It’s hard to believe that I’ve already
reached my second travel week! From here on out, it’s just a few more
weeks (!) until finals. But I’d like to block that thought out for now.
My
parents flew in from Toronto to meet me here in Copenhagen for the
week. While most of my roommates were off in other countries on their
study tours, I stayed here to show my parents a good time in this city
that I’ve come to love so much. I’m basically a cultured expat by now
who easily navigates bike roads and knows all of the best cafes. I was
also vicariously excited for my dad who has never left the US before, so
I had to make this a good, wholesome trip.
Mom and Dad’s plane
landed at around 10:30 on Friday morning, so I left my first class to go
meet them at the airport. I came wearing my now standard black Denmark
uniform. We exchanged hugs and took the Metro to their hotel right
around the corner from my place. After dropping them off, I left to go
to my afternoon class before picking them up again to show them around
the neighborhood. I pointed out that their hotel was right across from
KU’s law library, a fact that I had to repeat multiple times to my
amnesiac father. They took it all in, what with the jetlag and all,
before I sent them to bed early that night. The
first main event I had planned for Saturday was a tour through
Christiansborg. Even though I live right down the block from the castle,
I’ve never been inside it. What better time to experience it than with
family? We managed to get in and walk through extravagant halls of
Danish paintings and royal furniture. We climbed the tower to get great
views of the city, and being the experienced tour guide that I was, I
pointed out as many landmarks as I could to them. I also showed them the
Black Diamond (the Royal Library) to give them a peek of Copenhagen’s
more modern side.
Maybe it was the incessant partying in the
streets the previous night. Maybe it was the weird dream that I had that
kept me up. Regardless, I felt pretty crappy on Sunday morning. We had
planned to go to service at Copenhagen Cathedral to hear the organ and
choirs, but I opted to nap in their hotel room while they left. After
all, I can go there whenever I want. After some sleep, I did feel much
better, but my worrisome Dad insisted that we should just lay low in the
hotel for a while for me which turned out to be his thinly veiled
request for an afternoon nap. We did manage to get out for a little bit
to go walk around some parks for a bit.
The
weather on Monday was fantastic, so I knew what I had to do: take my
parents on an authentic Copenhagen bike tour. Mom and Dad rented some
bikes from the hotel for the day, and I saddled up on my own cycling
steed. We first went to the royal palace of Amelienborg and the nearby
Frederik’s Church. We then crossed the bridge to head into the canals of
Christianshavn to see the Royal Opera House and grab some traditional
smørrebrød. Crossing the city, we headed for Nørrebro and grabbed dinner
and craft beer at Nørrebro Bryghus. The convenient biking roads made
travel an absolute breeze, and Copenhagen is a city that demands to be
biked for the best experience.
Alright,
enough of the city. For Tuesday, we purchased train tickets to go up to
the small coastal town of Helsingør. There, we saw Kronborg Castle, the
fortified setting that inspired Shakespeare’s staging for Hamlet’s
castle. This place has served many purposes throughout Denmark’s
history. With the Swedish enemy lying just across the strait, it has
long been a strategic outpost for the military, but it has also been the
previous home of royalty. This place definitely beats most of the
castles in Copenhagen in its sheer size and scope. Helsingør is also a
nice town that feels like a miniaturized Copenhagen with its cobblestone
streets and colorful shops.
After
lunch, we took the train again down to Humlebæk to go to the Louisiana
MoMA, a place that I was eager to show to my parents. Luckily for us, a
giant new wing had just been added with lots of pieces to confuse us
with all their enigmatic culture. (jk I love this place and its cool
art).
Wednesday
began with an ascent of the Round Tower to get some more great views of
the city. However, we spent most of the day in the recently opened
Tivoli Gardens. It’s actually quite pretty with its colorful flowers and
free roaming peacocks, but I spent most of my time riding the sweet
rides. Mom rode a few with me, but Dad opted out. The weather wasn’t
really cooperating with us by this point, though. We left after a few
hours in the park and found entertainment in browsing a book store and
grabbing coffee. By now, I was starting to run dry in ideas, but a good
tour guide always tries to keep the momentum going.
For
Thursday, we walked through the large parks in the middle of the city,
including the botanical gardens with its large greenhouse containing
exotic tropical plants and the grounds around Rosenborg Castle. I was
excited to take my parents to the
church-converted-into-contemporary-art-museum Nikolaj Museum, but
unfortunately, the main hall was closed for repair. Luckily, we did get
to watch the entirety of John Akomfrah’s Vertigo Sea while there.
We crossed the street to purvey through Thorvaldsen’s many sculptures
at his museum. This was all just fodder for the main event of the night
if not the week: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring performed by the
Danish National Symphony. This is one of my favorite pieces of all
time, so I made sure to get us great seats near the front to hear every
note. The program also included Messian’s Poemes pour Mi with an
absolutely lovely, expressive performance from the solo soprano. Hearing
Stravinsky live is exhilarating, to say the least, and is something
that everyone needs to do in his or her life at least once.
Friday
morning came, and that meant it was time for my parents to take off. I
think by now they were starting to get a little tired which is good
because I was also getting tired from constantly showing them around
this great city. We headed to the airport, exchanged hugs, and then
parted ways. I’m really glad that I got to spend some of my time here
abroad with the people who got me here. If it wasn’t for my parents,
there’s no way I would be the kind of person who gets the opportunity to
study in Denmark for four months. I hope I passed on at least a little
bit of my experiences here onto them.
