The Copenhagen Post - July 20-26

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20-26 July 2012

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NEWS

Make more kids, demographers urge as new statistics show the birthrate continues to decline

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NEWS

Ramadan in July With the holy month of Ramadan starting in July this year, Muslims are preparing for long days of fasting and short nights of feasting

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Nuclear nimby or common sense?

Mayors urge parliament to ship atomic waste abroad, rather than bury it at home

After decades of being a deserted wasteland, the waterfront is alive with the sounds of recreation

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LIFESTYLE

For the health of it This week, our quarterly lifestyle guide gives advice on how to remain healthy and happy – even after summer is behind us

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Revolution not far off, gov’t ally says PETER STANNERS Parliament’s most left-wing political party, Enhedslisten, have provoked a political storm over its prediction that the capitalist state will soon fall

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F THERE WERE to be an election today, at least 12 percent of Danes would vote for Enhedslisten, a political party that hopes to abolish the military and establish a classless society.

Enhedslisten’s radical socialist ideology is hardly a secret, and in its party

manifesto it calls for the dismantling of the EU and a strengthening of trade unions. But yesterday’s announcement in Berlingske newspaper by one of its MPs, Per Clausen, that a revolution could happen in the next 20 years, has provoked warnings from its political opponents and allies alike.

Speaking to Berlingske, Clausen argued that the current economic crisis would help bring about the revolution.

“We can just look at what is happening in southern Europe right now.

Things can also break down in Denmark through an economic collapse that will lead the population to realise that our

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politicians lack legitimacy. I don’t know anyone in Enhedslisten that does not believe in the revolution.”

Enhedslisten’s revolution would end the current capitalist structure by nationalising banks, closing stock exchanges, moving control of businesses into the hands of workers while also abolishing private property and equalising salaries.

Clausen said the revolution would be peaceful and happen through occupations and general strikes, though he conceded that some changes would take longer than others, particularly the equalisation of salaries.

OPENING CONCERT 29 JULY

DARIA RABOTKINA, piano

“This will take generations and I don’t think anyone could imagine that it will happen within 20 years,” Clausen told the press. “I am sure that even under socialism we will need an economy and salaries to encourage people to do unattractive work.”

Enhedslisten is no longer the fringe party it used to be. It tripled its number of MPs in the last election and now has 12 seats in parliament, and the party offers vital support to the minority coalition government that was grateful for its votes in passing a range of policies,

Revolution continues on page 3

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Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 July 2012 french embassy

Paris, Denmark

THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK Man killed by tigers at zoo Police: Zoo not at fault in man’s death Third sister dead after farm accident Record number of marriages with foreigners Danes say no thanks to low wage jobs

FROM OUR ARCHIVES TEN YEARS AGO. Stop that Cop! Tourists and citizens are advised to look out for con men impersonating police officers.

FIVE YEARS AGO. A majority in parliament voice their support for bridge and tunnel linking Zealand directly to Jutland across the 80km Kattegat strait.

Copenhagen’s Latin Quarter found itself transformed into a slice of France on Sunday, as members of the French community celebrated their national day. In addition to being able to try their hand at petanque, guests were also treated to French music, crêpes and champagne.

that they felt other motorist’s manners did not need improvement. One expert said the numbers were not surprising and blamed it on motorist’s inability to communicate directly with each other while driving. The survey was based on interviews with Danish drivers between the ages of 18 and 74.

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Additionally, our English language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience.

In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

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Indian ire

India’s anger over Denmark’s unwillingness to extradite arms smuggler Niels Holck is growing. Unnamed sources say that Danes may soon be unable to get visas to travel to India. Relations between the two countries have been strained since a Danish court ruled Holck could not be extradited to

President and Publisher Ejvind Sandal Chief Executive Jesper Nymark Editor-in-Chief Kevin McGwin Managing Editor Ben Hamilton News Editor Justin Cremer Journalists Peter Stanners, Ray Weaver & Christian Wenande

India to stand trial in connection with a 1995 weapons drop.

Last year, Danish diplomats in India reported that they could no longer get in touch with Indian officials. Denmark’s ambassador to India warned that the standoff could cost companies billions of kroner in lost revenue.

Editorial offices: Slagtehusgade 4 – 6 DK 1715 Copenhagen V Telephone: 3336 3300 Fax: 3393 1313 www.cphpost.dk News Desk news@cphpost.dk 3336 4243 The CPH Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor.

Letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

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Half of all motorists in Denmark are inconsiderate and unfriendly. At least that is what the other half believes. In a recent survey, 49 percent of those polled said that their fellow motorists were inconsiderate, did not smile as they went by and exercised poor judgement while driving. Only five percent said

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Bad drivers

ONE YEAR AGO. Foetal screenings have resulted in fewer born with Down’s syndrome but trend raises ethical questions.

Soggiest of all

The deluge of rain that fell on Copenhagen on July 2 last year – when 150 mm of rain fell in the capital region in just a few hours – left a 6.2 billion kroner insurance bill in its wake.

That was the highest single claim in Europe for all of 2011, according to insurance company Swiss Re. Insurance companies

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handled more than 86,000 water damage claims in 2011. An estimated 95 percent of those were due to rain in Copenhagen. Most of the compensation went to businesses for flooded basements, server rooms and archives. Some of the damage was so severe that businesses were forced to close during repairs.

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

20 - 26 July 2012

Disagreement over course of action to combat congestion Revolution colourbox

Peter Stanners While journey times on the capital’s roads are getting longer, traffic conditions remain far worse in Stockholm and Oslo

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ar journeys in Copenhagen have become significantly longer due to congestion, according to satellite navigation firm TomTom. Their figures show that congestion makes journeys 16 percent longer than if the roads were free flowing, up from 13.9 percent longer the year before.

TomTom called the increase “significant”, and Copenhagen’s deputy mayor for technical and environmental affairs, Ayfer Baykal, argued that the numbers indicated a need for action.

“It doesn’t matter whether I look at this number, the numbers for air pollution or the numbers for noise, my conclusion is clear: there are too many cars in the city,” Baykal said.

The government attempted to introduce a congestion charge for Copenhagen following its election last September but had to abandon the

There’s still space on the capital’s roads, but it’s getting increasingly rare

plan after broad political and popular opposition.

As a compromise, opposition party Dansk Folkeparti and the far-left Enhedslisten joined with the government to establish a Congestion Commission that will present a combined strategy in August 2013 for tackling Copenhagen’s

congestion.

“I think it is important that the commission should be allowed to think outside the box and present new ideas before I present a new demand for a congestion charge,” Baykal said.

Opposition MP Martin Geertsen (Venstre) told Politiken newspaper that

while he remained opposed to a congestion charge for Copenhagen, he recognised that action needed to be taken to ease traffic problems.

“Personally I think that more people will choose public transport if it made sense to them,” Geertsen said.

“But it’s not just about ticket prices as the government argues. I think it has to do with better integrating timetables so public transport flows better. There’s currently no single authority that keeps track of the entire timetable, but there should be.”

Copenhagen’s increased congestion helped it rise from the 29th to 26th most congested city in Europe.

The capital’s problems are minor compared with Oslo and Stockholm, however.

In Stockholm – the eighth most congested city of the 31 cities TomTom looked at – congestion increased travel times by 27 percent, while in Oslo – the 15th most congested – journeys were 24 percent longer.

With Copenhagen’s population expected to increase by 100,000 over the next decade traffic planners say congestion will only get worse unless steps to discourage people from driving are taken.

Kevin Mcgwin With fewer Danes being born, there will be fewer to support those of us that came before them

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anes again this year are producing fewer babies than it takes to replace themselves, continuing a trend that is worrying demographers, who fear that declining population growth will undermine the welfare system.

Last year, some 4,400 fewer children were born in than in 2010. In the first quarter of 2012, the number again declined, putting this year on track to having lowest birth rate since 1988.

“Our fertility rate is well under the replacement rate,” Hans Oluf Hansen, of the University of Copenhagen, told Kristeligt Dagblad newspwper. “In the long run, there will be fewer young people to provide for the elderly.”

In order for the population to remain at a constant level, the fertility rate

must be slightly above two children per woman, but last year, the fertility rate was 1.76, a steep decline – in demographic terms – from the 2010 rate of 1.88 children per woman.

At the same time as the number of new Danes coming into the world is going down, so too is the number of Danes leaving it. While that means the overall population is increasing – even before the approximately 25,000 people who immigrate here each year is factored in – it means there will be fewer taxpayers to shoulder the burden of tomorrow’s pensioners and other benefit recpients.

The explanation for the continued decline in birth rates, according to experts, is that fewer families are having the third and fourth children that help compensate for those who only have one or no children. The reason, they say, is obvious: the economy.

“The recession has hit young families especially hard,” Mogens Nygaard Christoffersen, of welfare research institute SFI, told Kristeligt Dagblad. “There are a lot of things that need to come together –

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Declining birth rate concerns demographers

Our future rests on his earning potential

education, job, place to live. And people feel a responsibility for the children they bring into this world.”

But even with the poor economy, Denmark’s birth rate still lags behind the other Scandinavian countries. In Sweden, for example, it is 1.9 children per woman.

Changing that, say experts, requires evening out the uncertainty of economic peaks and troughs. And while the recent tax reform and changes to the quarterly

universal child payment have been criticised by some demographers as a move that will contribute to further declines in birth rates since it takes money out of families’ pockets, Hansen said indirect payments, such as tax credits, would have a bigger effect.

“Our experience shows that you can’t legislate a higher birth rate. No-one can make their living off of producing children.”

