If I were to describe a city as a “state of mind,” I would be talking about Copenhagen, Denmark. This beautiful Nordic city, full of winding, narrow streets and grandiose buildings is both a vibrant modern city and a laid-back community where bicycling seems to be most common form of transportation. In fact, the city’s pace seems to be dictated by the speed of these ever-present bicycles, and we are not talking Tour de France here. Everyone seems to ride them, from ladies in colorful summer dresses seemingly taking their time to get to wherever they happen to be going, to young professionals obviously in a hurry to get to work. It all happens in somewhat of a rhythmic dance where pedestrians, cars, and bicyclists seem to miss each other by what to the visiting photographer seem to be the narrowest of margins.
This is specially the case in the historical Latin Quarters located between the law faculty of Copenhagen University on Fiolstraede and the King’s Gardens on Gothersgade. The neighborhood is replete with quaint city squares lined with shops and cafes that are jammed-packed during the current jazz festival, which seems to bring music to just about every corner of the city. Anchored in the middle of this old neighborhood are the Trinitatis Church with its larger-than-life round tower and the ultra-hip First Hotel Skt. Petri with its famous Bar Rouge. But what it does seem to lack is any form of parking, so forget your car if you are coming here. However, you can pretty much cover the Latin Quarters in a morning of brisk walking, but that would be a pity. To fully appreciate the ambiance in this student area, it is the lingering on an outside table in one of its many bistros that will make you truly appreciate how wonderful a place this is. Somehow, here in Denmark, time seems to take a backseat to life. What a concept!
