This morning we went to Freetown Christiania. This is an alternative community that occupied a former military area in the 1960s or 70s — and continues to this day, somewhat to the dismay of the average Copenhagean. It is a sort of hippie community, with a relaxed attitude toward soft drugs and a communal vibe. The narrative on the bus said about 900 people live there, with about 180 children. I don’t know about those numbers, but it is a colorful community, with a lot of graffiti, quite a bit of poverty, and number of small businesses, from coffee shops and restaurants to a home improvement/general store, to several shops advertising weed. There are a number of signs asking “no photos.” We wandered around for a while, bought coffee and hot chocolate, and saw a display of drawer knobs, labeled “knops”. We were given permission to photograph them.
(to be continued)
