Night trains are perfect for a lot of things except for getting a good night’s sleep. In my Inter Rail days I used to look with envy at the sleek dark blue Wagons-Lit sleeper carriages on the long distance European trains. They’ve now been replaced by modern sleepers with everything you could want: your own private compartment with a WC and shower and fresh linen. But just try sleeping with all that shaking and rattling. I felt like I’d got on the roller coaster in Stockholm by mistake.
Copenhagen was a mess in the early 1970s. The last and worst of the hippy subculture settled here, a smørrebrød of hard and soft drugs corrupted countless people, particularly in the Christiania “Freetown” squatters camp. The free thinking government of the 1970s passed a law granting independence to this commune but that has now been repealed, the drug gangs have been banished and the area is being re assimilated into the city. At the same time, a truly awful red light district openly peddled material that is illegal today and banned on the mainstream internet. All that is now gone. Today Copenhagen is hygge.
I dumped my backpack at my hotel by the station and the receptionist recommended a couple of excellent bakeries just over the water in Bryggen where she lives. I went there. The first was excellent and the second was even better. What a great country Denmark is. I hope this continues all the way to Germany.
I visited Christiania in 1974 and wasn’t welcomed. This morning I returned and now it resembles Camden market. Lots of cafes, bars, alternative shops, music and a few Palestinian flags. One of the great things about being on a pilgrimage is that you cannot buy anything.
I continued along the waterfront admiring all the new developments until I reached the little mermaid. She and I are old friends. She looked at me but showed no signs of recognition.
Pilgrimage 
A fairy tale city indeed, with many strange tales. Even the lager is an odd colour.
Indeed the tales are classics. And when they say probably the finest beer in the world they’re not referring to the Northampton output
Maybe the lager also had the head of the sculptor? I also spotted that there’s no mention of Cathedrals or Churches in the capital of the bicycle, is that because of the weed?
Probably because of the beer. The pilgrimage starts at the railway station which suits me as my hotel is next door. But it ends at Lübeck cathedral, not the station as you’d expect in Germany
Enjoying your Copenhagen experience. Since we are visiting there in September, I have been watching clips on YouTube. A review on bakeries HART is a favorite, and also I saw Anderson and Malliard clip on what goes into some of those pastries. I wouldn’t have appreciated it so much if I hadn’t seen them make it. Rick Steves included Christiania in his piece and how some people still live there from long ago because they enjoy the independence and lifestyle. Sounds like it has evolved for the better. Do the cyclist wear helmets? I was horrified in Amsterdam and Belgium to see how many people dive in and out of dangerous traffic without headgear. It must be their culture.
Copenhagen is such a fun city and the bakeries are incredible. It’s impossible to say which is best. Everyone has a bicycle so crossing a road is a challenge until you’ve cleared the cycle lane. After that the drivers are super polite and will stop even if you only glance at the road. Do they wear helmets?? Not even the babies on the back