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continued from front page

particularly in immigration reform. In the past six months, as the government has struggled, it has again doubled its support among voters.

While the party has announced that it will modernise its programme, which also calls for the dismantling of the police, Clausen’s recent statements have left others in politics alarmed.

“It’s both sick and dangerous to have a party chaired by people who are toying with the thought of abandoning fundamental human rights,” Anders Samuelsen, leader of the libertarian Liberal Alliance, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “What do they imagine would happen when they come and ask for the keys to Maersk, Lego and Novo Nordisk, which are three of the big companies that maintain our welfare state by creating jobs and income for Denmark.”

Pia Kjærsgaard, leader of Dansk Folkeparti, warned of voters flocking to the party without fully understanding its views.

In a press release Kjærsgaard drew parallels between Enhedslisten’s ideal society and the idealism behind the communist revolutionary group Khmer Rouge that carried out genocide in Cambodia in the late 1970s.

“Many frustrated voters are being drawn into the arms of [Enhedslisten MPs] Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen and Per Clausen without them necessarily sharing the dream of a classless utopia or understanding Enhedslisten’s historic background,” Kjærsgaard wrote, adding that communism has claimed about 100 million lives.

“There is a direct line from Pol Pot to Per Clausen. The goal is the same and the ends always justify the means.”

Lead government party, Socialdemokraterne, have also tired of the strong-arm tactics Enhedslisten has used to prevent the coalition from making broad-based deals with the opposition.

Henrik Sass Larsen, the party’s parliamentary group leader, told DR last week that it would rather give up power than let Enhedslisten set the agenda.

“We cannot have a group of people made up of Leninists, Marxists, Trotskyites and Communists running the country,” he said. And after Clausen’s statements yesterday, Benny Engelbrecht, another of the party’s leading MPs, took that statement a step further: “If they want to carry out a revolution, they’d need to shoot me first.”

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THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 July 2012

SHANDANA MUFTI With Ramadan falling in July, the daily fast will be longer than normal. Muslims are taking it in stride, however, keeping their focus on the Islamic holy month’s other important aspects

ISLAMIC SOCIETY

Fasting in the land of the evening sun

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HEN THE sun set on Thursday, Ramadan began, signalling the start of 30 days of daytime fasting for more than one billion Muslims around the world.

Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar, falls in a different month according to the Western calendar each year. This year, it is in July, so for Muslims living in the far Northern Hemisphere – including the 200,000 living in Denmark – that means the month of restraint and of selfcontrol in the name of faith and building a closer relationship with God becomes that much more challenging.

During Ramadan, Muslims will not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. They will pray five times a day, and refrain from sex during daylight hours.

At the same time, they will maintain their regular lifestyles,

Ramadan – particulary the Eid-al-Fitr celebration that marks its closing – is a communal activity

working all day without eating or drinking.

For most, Ramadan – and fasting during Denmark’s long July days – comes down to a simple matter of faith taking precedence over other daily activities.

“I manage Ramadan like any other,” said Dame N’Doye, one of the strikers for FC Copenhagen. Originally from Senegal, N’Doye will be joining more than 90 percent of his countrymen in fasting.

“I eat from 10pm until 2am,

and the rest of the time I don’t.

It’s just a question of organising your day, and I’ve been doing it as long as I can remember, so it is not a problem for me.”

Others may not face as physically challenging a day as N’Doye, but nonetheless must adapt to the long fasts.

Mirza Baig, who migrated to Denmark from Pakistan and now owns a taxi in Copenhagen, will be cutting his workdays from 12 to about eight hours during Ramadan.

He lets prayer timings and

the sun dictate his work schedule, working between suhoor, the meal consumed before sunrise, and iftar, the meal that ends the daily fast at sunset.

“I will change the times to be suitable for me,” Baig said.

“The first day of Ramadan will be 18 hours. I’m going to be working six hours.”

Muslims employed in Denmark receive no special exemptions during Ramadan, and adhere to the same work schedules as non-fasting employees.

“If you’re fit enough to

work, you’re fit enough to fast,” said Imran Shah, spokesperson of the Islamic Society in Denmark. “Have a proper meal in the morning and drink lots of water, and you won’t have a problem.”

While Baig frequents the mosque weekly for Friday prayers, he said he will also be attending daily congregational prayers during Ramadan.

“We do Tarawihs during Ramadan,” Baig said. “It’s a little bit more intense than regular prayers, and prayed only during

Ramadan.”

During Tarawih prayers, recitations of the Koran, which is divided into 30 equal sections called juz’, are incorporated into prayers during Ramadan.

Over the course of the month the entire Koran is recited.

“Tarawih is voluntary, not obligatory,” said Shah, pointing out that with 18-hour fasts, some may choose to spend the six hours of non-fasting time with family.

At the end of the month, Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, attending special Eid prayers, donating money to the poor or to charity, spending the day with friends and family, and enjoying the favourite foods they may have deprived themselves of during the month.

Shah spoke of the merits of Ramadan, choosing to focus on the heightened sense of community among Muslims rather than the spirituality: “You see community and culture coming together for one simple purpose and that is the worship of God.”

Experts argue that while marriages with foreigners are at record levels, Danish culture is unlikely to change significantly

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n 2010 and 2011, every seventh marriage was to a foreigner, the highest level of mixed marriages in ten years.

With more than 50,000 marriages between a Dane and a foreigner since the turn of the millennium, professor Peter Gundelach, from the University of Copenhagen’s sociology department, argued Danish culture

is bound to be affected.

“The growing variation in the composition of couples will inevitably mean that new traditions and practices are imported to Denmark – for example from people with different faiths,” Gundelach told Berlingske newspaper.

Gundelach pointed out that people will bring their faiths and traditions with them from their home countries and this can change everything from how birthdays and holidays are celebrated, to the types of foods that are eaten at home.

“In couples with different backgrounds, the two parties will often negotiate to find a way to keep traditions alive that satisfy

the needs of both,” Gundelach said.

Pia Kjærsgaard, leader of the right-wing Dansk Folkeparti, said she was not concerned that the many mixed marriages would dilute Danish values and traditions.

“But it is logical that the moment people with foreign backgrounds refuse to integrate or accept Danish culture it becomes a problem and a threat,” Kjærsgaard told Berlingske.

Lisbeth B. Knudsen, a professor and demographics researcher at Aalborg University, argued there was little need to worry about Danish traditions changing over time.

“Many of the traditions that we think are Danish are actu-

ally appropriated from abroad,” Knudsen said. “For example the tradition of placing a Christmas tree in the living room is actually German. So I see it not as a threat to Danish values but as a natural development.”

She added that open borders and the decreasing cost of travel meant that more Danes were likely to meet, and therefore marry, foreigners.

There were more than double the number of marriages between Danish men and foreign women last year (2,277) than between Danish women and foreign men (1,035).

And while Danish women tend to find their foreign husbands in Europe (Germany, the

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Record number of marriages with foreigners PETER STANNERS

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A match made ... abroad?

UK and Norway are the three most common home countries of foriegn-born husbands), Danish men look further east for their foreign wives (Thailand, the Philipines and Germany being their preferred choice for foreign wives).

The rise in the number of marriages with foreigners arrives despite strict immigration rules such as the 24-year rule, which prohibits marriage with a foreigner from most non-western countries if either party is under that age.

ONLINE THIS WEEK 3 sisters die in farm tragedy

ACCUSATIONS THAT Danes are not applying for tough, unskilled jobs are unfounded, according to trade union 3F. The union, which organises unskilled labourers, reported that in a recent survey of eight major companies – Grundfos, Post Denmark, Arla, Coop, Danish Crown, Danfoss, Lego and 7-Eleven – each of them said they get more applicants then they can handle for any unskilled job that they advertise. “We have received up to 500 applications for a single position at a new store,” Rikke Rye, HR manager at 7-Eleven told 3F. “We even get many applying for jobs with odd working hours, like late nights.” Post Danmark said its problem is that it gets too many applicants when they advertise

TWO DANES MANAGED to survive an avalanche that hit a party of mountaineers on Mont Maudit in the French Alps earlier last week. Nine people were confirmed dead, and 12 were hurt following the avalanche on the mountain that mountaineers must pass on their way up to the top of Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest mountain at 4,810 metres above sea level. Four other climbers that had been unaccounted were later found, according to police.

They had taken a different path on the mountain. At 5:25am, about half an hour after the avalanche hit, one of the injured mountaineers managed to raise the alarm and by 10am rescuers had managed to carry the first five moun-

THREE SISTERS are dead after being trapped under a 400 kilogram hay bale on the family horse farm in the village of Hee, near Ringkøbing, last Thursday a nine-year-old sister died while being transported to the hospital from while a 13-year-old sister died in hospital on Friday. The youngest sister, aged six died in hospital on Sunday. The father discovered the girls under the hay. An autopsy revealed that the girls died due to injuries sustained when the hay fell on them rather than suffocation. Authorities are continuing their investigation into what caused the hay bale to fall on the girls.

for mail deliverers or package handlers.

“Our ad only needs to be on the internet for a day, and we receive so many applicants we have to pull it down,” Hans Erik Nielsen, a company spokesperson, said.

Recently, some employers have said that low-paying, unskilled positions have primarily been going to foreigners because Danes do not want the jobs.

SCANPIX/EMMANUEL FOUDROT

Danish pair survives Mount Blanc avalanche

DANSK FODGÆNGER FORBUND

Plenty of Danish applicants, companies and union say

taineers off Mont Maudit. One of the Danes suffered minor injuries while the other was unharmed after the incident.

Changes in temperature and heavy rainfall over the past week in the area may have created conditions that caused the avalanche.

