The Magic Bus (and Train and Metro)

So having been here five weeks now I (can probably not claim the title of expert, but I can confidently say that I) have probably more knowledge about the Danish public transport system than you do. This was made clear when I was talking to Mum, who along with the family is coming to visit in April, when we noted that the hotel they were looking at is near a Metro station, whereas I live near an S-Tog station. And her reply went along the lines of "so Metro is the bus? I wasn't sure" to which I replied "no, buses are buses." And so I shall dedicate this post to explaining what I can of the system (because you know you want to know).

*Disclaimer: At least this is mostly how I think it works. But if you get caught fare evading it is 700DKK (or about $150) for which I am absolving myself of any responsibility.

The Copenhagen Transport Map
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The first, and best, thing is that the whole system is integrated. So I can get a bus to the metro station, the metro a few stops then the train back to my station (not that I would, that is just a waste of a trip), all as one 'trip', and hence one ticket, as long as I complete my journey within one hour of starting out on the bus. The travel tens are called Klippekort (clip card, one of which I successfully bought in Danish the other day), so named because when you dip it in the machine it cuts off the relevant number. They also have an existing card scheme but it hasn't really caught on yet. Or you can get a monthly pass. The dumb part is that the metro doesn't go through Central station. Which kind of defeats the point of calling it central. They're in the process of extending metro, with work completed by 2018, and trumping NSW, construction has actually started.

Metro lines are the green and yellow ones running from the right hand side through the middle. My train line is the other yellow one, named the F-line and even though it is a loop going nowhere useful, it is still better than the Carlingford line seeing as it is in fact a loop, not a dead end.

Actually I lied. That's not the best part. The best part is HOW OFTEN THEY ACTUALLY RUN. Okay so when I'm walking towards a station in the middle of the day, I am happy to see a train or metro just leaving, because by the time I get up to the platform, another one will have arrived. Trains run every 5 minutes during the day, 10 at night, and metro is more like every 3 minutes, basically all the time. And nothing completely stops over night, maybe just decreases in frequency to like 30 minutes, but you are still going to be able to get home! This is another dig at the Carlingford line (one hour what?), but also at the whole Sydney system. They do have extra bus lines as well at night, and I got on the wrong one Saturday night, but seriously why have one the 95N and another going completely the other way the 96N? Not cool at 4am while somewhat intoxicated. (To my family: I mean at 11pm, while perfectly sober and with a large group of friends. Shifty eyes.)

Buses are pretty straight forward. Except that my favourite bus is one of the most popular in town, which means that to speed things up you have to get on in the middle, and off at the front and back. Which is fine once you are used to it, but confusing when you go to get on and people glare at you trying to get off. Ditto when you go to get off. The buses are only used for one route, so they have a list of stops inside the bus, but most of them talk to you saying where you are as well, which is very useful. I think it is helping my pronunciation too-- for example I live near Frederiksberg, pronounced (at least according to the metro lady) Froi-er-iks-spbearrrr. Actually that is awful. It is nothing like that.

Now S-Tog is what we would consider 'normal' trains. But since this is Denmark there are of course some funky quirks.

This is a (S) train. This is inside a train (note the bikes). This is a train station.

You aren't allowed to take your bike on the metro during peak hour, which is very sensible, but you sure can take it the rest of the time, and any time on trains. There are specific train carriages without many seats for exactly this purpose. And if you'll remember from a previous post, lots of bike parking available near stations if you don't need to take it with you.


This is map that shows the upcoming stops... and how far between them you are as well! Very useful.

This is Flintholm, a major interchange. This photo is taken from
on the Metro down at the F train line below. In the distance you can
see another train line running across the top.

I think this was at Nørreport. But it looks so much like Macquarie
I took a photo. Except there are multiple escalators.

Metro is higher tech, unmanned, looks like a fatter version of the Sydney monorail, mostly runs underground (but it comes above ground too). You know how for as long as we can remember we've wanted a monorail that goes around school/uni? Well this one does! So to walk from the furthest building to the other (we don't have a campus as such, just a collection of buildings with city in between) is probably about the same distance as going from Redfern to Bosch. But we have a metro that runs straight through stopping at four of the bulidings. It is fantastic. Of course most locals use their bike instead, but that isn't the point.

