Communes

Today we walked around Copenhagen, and saw a "newer" area that was more like French cities of the 19th Century.  We made the obligatory stop to see the mermaid statue, and then took a boat to an area called Christianhaven, to see a "free state" called Christiania.  This was founded in 1971, when a group of squatters occupied an abandoned military area, and proclaimed a free state, independent of all rules of the Danish government and contemporary society.  What followed was a predictable sequence of drug problems, random violence, biker gangs, protests, attempts by the state to reclaim the territory, etc.   What is amazing is that it is still going, and a little island of hippiedom in the middle of Copenhagen.   You can buy pot and various arts and crafts, but you can't take pictures.  How can you have a free state and not be allowed to take pictures?   I actually saw someone be stopped and prevented from taking a picture.
Mostly it is pretty decrepit...
Anyway, here is a picture from the web...

We also saw a very over the top 17th century organ in a church.   Note the elephants...This is for Lynn..