READ MORE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 July 2012

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Councils team up to oppose radioactive depot Opposition to burying 50 years’ worth of radioactive waste in the Danish countryside is mounting

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he final resting place of 10,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste will soon be chosen from six sites across five councils.

None of the councils are happy about having host the waste, however. But instead of working against each other they have joined forces to oppose it being buried anywhere in Denmark.

The waste is currently being stored at Risø research laboratory, where most of it was produced in one of the three nuclear test reactors it operated over the past 50 years.

The last was decommissioned in 2003.

Most of the material is lowlevel waste, but some 500 cubic metres, including reactors’ 233 kilograms of fuel rods, is classi-

fied as medium-level waste.

The councils argue that it should either stay at Risø or be transported to a country that has the appropriate facilities to treat it.

“Parliament decided in 2003 that

sen (Venstre), the mayor of the Jutland town of Skive told Politiken newspaper. “It is a noble thought but it is far more sensible to make a deal with one of the many countries that have nuclear power plants and have far more experience [with radioactive waste]. For them, our radioactive waste is merely a drop in the ocean.”

The waste will be buried up to 100 metres below the surface within a series of containers that are expected to have a lifespan of at least three hundred years.

But Anne Sørensen from Dansk Dekommissionering, the organisation responsible for t h e

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Denmark should be responsible for its own radioactive waste, but that was a foolish decision,” Flemming Eskild-

handling of the radioactive material, admits that it is difficult to ensure the depot would be entirely water-tight.

SCANPIX

PETER STANNERS

The radioactive waste is primarily low-level waste, such as protective gear, accumulated over the past 50 years

“That is why it needs to be placed where there is as little water flow as possible so it takes the longest possible time to fill up with water,” Sørensen told Politiken.

Sørensen ruled out leaving the waste at Risø as it sits upon unstable geological foundation while also being located near a major reservoir supplying Copenhagen.

The councils may have more luck exporting the waste,

however, as an EU directive from 2010 allows that member states transport waste between countries and establish joint waste depots.

According to science publication Ingeniøren, the depot is to be built with a lifespan of about 300 years, though it ought to be safe for between 500 and 1,000 years.

The waste will take thousands of years to become harmless, however, so the depots will

be designed to allow it to be retrieved and reburied at a future date.

From the air, the depot will resemble the international nuclear symbol in order to warn off future generations.

This summer, further tests will take place at the shortlisted sites in the councils of Bornholm, Skive, Struer, Lolland and Kerteminde in order to identify a final two or three candidates.

PETER STANNERS

Drivers are increasingly getting their licence revoked for driving with trace levels of cannabis in their bloodstream

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If you drive high, wave your licence goodbye Sweden’s Eurovision win could be Copenhagen’s gain

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undreds of drivers caught with traces of cannabis in their blood have filed complaints against the police after a law change earlier this year made it possible to revoke people’s licences, even if they are not under the influence of the drug at the time they are stopped.

The changes, which came into effect in January, mean that drivers found to have the active chemical in cannabis, THC, in their bloodstream risk losing their licence for three years.

So far this year the police have heard 259 complaints over the change. Previously no complaints had ever been filed by drivers who had been charged with driving under the influence of cannabis.

According to Arne Dam Ravn, a Copenhagen police solicitor, the complaints stem from the fact that THC remains detectable in the bloodstream for up to a month after the effects have worn off.

So while drivers may no longer feel under the influence, the presence of THC in their blood means they are still driving illegally.

“It has grave consequences because people are not aware that they are doing anything illegal,” Ravn told Berlingske newspaper. “I have spoken to an employer that had to fire one of his drivers because he had lost his driving licence. People can risk losing their home if they are dependent on their cars for their work.”

ing to the report, Sydsvenskan writes.

Both Malmö and Copenhagen officials say they are thrilled by the choice, citing great exposure for the Øresund Swedish critics complain that region.

Stockholm’s loss will wind up being “It would of course bring CopenDanish capital’s gain hagen a good deal of tourism opportunities, but would first and foremost be an enormous publicity opportunity for FTER MONTHS OF specula- the Øresund region to be shown for all tion, it was announced last week of Europe. You just can’t buy that kind that Malmö will be the Swedish city of publicity,” said Peter Rømer Hansen, to host the 2013 Eurovision Song Con- development director for Wonderful Cotest. And now it appears that decision penhagen, the city’s tourism board. could wind up benefitting Copenhagen.

Johan Hermansson, a Malmö tourAccording to an agreement obtained ism promotion official, said he thought

by Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan, the it would be “great” to involve the entire city of Malmö and Swedish public broad- Øresund region, including Copenhagen, caster SVT hope to hold an event in given Denmark’s participation in one of Copenhagen during the event’s semi-finals. the month-long lead The decision to up to the competihold the event in the tion.

15,000-seat Malmö Sweden will over StockTogether with other groups Arena host the annual holm’s suburban song contest, which in the Øresund region, Friends Arena, which draws 125 million seats 65,000, has also viewers, on May the city will work towards received a great deal of 21 thanks to its re- holding one of these criticism, particularly sounding win in from those who beAzerbaijan this year. events on Rådhuspladsen lieve Copenhagen will Malmö was selected in Copenhagen be reaping the finanas host after it becial benefits of Swecame apparent that den’s musical triumph.

Stockholm’s Globe Arena had already “You give away the bigger portion of been booked for the ice hockey world the profits to a country that ultimately championships. does not share our views on multicultur“Together with other groups in the alism or migration,” three panellists, all of Øresund region, the city will work to- whom are hotel managers in Stockholm, wards holding one of these events on were cited by Swedish newspaper AftonRådhuspladsen in Copenhagen,” accord- bladet as saying.

LINN LEMHAG

A

Traces of THC in the bloodstream can result in a lost licence for three years

Henrik Rindom, an addiction expert, said he felt the law change unfairly targeted cannabis users.

“Why should people be punished so severely?” Rindom told Berlingske.

“You’re just telling young people to sit down and get stoned for three years because there’s nothing else they can do after they’ve lost their licence.”

There is still no accurate test to measure the effects of a given level of THC in the bloodstream, as there is with alcohol, meaning that the zerotolerance policy was arbitrary, according to Rindom.

“People are allowed to drive with a blood alcohol percent of 0.12 before

they automatically lose their licence.

Others drive around under the influence of sedatives, which can make people drowsy like cannabis, but because they are prescribed by doctors it is accepted.

It’s simply a campaign against people who are smoking an illegal drug.”

Ole Hækkerup, legal spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, stood by the law, however.

“It’s our job to ensure that traffic is safe and we would rather have a law that’s too restrictive than run any sort of risk,” he told Berlingske. “We may start a campaign encouraging people to stop smoking cannabis altogether if they plan on driving.”

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SPORT

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 July 2012

SCANPIX/CLAUS FISKER

SCANIX/BOGDAN CRISTEL

For top teams, the goal is to return nation to European elite

Michael Mørkøv – keeping Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff bank in the money

Close, but non cigare for Danish Tour team CHRISTIAN WENANDE

FC Nordsjælland (blue), the hunter at home, easy prey in the Champions League

CHRISTIAN WENANDE Superliga teams are hoping to improve last season’s disastrous efforts in Europe and push Denmark up UEFA’s coefficient standings

T

he Superliga opened with a bang this weekend, with the national league’s 12 teams amassing 25 goals and three red cards being dished out. But for many of the top teams, the first order of football business this autumn is not national glory, but salvaging Denmark’s European reputation.

Thanks in large part to the success of FC Copenhagen, Danish football has experienced something of renaissance in Europe in recent years. And this year sees 2012 league champion FC Nordsjælland become the first Danish team ever to automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage. It could, though, be a one-time

delight and it’s all down to European football’s four-letter word: coefficient points.

In UEFA’s coefficient point rankings, countries are ranked according to how well their teams have performed in European competitions over the past five years. The teams that occupy the top three league places in the countries ranked 1 to 3 in UEFA competition gain automatic entry into the group stages for the following season’s Champions League competition. The first and second placed teams in the countries ranked 4 to 6 also gain automatic entry, as do the champions in the countries ranked 7 to 12, which is where Denmark comes in.

Because Denmark was number 12 last year, Nordsjælland will be qualifying automatically to the group stages as Superliga champions. But a woeful European campaign by Danish teams last season, their worst since the 2004-05 season, means that Denmark has dropped to 13 in

the rankings and therefore loses its automatic qualification next season.

Belgium and Turkey are above Denmark and only a solid European performance by Danish teams, combined with a mediocre one from either Turkey or Belgium, will see them reclaim a coveted automatic berth. On the other hand, a poor season could see Denmark be surpassed by a surging Austria.

The five Danish teams that will share the burden of gathering these essential points in the European theatre are Nordsjælland, FC Copenhagen, FC Midtjylland, AC Horsens and Aarhus GF. Nordsjælland will begin play in the Champions League group stages while Copenhagen will join in the third round of the qualification stage.

In the Europa League, Aarhus play Georgia’s Dila Gori this week in the Europa League second qualification round, while Horsens enter in the third round and Midtjylland the play-

off round of the tournament’s qualification stage.

But while Danish hopes are high, the odds of success are not bright. Copenhagen are 500 to 1 and Nordsjælland are 750 to 1 long shots to win the Champions League (Ladbrokes), while Horsens are 250 to 1 and Midtjylland are 350 to 1 to win the Europa League (Bet 365).

Ominously, Aarhus are not even listed.

Aside from Nordsjælland, who automatically qualified, it will be a long and trying qualification road for the Danish teams trying to reach the group stages of the European competitions and help boost the country’s coefficient ranking.

