by tim anderson
I don't think I could come up with a better theme picture to show life in Copenhagen at its best (during the winter months).
But the real fun was waking up last Saturday morning and finding a good 10-15 cm of snow had fallen during the night. (Isn't it nice when these days line right up with the weekend!)
Anyway, that gave us a few hours on Saturday to get down to Kongens Nytorv in the center of town, rent some skates and enjoy a couple hours of skating. Too bad the snow was gone again by Sunday - but the ice rink at Kongens Nytorv will remain there for at least another month. That's gotta be time enough for a few more dumps (of snow, that is).
Now, the rink at Kongens Nytorv is a pretty fair sized circular track, not a bad size for something in the middle of the city. Nestled between the city's biggest department store, the Old Opera house, and the colourful Nyhavn area, it's a gorgeous location. Sure in size it pales in comparison to such ice rinks I have experienced in the past - for example, when I lived in Ottawa in Canada many, many years ago now, the 8 kilometer Rideau Canal ran right through the city center. That canal was actually maintained as one very long skating rink for 2-3 months every winter as long as temperatures permit and was pure joy to skate on. Not to mention it was practically in my back yard (well, down the street, at least). I remember even skating home from a job interview once...
Anyway, this is Copenhagen, and it is the best outdoor rink that I've come across in Europe. So that is saying something. Too bad my own skates are in a box back in Canada or I could become a regular down there.
For more skating pictures at Kongens Nytorv, jump over to The Copenhagen Report.