The Metro in Copenhagen is usually quite reliable. Sometimes snags do happen and when they do, they’re fixed up pretty quickly. On Tuesday afternoon however, one of the metro trains headed for the airport (lufthavn) got stuck on the tracks. As a result, all of the other metro trains were being diverted to Nørreport Station. For a while there was no Metro service to the airport while they sorted out the problem. I was on my way to the library and it took twice the time to get there due to the delay. At one point, between Christianshavn and Kongens Nytorv, the train I was in stopped completely and shut down. All the lights went out and everything. It was also a packed train. But after a few minutes the train rebooted. It was actually pretty cool to see how it restarted, the little red display that tells you which station is coming up next was displaying all sort of boot-up messages. A computer controls the entire system. It’s really interesting.

As for the train that got stuck, I guess they had to have the people file out of the train, walk down the little platform along the tracks and into the station.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to write a series of posts about the different public transportation options in Copenhagen and so I will write much more about the Metro when that time comes. :-D

Pictured is part of the crowd at Nørreport Station. It was packed!!

On a whim, I decided to take advantage of the nice sunny weather and do some exploring this afternoon. The plan was to catch the Metro and get off at a random station and then walk around and see where I ended up! Well, the Metro was delayed for quite some time. Of course I couldn’t understand the announcements over the speakers, so I asked a man nearby to translate. Apparently there was a technical problem with one of the tracks. He also said there were people walking around on the tracks…I’m really hoping he meant repair people. :o

Anyway, after nearly 30 minutes of waiting, the system was up and running again. I decided to get off at Nørreport Station, which led to a part of the central city I’d never visited.

I walked around, enjoying the buildings and the newness of it all. Of course most of the stores were closed as it was after 14:00 (in Copenhagen, stores close early on weekend afternoons). I didn’t intend on doing any shopping however — I just wanted to explore!

This part of Copenhagen seemed so different from the suburb where I live…it’s hard to believe that it’s all part of the same city! Copenhagen is funny, it’s a big and modern city but feels small and old as well…that’s what I like about it!

Anyway, I don’t know how, but I stumbled upon this nice-looking botanical garden (I later learned that the gardens are part of Copenhagen University). I spent a great deal of time there, playing around with the camera. There were plenty of paths (too many to cover in a single trip), friendly ducks that roamed freely, benches at every corner, water and of course plants. There were also many greenhouses, but they were closed. Maybe next time!

After the botanical gardens, I walked around some more. At one point, my purse bumped against a bicycle (no one was on it) and accidentally tipped it over on its side…oops! This couple walking by chuckled. Thankfully it wasn’t damaged or dented. I set it back up and hoped no else one saw. Just reminds me that I need to be more watchful for bikes, both moving and stationary. There are just so many of them here.

Well, after walking for another 20 minutes or so, I decided to call it a day. On the way back to the Metro station, I stopped at this Thai place called Eastern Corner for dinner. I hadn’t tried the Thai food here until now. Took the food back to the dorm and it was delicious!! I will definitely be back.

So that was my day. Going to spend the rest of the evening finishing up the reading for class on Wednesday. I’ve uploaded a bunch of new photos from today, you can view them on Flickr!

I will do some more random exploring like this on later weekends.