Three cold winter days in Copenhagen left me with many emotions. I remember the feeling of my cold hands holding a cup of traditional Danish coffee that was still hot, the happiness of pulling the blanket up to my chest, sipping the aromatic coffee...
THE ANCIENT CHARM OF A MODERN CITY
Copenhagen was the first stop on our 17-day itinerary to hunt for the Northern Lights in the Nordic countries. In fact, this city was not added to the itinerary for the Northern Lights but for the old-fashioned charm of a modern city. Before arriving in Copenhagen, a friend of mine who had been there several times told me that this city had nothing special except the colorful houses on the Nyhavn canal and the habit of people riding bicycles. But for me, Copenhagen is much more interesting than that.
Copenhagen, winter has no snow, only drizzle and gray sky. Walking on the small cobblestone streets on those wet days, I was truly fascinated by the rows of bare trees. The gloomy gray-black tones and their varied, gnarled appearance gave the castles and ancient churches a ghostly, haunting look. They are an indispensable part of Copenhagen, present in every corner and helping me frame the winter scene here.
Copenhagen's Old Town is the ancient highlight of a modern city. The rows of shops displayed in a trendy style intertwined with the domes of ancient churches or the rows of colorful houses hundreds of years old create interesting surprises at every intersection. Nyhavn Canal is considered a symbol of Copenhagen, perhaps partly because of the long history of the pier and the rows of ancient colorful houses, and partly because today it has become the city's entertainment center with famous restaurants and bars. In three days in Copenhagen, the sun only smiled for a moment. But in those few moments, I witnessed the whole city light up.
CHRISTIANIA FREEDOM - PEACEFUL REBELLION
Perhaps my biggest surprise about Copenhagen was the free neighborhood Christiania. Formed in 1970 by illegal immigrants on the site of a former military barracks, Christiania became an autonomous community of dissidents. The motto here is "no one owns a house, everyone governs themselves and all decisions are voted on by the crowd". Existing in the heart of Copenhagen, Christiania offers a completely different image compared to the classic, neat Copenhagen.
Entering this neighborhood, we felt a little scared when we saw houses with furniture scattered behind the dense trees. Graffiti was everywhere, there was no wall without paintings. Their motifs showed a free-spirited, hippie lifestyle. Scattered throughout the neighborhood were stalls selling self-rolled cigarettes, also known as grass (light opium), with a rather messy scene. Here and there were groups of teenagers, gathering to smoke, talking and laughing happily.
We quickly passed the drugstores, walked through the central courtyard to a large lake. I was surprised when a strangely peaceful and clear scene opened up before my eyes. White swans were leisurely swimming on the still lake surface. The sun gradually dropped its last rays of the day through the rows of golden reeds. I could not imagine that peaceful natural picture hidden deep inside such a rebellious neighborhood. On the surface, they seemed to not belong together, but if you think more deeply, it was a wonderful arrangement of nature. What could be more perfect than being able to "rebel" with smuggled cigarettes in such a peaceful setting. There may not be room for romance, but that is "life".
We found a spot to sit by the lake, quietly enjoying the clear view. There was a sense of peace mixed with excitement as we shared a few sips of whisky, took a few puffs of cigarettes and watched the brilliant sunset over the lake.
A Coincidental and Interesting Encounter
After a day of walking around Copenhagen in the drizzling rain, we stopped at a very Danish restaurant on the Nyhavn canal. It was a very pleasant experience to enjoy a hot traditional Danish coffee under a blanket in the cold winter weather.
As the evening progressed and the weather became colder, we were forced to move inside. It was a cozy and relaxing space with colorful paintings and yellow lights by the lovely window. We were so engrossed in our conversation that we did not notice an elderly man sitting at the next table. It was only when he approached the painting right at our table and added a few strokes to it that we were really surprised and started chatting.
It turned out that he was the owner of this old house, now rented out as a restaurant, and also the “father” of all the paintings in this restaurant and many other nearby restaurants. He was Rolf Gjedsted, a famous Danish painter and writer, who had published 60 books of all kinds, mainly novels about the history of Nyhavn Canal, Danish culture and a lot of poetry.
I also boldly said that I was practicing drawing and showed him my latest work. He looked at it in a flash and asked: "Do you want to hear my opinion?", I excitedly nodded continuously. He asked again: "Do you really want to hear? You might not like it." I replied that it was an honor for me to receive a sincere assessment from a famous artist like him, he immediately smiled and said: "You draw very similar, even I can't draw like that. But, it has nothing of your own, it's just like a photocopy machine and that's not called art. If you want to create your own mark, you have to break the rules. The important thing is, do you dare?".
Wow, episode 1 shock. He really spoke my mind. The more I painted, the more I found myself absorbed in the meticulousness, wanting the painting to be similar to every little detail. When I painted my brother's painting, I initially wanted to experiment with acrylic paint and a different style of painting. But after spending so much effort creating the meticulousness, I was afraid of breaking it, afraid that my lack of innovation would ruin the painting. That's exactly what he said. If you want to create art, you have to have the courage to destroy old works. What a profound comment from an experienced artist.
Then he handed me a piece of tissue paper with yellow acrylic paint on it and told me to casually add to the paintings in that room. Wow, shock episode 2. I was really confused because I didn’t know how to do it without ruining his work. He kept encouraging me to just go easy and I forced myself to do a few random strokes.
I was deeply moved by the artist's good intentions. It didn't matter how I painted those paintings, but that he wanted to show me that he was willing to let me destroy his completed paintings. So would I have the courage to destroy my own paintings? It was a chance and interesting encounter. It was also a profound lesson about art and life. "If you want to create your own mark, you must have the courage to break the old ways."
MORE INFORMATION
Visa:Denmark is one of 26 European countries in the Schengen area, so Vietnamese citizens are required to apply for a Schengen visa before traveling. You can apply for this visa at the Embassy or Consulate of any country in the Schengen area if your trip includes a visit to that country first or your stay in that country for the longest period of time.
Trip:Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, one of the major cities in Europe, so you can get there by many flights. From Vietnam to Copenhagen is a long journey of 13 hours or more, and there are currently no direct flights. We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Copenhagen, and returned from Oslo (Norway), so we bought tickets from Russia's Aeroloft. That was the flight with the most reasonable travel time and transit (in Moscow). Other airlines to choose from are Thai airway, Qatar or Emirate for a round trip from Vietnam to Copenhagen.
Time:The weather in Copenhagen is divided into four distinct seasons, each season has its own beauty and appeal, so you can travel to Copenhagen at any time of the year.
Transportation:Copenhagen has a very good public transport system, including buses, metro, trams and trains. If you are travelling around the city or its surrounding areas, it is best to buy a Citypass, which comes in 24, 48 or 72 hour options, to cover all public transport.
Accommodation:It really depends on your budget and preferences as there are plenty of options in this huge city. We stayed at the Urban House Copenhagen by Meininger, near the central station for around 2 million VND/double room/night.
Cuisine:Food in Copenhagen is quite rich with very strange and delicious sea fish. However, the cost for a main course at a mid-range restaurant is also quite high, from 150 DKK to 200 DKK (about 500-700 thousand VND). Traditional Danish coffee has a very fragrant taste, served with a layer of cream instead of milk.
Money:Although located in the EU, Denmark, like some Nordic countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland, do not use the Euro, but use their own currency. Denmark's currency is the Krone (DKK), with an exchange rate of about 3,700 VND = 1 DKK.
