RealCleverName

So, as many of you probably know, my trip to Europe is coupled with a touring internship of European science centers. Right now I’m working in Experimentarium. Which is awesome. (You can check out my science blog here: RCS.)

So, Experimentarium is actually built in what was once part of the Tuborg brewery (although it was apparently used for a Tuborg soft-drink?).

So, everyday I pass this building as I turn on Tuborg Boulevard to find the museum. Nifty.

And somehow it seems like Science Centers have a lot of strange stories as to how they got started. NYHOS - developed from the World’s Fair. Techmania - largely funded by Skoda and built in one of their old factories. Technisches Museum Wien - commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph the First on his 60th anniversary of accession to the throne. hmm..

One of my first days in Copenhagen, my CS host, Rob, suggested that we (me, him, chris, and another guy who’s name I forgot) visit one of city’s legendary areas: Christiania.

Straaaaange place. It was apparently started by hippies around 50 years ago when they moved in to an abandoned military base. Or something like that. From there the area flourished, and is now home to all sorts of bohemians, artists, and just nice people. The land and lake is gorgeous and you can easily spend a whole day walking around the relaxed paths it offers. Relaxed is probably a good word to describe the place. Amongst other reasons, because of the so-called “Pusher Street”, which is a strip of road near the entrance where little boutiques offer a variety of marijuana and hash (“hard drugs” are not strictly forbidden in Christiania). The nearby cafes and bars play great music and one can eat ice cream or down an organic Christiania beer. Definitely a fun place and a must for anyone visiting the city.