We got to Copenhagen yesterday in the early afternoon. We had booked another apartment with airbnb and met the owners daughter at the apartment in Valby, about 3 km from the centre of Copenhagen. After checking out the shops in the local areas we headed into central Copenhagen. The next day Thursday we walked into the city and hired a cargo bike, and Judy volunteered to be the cargo. It was a nice day (about 19C) and we rode all round the centre of Copenhagen, visiting the closed because of renovations Noma restaurant (number one Michelin restaurant). The number of people riding in Copenhagen has to be seen to be believed. There are more people riding on just a few streets of Copenhagen then there is in all of Adelaide.
There is no Lycra, no cleats, no road racing bikes, no helmets, and no drop down handlebars. Ordinary people wearing ordinary clothes and ordinary shoes riding around. It is one of the safest places to ride a bicycle in the world. Adelaide South Australia is not as safe to ride in, and we have compulsory helmet laws. Bikes have baskets, carriers and more, so things can be carried on the bikes like shopping, and cargo bikes abound for carrying children around. There are great bike paths along side the road, mostly with a raised curb separating the bike path from the road.
Bikes in double level bike racks at a railway station near our apartment
The cargo bike outside our apartment. Notice the rows and rows of bikes that are parked outside every apartment building
Judy outside the closed for renovation noma restaurant
Steak for lunch in Copenhagen, all the way from the Coorong in South Australia
Very sad Jude . Were you planning to dine at Noma ? Love the photo of you in the cargo bike . Looks like it’s driving itself ! x
Sadly no, Sal. Noma is closed this month. It usually has a 3-month waiting list and we would have to sell both our children to be able to afford to eat there.
Well Well Well is one of those bikes on there way to ADELAIDE I can see it now going down Cross roads. do they have to lock up there bikes up, is there graffiti how much is fuel what is the make of car
I’m sure there is a cargo bike somewhere in Greg’s future. He’s just checking out all the options at the moment. As long as he doesn’t want to cart me around in the cargo bit – riding along dedicated bike paths was great, but in ADL streets …. not so much. They do lock their bikes, mostly with wheel clamps, and occasionally with the chain/cable-type locks that are used at home. Most of the bikes are pretty ordinary work-horse bikes, although we have seen a few with expensive Brooks leather seats.
There is grafitti, a lot more than at home. But in Stockholm we didn’t see any at all. Fuel is just over $2/litre and the car is a Kia Picanto. It’s small but has enough room for us and all our stuff. We’re going food/supply shopping tomorrow for stuff to take to Norway and I’m not sure where we’ll fit it in the car.
Love the pic of you as the cargo, Judy!
Thanks Rob! It was a fun was to get around a busy city and do some sightseeing at the same time. I should have taken a cushion or a pillow ‘cos we rode along some cobbled streets and they’re very bone-jarring!
You have the right Idea Judy , sitting back while Greg does the work . Can’t be bad x
Margaret, if you saw me ride a bike, you’d understand why it’s much safer having me in the cargo section. I’d be a hazard on the bike paths.
As it was, we got stopped by a crazy Danish bike rider who told us off because I was sitting in the cargo hold, and threatening to call the police because we were breaking the law. No matter that the hire place had hired it out to us, or that heaps of other people use their cargo bikes to carry passengers. He calmed down after a while and proceeded to tell us what was wrong with the city…. and the country … and the world. It took us a while to get away from him.