Kitty's Corner

Copenhagen's most recognisable symbol has long been the Little Mermaid. But the diminutive sculpture on Copenhagen's waterfront might need to begin sharing the stage with a new attraction, namely a 50 metres high ferris wheel placed in central Copenhagen.

I was taking a walk the other day - and as I headed home I passed the Ferris wheel.


As I approached it I was thinking to myself that it would be cool to take a tour in it. I decided that if there wasn't much of a queue I would give it a shot.

I was lucky. There wasn't any queue at all, so I bought a ticket and waited for the wheel to stop so I could get on board. I wasn't prepared to go there camera-wise - I only had my small camera with me - but hey - take a look - it does at least give you an impression of the view over my beloved city.


It was a clear, beautiful day - so it was even possible to see all the way to Sweden. (*sends Rose a friendly thought*)


It's always fun to see things from a different perspective once in a while.


All in all it was a great experience. It was a bit expensive though, 75 DKK (about 10 Eur) for a tour that lasted about 15 minutes - 3 rounds in the wheel. But hey - I'd gladly do it again.

The wheel is there until October. But the company who built it says that they consider to build a ferris wheel permanently.

A 29-year-old man was shot multiple times by two masked men on a motorbike in the Nørrebro area of Copenhagen this Tuesday, in an incident police are linking to the ongoing gang conflict.

The man, who was walking his toddler in a pushchair, was shot three times in the leg and once in the hand around lunchtime by the men. Witnesses said the two sped off on a red Yamaha motorbike.

The shooting took place only a few metres from Blågårds Plads Square (The Black Square) – an area which has been central to the conflict between immigrant gangs and bikers.

Tensions in the neighbourhood boiled over, when shortly after the shooting a large number of local young men surrounded the crime scene. Police were in the process of sealing off the scene so the man could receive medical attention, when they were attacked by the onlookers.

According to Copenhagen Police they had to use force to drive back the crowd so paramedics could attend to the wounded man. Three people were arrested following the tussles with police.

The man was taken to the city hospital where his condition is said to be stable. But more trouble broke out at the hospital when a large number of people tried to visit the wounded man. Police used pepperspray to disperse the crowd.

The news reports that the victim is an accountant and father of two who has no connection to the criminal gang conflict - but he had a bullet proof vest in his car not far away from where he got shot. How many ordinary people have got that kind of gear?!


I hope this war will end soon. It's not fair that innocent people are supposed to be afraid to take a walk in Copenhagen.

Last year the police registered 20 incidents of shooting in Copenhagen. In 2009 there has already been 55 incidents.

The numbers of incidents exploded after the Hells Angels and their supporters in AK81 ganged up against some gangs of immigrants here. But it also seems like some people find it "normal" to carry a gun. I think it's outrageous. One: If they can't hit, then they shouldn't shoot. And two: Don't shoot at people unless you're sure of who it is you're firing at.

Here's the last months' incidents.

1st of March: Two masked foreigners pull a man out of a bar in the Amager district and forces him down on the pavement. Then they open the door to the bar and shoot ten times; 3 persons get hit, one of them dies. Then the men discuss whether to kill the man on the pavement or not, and decides to just shoot him in the knee and in the buttocks before they run away.
The men who got shot have no connections to gangs.

28th February: A 32 year old man, originally from the Faroe Islands, but living in Denmark, was driving to Norrebro district to go to a concert. He was looking for a parking place when two men on bicycles passed him and shot at the car five times. He was hit in the back, and is still in the hospital. Doctors say that he will probably survive. The man has no connection to any gangs.

27th February: A man originally from Iraq stands next to his car and talks with a friend in the Norrebro district. A car with three men pulls over and fires at him ten times. He dies from his wounds.

23rd February: The police makes a big weapon raid in the Norrebro district. Shortly after they left, a car drives off, and there is fired from it twice. Nobody gets hit. The police thinks that it's a demonstration of the no use of raids.

22nd February: Two men of foreign origin pass by the Hells Angels headquarter in Copenhagen and shoots against the building. Nobody gets hurt.

21st February: A Danish guy picked up his friend in the Norrebro district. When the friend entered the car, four foreigners tried to pull him back out of the car. He managed to escape, and the two Danes drove off, followed by a car with the four other men. During the car chase, the four men shoot five times against the two men. Luckily no one gets hit. This happens during the afternoon in the Frederiksberg district, and the two men have no connection to any gangs.

18th February: A man stops his car because of the red light signal in Frederiksberg district. A man runs to him, yanks his door open and points at him with a gun. The man reacts instinctively by stepping on the speeder, driving off fast. The man on the street shoots after him. Luckily nobody gets hurt. The man has no connection with gangs.

29th January: A man connected to the Hells Angels got shot by two foreigners while he was at a juice bar in central Copenhagen. The incident happens during the day where lots of people are around the biker.

Copenhagen is set to have 1000 of the planned 6000 Internet 'hotspots' to be established nationwide. A hotspot sends out an Internet access signal to a surrounding area of about 150 metres, where those who have wireless capabilities can surf the net for free.

An estimated 5.6 million square metres will be covered by the hotspots - around 1 percent of the country's total area. The service is being offered for free because a percentage of screen space will be devoted to advertisers and the municipalities themselves.

The service will be available by summer.

A bus company is already offering free Internet access in their busses, and they report an increase in the number of passengers.


Free Internet on the go?! Sounds perfect in my little ears!