So as many of your know Rob and I have begun our 5 month trip around Europe and the UK. Our flight left June 18th and we will not be returning home until November 22! We have been planning this trip for over a year now, we have been saving and scheduling our itinerary as well as booking transportation and most importantly places to stay along the way. It has been a challenging but fun process to try to plan 5 months in advance, but we took it a few chunks at a time and we did it together and I'm happy to say we managed to pull it off.
The first thing to do in Copenhagen is rent a bicycle. I know Amsterdam gets the reputation as a "bike riding city" but I feel Copenhagen deserves that title as well. There are bikes EVERYWHERE in Copenhagen, and although it is not huge, bikes make getting around so much easier. Lucky for us, our hostel rents bikes. Now I am not the most confident bike rider but as long as you follow the "rules of the road" you will do just fine. So we picked our bikes as we were off for a day full of sightseeing.
The first thing on our list was to visit a to the very old and very delicious Sankt Peder's Bakeri. This bakery has been around since 1652 and I would say they have had more then enough time to perfect their baking process. Sankt Peder Bakeri is located Sankt Peders Stræde which is arguably one of the cutest and most colorful in the city.
Inside you will find black and white striped walls, comfortable seating and some mouthwatering goodies. The cinnamon rolls are the stars of the show, but be warned they are only served on Wednesdays, so I would say plan your whole vacation around these sweets haha.
We took our goodies to a nearby park, Orstedsparken. It was a very short walk (and it had to be because our mouths were watering with anticipation) and we found a lovely bench with a table. We ate our breakfast, savoring every bite and taking in our surroundings. Statues lined the walkways and groups of children laughed and played nearby. We read each other's minds that if this is what this trip would be like we will never want to come home. We sat licking our fingers, eager to taste every last, sugar filled, drop and decided to take a stroll through the pretty park.
After the park we hopped back on our bikes and rode through colorful streets toward Kastellet, a star shaped fortress. Within it's walls there are peaceful walkways, government buildings, a quaint church on a hill and a huge windmill.
Right near Kastellet is the famous Little Mermaid Statue in the water. The walk up to the little mermaid is filled with flowers and quiet paths. The actual little mermaid statue is a must see in Copenhagen, however it is tiny and very crowded. Tons of tourists flood the area, climbing on rocks and sometimes on the mermaid herself (poor girl). It's kind of a crazy hectic scene, so I would say, lower your expectations, go see it, snap a picture (if you can) and continue on your day.
Next up was something that is well worth all the hype: Nyhavn. Nyhavn means New Harbor but don't let the name fool you, it's really a 17th century port. This colorful port never disappoints. Boats bob gently up and down in the harbor, people amble hand in hand past restaurants and ice creams shops, others sip wine under colorful flat buildings watching tour ships come and go. We couldn't get enough of Nyhavn.
Fun fact: Hans Christian Anderson, the writer of the original story of The Little Mermaid, lived in Nyhavn.
Now Nyhavn is in a word, perfect, except one thing, as with any tourist area it's very pricey. Seeing that we are on a 5 month trip and a tight budget we opted for something a little less expensive then a sit down meal; hot dogs. Hot dog carts are all over Copenhagen and they are a quick and inexpensive option for the traveler on the go, or just on a budget. Rob is adventurous and gets the hot dog with everything they have in the cart, where as I like mine plain, with just bread. What ever your preference may be they are happy to fix you a meal and it only costs 30 DKK (which is about $5).
Fueled up and ready to we decided to take a tour. Rob and I purchased the Copenhagen Card (which was about $50 each) at the airport and it was a great investment. As much as I love Copenhagen, it is an expensive city. This card covers essentially anything you might want to do, boat tours, bus tours, museums, amusement parks, castles, government buildings and it even gives you a discount on a number of restaurants. The card also makes transportation within the city free, just show them the card and you are good to go. We loved giving them our card and feeling like we were getting in places for free. We purchased the 24 hour card (you can get a longer card if you like) and decided to activate it in Nyhavn for the boat tour. Through my research I heard that this tour was very well done and super helpful for getting a feel for the city. I am so happy we took this advice. The tour takes you around the whole city. The tour guide explained various sites in Danish, English and German (impressive to say the least)! You sit back, relax and learn about the history of the city and just maybe where you would like to go next. We never would have found certain places if it wasn't for that tour.
One of the fun things we discovered on the tour was an area of the city where there were trampolines built into the sidewalks. So as soon as we got off the boat we knew where we wanted to ride to next. The trampolines were in an area with many tall towers and government buildings (including the parliment building - which we will get to tomorrow) so it was a very picturesque area and worth the ride even if there were no trampolines. This area is also home to Noma, the second best restaurant in the world (No Reservations fans may know about it already). We found the trampolines on Havnegade just south of Nyhavn and had some fun...
After we were all jumped out we got to more serious "grown up" business, finding an amusement park. Tivoli Gardens is the second oldest continuously running amusement park in the world. It has an international theme and was the inspiration for Disney World. Tivoli is exactly what an amusement park should be, its gorgeous, clean, and fun for kids and adults. We got in using our Copenhagen Card, entrance is included but the rides are separate. The different areas are fun to walk through even if you are not going on any rides. Click HERE for a video that Rob made all about Tivoli. Throughout the park there are many gardens and sculptures, including one area that has live peacocks wandering around! It really is a lovely place to spend the afternoon, we saw many people just sitting, enjoying a drink or a meal and people watching.
After Tivoli we decided to ride to a street called Magstraede. This is a colorful cobbled stone street which is one of the oldest in Copenhagen, it also happens to be one of the most instagramed streets in Copenhagen and I can see why.
With jetlag setting in we decided to grab a quick bite at Torvhallerne, an outdoor market near our hostel. More on Torhallerne tomorrow. All in all our first full day in Copenhagen was a great success. When we arrived back at the hostel we were sore and tired and couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces. That's the thing about travel, its exhausting but well worth it. We fell asleep excited for what the next day (Rob's birthday) might bring.
No comments