So, day 3 in this amazing city and you grow accustomed to it. The streets feel like home, the people like friends and all that other cheesy nonsense. I had totally fallen in love with the city though and as it was our final day I had one thing I still wanted to tick off…

Soooo… what is Christiania? In the 1970s a bunch of hippies made a hole in the wall of a abandoned Military Barracks, set up shop and said, ‘Screw societies rules, let’s make up our own.’ And the government just said yeah, seems legit, go for it!

I’ve become a lot more hippyish the past sort of year, like I still have a wash everyday but I also care about the planet and animals and stuff. I also have a bit of a vendetta against modern society and I have a bit of a problem with authority. Ie. when authority demands respect before it is earned. Anyhow, I just wanted to check out how other people made a go of it not conforming.

Now my partner was a bit terrified of this, because there are no concrete laws, they have a place called Pusher Street where they have little pop up stalls selling marijuana. It’s quite sweet actually, like a vintage fair but you can get stoned off your ass! We didn’t though, we were just there as geeky tourists.

The main reason my partner was terrified was due to the fact that just before we entered the Freetown we had a really massive, really dodgey guy approach us… and he had a large tattoo of an AK47 on his face. I’m not judging, he may have been lovely but we just got a bad vibe and moved away from him very quickly. I think this meant our trip through Christiania was a little more nerve-wracking than it should have been. It’s a cool place to visit but one to just keep your wits about you with.

After my partner spent the morning terrified, it was then my turn. I had found my tower, remember the one with the big golden ball on it? I hate heights, so getting to the top wasn’t easy but we’re only here once so you’ve got to face your fears and grow from them. It was worth it though, you’ve got to set yourself these little challenges to overcome in life.

Church of our Saviour

Look how happy I am about being that high up. Fuck you heights!

After spending most of the day wetting our pants with fear it made sense to do something a bit more relaxing later on. I would definitely recommend the boat trips around the city, ours even came included with the pass for those big red tour buses. It’s just a different way to see the city and also remove yourself from the crowds for a little while.

Our final day was winding down but we didn’t have any plans for the evening and this was our last night in the city. We had walked past Tivoli every day so far and we were intrigued by it. It is a very old fashioned theme park but set right in the heart of the busy city. We’d already spent a lot of money though so rather than paying for a full price ticket, you can just pay a much smaller fee just to enter and have a look around.

So enter we did…

I adored Tivoli, I used to go to a place called Pleasureland in Southport when I was a kid and the warmth of nostalgia from Tivoli was amazing. Not only was it swimming with happy memories of old-time fairgrounds, but it was aesthetically stunning as well. You won’t believe you’re still in a European Capital.

As someone with a lot of mental health issues I really find it hard to switch my brain off sometimes, peace and quiet doesn’t really tend to exist for me. However, that night in Tivoli I was just there, living in the moment and acting like a child walking round with wide-eyed wonder. I was happy… and to top the evening off they even had a band playing! This was a very different flavour to the previous night at the Hard Rock but we enjoyed it all the same. I wish I could remember the name, but they were a country / bluegrass band from New Zealand. It was the perfect evening to round off the perfect trip.

Copenhagen will hold a special place in my heart, not only is it a beautiful city with rich history and fascinating people but it’s a place where I had felt truly happy for the first time in a long time.

Paul Day Away