Getting that elusive 12th place back will be a momentous task, but it could be worse. In 2003 Denmark were ranked 24, behind the likes of Norway and Israel. Yes, they’ve come a long way. Whether they are there to stay, however, remains to be proven.

Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank owner Bjarne Riis is proud of his riders’ performance, despite them not winning a Tour stage yet

A

S THE TOUR de France entered its final few days last week, the Danishowned Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank continued to aggressively pursue their first stage victory.

On Monday they came tantalisingly close.

The stage saw team owner Bjarne Riis implement some unconventional tactics in an effort to get Nicki Sørensen into the breakaway pack. Initially, Sørensen was blocked by other teams from being able to be a part of the small breakaway group, but Riis sent his riders to the front of the peloton and threatened to increase the pace and catch the breakaway group if Sørensen wasn’t allowed to catch up to them.

The risky bluff paid off and

Sørensen joined up with the group, only to finish fourth, just seconds behind the winner, Pierrick Fédrigo of the Française des Jeux team.

But despite just missing out on a stage victory on Monday, Riis was full of praise for the tenacity his riders are displaying in their hunt for a stage triumph.

“Motivation and morale are incredibly high. That we can continue to fight despite being so far into the Tour is great to see,” Riis told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “We have been very visible, but have yet to win a stage. Winning a stage is still our ambition and it’s not the last time you’ll see these lads on TV.” And Riis will also be pleased that the Danish team ranks ninth when it comes to Tour winnings. His team’s riders have collected about 175,000 kroner thanks to assertive riding, particularly Michael Mørkøv’s three consecutive days riding in breakaways during the first week, as well as top-ten finishes

by Nicki Sørensen, Chris Anker Sørensen, Sergio Paulinho and Juan Jose Haedo.

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7 Water, water everywhere – and it’s all nice and clean COVER STORY

Planning on going swimming in Copenhagen Harbour this summer? Just a decade ago few would have done so voluntarily

CHRISTIAN ALSING

DIANNE MCGINNESS

H

Harbour swimming baths are shooting up in Copenhagen’s city centre. Islands Brygge (pictured) offer three different pools: a swimming pool, a children’s pool and a diving pool – something for all ages

holes in the sewer system where they let the waste water go into the harbour instead of the sewage plant.”

The process of cleaning up the harbour began in 1990 when Copenhagen decided that those abandoned harbour-front properties should be used for offices and residential spaces.

In 1995 the first concrete underground basin for storing wastewater was built. During the next seven years, 12 more basins were constructed around

Copenhagen, reducing the amount of wastewater in the harbour from 1.6 million cubic meters to 400,000 cubic meters.

An automatic warning system was also established to measure the level of bacteria in the water. The warning system alerts harbour swimmers whether or not the water is safe to swim in. There is also an application available for smart phones and for those without access to either, a red flag is also raised at swimming areas when the water

quality is bad.

Knowing the water quality suddenly became important for the average city resident in 2002, when the Islands Brygge public harbour bath was opened – some 48 years after the last one was forced to close due to pollution.

While the sewer improvements have come a long way to keep the harbour clean, this is still a city and about five times each swimming season – normally after heavy rains – the harbour baths need to be closed

parison, apartments in the same area of town but further away from the harbour only increased by 12 percent.

With two more harbour baths and two full-fledged beaches built since the Islands Brygge harbour bath opened, the city says it would like to build two or three more, as well as another beach. However Nielsen said that the focus was just as much on making it easier to get out onto the water.

“We want to have more space along the harbour basin because today it is very difficult to get in contact with the harbour and we want more spaces where it is possible to get down to the water, as well as more activities there.”

Before the city gives its harbour a completely clean bill of health, Nielsen said there is still some work to be done.

He expected the final preparations for the planned beach, this one on a stream in Valbyparken, to be done within five years at a cost of 500 million kroner to seal off the sewage overflows that today make it unfit for recreational use.

If and when that beach is built, Copenhagen will have added a stream running through the city that has rediscovered its love affair with water.

TY STRANGE

MORTEN JERICHAU

EAD DOWN to Copenhagen’s waterfront, and you’re likely to see something that wasn’t there ten years ago: life. With its water polluted and the heavy industry gone, the harbour used to be abandoned.

Today though, Copenhagen is one of the only European cities with a harbour clean enough to be used for recreational purposes. The reason why is because Copenhagen cleaned up its act, literally.

Prior to 1995, wastewater flowed directly into Copenhagen Harbour through 93 overflow channels, part of a system that Jan Burgdorf Nielsen, of the city’s Technical and Environmental Administration, described as purposely undersized.

“The old sewer system was not dimensioned to contain all the rainwater. They did that in the old days to save money because if you put smaller pipes in the ground, you saved money,” he said. “So instead of putting in bigger pipes they made these

because of unsafe bacteria levels.

When this happens the whole system can be flushed with clean water, according to Lars Anker Agartyr, a marine biologist at the Centre for Parks and Nature.

“We usually just close it for half a day or a day and then it’s clean again,” he said.

While the vast majority of those who swim in the harbour do so during the summer, one hardy group is hoping to get its own – year round – harbour bath.

Peter Jakobsen, a member of winter swimming club Vinterbad Bryggen, describes swimming in the harbour during the winter as “cold but very nice”, and explained that swimming during the winter is becoming increasingly popular, partially for its reputed health benefits, but just as much for the social aspect.

“It is very relaxing and a very nice way to spend time with other people,” he said.

For some city residents, though, one of the biggest benefits of the cleaner harbour has nothing to do with being wet. It has to do with money.

According to a city study, in just nine years the price of flats near a harbour bath has increased by 57 percent. In com-

The canal in Frederiksberg Gardens. Next stop for waterway renewal, Valby?

The decline of heavy industry cleared the way for waterfront recreational areas like Amager Strandparken

READER COMMENTS Danes saying ‘nej tak’ to unskilled jobs I rebuilt two houses in a historical district in Denmark. For the first one I used Danish contractors and workmen. The work was shoddy and the workmen spent too much time talking on their mobiles and taking beer breaks. I think I got four hours of work out of them in a typical eight-hour day. I ripped apart much of what they did and repaired it myself. On the second house I had Polish and German workers, and the quality of the work was absolutely outstanding. They were also, for the record, properly registered and perfectly legal in Denmark.

I have Danish friends who have had similar experiences, and who steadfastly refuse to hire

Danish tradesman. Danes are very good about protectionism, but that is all they seem to be good at.

Tom by website All the various welfare benefits mean that unemployed Danes can be reasonably choosy with regard to what jobs to accept. It is quite natural that they avoid the low-wage jobs. Foreigners often come from job markets where even low-wage Danish jobs and work conditions seem quite attractive! Above all, unlike the Danes, they don’t have the luxury of choice!

Martin Friis

by Facebook I don’t think these people are being exploited. It’s people’s own choice to come and work in Denmark. I am a foreign stu-

dent in Copenhagen and work part-time at a hotel as housekeeping. It’s only a few hours a week and it’s more than enough to pay my rent, bills and vacations. I don’t feel exploited, I actually think of this as a good start until I begin my real career.

Don’t say things if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Gelu Timoficiuc

by Website Passengers unconvinced about new electronic travel ticket I’m not surprised at the arrogance of the people in charge who reject the idea that it doesn’t work. I haven’t used the system, but knowing Denmark as I do, I’m going to fall on the “probably doesn’t work” side of the fence. How hard is it to have the system print off a

small receipt to show that you scanned the card? I would never use a system where I’m liable for fines if it comes down to word against word. Yet another halfbaked idea and waste of money!

Shufflemoomin

by Website Do you want to wait at a busy station while a little machine prints out receipts? I agree it sucks if the system is not adequately checking people in, but you haven’t thought through your proposed solution. Since it is more expensive to use than the monthly pass, I don’t use it except on trips out of my usual zones, and then I forget to check out and end up with a big fare. If they had integrated it with the monthly pass it might have worked better.

TheAuthorities

by Website

Death by Tiger If the enclosure and the signs are not warning enough, it’s really impossible to prevent a person from falling victim to their own folly. The tigers are wild animals after all. Whether suicidal or unintentional, death is always tragic. The zoo should not be faulted; neither should the security guards or anyone else for this act of madness, least of all the tigers.

Loroferoz

by Website The government should step in and ensure that children’s literature and toys show the actual danger involved with interacting directly with wild animals. In fact I call for a total ban on teddy bears, stuffed tigers, lions and any other dangerous creatures.

We should only allow plushy, stuffed versions of SF or EL politicians to be sold to children, because wouldn’t every child just love a stuffed Villy Søndal or Johanne Schmidt Nielsen doll?!

Thorvaldsen

by Website More drug busts at Roskilde Festival after Death Wouldn’t it be a lot easier to have a narcotics dog posted at the entrance of the festival to inspect people and their packs as they enter, with an amnesty box for those caught at the entrance to deposit their drugs?

SNCO

by Website I’m sure the alcohol consumption causes more strife than illegal drug consumption.

Nebsy

by Website

TY STANGE

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 July 2012

8

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 July 2012 COLOURBOX

The tax minister wants to publish the tax records of multinational corporations, though business lobby groups argue move will be counterproductive

Corporate tax information to go online RAY WEAVER

Pedersen to propose the idea.

While regular taxpayers contribute nearly 360 billion kroner to state coffers each year, corporate payments amount to just over 40 billion kroner, according to one study.

Frank Aaen, a spokesperson for the far-left Enhedslisten party, said the new website will encourage companies to shoulder more of their fair share of the tax burden.

