Denmark is a country consisting of 500 islands and islets. Germany is the only neighboring country adjacent to Denmark's territories.
The Danish-German border is 68 kilometers long. The highest point in the country is 173 meters while the lowest is minus 7. It takes a three-hour flight to get to Denmark from İstanbul.
Denmark extracts huge amounts of natural gas and oil from the North Sea. The country markets know-how to the world. It is known for its leadership in engineering sciences. Danish experts founded most of the cement factories in the world. Danes read a lot; 30 million volumes are picked from libraries in a year. This is a great figure when compared to the small population of the country. Denmark is home to Hans Christian Andersen, the great master of fairytales whose works were also translated into Turkish.
Danish is the official language in Denmark. The Scandinavian languages are pretty similar, and Danish people actually speak most of them. English is the second language in this country; almost all are able to communicate in English.
Denmark is governed by a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Queen Margaret II, and the crown prince is her son, Fredrik. The queen's winter residence is located in the heart of Copenhagen. Whether she is in residence is signaled by the flags hung on the palace. Denmark is one of the oldest kingdoms in the world; “monarchy” is still the official style of government, and ceremonies held in front of the palace to exchange duties between the royal guards attract a great deal of attention. You may encounter many tourists present at the spot to witness the moment of exchange and subsequent rituals.
Article 4 of the Danish constitution states, "The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the Established Church of Denmark, and, as such, it shall be supported by the State." Article 6 notes, "The King shall be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church." This means that in order to be a queen or king, the candidate needs to be Evangelical Protestant; not only that, he or she also has to be a member in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Mary, the spouse of Crown Prince Fredrik, was a member of a different denomination of Christianity in Tasmania, but she converted to evangelism right before marriage and subsequently became a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Every city has a symbol, and Copenhagen's is the Little Mermaid statue. One million tourists come to this country to see this every year. Visitors take pictures in front of the statue; Denmark did a great job by marketing this little statue as a valuable asset of tourism. The initial reaction of the visitors is sort of a mixture of disappointment and surprise, yet they don't miss the opportunity to take plenty of pictures.
Copenhagen means "city of merchants." The city has been serving as the capital to this country for six centuries. It has a population of 1.7 million.
The best way to contemplate is to climb on the Round Tower of Copenhagen. A gradually ascending road is used instead of stairs to get to the tower. You need to travel a distance of 209 meters; horses were used to get to the tower in the past. It is possible to get the whole view and scenery of the city and even Swedish territories. The city consists of five- and six-floor houses; tall towers constitute part of the city's overall silhouette. The observation house attracts visitors every hour of the day. People take pictures as soon as they get there.
The Danish parliament building is located in downtown Copenhagen. The 179-seat parliament has two Turkish deputies. There are a lot of bicycles in the country; you may see many bicycles parked in front of the parliament building as many deputies ride bicycles.
You may see a gathering in front of the assembly protesting the Danish government for sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq. A group of 20 protesters is replaced every three hours to make their voice heard all the time. The government took no action to stop the protests, which have been going on for six years.
Riding a bicycle is pretty easy in this country. Young or old, almost everybody owns a bicycle. People take their kids to school on bicycles even in cold weather. This is ordinary for Denmark.
Cars are relatively inexpensive in Europe; however, this is not the case in Denmark. Autos are pretty expensive in this country because of customs levies. The state imposes 180 percent customs levies for auto owners. Let's say you bought a car in Germany paying 10,000 euros. If you want to take this to Denmark, the overall price of this car nears 30,000 euros.
Prices go down by at least 50 percent in neighboring country Sweden; you can get a car in Malmö, 30 kilometers away, for half of the price you pay in Copenhagen. For this and other similar reasons, a number of Danish people live in this city. These people work in Denmark but live in Sweden. Statistics show that Danish people pay 39 percent more than the Europeans do for food. A 25 percent tax is imposed on food in this country. Finland and Sweden follow Denmark in expensiveness.
If you love shopping and happen to be in this country, you need to consider the skyrocketed prices. But you should also note that the Stroget, located in the center of the city, is the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe.
In downtown Copenhagen, you may see a lot of skating rinks where kids and young people ice skate along with their parents. This is a free of charge service offered by the local administration. Those who do not have a pair of skates may rent them at the entrance; there is no time limit on the rink. Small kids start ice skating at early ages.
In Denmark, many jewelry stores sell amber stones. These are Baltic ambers, which are fairly pricy because formation of one amber stone takes at least 1 million years. Resin becomes hard and then remains underground for 1 million years before it converts to amber. The jewels made of these stones are symbols of this country; an amber rosary with 33 stones is $1,300.
There is one place called Christiania at the heart of Copenhagen; at the entrance, there is a placard reading, "Welcome to Christiania." It is pretty close to the parliament building. This place hosts a world where irregularity is rule and lack of an order is the main element of order. Hippies took control of this vicinity in 1971. When military units withdrew from there, hippies filled the void. About 1,000 people spend their lives in this interesting place. Young people unable to integrate with the society prefer this. Drug sale is forbidden in Denmark with the exception of Christiana. People do drugs in this area, and taking video in this area is forbidden.
Most Danish drug users have their first experience in this secluded place. Actually, the Danish government is pretty uncomfortable with it and wants to close it down. However, the country, which named the Copenhagen criteria, is unable to deal with Christiania. People are so into drugs that you may have difficulty communicating with people on the street because of the effect of the drugs. It is impossible to understand what they are saying. The government fails to adequately address this growing problem. There is a small area in this place where old garments are left. Those in need pick up what they need there.
Visa: Denmark is a Schengen country and requires Turkish citizens to get a valid visa before entrance. The visa application fee is YTL 100. It does not ask for visas from citizens of European Union countries, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland. While EU citizens may stay indefinitely in this country, visitors from other countries need to leave the country within three months following their admission into the country.
How to go: Turkish Airlines has regular direct flights from İstanbul to Copenhagen every day.
Turkish Airlines: starting from 178 euros plus tax Every day
Departure: 10:15 a.m. Arrival: 12:30 p.m.
Extra flights by Turkish Airlines: Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday
Departure: 2:15 p.m. Arrival: 4:30 p.m.
Accommodation: It is pretty easy to find cozy and neat hotels in Denmark, but it should be noted that rates are a little bit expensive.
Food: There are Turkish restaurants in Denmark; you may dine in a Turkish establishment in downtown Copenhagen. I also recommend fish.
Best time to go: The weather in Denmark is usually rainy and cloudy. People miss the sun a lot. The best time to travel to this country is summer, when the average temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. Winter is cold; the coldest month is February. Those who do not like the crowds may go in the spring. Make sure to bring your umbrella, coat and sweater.
[QUICK FACTS]
Capital: Copenhagen,
Official language: Danish
Government: Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Monarch: Queen Margrethe II
Prime Minister: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Area: 43,094 square kilometers
Population: 5,484,723*
GDP (PPP): $203.3 billion**
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran (95 percent), Other Christian (3 percent), Muslim (2 percent)
