Photo Backlog - Or Proof Jodi is Always Thinking of Blogging, But Rarely Sits Down to Blog

A few weeks back, Neil and I went on a date to Copenhagen's Ice Bar. We'd read about the ice bar well before we considered moving here. Some travel magazine or another had an article about ice bars and ice hotels - there are several around the world - and we decided we must visit one.

So, after three months of living in Copenhagen, we headed to the Ice Bar. When we arrived, we were ushered into a reception area/gift shop and informed that we needed to wait until the next time slot and that the cost was 60 kroner (about $30) per person which included one drink. This seemed a little steep, but we couldn't turn back. We paid the money and waited.

When it was our turn, the Ice Bar hostess placed large blue faux-fur-trimmed parkas over our heads that had gloves attached. The effect was instant ridiculousness.  

 Then we were ushered into the bar. It was much smaller than I expected and yet also felt empty since they only allow something like 10 people in at a time. My best theory for this is that the more people, the more likely the bar is to melt from the body heat. The room was very cold and also pretty amazing. The bar was made of ice, the tables, the chandelier. Everything but the floor was ice. We ordered our drinks and they cam in ice glasses which melted to the shape of our lips as we drank. (one of the coolest features, for sure)

We spent maybe 15 minutes in Copenhagen's Ice Bar before we'd finished our drinks (which were delicious) and felt sufficiently frozen so we headed back out to the street. No need to rush back, but it was fun.

 As you may know, Copenhagen is a bike town. Everyone here bikes and nearly every street has wide raised bike lanes. In rush hour, it is common to see more bikes on the street than cars. Women bike in skirts and men and women bike in their work clothes. It is fascinating to biker watch for the fashions alone. I think the prevalence of bikes has to do with the fact that Denmark is flat, so it's an easy way to get around, cars are expensive and highly taxed and people just grow up biking, so they bike. I have seen lots of  creative uses of bikes since coming here. The other day, I got a crepe from this pancake bike. The lady who makes the crepes and drives the bike said it's not that easy to pedal because it's so heavy.

 At a grocery store called Qvickly, their in-store coffee bar had a hilarious reference to (dated) American pop culture. So random.

This cafe door cracked me up. The misuse of quotes is pretty annoying, but the great use of both sides of the glass is commendable. It's funny how English is used in signage and advertising here. I see English frequently, but usually only a few words are in English, the rest Danish. I think it might be a cool-factor or cuteness-factor to use a bit of English in your signage here. But I am really not sure. I do, however, enjoy being able to read things once in a while.

In our continuing quest to do the touristy things you're supposed to do in our city, we climbed to the top of the Church of Our Savior. It is a very beautiful church both inside and out and the views from the top are fantastic.Inside is a very old, very large organ that was rehearsing a classical music concert the day we visited. As far as tourist attractions go, this was a highlight.

This is a restaurant in our neighborhood. When I first arrived in Copenhagen, I wondered why anyone would go to someplace so rudely named. "Go away? Fine, I will." But one day I walked by and smelled a delicious aroma coming from inside. It has turned out to be one of my favorite places to get food. It's basically a take out place, which might account for the name. They have delicious curries, sushi and other snacks like salads and cold noodle dishes. I am partial to the banana coconut mango chicken curry - delicious.

And finally, some pictures of our neighborhood swans and baby ducklings, still a highlight for me as I continue to enjoy Denmark. More blog posts coming soon. Happy spring.