Copenhagen summer

Copenhagen is probably one of the best capitol cities to spend a sunny summer. Part of the reason is undoubtedly the Danish weather the rest of the year: either depressingly dark and cold for 6 months, or chilly, gusty, and raining for most of the remainder. Granted, sunny weather is still a rarity, and showers are frequent, but some days are unbeatable. Last Sunday was one, and my girlfriend and I made the most of it - Copenhagen style.

Embarking from Frederiksberg, a 15 minute bike-ride took us to Vesterbro. The former market place, still bearing names such as "hay market", "meat town" and "fish market", used to be a rough neighbourhood some 30 years ago, but now hosts small, quirky coffee shops and hipster venues, as well as some great outdoor cafés. Only a stone throws from the bustling central station, Halmtorvet is a quiet, relaxed square with a handful of eateries on the old cobbled roads. We parked the bikes, ordered brunch, and I spent the next hour and a half happily eating watermelon, croissants, and scrambled egg in the cool, sunny early afternoon.

Vesterbro, due to its new trend as very alternative, is the place to go exploring. Right across from Halmtorvet, outside the older slaughterhouses of the meat market, there was a flee market going on. Rural flee markets as I know them are full of rubbish, but here it was everything from fashion clothes to old lamps to books and art. It was stuff people sold to create space, but it was not sold old that it was junk. We wandered around, and I took a liking to a stall selling male clothing, mainly from Filippa K. The two guys in charge were basking in the sun and were happy to let me try on shirts, suits and shoes. They told me this was a weekly event all summer, and that they were just here for the day. They turned out to be a couple, with one of them worked in a store (explained the abundance of Filippa K) and they were just clearing out their closet for winter season. I bought a white and grey striped shirt and a blue pair of chinos for 150 kr. - retail price: at least 1000.

From Vesterbro we biked down to the waterfront and north east up along the new buildings on Islands Brygge. Passing the old palisades, which are now a great walk in greenery, we kept going till we hit the canal on Christianshavn. Parking our bikes, we strolled between the small 17th century merchant houses along the old cobbled roads. The Eastern edge of the island provided us with coffee, a spot in the sun, and a view of the opera house, the new actors school, and Nyhavn, as well as of kayakers and rowers enjoying a day on the canals.

As it got more overcast and the clock neared 6 PM, we headed back and reclaimed our bikes. We took the direct route home, passing the characteristic Copenhagen architecture of the stock exchange, Christiansborg, and the town hall. We headed over Dronning Louises brigde on the lakes, calmly reflecting an increasingly magenta sky, and rolled into Frederiksberg. A cool Ale nr. 16 from a local brewery on Fünen in the garden, a light dinner, and Aftentouren (the Danish coverage of the Tour de France), and that candidates for the best day of the summer.