Week 12
9/23 | Utrecht
Early morning transit might just be worse than overnight transit. Nevertheless, in the afternoon I arrived in Amsterdam, which is less than a 30 minute train ride away from Utrecht. Since I’ve been to the former and not to the latter, I decided to spend one day in each.
Last time I was in the Netherlands, I didn’t really get the hype. Many people have told me how much they love Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general, but it didn’t strike a chord with me on my last visit. This time, especially upon seeing Utrecht, I’m starting to see what they mean. This city is a smaller, more quaint and cleaned up version of its northern counterpart. It has less rowdy, drug tourists and feels cute and home-y. Utrecht is also filled with art, both old and new, and I was very happily surprised to be immersed in it from the moment I exited the train station.
I made my way to my hostel through the center of town to drop my bags and headed straight to the University museum: a quirky interactive science museum that includes displays on pickled tumors and animal tongues (see the weird skull). Attached are also some nice greenhouses and a small cafe from which you can admire the gardens and the children who are done inside at the museum.
I then opted to skip the national art museum and instead spent some time wandering along the canals and people-watching the cafe-goers and aperitif-drinkers. This is the point where I really got a sense for the Dutch feel and began to be charmed by this country. From canals to flowers to underground tunnels that light up neon, Utrecht has a small but vibrant city center.
9/24 | Amsterdam
I resumed my tour of Utrecht the following day quite literally—with a walking tour of Utrecht. On it, I got to pass through some of the most beautiful architectural points of the city, including the woman with the ice cream, Dom Tower, and an old convent courtyard that looks like it was taken straight from Harry Potter. I love walking tours because they highlight details you wouldn’t otherwise notice. For example, the meaning of the colored cobbles outside of the Dom Church show where the church’s old foundations used to lie, before a massive storm came and blew it (literally) in half. Utrecht actually had the ruins of a Gothic cathedral sitting in the center of town for decades!
I then took an afternoon train up to Amsterdam. I met an old friend, Diana, and she took me on a grand bike tour of the city, focused on the less-touristed places I hadn’t yet been. First up was the north side of the city, where we roamed around an old industrial warehouse now converted into an arts and culture center. Apparently events and festivals are often thrown inside among the eclectic sculptures that are littered throughout the massive building. Then we headed into the heart of town to experience true Dutch delicacies (fries) and roam around the canals. Finally, we biked through Vondelpark as golden hour struck before finding something to drink near the water for sunset. We tried to make it up to the rooftop bar at Diana’s favorite city-center hotel, but they were fully booked. Next time. To finish the night in true Dutch fashion, I went for a stroopwaffel at Van Wondren in the center of town before retiring.
After seeing Utrecht, I now have a much better reference for understanding the appeal of Amsterdam. In the same way that seeing European cities enhances the beauty of New York (which can be marred by trash, scaffolding, rats, etc.), looking at Amsterdam through the “lens” of Utrecht helps you to see what the city could be, or perhaps what it once was, and it makes it a prettier place if not just in your mind. At the same time, Amsterdam is much cooler than its quiet southern sister. There’s so much business and life and excitement here in this city (especially if you’re biking…and almost die…3 times…), and I’m actually quite excited to make a second extended visit on my next pass through this part of the world.
9/25 - 9/29 | Copenhagen
Like with other long stays, I will describe Copenhagen in chapters rather than chronologically.
I may have found a new home in this place. Copenhagen has an energy to it—whether it’s Danish culture, the abundance of students, or something in the water, I don’t know. But this city has all the utopian elements of Scandinavia without feeling cool and aloof like the other Nordic capitals. It feels alive.
Some of my favorite moments from my first few days in town reflect this. One of my first nights, I stopped in Folkhuset Absalon, a community center, for a long-table dinner with home-cooked food. Just by sitting down, I met an Estonian living in Denmark and his visiting friend, and we had a fun discussion about life, culture, and my travels to Tallinn, which continued to a quaint outdoor bar in Vesterbro after dinner was finished. I then made my way into the city center and stumbled on a swing dancing event at a student coffee house/study space/bar. I met a bunch of students, enjoyed some jazz music, and of course, danced. Quite an eventful night for one that started with no plans.
The overall culture here is an eclectic mix. From cozy and refined Scandinavian coffee shops to the grafitti’ed and bohemian streets of Freetown Christiania, you can see a real spectrum of humanity in this city. On top of it all, Copenhagen has beautiful architecture and colorful buildings that put it in line with other major European capitals in terms of picturesque-ness. I think the fact that this is my second visit also biases me a little. I feel like I know my way around more than I did the first time, and nostalgia is a very comforting feeling.
One of my favorite days involved a trip out to Kronborg Castle, memorialized as Elsinore from Hamlet. Much more than a forgotten tourist trap, this castle is actually steeped in history (some of it, like the famous “cannon toast”, is actually described by Shakespeare) and is replete with friendly and informative curators who are enthusiastic to share their wealth of knowledge of the castle’s secrets to curious visitors.
From the cannon tower with stunning views of the sound to Sweden to the creepy underground maze of prison cells and wine cellars, this place captures the intrigue and mystery you’d expect from a Shakespearean set. And the nearby town, accessible by train from the center of Copenhagen by a single train, is also filled with references (the Hamlet hotel and a restaurant called Ofelia, for example). It also has its share of secrets—constructed by Frederik II for his beloved wife Sofie, the entire castle is covered in their joint royal emblem (one of the only in Europe to feature a Queen’s name). Unfortunately some of the most spectacular elements no longer exist, including the 10-meter high spinning fountain of Neptune that used to sit at the center of the courtyard (replaced by a small bird fountain since it was stolen by the Swedes—the statue still sits in a museum in Stockholm). I was happily surprised by how much I got out of this day trip.
My subsequent days in Copenhagen were filled with more of the same: cafe hopping, exploring city landmarks (like the cemetery where Niels Bohr and Hans Christian Andersen are buried), and even a trip to the Copenhagen Opera for a classical concert by the Royal Danish Philharmonic. I had another dinner at Absalon, sang karaoke at Sam’s Bar and met a bunch of Panamanians, played cards with new students at Studenterhuset, and even took a day trip to Sweden (which was less quaint and sleepier than I remember, especially absent another visit to the Disgusting Food Museum).
Surprisingly, my experience of Danish people seems to fly in the face of the standard Scandinavian stereotype. Many are outgoing, friendly, and welcoming to strangers. Esepcially given the large student community (which is by and large young), there are tons of social events happening around the city which facilitate social interactions. Better still, the city is still small enough such that one is not overwhelmed by all the offerings, or that it’s impossible to get from one place to the other without a significant commute. Life here is clean, orderly, and just “makes sense”.
These experiences and musings merely reinforce my main takeaway: I feel at home in Copenhagen. I’m sure that I could assimilate quite quickly into life here, and I now feel a strong desire to. I will be back to this place very soon, if not for a long while.
