Fracking hell, why couldn’t this septic isle be more like sustainable others… today, I give you Wonderful Copenhagreen.
Yes, I know Copenhagen is the city and Zealand and Amager are the islands on which it sits.
But Copenhagen bestrides its islands and merges naturally with them.
With The Sound a watery playground for its citizens.
All of which I’m regularly reminded of by my old Uni mucker who works in sustainability and is saving the planet while I just scribble about it.
And true to form as one of the one in two Copenhagers who cycle everywhere he rode up to meet us on our trip to the Danish capital.
Ride on
Everywhere you go in Copenhagen you’re struck by the clean air and how fit its people are because of the exercise they all seem to be doing.
Don’t be surprised either to see the more bohemian types scaling industrial structures.
While the tourists among us let the rollercoasters at the Tivoli Gardens twirl us all around.
Now while everyone else seemed to turn on to cycling over the lockdown restrictions yours truly alas kept his bike in the garage.
Because riding around the country roads here in East Lothian in Scotland just gets you run off into the banks.
The Copenhagers would never stand for this, putting cyclists first, and even having bike-only bridges.
Fairytale city
Now for most of us who only see Copenhagen and not its hinterland we miss the green, wooded areas around the city.
So our friends at Visit Copenhagen have been pointing is out of the city to its lush suburbs.
Copenhagen, we all know as the birthplace of the greatest fairyteller of them all, Hans Christian Andersen.
And once we get beyond his statue and out of the city we see other larger-than-life characters populating the island.
Rock’n’troll
Grab a bike and go hunting for the six wooden giants lurking in the woods of the burbs.
The 31-kilometre long route will guide you through a wide variety of danish scenery and double as your workout for the day.
We’re all mermaids
Of course alongside Andersen, the Little Mermaid is Copenhagen’s most famous citizen.
She is a typical Copenhager after all with a love for the water, and the city’s harbour in particular.
With our great Danes recommending for us to go native and jump in its clean waters.
With the claim that it’s one of the only capitals in the world where the harbour is clean enough for a swim.
While if you prefer an outdoors public baths, and we are proud too here of our own beachside baths in North Berwick…
Kayakity yak
Then head for Islands Brygge between May 15 and September 15.
If you prefer not to get your feet wet then Kayak Republic offers tours of the city harbour and canals.
Where you’ll get close to the local houseboats and around colourful Christiania.
Of course if you really want to be sustainable then rent a Green Kayak.
The kayak is free to rent as long as you collect trash while sailing through the harbour and the canals.
Now that really is Wonderful Copenhagreen.
Pics by Astrid Maria Rasmussen, Thomas Dambo and Sarah Murty.
