48 HOURS IN COPENHAGEN DAY TWO

 

Day two started early and after dicing with death on the bikes yesterday we decided to leave the bikes behind and get the metro instead. Knowing we were going to be on our feet all day we were happy when the metro only turned out to be 15 minutes away. The sun was shining brightly and I was already regretting not packing my shorts and also thinking black skinny jeans was a big mistake. The thoughts of regret soon disappeared as we walked out the metro station and saw the city, immediately I realised this was like no other capital city I had visited before. Cities like London always seem to be on the move and are a little frantic at times but Copenhagen had this calmness to it, nobody seemed to be in a rush we were at ease and relaxed straight away. For us that was a first when visiting a major city.

So as we left the metro station we decided to stop and get a healthy smoothie as we thought we would need a good boost to keep us going through the day. Normally we are both big fan’s of smoothie’s but I think something may have been lost in translation because whatever we had was absolutely wretched. Not one to complain I did what I normally do when something doesn’t tickle my fancy and got it down me as fast as possible. Steph on the other hand was struggling, with every sip her whole body would tense up I tried to help but even I couldn’t stomach anymore. Realising we had reached our smoothie limit we quietly made away outside and placed the smoothie in the bin. Not a great start to the day but it was about to get so much better. We weaved our way through the streets leading away from the metro station, we didn’t really have a plan we were just wondering around. Then the streets opened up and presented us with our first gift of the day and that gift was Christiansborg Palace a truly grand building, but it wasn’t this that caught my eye it was the chapel. It had a charm to it, it was so light like a breath of fresh air and being next to the somewhat dark palace it really stood out. I had to get inside. Once inside we stood in amazement, the church was in perfect condition. We visited many churches on our trip to Rome and none of them matched the perfection of the chapel. After having a good wander around we discovered why the chapel was in such immaculate condition. In 1992 the Chapel caught fire and almost burnt to the ground after a stray firework from the Whitsun Carnival landed on the roof, the building was fully restored and they have kept it in perfect condition ever since.

We admired the gorgeous architecture in the chapel for a while and after me doing my standard prayer when I’m in a religious building we decided to move on to the palace. We wondered into the grounds finding an open to door leading to a grand corridor going through the building so we wondered in. The corridor was big and grand just like the palace was and we were about to enter the palace properly when we discovered that we would need to pay to enter. Unfortunately I was feeling in a rather cheap mood and didn’t want to pay so we continued through the corridor and wandered in the glorious sunshine around the grounds. Basking in the sunshine we admired this grand and powerful looking building and attempted to plan out the rest of our day. Unfortunately I was somewhat distracted by all the gorgeous buildings around us so I wasn’t really paying attention to making plans. So with no plan in mind we decided to wonder into the city centre and just see what happens.

In the town centre we found a lovely little fountain where we had a little sit down and caught some of the spray off the fountain to cool down, skinny black jeans was definitely the wrong way to go today. After our fountain spritz we were beginning to feel hungry and I was really in the mood for a Hard Rock. With a quick search on google maps we pointed ourselves in the right direction and slowly made our way through the town stopping in pretty much every shop along the way and of course Steph had to stop to take a photo of a Lego shop…… Random I know.

After Steph buying her traditional city Tshirt we finally made it to the Hard Rock where we could rest our legs and re fuel for the day ahead. Obviously I would love to explain what we ate but unfortunately I have no recollection of anything we had there.. I’m sure we enjoyed it though as we have never had a bad experience in any of the ones we have visited in the past.

With our meal done we decided our next destination would be the Elephant gate at the Carlsberg factory. With a quick check of google maps we discovered we were two miles away, so it was time to give our legs another good exercise. We weaved our way through the streets of Copenhagen taking in all beauty the city had to offer, the sun was now high in the sky and because of my wardrobe error this morning I was feeling rather hot. Eventually we found ourselves at Tivoli Gardens, thanks to wanderlustplusone we knew this was some kind of theme park and as me and rides don’t mix well we decided to give it a miss. The entrance looked fantastic though. As we made our way closer to the Carlsberg factory we found ourselves in a gorgeous little estate lined with fantastic little terraced houses, all were absolutely stunning. We assumed these were the old worker houses for the Carlsberg factory but not 100% sure about that fact so don’t quote me on it! A few moments later we were approaching the elephant gate and the closer we got the more disappointed we were, there was building work going on and most of the gate was boxed off so we couldn’t really get a good look at it. Even so we were still happy to have seen it, so that was another thing ticked off the list and a reason to go back when there aren’t works being done!