“I have no doubt that open tax lists will help companies and multinationals understand that they should pay their taxes,” Aaen told Politiken newspaper.

Pedersen called the trend over the past decade of companies paying increasingly less in taxes “troubling”.

“Everyone needs help to get Denmark out of the recession,” he told Politiken. “When hardworking employees pay taxes, it is only fair that companies do also.”

Pedersen called the new

Tax minister says it’s time for the public to see if businesses are paying their fair share

P

LANS BY the Tax Ministry to establish a website showing the public how much companies pay – or don’t pay – in taxes is receiving mixed reviews.

The plan would enable Skat, the national tax agency, to publish information about the amount of taxes paid by domestic and multinational companies, which until now has been confidential, on a special website. The tax minister, Thor Möger Pedersen (Socialistisk Folkeparti) told Jyllands-Posten newspaper that the move will have a “positive effect on tax payments”.

Recent reports that 30 percent of companies working in Denmark pay zero taxes inspired

website an effort at transparency.

Both Q8 and McDonald’s, two companies often cited as serious tax evaders, say that they will have no problem complying with the regulations when they take effect later this year.

“If the political decision has been made to make tax information public, we will abide by the law,” Jytte Wolff-Snedorff, a Q8 spokesperson, told Politiken.

Aaen had previously claimed that Q8 had not paid taxes in Denmark for 20 years.

Sara Helweg-Larsen, a spokesperson for McDonald’s Denmark, said that the company welcomes the transparency the new rules will create, but called for a debate on opening up tax lists.

“For us, this is about the law, for Enhedslisten, it is about an ideology, and the two things need to be separated.”

Businesses are not happy with Pedersen’s idea. Dansk Erhverv, the national chamber of

BUSINESS NEWS AND BRIEFS Denmark dodged euro bullet ECONOMISTS ARE now claiming that it was fortunate Danes voted against adopting the euro in the 2000 referendum. The economists provided calculations to Jyllands-Posten newspaper showing that if Denmark had been in the monetary union it would have had to pay 338 billion kroner to bailout other Eurozone members. This sum consists of 87 billion kroner and 95 billion kroner, respectively, for

DSB refuses IC4 payment the two financial stability funds, the ESM and the EFSF. Denmark would also have had to contribute 156 billion kroner to the European Central Bank’s purchase of government bonds from the troubled countries. Marianne Jelved, former leader of the Radikale party, who were supporters of the euro at the time of the 2000 referendum, still supports adopting it even though she acknowledged that much had gone wrong.

DSB IS reportedly refusing to pay Italian manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for any IC4 or IC2 trains that have been delivered since the start of 2012, according to Ingeniøren. dk. DSB said its refusal to pay comes after AnsaldoBreda failed to live up a 2009 agreement about the quality and delivery schedule for the trains, which have been beset by problems since entering into service four years behind schedule in 2007.

commerce, and Dansk Industri, a business advocacy group, both said the tax website will do much more harm than good.

“This will have a negative effect in terms of attracting new foreign investment and businesses to Denmark,” Bo Sandberg, a Dansk Erhverv economist, told Politiken. “I think these new rules will mean fewer jobs.”

Dansk Industri said that the new rule sends the wrong signal.

“There is currently a negative mood among businesses in

general,” said Lene Nielsen, a legal advisor to Dansk Industri.

“We would rather have an environment that creates a foundation for businesses to come to this country.”

Socialistisk Folkeparti and Enhedslisten have pushed for many years for a way to get to the taxes they believe multinational corporations owe.

Sandberg said the idea that multinationals are not paying taxes is just wrong “Looking at the big picture,

it is a hoax that the multinationals do not pay their taxes,” Sandberg told Politiken. “Overall, they are some of the companies that contribute most corporate taxes in Denmark.”

Sandberg says along with supplying jobs, multinational companies also contribute significantly to education, healthcare and infrastructure in a community.

“Tax payments are only a small part of their social contribution,” she said.

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10

LIFESTYLE: SUMMER HEALTH

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

20 - 26 July 2012

A plan for all seasons

BY CAROLINE CAIN

A

S WE enjoy the last long days of summer, it’s important to consider the health opportunities that autumn offers us to prepare for the winter ahead.

Being healthy is not just about what we eat or don’t eat. It’s about a wholebody approach to well-being, including our thoughts, emotions and general lifestyles. And autumn is the ideal time to think about where we are, where we want to go and how to let go of the old – our internal well-being welcomes change when the leaves are changing colour and falling to the ground in the cyclical nature of the seasons.

Large intestine, large responsibility Our large intestine’s main responsibility is to eliminate waste from the body. This ‘garbage collector’ needs to do its job properly or we become overloaded with toxins.

Sub-optimal elimination manifests in bowel problems (such as diarrhoea, vomiting, bloating and constipation) and feelings of sadness.

Everyone would benefit from avoiding the pizza, ice cream and barbeques that filled our bellies over the summer months. Instead, think about fresh, seasonal, home-cooked food.

Preparation reaps benefits Taking time to really think about our well-being is a weak link in our modern society, in which we are often bombarded with opportunities, fraught with decisions to make, and disconnected from others and nature through our individual quest for identity, our place in society and so much rushing around to get things done. By nurturing the special characteristics of each season, we ensure that we reap their benefits and can move through the whole year with optimal vitality. Spending some time in autumn to prepare our mental and physical health for the winter allows us to avoid the flu, colds, coughs, congestion as well as mental fogginess, depression and the winter blues (seasonal affective disorder or ‘SAD’).

A healthy set of lungs

Walk tall, don’t fall

Our lungs allow us to receive life-giving energy – taking a deep breath is the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do as we die. Physical symptoms of lung imbalance manifest as shortness of breath, asthma, coughing, headaches, a stuffy nose and skin conditions (such as spots, boils, dry skin, etc).

Emotionally, it is not uncommon at this time of year to feel somewhat disconnected or disorientated.

If you usually experience some of the symptoms mentioned above or are already experiencing them, don’t worry it’s still possible to take advantage of autumn and optimise your vitality for a healthy winter! Here are a few tips for prospering during and beyond the season.

Get outside and breathe deeply – take in the fresh autumn air to oxygenate your cells.

Exercise to keep things moving through your intestine and help the waste make its way out. Set up and get comfortable with an exercise routine that

Relayed in China PHOTOGRAPH © CAROLINE CAIN

Caroline Cain is a half-English, half-French naturopathic nutritionist and reflexologist who believes that lasting heath, radiance and energy is achievable through a practical, relaxed approach to clean, green, healthy eating and living and a generous dash of radical self-care. She also speaks Danish and Spanish. Find out more at www.carolinecain.dk.

According to the Chinese elements, autumn is the season associated with our lungs and large intestine. Those of you (the majority reading this, I would imagine) who suffer from the typical winter ills would do well to nurture these organs now to ensure vibrant health throughout winter. Preparation is key.

Caroline Cain

Naturopathic Nutritionist & Reflexologist

Natural health and detox specialist guiding and motivating you to create optimal, lasting health. tel: 50 19 76 06 www.carolinecain.dk

you can stick with throughout the winter. Now is a good time to create schedules.

A sensible intake Slow-cook foods at a low heat and add more sour flavours to your meals (try apple-cider vinegar, lemon, lime or sour plums).

To combat dryness (you will notice if you are thirsty, have dry skin/nose/ throat/lips), eat more spinach, barley (byg in Danish), short-grain brown rice (you would benefit from soaking these and all grains beforehand to absorb more water and make them more readily digestible), millet (hirse), pears, nuts and healthy fats (such as olive oil, avocado and organic butter).

Reduce your intake of mucous-forming foods to prevent nasal congestion, lung-related symptoms, foggy brain and slow/congested digestion. The main offenders are: dairy, bananas and gluten (from wheat and all wheat derivatives such as spelt, kamut and couscous; rye, barley and oats also contain a small amount).

Add immune-boosting foods to your diet with fermented foods such as miso, sauerkraut and kefir. How about swapping your morning coffee for a cup of antioxidant-rich green tea?

For four weeks at a time, four times a year, our aim is to give you all the seasonal lifestyle advice you need to thrive in the areas of gardening, health, food and sport. When should you plant your petunias, when does the birch pollen season normally start, which week do the homegrown strawberries take over the supermarket, and which outdoor sports can you play in the snow? All the answers are here in ‘A plan for all seasons’.

Health Food Next week

And the least popular tip ...

Get to bed early. We’d all like the long hours of summer daylight to continue, but your body is getting ready to gear down for the winter (just as many animals prepare to hibernate).

Heed the call of longer nights and get more shuteye than you did during the summer months.

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Regional | Southern Jutland

Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

Do Don’t be fooled by the region’s calm outward appearance – there’s plenty to explore in southern Jutland. The visitors’ centre at Battlefield Centre Dybbøl Banke is well worth a visit, and throughout the summer, the region has a number of Ringriding Festivals, which look like jousting, but actually involve an individual rider trying to stick a pointy pole into increasingly smaller rings at a galloping speed.

For a few thrills of your own, head over to one of the region’s two amusement parks or Sommerland Syd in Tinglev. Looking to spend the day on the beach?

Head west to Rømø, where you can drive right out onto the beach to reach the water, and where you can also enjoy the sight of different kites being flown; many beaches offer kite rentals.

OUR PICK!

The beaches on Rømø stretch as far as the eye can see, and no matter which way you look there’s something going on, be it kite flying, land sailing or surfing. Going for a swim? Be sure to drive all the way out on the sand until you see water to avoid a long walk (read more: romo.dk).

