Dartmouth Men's Hockey Has Free Day, Explores Copenhagen

Day Three Photos

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - With its first free day of the trip, the Dartmouth men's hockey team was free to explore Copenhagen on their own. After an early morning wake-up, at least to some anyway, the group found itself preparing to leave for its morning excursion. The boys started the day off however, with a word of advice from Pars, he said that Scandinavian women were like the weather, a little cold and they could take awhile to warm to up so be patient and don't go so fast. Then the entire group headed out to spend the morning at Denmark's National Museum before taking off to do whatever they wanted.

The National Museum is the equivalent of Natural History Museum's in the U.S. with the history and culture of Denmark explained through artifacts and pictures from the stone age to modern times. With three floors of exhibits the Museum took almost two hours to explore as green jackets could be seen going from floor to floor.

One thing the Scandinavian countries know is Christmas and by walking around the streets you got a real sense that it was that time of year. A walk down the Pedestrian Walkway, Copenhagen's only street closed to vehicles, really lets you know the holiday season is in full swing. With stores like Neiman Marcus, Kaufman's and Louis Vuitton the shoppers were out in force as there were times you couldn't move due to the amount of people. One part of the walkway is covered with high-end and department stores while the other end caters more to the tourists.

At the end of the walkway to the north is one of the many canals that line the city. One of Copenhagen's early kings decided the only way to protect his city was to create moats, canals and ramparts all around the city. All moats and canal as well as most of the ramparts still exist today. Most of the waterways are used for tourists but the main canal is wide enough for boats and ships to cruise through.

On the sunny side of the particular canal we came to is what the Danes refer to as "the world's longest bar". There are close to 20 restaurants and bars all in a row so it's not hard to find something to eat or drink. Across the street from the eateries are little kiosks selling everything from candles to stuffed animals to fur hats. A walk down the other side of the canal gives you an idea of the nightlife just across the water as every shop, kiosk and boat is decorated with lights.

The walkway comes out on the southern end in front of the Town Hall and across from Tivoli Gardens. Town Hall has Denmark's tallest tree in the center, lit up with tiny white lights. The tree however does not compare to the neon glow of every building surrounding the square.

After a trip to the hotel to bundle up we headed to Tivoli Gardens to explore the fantasy that is Christmas at Tivoli. While the exact count of how many lights are in Tivoli Gardens, I can safely say there are a lot. They have everything lit up and decorated from the trees, to the shops, to the rides, and even the flagpoles. Exploring Tivoli is much like going to Six Flagg's, too many people and too expensive. But it was fun to see all the lights.

After a quick dinner it was back to the hotel for an early night as tomorrow morning has the alarm going off at 5:30 am for an early breakfast and departure for the train station. A quick five-hour to Stockholm via the railway is in store as the Big Green will travel to its next country.

This trip has been funded through team fundraising activities and private donations over the past four years. The NCAA allows each varsity team to travel internationally once every four years and Ivy League rules prohibit the use of institutional budget funds for this purpose.

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