After Sweden, I had to say goodbye to friends and continue the travels on my own. My next stop: Copenhagen. I went there not knowing much about the city, and left thinking it is one of the coolest cities I have ever been to, but hard to say why. Just the feeling I guess.
I had good timing and happened to be there on the one night of the year when the city has its "Culture Night": an annual event with various activities throughout the city. All of the museums and churches are open until late at night, there are various outdoor concerts, sampling of local foods, art exhibits, hands-on crafts and activities booths, and so much more. The whole city comes alive and all of the locals come out to enjoy the festivities. The streets were packed all night! It was a great way to see the city, and I had made friends with some locals that were my guides for the night, showing me all the best that the city has to offer.
In Copenhagen, I also had to make a visit to the infamous Christiana. This is a neighborhood or commune/community in Copenhagen that is a self-proclaimed free town. They do not follow any of Copenhagen's laws, only their own as established by the 800 some residents that live there. In fact, when you enter the area there is a sign that says "You are now leaving the EU." Basically, it's one big hippie community. The people freely sell weed on the streets in the neighborhood, and the local authorities seem to look the other way. It was bizarre, but really cool at the same time. The place almost looks like a slum: shanty houses, random things hanging from trees, artwork plastered everywhere, painted trees, colored picnic tables everywhere, and people that are dressed like homeless people sitting around everywhere. You would think by the looks of it that it was a dangerous place to be, but it was just the opposite. As I walked through the community, it felt so peaceful and full of life. The people make their own "laws", some of which were written on the sides of the houses: no hard drugs, no war, no fighting, share with others, live simply (I think all of the residents share a communal pot of money as well). Yes, they are total hippies in every way, and the place is considered to be pretty controversial, but it was one of the coolest places I've ever seen.
So far, I'm loving traveling on my own. It's nice to go at my own pace, see what I want to see, turn when I want to turn, and to just explore. It has also been a good experience to push myself out of my comfort zone, making friends with other travelers and meeting some awesome locals as well. It makes traveling on my own not so lonely, and much more exciting. I have met so many new people with different perspectives than me, living totally different lives than me. It just makes me believe more and more every day that people are so extraordinary and our differences are beautiful. Maybe that's just my inner-hippie talking now. But one thing I can tell you is you've got to be free. Peace and love people, that's all you need.
No comments:
Post a Comment