Copenhagen K

I have had several emails from friends in the US asking about the adjustment from living in a rural Colorado mountain community to a European capital. Honestly I think for my part it comes down to two things: firstly intrigue, the logistics of changing how you live, how you react to a new setting; and secondly challenge, how you cope, how you respond, how you can find humour even when tested to the limit. I would be seeing through "rose-tinted glasses" if I claimed that the adjustment process for our family had been easy or that it is a quick process!

Here are a selection of photos taken over since our arrival at the start of August from central section of the city: Copenhagen K - our neighborhood.

cykling i København

One of my favorite Copenhagen views is a row of parked bicycles, seen here outside the University Library on Fiolestraede. It is hard to wrap ones mind around the changes that occur when you move a family across the ocean to a new country, to relocate from a Colorado mountainside to urban Scandinavian living. This photo was taken the day we landed and were navigating our way along the downtown streets, finding the route between the temporary housing and the unfurnished nineteenth century apartment we had rented for the year.

Now a mere six weeks on, I barely blink at the sight of more bikes than people as I make my way around the city. For every one cyclist you see riding along the raised bike lanes there are countless rows of parked bikes within view. It is not hard to see why Copenhagen is referred to as the bicycle capital of the world.

I am in "love" with cargo bikes. They are used here to transport pretty much everyone and everything: children of all ages, dogs, luggage, shopping, girlfriends, boyfriends.... The beauty of a cargo bike is you can take someone out on a date, and they can enjoy a beer and check their cell phone while relaxing in the cargo cab en route!

So as far as bike style goes black is the default for most dansk cykel, after that the choices are around accessories: what type of basket - metal or woven cane; how vibrant a bike seat cover, to a) keep your bottom dry after rain, and b) help you find your black bike; and most importantly an additional lock, so that your bike remains where you parked it!

My new red "Holland-style" bike is aiding me daily - for exploring, food shopping, commuting and errands. I am starting to feel more like a local, as after a couple of weeks of practice riding during the quieter times of day I am now prepared to venture into the rush hour melee of throngs of cyclists. Still working on a speedy start when the bike lane traffic light changes, thirty seconds before the car traffic light and the masses start pedaling furiously.

  
Not everyone it seems wants to blend in - here surely is a bike to stand out in the crowds!