With the traditional photo’s taken we moved on with no real plan in mind, after 20 minutes of walking we decided it would be best to see where we were and what to do next. We found a lovely little coffee shop and had ourselves some cake and a tea then we jumped onto google maps to come up with a plan. Our destination of choice was Nyhavn and of course it was just over two miles away…… It began to occur to us that our plans weren’t very well thought out as we always seemed to be two miles away from everywhere we wanted to go! On the plus side though we were getting some good exercise. With our tea and cake polished off we began our journey to Nyhavn , the sun was now beaming and yet again I was regretting not packing my shorts! Our journey progressed well, we wondered past the zoo and soaked up the beautiful architecture that Copenhagen had to offer and before we knew it we were back walking along the river. Here we randomly found some trampolines built into the walkway, which of course we had to have a little jump on, Steph was going to do a bum drop but at the last minute she wimped out…… With our legs feeling a little wobbly from the trampolines and the 2 and a bit mile walk we finally made it to Nyhavn and straight away we knew the walk was worth it! Every single building looked stunning! There was a hustle and bustle about the place that we loved, granted I was nearly ran over by a cyclist but I’m sure that was more my fault than his. We weaved our way through the crowds and now Steph was hanging on to me for dear life just in case I decided to wander off again and eventually we found ourselves at the end of the canal. We found ourselves a seat rested our tired feet and soaked up the atmosphere in this gorgeous place. After watching the world go by for an hour or so our stomachs began to rumble, it was time to find some more food.

We had noticed on google maps a street food place just over the river from Nyhavn, so it was soon decided this would be where our evening meal would take place. This turned out to be the best decision of the day, as soon as we walked in we were greeted with all the aromas from around the world hitting our taste buds instantly. Now we were really hungry but there was so many options we couldn’t make a decision, the further we walked in the more choice we were presented with. I had assumed with me being vegetarian I wouldn’t have much choice, but my oh my I was wrong! There was vegetarian food everywhere I have never been so spoilt for choice and then I spotted it, falafel being made, that was it decision made! I was on it and 10 minutes later I had a gorgeous massive fresh falafel wrap in my hand. Just needed Steph to make a decision now and surprisingly she did almost instantly. Steph’s choice was the Thai stand right by the entrance and typically it was the busiest one. After some frustrating orders being lost in translation Steph finally had her meal and all what was left to do was find a seat by the river and eat our dinner, what a perfect day.

With the day drawing to a close we decided not to make any plans and simply walk along the river and soak up the final rays of sunshine. Our legs were now starting to feel the strain of the day so we slowed our pace down and admired the gorgeous sites of Copenhagen. Eventually we came to some walkways going off into the river where people were just jumping into the river and again I regretted not packing my shorts as I had a real urge to join in but I didn’t think skinny black jeans and the river was a safe combination.

Without really realising we had made it back to the metro station, the day had come to a end and what a day it had been, yes we had walked feet down to the bone but Copenhagen had rewarded our walking with glorious views and some of the friendliest people we had encountered so far on our travels. Tomorrow we return back home full of Copenhagen memories, true I may forget some as always but some memories are just too good to forget.

 

48 Hours in Copenhagen

Our travels continued with a trip to Copenhagen, the only problem was we only had two days so we had lots to fit in!

Now normally when me and Steph go on one our trips we spend weeks researching it so when we do arrive we have some kind of plan in mind, but with both our jobs taking up most of our time beforehand we were going into Copenhagen a little blind. Luckily for us one of our favourite travel bloggers (wanderlustplusone) had been before and with a quick message to them and a prompt response back to us with some very handy tips we now sort of had a plan. Now it was time for our trip to begin.