The magic doors open automatically when the metro pulls up. Since there is no driver, you can stand up the front and watch the tunnel come at you (bro). Very cool. And I guess peak hour looks the same everywhere.

But of course, even though the system is pretty great, riding your bike is even better. And I have now joined the club :) This is mine, and I am rather proud that I have ridden down to uni and back successfully twice so far! And it has rained on me while riding, so I am getting close to being a true Copenhagener.

My bike <3
The stickers say 'mustang', because I'm that cool. Back pedal breaks, three gears, and heaps fun to ride.

I'm out of nutella again. How upsetting. This having to shop for myself this can be quite annoying sometimes. Plus side, I get to eat the whole packet of bite size brownies. Down side, that's probably not fantastic for my health. Plus side, riding your bike everywhere is really good for you. Plus side, said brownies are amazing. Maybe these Danes are onto something.

Farewell!

Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink.

So if you don't know to what I am referring, please educate yourself: http://youtu.be/cwdbLu_x0gY?t=2m3s The gist is that some (not every, but any [oh maybe that was a Vashta Nerada reference]) statues are actually aliens from the dawn of the universe who freeze into stone when observed to avoid being killed. So if you blink or turn around or anything they become able to attack you-- which they do by sending you back in time and feeding off your potential future energy. As you do.

Oh! For the technologically inclined, I've been formatting based on viewing this on a computer (well, my computer), so I hope it looks fine on tablet/mobile. On mobile I know the design looks very different, but you get the gist of things.

Just a casual lamp post by the harbour...

Boom! Dragon on top!

So I've mentioned in a previous post about the many funky sculptures and statutes that just hang out around town. There were so many I went past on my trip this week they deserve their own post. I don't know who most of them are meant to be-- some had helpful signs, and with the help of Google translate (which, by the way, now I can speak some [er, very little] Danish, is actually pretty awful... should have known that) I've figured out a few. But they are pretty cool to look at.

Like these for example. I mean, I could just have built a lamp post, nothing particularly special... or I could put a dragon on top! Wooooo!

I'm not exactly sure what the above are. The left is obviously a memorial, the middle an angel on a pedestal and the right the bust of somebody.



On the left here is King Frederik IX, and on the right is a memorial to fallen soldiers. I quite liked the detail in the pedestal of the angel in the middle. I think it is people repairing a ship, but it kind of looks like kids playing cricket.



So this guy just chilling on the left is near my sunset bridge. He did have a name. I've forgotten it. He has a friend guarding the other side. If you can call lying there 'guarding'. In the middle we have (presumably a copy of) Michaelangelo's David. Don't know how or why he got there. And on the right we have two more chilling guardians on a gate. Wouldn't be a bad gig, except for being stuck out exposed in the wind and cold year round.

Now this guy I like. He reminds me of Frankenstein's Monster, looking out over the sea and contemplating existence. He's located on a dock on the harbour (oh, I've just decided to call it a harbour, it is easier). But it just seems like such a random place to put a tangled mess of wires forming a man. I love it. And they even have statues up on roof tops, either keeping watch over the town or stalking people. Whichever you'd prefer to believe, I guess.

Now this is possibly my favourite statue I've found. OH MY IT'S NOT A STATUE IT IS A FOUNTAIN. See the things you learn when you research about them afterwards?

Okay so it is called Gefionspringvandet or Gefion Fountain in English, and according to Google maps it has water flowing all through what I now can say are basins, not just random rock deposits, presumably in summer. Thinking about it, it does make sense. But anyway, doubt you can see but there are snakes and things along the side.

So, definitely one of the cooler things I've seen around town. So according to Wikipedia, it is the Norse goddess Gefjun, and depicts the creation of the island of Zealand (on which Copenhagen exists). Oh and this is just fantastic: "The fountain was donated to the city of Copenhagen by the Carlsberg Foundation on the occasion of the brewery’s 50-year anniversary." The church in the background is St Alban's Anglican.

Hmmm what else has been happening... oh I did end up buying a bike this weekend, and managed to ride to and from class on Thursday successfully. Well I didn't fall off or hit anything, except the curb once or twice. There are designated bike lanes on most roads, which are higher than the road but slightly lower than the footpath. So I'll probably be riding around a bit more now-- the city is so flat and everything is relatively close together, which is fantastic. I'll post a picture when I remember to take one.

