23 June: Arrive in Copenhagen (32 miles; 32)

Glamorous Air Travel

Once upon a time air travel was glamorous. Now, arriving on the planned day is a triumph. I retrieved my luggage in Copenhagen's Kastrop Airport at 1 pm, assembled the bike and trailer in sunshine outside the terminal, and biked to my hotel by 2 pm. The hotel check-in took nearly as long as the  ride from Kastrop Airport.

Temper Ardens seemed to be associated with or funded by the Carlsberg Brewery family. These gardens, 2 blocks block from my hotel, feature an excellent thinker figure. My pose is similar, staring at a map, trying to link Danish street names with street signage.

Dog of the Day. Nice safety harness, nice fringe or feathers, waiting patiently outside a Christiansholm Island bakery. 

Freetown Christiania is a unique neighborhood well worth a visit regardless of your mores. The two most noticeable aspects are the No Photos Please signs and the probability of a contact high if one lingers. Lots of baked citizens and merchants sporting black masks. Either all 850 residents were present or some had many friends. Wikipedia explains.

Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania) is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (84 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Civic authorities in Copenhagen regard Christiania as a large commune, but the area has a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989, which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state. It was closed by residents in April 2011, whilst discussions continued with the Danish government as to its future, but is now open again.^[1]

Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. Since then, measures for normalising the legal status of the community have led to conflicts, police raids and negotiations which are ongoing.

Among many Christiania residents, the community is known as "staden" ("the town"), short for "fristaden" ("the freetown").
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

NOT where they made fabric for suckers. Rather, this was a sugar factory on the edge of the Christianshavn District. So, the district is still focused on agricultural product, merely shifting from sugar beets to weed. Swedish free enterprise!

Some of the old remains. Timber frame construction reminds me of similar timber-frame buildings in the Netherlands, UK, and Germany. 

Mid-Summer's Eve. On 23 June, the Danes gather for traditional music, picnic, and then light bonfires. My friend Frederik sent me to Frederiksberg Park, just one of the many local celebrations. http://oplev.frederiksberg.dk/nyheder/sankt-hans-i-frederiksberg-have

Will She Burn? Thousands eagerly await—now that public hangings are no longer acceptable.

Note the Carefully Positioned Broom. A nation of artists, the Frederiksberg's park employees went all out.

Frederik's Palace (Witch's view from the reflecting pond at the base of the hill). Tradition—Richest man builds the biggest house, on biggest lot, on the tallest hill.

View from the Palace. 

Traditional Sing-a-Long. Likely the largest crowd ever for this local choir. Blonds, brunettes, but no gingers—that's reserved for the witch.

I'm starting to understand the local bike rules, etiquette, street layout, and signals. But lacking mounted bike lights, I left at 10 pm, an hour before the scheduled lighting. At this time of year, sunset is 10 pm, reasonably dark at 11 pm, and sunrise a bit after 4 am.