Netto

On the trip to Copenhagen I had read a guidebook on the culture of Denmark. There was a small passage about the area known as Freetown or Christiania. Apparently a faction of the Danish people had decided to live as close to direct democracy as a group of people could in modern society.

I did not realize until a week after I arrived in Copenhagen that Christiania was located very close to Copenhagen. Upon this new information I decided to make a trip to the area. I walked 5 miles to the location known as Christiania.

I pushed through the village area with its graffiti covered brick buildings housing artisan shops. There were small parks with interesting rock gardens and sculptures. Many music venues that only opened in the evening were scattered throughout the park. I made it through this area and began walking along a bicycle trail which eventually bordered the sound.

I had come to Denmark to seek asylum. I had been tortured in my home and had come to the first nation in which a human physically entered my email address into a computer to confirm receipt of a letter. I began to think that Christiania may be the ideal place to seek asylum if the powers at be did not have the courage to stand up for basic human rights. I was unsure of whether this society would even accept me and was sure that the fact that I was an American put me at the bottom of the list.

About halfway down the sound I found a beach and thought that if I could find a place to camp I could bathe in the sound. A short distance from this beach was a cafe inside of some type of hurricane house or perhaps munitions building. I say this because the large building had 5 foot thick walls. There was sufficient area to camp around this building but I was unsure as to whether they would allow it. 

There was a bird's eye picture in the cafe taken from a plane or helicopter. I noticed from the photo that Christiania appeared to be built on a sea barrier and remembered that the book had mentioned that it was formerly a government property. After listening to a few songs on the gramophone I decided to follow the road to the end of the sound. As I neared an area where a road crossed the lake I noticed a crab apple tree with many apples nearing the time of ripeness. I was happy to find a food source and as I crossed the lake I noticed a large concrete slab with a small concrete structure on it.

Crossing the lake it seemed as though it might be good for fishing. I remembered the hardware store in Christiania and thought that if they granted me permission maybe I could secure that small structure against the elements. Then I could fish everyday and eat apples. Walking the other side of the lake there were many nice cottages near the water.

Every 300 meters I would come across some L-shaped brick buildings with terra cotta roofs. The point of the L faced away from the city of Copenhagen and there were many small slits in the walls for muskets. I could only assume that these buildings were former barracks now turned into dormitories.

There was active construction around two of the former barracks and there were some blue shipping containers parked outside. A shipping container could be a nice home if I had access to a grinder and cutting wheels. A foot bridge crossed the lake and took me back towards the village. I paused at the center of the bridge and could hear the noise emitting as the wind was disrupted by the bridge.

Four small toy ships were anchored in the lake. Their sails were causing them to weave back and forth on their tethers. I wondered if they marked fishing traps or were just another artistic touch to this interesting place. A ship would be nice. Maybe if I stayed long enough I could build a vessel to transport me to a nation which realizes that art with purpose can change the world into an interesting and happier place.