44 From Karlstrup to Copenhagen - Copenhagen, Baby!!

Since I only had a short stage ahead of me and the weather wasn't very good in the morning, I took it easy. I cooked myself a warm breakfast and chatted for a while with a dog walker who passed by the shelter and was very interested in my journey. Then I went down the hiking trails to the quarry lake, whose water was surprisingly clear and warm, making it a good bathroom ;)

In Karlstrup, I used the library again for an hour and somehow half the day was already over :D

Then I cycled back to the coast, made detours to the beach here and there, and in some places I was able to cycle along the water with small detours.

So I dawdled along, passed by the Arken Art Museum, of course had to admire the pretty cool outdoor artworks there and take a look inside the foyer, so I only arrived in Brøndby Strand in the late afternoon, where I actually wanted to spend the whole afternoon :D

But at least I was able to take a quick dip in the water before the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

Anyway, I stayed at the beach for a while longer, because my Warmshowers host, whom I had found for Copenhagen, offered to meet me there and cycle the last kilometers into the city together - pretty cool!

When he arrived with fresh melon and cold beer and we started talking immediately, the arrival in Copenhagen was already a true highlight before actually arriving there ;)

On the way to the apartment, there was also a small tour of Ørestad, the newest, architecturally designed and very futuristic part of the city.

After my things were stored in the apartment, I went to the supermarket for a moment to buy vegetables for dinner. Since my host also took care of cooking, I was able to enjoy the much-needed shower even more after the shelter nights and couldn't have imagined a better welcome in the (supposedly) most bike-friendly city in the world :)

The next day, I was lucky enough to use the washing machine and filled the waiting time by finally practicing yoga properly again. When the laundry was hanging to dry, I went on a tourist tour of the city - at least with my own bike ;)

After the little mermaid, the botanical garden, the yellow row houses of the former Navy barracks Nyboder, and Rosenberg Castle, a break in the shade was called for. I found a nice little coffee roastery and, in addition to delicious smoothies and coffee, had a nice chat with the owner. Then I cycled to the Round Tower, the City Hall, and the Royal Palace Christiansborg before heading back to the apartment to get my bathing suit. Because my host had arranged to meet friends for an after-work swim and also invited me. It was wonderful to jump into the cool water, get to know more locals, and watch the colorful activity in the water. The highlight: a car converted into a boat :D
For dinner, we cycled a good distance out of the city center to an incredibly great street food place called Reffen. I found out that most tourists thought it was too far to go there, so Reffen remained a true local hotspot ;) I was blown away by the atmosphere there and the food was fantastic, of course. On the way home, I was shown the finest street art and we took the way through the Free Town of Christiania, an alternative residential area or state-tolerated autonomous community in the middle of Copenhagen - super exciting! Taking pictures is not welcome there, so unfortunately there are no pictures of it.

The next day was still summery warm. Since I didn't make it to the 'Black Diamond', the royal library in the futuristic black building, the day before, a visit there was at the top of the list. Inside, in addition to the architecture, there was an exciting photo exhibition to see, including a portrait series of people involved in the construction of the new Copenhagen metro line. Then I cycled back to Christiansborg Slot, because I had learned that you can ride up to the top of the tower of the castle for free. Up there, I enjoyed the view over the city and was already very impressed by the old statues that were stored in the tower attic when I got off the elevator. Back down, I continued through the heat by bike to the north of the city to the district of Nørrebro, because I had discovered a zero-waste store there on maps. Luckily, there was an art bike highway to get there, and the neighborhood was so cool that it wasn't so bad to arrive sweaty and find out that the zero-waste store had moved :D
Instead, there was ultra-delicious ice cream made from rescued bananas! How awesome is that?
And the new location of the zero-waste store was fortunately at a reasonable distance, so I could stock up there. In the evening, swimming was on the agenda again, this time in Sydhavnen. I got to know a few more friends of my host, had nice conversations, and didn't feel like a tourist at all, just like the days before, and enjoyed getting to know the city in this way. We ordered pizza, had beer, and sat there until almost no other people were sitting in the previously busy harbor. Since no clubs were open due to corona, but I was lucky enough to be with locals, we went to the only spot where there was something like a party on Friday evening: right in the middle of the Dronning Louise Bridge :D
But when the owner of a huge sound system didn't see the need to turn off the music even after being warned by the police, it was naturally confiscated and the party was over. Still, it was a very successful evening that will be remembered for a long time :)

On Saturday, culture was on the agenda: a bit north of Copenhagen in Humlebæk is Louisiana, a museum of modern art. There were exciting exhibitions in a great complex of buildings, a Japanese garden, and even a small live performance by three musicians. Back in the city in the evening, there was a little flashback to Japan (already the second one on the trip): in the ramen restaurant, you could choose your desired noodle soup from a vending machine in a very stylish way. The taste was also very close to the original ;) So it was the perfect ending for my long-awaited first visit to the bicycle metropolis.