Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Scandinavia—is in Malmö, Sweden. The Øresund Bridge made Malmö an
easy 35-minute bus or train ride from Copenhagen (it's become a bedroom
community,with much cheaper apartments making the commute worthwhile).
Farther to the right, the big red-roof zone is Amager Island. Five hundred
years as the city's dumping grounds earned Amager the nickname “Crap Is-
land.” Circling on, you come to the towering Radisson Blu hotel. The area
beyond it is slated to become a forest of skyscrapers—the center of Europe's
biomedical industry.
Downtown Copenhagen is decorated with several striking towers and
spires. The tower capped by the golden ball is a ride in Tivoli Gardens. Next
is City Hall's pointy brick tower. The biggest building, with the three-crown
tower, is Christiansborg Palace. The Børsen (old stock exchange) is just bey-
ond,withitsuniquedragon-tailtower.BehindthatisNyhavn.Justacrossfrom
that and the new Playhouse is the dramatic new Opera House (with the flat
roof and big, grassy front yard).
Ifyou'reinterestedinvisitingafreewheelingcommunityofalternativeliving,
Christiania is a ▲▲▲ sight.
In 1971, the original 700 Christianians established squatters' rights in an
abandoned military barracks just a 10-minute walk from the Danish parlia-
ment building. A generation later, this “free city” still stands—an ultra-human
mishmash of idealists, hippies, potheads, non-materialists, and happy children
(600 adults, 200 kids, 200 cats, 200 dogs, 2 parrots, and 17 horses). There are
even a handful of Willie Nelson-type seniors among the 180 remaining here
from the original takeover. And an amazing thing has happened: The place