Stay Choosing a place to stay in southern Jutland can be difficult because there are so many options. On the east coast, Gl. Ålbo is a great choice.

The area offers campsites, cabins and holiday homes. You also have some wonderful opportunities for fun there, including fishing, boating and diving. Looking for something on the west coast? Hotel Kommandørgården on Rømø is a nice place – it offers many different holiday packages that include activities like golfing and horseback riding. Want to be close to everything? Choose to stay at a summerhouse at Lalandia Billund, right in the heart of the region.

OUR PICK!

Lalandia Billund. Renting a summerhouse here also grants you free entrance to the Aqua-dome, Monky Tonky Land and various children’s entertainment. Choose to cook your own dinners, but be sure to check out one of the local restaurants while you’re there (more information available at lalandia.dk).

Eat Southern Jutland is full of great places to eat with a total of eight restaurants that have earned Gastronomy Danmarks Quality Mark.

In the town of Ribe, you’ll find the charming Kolvig Restaurant & Café, which has a terrace overlooking a river. If you’re looking for a fine-dining experience, head south and eat at either Schackenborg Slotskro or Hotel Fakkelgaarden. Perhaps you’re hungering for something a little more international. If so, be sure to stop in Sønderborg and book a table at Restaurant Dejengis Khan Mongolian Barbecue. After dinner, take a walk along the pedestrian street and get dessert at one of the ice cream or chocolate shops.

OUR PICK!

Restaurant Dejengis Khan Mongolian Barbecue. It’s an allyou-can-eat buffet with two different food options, and the prices are reasonable. The build-your-own-stir-fry option is a great choice (St. Rådhusgade 13, Sønderborg).

9

Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

At the crossroads of history, a great place to unwind Bordering Germany, southern Jutland offers great beaches and an up-close look at Denmark’s past

By Desirae Rasmussen

I

T IS no surprise that the southern Jutland region is the royals’ destination of choice for the summer holidays. Being so close to the mainland of Europe means stable warm weather during the summer months: it is never too hot and rarely cold or wet. This makes the region ideal for summer days spent outside enjoying the local natural areas, be it forests on the island of Als or beaches on the west coast.

Speaking of beaches, southern Denmark is the place to go if you are looking for a holiday that involves a lot of beach time. On the west coast, the soft-sanded beaches of Blåvand offer plenty of space and the chance to do some windsurfing.

To the east lies the Flensburg Fjord, where the calm waters are perfect for the entire family to go swimming. And be sure to check out Kægnæs on Als, where some of the region’s best beaches are located.

But the area is about more than just good weather and great beaches. It is also filled with culture and history, which changes the further south you travel. Starting in the north near Jelling, you can experience the roots of Danish history

with Europe’s finest Viking-Age monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moving south, the history is not as old and the culture becomes more flavoured by German influences. But don’t assume that this makes the region any less Danish. Important parts of Danish history happened here, including the signing of a peace treaty with Germany following the Battle of Dybbøl. To learn more about this and the other wars that took place in the region, be sure to visit the town of Sønderborg, where there are numerous historical attractions.

No trip to southern Jutland would be complete without a trip across the border to do some shopping – prices in Germany are cheaper. Stock up on beer, soda and sweets, but make sure to devote an entire afternoon because the shops are very busy at this time of year. Want to avoid the long lines? Plan a day-trip to the German city of Flensburg, take in some local sights and shop at one of the larger shopping centres in the evening on your way home.

Looking for a family-friendly holiday? This is easy in southern Jutland. Located on the island of Als, Danfoss Universe is a science centre that is sure to fascinate the entire family.

Looking for a theme park? Check out Sommerland Syd in Tinglev. And don’t forget Legoland in Billund, which is sure to keep everyone entertained on a warm summer day. Both Sommerland Syd and Legoland also have water parks should you tire of the rides and want to beat the heat.

No matter how you decide to spend your holiday in southern Jutland, be sure to master the word ‘mojn’, which means both ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in the local dialect.

Regional | Southern Jutland

Southern Jutland During your visit to southern Jutland, don’t be confused if someone says ‘goodbye’ using the same word that he greets you with. In the local dialect, ‘mojn’ means both – and the locals will be delighted to hear you give it a try. The entire region is a charming mix of friendly people, attractions, beaches, great places to eat and culture. Enjoy Danish history all the way from the Viking era up to the war of 1864, which saw the loss of significant Danish territory. This is also the area to visit if you are looking to enjoy some relaxed beaches. Both the east and west coasts provide many options. Looking to get out and explore nature? Head all the way down south to the island of Als where two large forests are situated, or head west to the Wadden Sea, an intertidal zone. Want to satisfy your need for thrills? Be sure to check out the roller-coasters at Legoland or Sommerland Syd. No matter how you choose to enjoy your holiday, southern Jutland is the place to make it a memorable one.

Southern Jutland

NEXT WEEK: FUNEN

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Island hopping | Fanø

 Bryghus, believes the quality and variety of the island’s produce is also playing a big part in increasing the island’s appeal:

Stay

Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

Eat

“The brewery is a good example of something that thrives here; we have a fantastic butcher, we have Fanø smoked salmon and we have lots of good artists.”

One of Fanø’s newer personalities is Winther’s colleague, American brewer Ryan Witter-Merithew; he moved to the island three years ago to help Winther re-open the microbrewery. Although he was easily recognisable at first for his long, red beard, Witter-Merithew didn’t expect to become a well-known face in the community.

“I would say that there are a lot of people who know me on Fanø but who I do not know myself,” he says. “I do get noticed a fair bit on the island, which is strange for me because I’m not used to that.”

Best of both worlds?

The island’s residents have decided not to increase tourist traffic by building a bridge or causeway to the mainland, as neighbouring island Rømø has done. Witter-Merithew recognises that it is a modern-day challenge for Fanø to promote the island’s specialities while preserving its peaceful atmosphere and natural landscape, which is now widely protected as part of the Wadden Sea National Park.

Even though summer is the most popular time to visit Fanø, it’s possible to stay in one of the island’s summerhouses, hotels, B&Bs, inns – and even at its campsites – all year round. There are 2,500 summerhouses available for rent, and around half of these can be booked online. As a cosy compromise between the more traditional summerhouse and the all-weather camping experience, quaint cottages with kitchen facilities and electric heating are also offered at Camping Klitten, one of Fanø’s seven campsites, located in Sønderho. Those looking to pamper themselves with a more luxurious getaway can retreat to Kellers Badehotel or the historical Sønderho Kro.

OUR PICK!

Summerhouse. Why not go for the authentic Danish summer holiday experience and rent your own summerhouse by the sea?

It’s a versatile option for families with chil-

“The people who live here and generate their living on the island – such as me and the people I work with – are always interested in ways we can build Fanø as a tourist destination.

But the people who live here and don’t earn any money from the island aren’t as interested in that stuff because they like the fact that Fanø is a secluded place where they can just enjoy themselves,” he says.

While Fanø continues to offer a vibrant combination of culture, nature and seclusion, there’s certainly no reason why visitors can’t enjoy the best of both worlds.

dren, groups of friends or couples.

Getting there The Fanø ferry (FanøFærgen) departs from the Port of Esbjerg (Esbjerg Havn) every 20 minutes between 9:00 and 20:00 daily in the summertime. The crossing takes 12 minutes. More timetable information and ticket prices can be found at faergen.com.

Do

OUR PICK!

Seal safari. From late spring, junior and senior ‘nature detectives’ should keep an eye out for seals on the sandbanks by Nordby Havn, or you can take a guided boat or walking tour to Grådyb or Galgerevet. Learn more at færgen.com, in the events section of the website.

Whether you decide to dine out, entertain family and friends at your summerhouse or bring a bag of delicacies back across the sea, there is something for the gourmet or gourmand on Fanø.

Sønderho Kro, Restaurant Ambassaden and Sylvesters offer stylish set menus featuring local produce, and Nana’s Stue and Fajancen in Sønderho combine traditionally-inspired fare with a taste of history in their café/restaurant galleries. There are also plenty of family-friendly options, like Nørby Kro and Hans & Grethe Creperie. Fanø’s culinary specialities have become a brand in themselves, and you’re likely to come across ‘the original’ Fanø skinke (cured ham) or other products from Nordby’s gourmet butcher on restaurant menus in Copenhagen. Bakskuld (salted, smoked dab) is a southern Jutland delicacy that has its roots in Fanø – it is a must-try for adventurous seafood lovers.

OUR PICK!

Sønderho Kro. Founded in 1722, the inn is one of Denmark’s historical treasures and showcases local specialities, including its own home-smoked fish and meats (sonderhokro.dk/english).

Fanø’s outdoor activities are plentiful in the summertime. There’s lots for children to do, whether it’s swimming, mini-golfing, playing ‘nature detective’ or joining in the fun at Pælebjerget’s forest playground. The more adventurous kids and adults can try blokarting – sand sailing – or kayaking along the Wadden Sea. Or you can simply take a leisurely bike ride or walk through the picturesque sand dune meadows, or even explore the landscape on horseback. Golfers can try out Fanø’s 18-hole Golf Links, and fishing enthusiasts can try their luck at the beach in Sønderho or the fishing lake in Nordby – but you’ll need to pay a fee before you can cast your line into the water. The island’s cultural days, street-theatre performances, storytelling and folk-music festivals bring the main towns to life during July and August, and weekly classical-music and guitar concerts run until late August. You will need to wait until June 2013 to see the skies burst into full colour at the Fanø International Kite Fliers Meeting, but a junior version from August 1-5 this year invites families to bring their own kites to the beach in Rindby or join in kite-making workshops.

