Hygge Hikes by Bike in Copenhagen
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
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Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s post is by Kieran of bicycleurbanism.co.uk
A Cycle Tour of Greater Copenhagen
Hygge biking in Copenhagen; a deeply satisfying bicycle journey with Kieran Smith, bicycle flâneur, urbanist and writer at bicycleurbanism.co.uk. The tour is based on one taken in June 2016 by the writer with a close friend and resident of Copenhagen. It takes in the outskirts of the city and explores the natural wonders north of the city.
Summer mornings in Denmark are best explored by bicycle, and Copenhagen, despite sprawling over eighty square kilometres, is a city in which cycling represents the easiest way to get around for the majority of the population. This is due to careful city planning; the finger plan of 1947 was an urban strategy which aimed to encourage the city to develop along five fingers of green space that house commuter train lines and cycle paths.
The tour I describe circumvents the north of the city, but at not one point did feel overshadowed or even urban, it is a relaxed route that you can start from the centre, or as we did from Tingbjerg, a suburb northwest of the city centre. Tjingberg itself is a small neighbourhood with a large immigrant population and a ghettoish reputation, but we found it quite safe, in fact my student friend was very satisfied with the abundance of free furniture displaced by upgrading residents!
To begin, follow the network of cycle paths that stretches across the city to the lakes of Virum, a historical area of Copenhagen that is well-suited to exploring by bike, on foot, or by kayak. The forested edge of the lakes offers respite from the bustle of the city, and cycling through here is a breeze. A cycle around the lakes here shows just how accessible the natural world is from Copenhagen city centre. This network of lakes and streams is a short cycle from Denmark Technical University campus, which was to be our next destination.
The campus includes ‘pop-up environments’ – including a garden made of boxes, a wooded lawn forest interspersed of hammocks, and other such spaces all aimed at anchoring campus activity outdoors, and creating ‘life between buildings’. Stop here and take a rest in a hammock, take refreshment at the university canteen, and fill your tyres using the maintenance station.
A few kilometres east of DTU lies the Dyrehave. Dyrehave is an idyllic city side parkland retreat that was originally established by medieval King Frederick III as a hunting ground. The park’s historic origins are evident from the outset. Entering by bicycle through a grand gate, the vast expanse of grassland seems much like a return to the primeval landscape of the African savannah. This naturally-styled park fits two thousand red and fallow deer. If you travel here during the summer, you might also witness outdoor theatre. Cycling through here not only offers the chance to glimpse majestic deer, but also offers a sense of natural grandeur that is not often found within city limits.
Dyrehave is an unexpected contrast with a very different ambiance. I’d recommend getting off your bike and taking a walk through Bakken, the historic Danish theme park. The park features a wooden rollercoaster built in 1932. It retains its authentic feel by banning neon signs and maintaining the colorful wooden structures of its past. This makes it an interesting excursion for the cycle tour, and a chance for refreshment in the form of ice cream or a milkshake.
The journey’s end comes at the seashore. Although not a stereotypical beach destination, the Copenhagen coastline offers more than ample summer recreation. Play some beach volleyball, or enjoy a refreshing dip in the North Sea on one of the cleanest European beaches. Next, hop back on the bike and bike the final stretch back to your starting point. We traveled on one of the first hot sunny days, and jumped like jubilant salmon into the refreshing water!
The route itself covers twenty five kilometres; increasing to fifty if you start and finish in the city centre. We toured on street bikes commonly found in Copenhagen, but you could also use a road bike.
The map provided shows only the basic route. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kieran.
Map Key:
A – City centre
B – Fureso lake
C – Denmark Technical University
D – Dyrehave
E – Bakken
F – Klampenborg
G – City centre
Author bio: Kieran is a bicycle flâneur, urbanist and writer at bicycleurbanism.co.uk. You can also contact Kieran via Kieranrobertsmith.com and follow Bicycle Urbanism on Twitter.
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