PinayOdyssey

Woot! How time flies soooo fast! Today, I celebrate my 414th day, or 25th month and 18th day, living in the Land of the Vikings! Hurrah! I can still recall the excitement when I exited the airport in Copenhagen. Well, my body was drained from all the warmth as it was still late winter and early spring that time. 😉

So how did I spend my first weekend in Denmark?

Carlsberg Byen or Carlsberg City located on the border of Valby and  Vesterbro in Copenhagen, the capital city, was the first area I visited. Well, I had no idea who or what Carlsberg was (I am not a drinker, haha), well, until my first weekend in Denmark. My aunt used to stay in an apartment really near Carlsberg, so.. Note: The nearest train station to Carlsberg Byen is Enghave St.

Carlsberg Byen was founded in 1847 and since then served as the headquarters of the Carlsberg Brewery built by JC Jacobsen. Let me walk you around Carlsberg on an early spring walk. Welcome to Carlsberg!

The background of the picture below shows the Dipylon or Double Gate which serves as the entrance to the Carlsberg district from Vesterbro.

One of the famous landmarks of Carlsberg Byen is the Elephant Gate. It was built in 1901 in the island of Bornholm by Architect Vilhelm Dahlerup.

The guy below, JC Jacobsen, is the founder of Carlsberg Brewery. His brewery is one of the four leading brewers in the world today. I am now in front of the prestigious Carlsberg Laboratory.

JC Jacobsen named the brewery after his son, Carl, and the German word for mountain, ‘berg’, as he was a fan of Bavarian beer. Carl later built his own brewery, which accounts for the city’s Old Carlsberg and New Carlsberg. According to sources, the relationship between the two wasn’t good all those times. It is said that they would often argue on the quality of the beer they make. But I find the topic of their argument rather amusing. And the fact that JC Jacobsen named his brewery after his son meant that he was rather a sweet father. 😉

So if the Ny (New) Carlsberg has the Elephant Gate, the Gamle (Old) Carlsberg has the Lime Tower Lighthouse built in 1883.

The father and son did have a not-so-good relationship, but eventually, the two breweries will merge into one after JC Jacobsen’s death. 🙂

There are other interesting things to see in this 30-hectare district: historic buildings like the Carlsberg Museum, JC Jacobsen House, and Carlsberg Academy, AND historic gardens. It is also pleasant and safe to walk around and enjoy the industrial site.

Awesome snow slowly melting on the streets….

I hope you enjoy my first post on Denmark, Land of the Vikings! Cheers!