Have a good weekend... and don't blink! Good luck. :)

Creating my acquaintance with Copenhagen

Yes I tried really hard to make that sound cool. Also I apologise that the photos don't have captions, but I'm having enough trouble putting them where I actually want them as is, and captions just confuses the HTML/CSS/whatever (that is strongly reminding me of our Myspace days). I do mention what all the photos are in the text, but if you want to know, ask me through a comment or email or whatever.

So I continued to walk along down the harbour/canal/ocean... I'm not entirely sure what the right word is. They have ships parked along it and even a few beach chairs that didn't look like they particularly got much use, I mean at least during winter. Much as this Ben and Jerry's... at least they have a fantastic motto for life though!

I made my way to Ameliehaven, a plaza type city garden. I wonder if it flowers in Spring time... can't wait to find out! The interesting part was that the signs helpfully informed patrons that 'these paths are not cleared of snow and ice', which is nice to know. Ameliehaven is presumably attached to Amelieborg another palace turned museum. This is also the nice dome shaped building that featured in the skyline of several of my photos, so it was good to have a name for it. Oh I should mention, most of these places I just walked past going 'oh, that's pretty, oh that looks nice' then looked up exactly what it was later, thanks to my friend Google [helpfully set to Google Denmark now]. And even just random streets look gorgeous, and arches are super cool and one month later I am still walking around in awe that I am actually here. [So is my mother probably, but perhaps not quite in awe :P]

My aim now was Nyhavn which is apparently quite the place to be in summer. And once I found it I recognised it from the postcards I've seen. It is pretty pretty. Nice old, colourful houses (like the rest of the city), a canal featuring some older looking vessels, restaurants, shops.

So quite lovely and all but by this stage the wind was picking up and I was cold, so I started my way home. Finally I stopped at the bridge my bus goes over on the way into town, because it is gorgeous. In the seemingless randomdom that is existence, I'm so glad we have the capacity to appreciate beauty. Because it reminds us that some things are just effortlessly awesome. And that is fantastic. [Also I really like the lamp posts. Next time I'll show you one with a dragon chilling on top.]

In other news, I'm really quite fond of whoever does the advertising for the Aquarium here. Other great captions I've seen are 'Cut the Crab', and there is one other one that escapes me right now. Anywho:

Like seriously, this place is gorgeous.

Hello! Today is the one month anniversary of my leaving Sydney. Wow. It both feels like it hasn't been that long at all but also that it has gone quite fast. Well, four more months in Denmark and five and half til I get home!

Today I present to you... photos! Of the city! According to Google it was 7 whole degrees celcius outside. I think I even felt some warmth from the sun! It was amazing. So, rather than stay home and do uni work, naturally I went out exploring.

Again a reminder, if you click on the photos they will be enlarged :)

First was to Kongens Have, the Rosenberg Palace and Gardens. The Palace is now a museum, as are many in and around Copenhagen. I'll get around to visiting eventually. Today was about outside!

I continued wandering on, in search of Den Lille Havfrue, plus I was curious what this shape was. I mean a giant star-shaped thing on a map... So I cross into what looked like the entrance to the mangroves at Bicentennial Park, and found myself in a cute little park with bird feeders and views of a palace or church or something. There is a lot of those somethings around town.

There was just something really quaint about the place. Walking along by the (suspiciously still) river, people walking dogs, the couple sitting on the hill... It was nice. Copenhagen is a pretty small city, really, with only 560 000 or so people living here, but even still, I didn't feel like I was in a city any more. But I was on the wrong side of the river to where I wanted to be, to check out the windmill (that you can kind of just see peeking out of the trees).

So I was really glad when I got to a bridge, and gate. So it turns out, according to the sign, that Kastellet is a fort. So the hills weren't hills, they were ramparts, and it wasn't a river but a moat! The sign said it was still owned by the military but it was open to the public.

         

I'm not exactly sure who fought who or what. But in any case, it is pretty cool. There is also a memorial and you can walk around the whole upper rampart.

Now I had been warned that Den Lille Havfrue was "the most underwhelming statue in existence". But I nonetheless wanted to check it out, it is a national monument, and to get my Hans Christian Andersen on. And yeah, it is pretty small. Very small. But still quite cute. 

Now this post is too long, I'll finish the rest of my day soon! 

Just quietly, it has been eight years since we were on Year 7 camp. Damn.

To be continued!