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Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

Island hopping | Fanø

Culture, nature and seclusion At Denmark’s western edge, residents of Fanø find that clinging to traditions of the past is the key to their future survival

By Rachel Payne

Y

OU’VE HOPPED on the train at Copenhagen’s Central Station and travelled west across the country almost as far as you can go, reaching the port city of Esbjerg. Heading over to the ferry port, you’re now faced with two signs: ‘England’ and ‘Fanø’. If you’ve missed the boat to Harwich or don’t fancy the 18-hour voyage, you’re likely to choose a trip to the peaceful Danish island that is only a 12-minute ride away by ferry.

An array of festivals, outdoor activities and concerts bring Fanø to life during the summer months, and its summerhouses and camping sites are popular among Danish and international visitors alike. But Fanø is not just a holiday island or an extension of Esbjerg, Denmark’s fifth-largest city. It has its own distinct history, cultural traditions, food, architecture, natural landscapes and political structure.

More than 2,600 of Fanø’s residents live in Nordby and, because it lies north-east, it is the first part of the island that visitors encounter after they leave Esbjerg’s industrial port, cross the Wadden Sea by ferry and suddenly find themselves surrounded by heritage-listed houses and beautiful gardens.

Sønderho, in the south, is home to almost 300 peole, and even fewer live in the third-largest town, Rindby, which extends out to the island’s biggest summerhouse area and the beach – a beach so broad and solid on some stretches that cars are allowed to drive on it.

This relatively small community in western Denmark welcomes approximately 125,000 tourists each year, but it maintains such a natural and cultural charm that visiting the island can feel like a step back in time, especially when the island’s traditional events are in full swing.

An island of its own Fanø was documented as land of the Danish crown from as early as the 13th century, but its community strived for greater independence. In 1741, they finally won an auction for the island and bought it from King Christian IV. A copy of the original charter is still proudly on display at the local bank.

Fanø’s residents confirmed the island’s strong identity in 2005 when they voted to preserve Fanø’s status as an independent municipality (Denmark’s second smallest) during the country’s municipal reform. The island only has 3,247 inhabitants in all, but a special ‘island agreement’ has made it

possible for Fanø to co-operate with Esbjerg without losing its independent status.

Gaining more autonomy in the 18th century allowed the island to switch its main industry from fishing to ship construction, navigation and trade. Fanø’s sailing-ship era took off during the 1760s and boomed in the late 1800s, the island’s ‘golden age’. Its first navigation school was established in Sønderho in 1800.

national Kite Fliers Meeting, Art Week and the Fanø knitting festival – has meant that, per capita, Fanø now ranks among the top ten Danish councils that invest money in cultural events. Claus Winther, manager of the brewery Fanø

 Fanø Located 5 kilometres west of Esbjerg, Fanø is the northernmost of a string of islands that line the coast of south-

A signature of Fanø’s history that can be seen all year round is its houses, originally built by sailors and farmers. About 100 are protected, and stand more or less as they did when they were reconstructed with bricks and mortar around 1800.

The best-preserved houses are in Sønderho and parts of Nordby; there, residents must strictly adhere to the original style (including their distinctive green, white and black trimmings) and materials when they maintain them.

Visitors who sail over to Fanø for Sønderho Day or to enjoy the ‘Fanniker’ weekend celebrations in July will get to experience the complete package of architecture, folk music, dances, costumes and other traditions that reflect an era that is cemented in the island’s identity.

western Jutland and northern Germany between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. The island, formed by wind, sand and sea, offers all of the usual ingredients for a relaxing summer holiday: broad beaches, picturesque towns, outdoor sports, local food and beverages, music and nature trekking. But its unique blend of tangible history and folk traditions plus new attractions like ‘blokarting’ and contemporary art makes Fanø more than your average family-holiday island. Its appeal stretches far wider and caters to a range of tastes and interests. The choice of accommodation alone – from camping and recreational resorts to cosy cottages and inns – makes almost any holiday a possibility. And all of this is squeezed

“We have developed a special type of music and dance on the island that was inspired by the sailors who went to Holland, Belgium and further out,” says Poul Therkelsen, Fanø’s director of tourism. “We put a lot of effort into trying to maintain it – not only as a museum piece, but as a living part of our identity and our culture.”

Contemporary Fanø Fanø’s tourism industry, which has surpassed shipping as the island’s primary industry, now reflects a blend of old-world charm, modern innovation and local produce. As Therkelsen points out, it is a clear case of “old culture meeting new culture” and sharing inspiration.

quite comfortably, and leisurely, into Fanø’s slender 56 sq km frame.

Fanø

“We have a number of artists living here and that, of course, is inspiring the old culture. Some of the people who are maintaining the old traditional dances and music are also mixing it with modern electronic music, rock and jazz,” he says.

Fanø’s diverse music festivals and concerts are a clear example of the island’s emphasis on culture, and the inauguration of several new events in recent decades – such as the Inter-

NEXT WEEK: ÆRØ

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Events

Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

Your click to Copenhagen area museums & experiences

For Families

• PERFORMANCE: ABSTRACTIONS ON FILM ON BODY Experience the Lasse Barkfors performance ‘Abstractions on film on body’ at the Nikolaj Contemporary Art Centre.

A part of the Afgang 2012 exhibit featuring the next generation of contemporary artists, the performance will be held on Sun Jul 22 at 15:00.

Nikolaj Contemporary Art Centre Nikolaj Plads 10 Copenhagen K kunsthallennikolaj.dk/en

HUNTING AND FORESTRY MUSEUM If you are interested in learning about the connection between humans and nature, the best way to do it is by using all your senses. At the Hunting and Forestry Museum, you are allowed to touch many of the items on display and experience for yourself the difference between fox and badger fur, rabbit and deer feet or seal and deer teeth.

Hunting and Fishing Museum Folehavevej 15-17, Hørsholm

items to provide inspiration and entertainment for the whole family. And because it’s mounted on wheels, it’s easy to take around the museum and use to learn more about the works on display.

J. F. Willumsen Musuem Jenriksvej 4, Frederiksund jfwillumsensmuseum.dk WATER – A WORLD OF ADVENTURE A bone-dry ride through the wet element, this exhibition allows you to fight with the power of the sea. See if you can save someone who has fallen overboard from a ship. The 850 sq m exhibition features over 50 thrilling activities and fascinating experiments with water for you to dive into.

Experimentarium Tuborg Havnevej 7, Hellerup experimentarium.dk

jagtskov.dk VÆRKBOKSEN VÆRKboksen is the J. F. Willumsen Museum’s three-dimensional, interactive offering for families interested in exploring art. VÆRKboksen is stocked with activities and other art

Exhibitions • GUIDED TOURS AT THE DANISH JEWISH MUSEUM Get the inside story behind Daniel Libeskind’s design for the museum housing 400 years of Jewish history in Denmark. The tour offers highlights from the museum’s permanent collection, titled ‘Space and Spaciousness’. Tours available Fri Jul 20, Sun Jul 22 and Wed Jul 25 at 14:00.

Danish Jewish Museum Proviantspassagen 6 Copenhagen K jewmus.dk

• WHO ARE THE DANES – AMBER, GOLD AND VIKINGS By looking at a selection of particularly fine and unique artifacts, this guided tour takes you through the different periods of Danish prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Vikings. Free admission – just sign up at the Information Desk to attend. The guided tour takes place on Tue Jul 24 at 11:00.

The National Museum Ny Vestergade 10 Copenhagen K natmus.dk

Mary Coble: Maneuvering In this solo exhibition, Mary Coble links video and audio pieces with a new installation and a live performance.

While each of her pieces engages with different approaches to performance, all of the work is marked by a physicality that ultimately gives way to an opportunity for discovery among the audience.

Overgaden – Institute of Contemporary Art Overgaden Neden Vandet 17 Copenhagen K overgaden.org

In praise of power High politics and the art of propaganda take centre stage when Thorvaldsens Museum opens its doors to the exhibition ‘In Praise of Power’. Featuring works by Thorvaldsen, graphic prints and paintings from 19thcentury Rome and France and with a plaster copy of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death mask, the exhibition provides visitors with ample opportunity to examine the worlds of Napoleon, Alexander the Great and Thorvaldsen.

Thorvaldsens Museum Thorvaldsens Plads 2 Copenhagen K thorvaldsensmuseum.dk German world images, 1890-1930 Rare works from the national gallery’s permanent collection tell the story of one of

the most turbulent periods in the history of German art.

Through the works of Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Emil Nolde, the exhibit depicts the German modernists’ quest to identify the national identity.

National Gallery Sølvgade 48-50 Copenhagen K smk.dk

On loan Some of the Skagens Museum’s finest pieces – by, among others, Michael and Anna Ancher, Viggo Jo-

hansen, Christian Krohg and Oscar Björck – are in Copenhagen this summer. They will be shown along with the Hirschsprung’s own Skagen paintings.

The Hirschsprung Collection Stockholmsgade 20 Copenahgen Ø hirschsprung.dk Rococo Mania Designmuseum Danmark invites its guests to reflect on the connection between the past and the present.

The past is illustrated by select pieces of 18th-century clothing from the museum’s permanent collection, while the present is represented by works from four contemporary artists.

Designmuseum Denmark Bredgade 68 Copenhagen K designmuseum.dk

The

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Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

Your click to Copenhagen area museums & experiences

Europe in Copenhagen ...

