is notoriously ridiculously expensive - and it held up to that reputation. Average prices for anything was higher than we'd pay back in Australia - crazy! The reasons for this is purely taxes; the country has a great education and health care system. University is free for citizens of the EU.

Like England and other European countries, Denmark has a monarchy. I visited the square in which the heads of state live and saw a changing of the guard much like those performed in London.

Copenhagen has quite a number of free museums, one of which I visited on a rainy afternoon was the National Gallery of Denmark, featuring both contemporary and classic art from the past and today. 

I also visited the Nikolaj contemporary art centre in an old church. The exhibition was totally shit with only two pieces, but I got to climb the church tower and get a view of the city at least.

The most bizarre thing about Copenhagen is Christiania. Situated minutes walk from the main square, Christiania has its own laws and government. It's more or less a giant hippy commune inside the city, with the thousand-odd inhabitants suited to an alternative lifestyle. The law's are so different in fact that one street is known as the 'Green Light District' where the open sale of weed is permitted.