My museum where I experience art

Photo: Simon Bøcker Mørch

Steen Bocian, 41, chief economist, Danske Bank

“ Feeling cooped up in Copenhagen? If you’ve got a touch of wanderlust but can’t get out of the city, why not make a grand tour of Europe in your hometown? There are plenty of places where you can experience the best of some of Europe’s great metropolises. This summer, we’ll take you to Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome and Paris – without ever leaving the Copenhagen area. Next destination: Rome.

By Julie W. Tovgaard

T

HEY SAY that all roads lead to Rome, and that includes Copenhagen’s H. C. Andersen Boulevard – where the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is located – as well as Gammel Strandvej in the village of Nivå, which is home to Nivaagaard Museum.

Looking to spend a Roman holiday without leaving Denmark?

Start at Thorvaldsens Musuem in Copenhagen, which houses the works of sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). Thorvaldsen lived in Rome for more than 40 years, becoming one the most renowned artists of his day. The museum’s classic architecture style accentuates the sculptures, and the richly decorated galleries are worth experiencing in their own right.

Thorvaldsen took his artistic inspiration from Greek and Roman mythology, and he was commissioned to carve busts and other sculptures; most of this work was requested by his contemporaries, including members of the clergy and royalty.

Not far from Thorvaldsen’s is The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

Take a step back into ancient Rome and enjoy Scandinavia’s largest collection of art objects from antiquity, which provide visitors with insight into Mediterranean culture during the classical period. The museum’s café, decorated with palms, will inspire you to think about the Colosseum and the Vatican as you enjoy a slice of Italian-inspired cake.

If you’re truly into Italy, you won’t want to miss the Royal Cast Collection at the National Gallery. The display consists of casts of some of the most important works from antiquity up through the Renaissance, and allows you to get close to mythological animals, Greek gods, Roman emperors and lithe athletes. The works – which include a cast of Michelangelo’s Pietá from St Peter’s Basilica in Rome – are made of plaster, and some of them are in better condition than the original works.

Lovers of Italian painting should visit the Nivaagaard Museum, which houses works by Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo Lotto, Bernadino Luini and other Italian masters.

For those into more modern Italian creations, check out Designmuseum Denmark. There, you’ll find works by the Memphis group, famous in the 1980s for creating furniture that often incorporated unexpected material combinations.

As your day roaming Copenhagen for Italian inspiration draws to a close, drop into a Ricco’s café for a cup of cappuccino. If you’re looking to put together your own Italian meal, stop in at Supermarco on Fiskerihavnsgade 3 in the Sydhavn district.

There, you’ll find a veritable paradiso of pasta, wine, cheese and any other Italian delicacy you can imagine.

My girlfriend is from Hungary, and when she’s in Denmark, she wants to see Danish art. Being in Copenhagen with her is always an experience because, as a foreigner, she looks at things from a totally different perspective. Recently, she took me to the Hirschsprung Collection, and even though I generally prefer more modern and abstract art to works done by the Skagen Painters, I enjoyed being there. I like the way that art provides a sort of diversity that you don’t always find in the otherwise monotonous world I live in. One of the nice things about museums like the Hirschsprung is that it’s on a human scale. When a museum gets too big, you can’t really appreciate what you’re seeing.

“When I was a kid, my mother often took me to Sophienholm when she wanted to do something special with me. That’s something I now do with my own children. In the summer, we like to ride out to the museum and to enjoy not just the art, but also the park and the view of Bagsværd Lake. It’s a safe bet if you are looking for something to do with children. It’s small and, when you’re done, you can sit outside at the café while the kids roll down the hill. I don’t usually visit museums for their exhibitions – I’m more interested in their location and the overall experience of being there, which is why Sophienholm is nice. You can enjoy both nature and art while you’re there.

“I’ve never felt any sort of obligation to go to museums.

It needs to be something that amuses you, even adults.

Arken [in Sydhavn] is the kind of place where the architecture accentuates the natural surroundings, especially on dreary winter days. Art is something that’s living, and I don’t find it necessary to be lectured about what I’m seeing. I want the art itself to be the experience. It’s refreshing that Arken is located in a part of Greater Copenhagen that isn’t normally associated with art or culture.”

By: Fie Krøyer Dahl

FRENCH MASTERPIECES

Dantes plads 7 • 1556 Copenhagen • www.glyptoteket.com

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Summer in Denmark: 20-26 July 2012

Neighbourhood safari | Vesterbro

The heart of cool

By Elise Beacom

T

HE SEEDY red lights draw an eclectic crowd to this up-and-coming district. The central avenue, Istedgade, is particularly pulsating, with sex shops and topless bars lining the way to Central Station. Located on the brink of the city centre, Vesterbro was originally the workers’ district, and that hustle and bustle remains. On any given morning, you might see greengrocers unloading their trucks, commuters descending upon the train station on their way to work and partiers slinking off home after one too many. While ladies of the night and addicts are two of the groups more commonly associated with this area, an increased police presence has cleaned up Vesterbro over recent years. Nowadays, it’s becoming increasingly trendy – especially around the meatpacking district, Kødbyen, where a number of niche bars have sprung up. Once an area reserved for butchers, the establishment of art studios and alternative restaurants now attract a fashionable and artsy crowd. On balmy summer nights, the area is often lit up with a bonfire – drawing the night owls like moths to a flame. But even on cooler nights, the warm glow emanating from the cosy bars and eateries along Halmtorvet is attraction enough.

Hellerup

Nørrebro

Østerbro

Frederiksberg Christianshavn Vesterbro

DO Carlsberg Brewery is worth a visit. Wander through the multimedia exhibition to learn the back-story about this successful beer brand, sniff some key ingredients in the aroma room and wander through the stables to see the impressive Clydesdale horses. The old brewery is open daily except Mondays and the 70kr entrance fee includes two drinks – a choice of beer or soft drink. If you prefer cocktails by the pool, Copencabana, open from June to August, is an artificial beach that serves as one of the city’s most popular harbour swimming pools. Located behind the shopping centre Fisketorvet, the palm trees and Moroccan atmosphere are complemented

by North African-inspired food. DGI-Byen has indoor swimming and diving for the sportier types, and if you don’t want to get wet, you can see big musicals at the beautiful Det Ny Teater on Gammel Kongevej or take in a film at The Imperial Cinema on Ved Vesterport.

OUR PICK!

Carlsberg Visitors’ Centre. Gain some insight into ‘probably the world’s best beer’ (Gamle Carlsberg Vej 11).

EAT The meatpacking district wouldn’t seem the first port of call for good seafood, but Fiskebar is outstanding for fabulous fresh seafood without the pomp. The nearby Nose2Tail will delight carnivores and make cheap off cuts taste fantastic. Also in Kødbyen, Mother’s sourdough pizzas are done in the Italian way – with an impossibly thin base. But if an ice cream is all you can fit in, Sicilian Is on Skydebanegade sells flavourful whole-milk ice cream made from Sicilian ingredients. Francophiles will love the flaky, buttery croissants found at the rustic French patisserie and café, Det Franske Konditori on Ohlenschlægersgade, or there’s Les Trois Cochons on Værndemsvej for a competitively priced set menu of French fare.

For something more exotic, LêLê nhà hàng on Vesterbrogade serves modern Vietnamese cuisine and has a lively atmosphere.

If all you need is a caffeine hit, the coffee is consistently good at Kaffe on Istedgade, where a small upstairs room is decorated like a courtyard garden – complete with a synthetic lawn.

OUR PICK!

SHOP Looking past the blaringly obvious sex shops lining Istedgade, the shopping scene in Vesterbro offers an interesting combination of independent boutiques and one-stop shopping centres. Vesterbrogade is a decent place to start if you’re after mid-range clothes and shoes. Designer Zoo, also on Vesterbrogade, is a great launching pad for local designers. Along similar lines, ArtRebels in the meatpacking district is the flagship store of an online art collective by the same name. This special shop features artwork, fashion, jewellery and other nifty products conceived by the country’s newest designers.

Where Vesterbro and neighbouring district Frederiksberg meet, Værndemsvej is also dotted with cool clothes shops and food outlets. If you prefer to do all your shopping in one place, Fisketorvet (aka Copenhagen Mall) is the destination. And when the shopping gets tiresome, you can seek

AFTER DARK Formerly Copenhagen’s red-light district, Vesterbro has long been famous for its nightlife. Though seedy bars are still in abundance around Istedgade, the meatpacking district has a myriad of hip and happening drinking and dancing spots.

Classy nightclub Karriere Bar has tasty cocktails, and its over23 rule keeps out the teenagers. For live music, you can’t do better than Vega on Enghavevej. The venue has two different spaces – Store Vega and Lille Vega – and hosts both local and international bands. A popular choice for the concert afterparty is the attached Ideal Bar, which has no door charge and a pumping dance floor. For a quieter night, Lola’s Café on Sønder Boulevard is a good pick for watching high-profile sporting matches. And serious beer drinkers should hop over to the classy Mikkeller on Viktoriagade to taste some of the 20 beers on tap. The microbrewery has decidedly delicious beers, and the friendly bar staff will help guide your selections.

OUR PICK!

Mikkeller. The sophisticated interior of this cool beer bar sets it apart from the dregs (Viktoriagade 8B-C).

refuge in the cinema located in the same complex.

OUR PICK!

ArtRebels. Support local talent and pick up something truly unique (Kødboderne 18).

NEXT WEEK: FREDERIKSBERG

Mother. For delicious Napoli-style wood-fired pizzas in a cosy setting (Høkerboderne 9-15).

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20-26 July 2012

SUMMER IN DENMARK

Vibrant Vesterbro Find Rome, here at home

Fanø, fantastic island Discover southern Jutland

Free access to 70 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

See more at copenhagencard.com