We arrived mid morning in one of the most efficient airports we had ever been to and in no time we jumping into the back of a taxi one the way to our apartment. After a short taxi ride with the most polite taxi driver I have ever met, we arrived at the apartment and after a quick show around by the owner we were ready to do some exploring. Now wanderlustplusone had recommended we hire bikes to get around the city but with me being partially blind in one eye I was apprehensive about riding a bike (for obvious reasons!) but when the owner of the apartment informed us they had bikes we could use for free we decided to throw caution to the wind and give it go. With our bikes unlocked I checked the map and to my horror I suddenly realised we had been mis sold on our apartment! When we booked or shall I say Steph booked we were told the apartment was a mere 15 minute walk from the city centre, but with a quick check of google maps I discovered we were over two miles away! Now me and Steph can get a wriggle on when we walk especially when we get the wind behind us but two miles in 15 minutes…… Really?! Not one to be easily deterred I confidently  declared to Steph to follow me because I knew the way. Even though I did kind of know the way I did get a little confused with my left and right when we set off which in turn led to us riding two miles in the wrong direction… So now we were 4 miles away from town! To top it all off the brakes on my bike were not performing like brakes should i.e. not stopping me…… Anyway with me being blind and brave we turned the bikes around and made our way into town.

Apart from accidentially running a couple of red lights and on one occasion ramming my bike into the curb to do an emergency stop the journey progressed well, it was getting busier so we knew we were heading in the right direction. With a mile or so to go my backside was killing me and with it getting busier I was starting to get a little nervous as bikes were just appearing from nowhere. Then we saw a park and I made a snap decision to pull in have a rest and get our bearings. Here we found a bench over looking the water where we sat and soaked up the beautiful city we were in. As we rested we noticed in the distance a gorgeous looking church and the more we looked at it the more familiar it became until I suddenly I realised this was the church that Wanderlustplusone had recommended to us! Knowing we had only found this park by blind luck we decided to make our to the church and save the town centre visit for tomorrow.

Back on our bikes we pointed ourselves towards Church Of Our Saviour and weaved our way through the park and back onto the streets of Copenhagen. We were now off the main road to the town centre so it was quieter and so much easier to ride round and with the church having a lovely high steeple we had no problem keeping in the right direction. After 15 minutes we had arrived and straight away I was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the building, but before we could make our way inside we had to cool down and have an ice-cream. With ice creams in hand we sat on a bench outside the church soaking up the sun and feeling pleased with ourselves that we had decided to visit this beautiful city. 

With our ice creams finished we made our into the church only to discover we weren’t allowed inside because of a wedding, we were somewhat disappointed but we could still climb up the steeple so all wasn’t lost. Our climb up the stairs began and to be honest it wasn’t that hard to start with but the higher we got; the steeper and narrower the stairs got; we found ourselves checking each stair case before we started climbing just in case anybody was coming because there was no way you could pass someone in some parts. We made our way into where the bells are and we were stunned. They looked stunning and the area was beautifully lit up. There was even a bed up there randomly.. we have no idea why though.. we can only assume it was for someone to ring the bells at night at some point in history. 

As we climbed the stairs got steeper and steeper until it was more like climbing a ladder than a set of stairs, but as we got to the top of the ladder we were rewarded with stunning views of Copenhagen and on this perfectly clear day we could see for miles! 

Now our climb began to give me the wobbles, we were now outside the church and twisting around the church steeple itself and the higher we climbed the tighter it became. My stomach was turning slightly but we were determined to reach the top and my god it was worth it. The view from the top took our breath away, I was speechless what a perfect little gem this was! Now all we had to do was negotiate our way down. 

Safely at the bottom our stomaches started to rumble therefore it was time for some lunch and a Danish open sandwich was calling my name. Whist admiring the view at the top of the church we noticed we weren’t too far away from the river, so we decided to leave our bikes parked and have a little stroll to the river and see what was on offer. It didn’t take us long to notice a gorgeous little boat restaurant which enticed us in with it’s fabulous looking food and perfect location. After taking our seat it didn’t take us long to decide what we wanted and for me it was a Danish open sandwich with a pint of Carlsberg; I’m not normally a lager drinker but being in the home of Carlsberg it had to be done. As our food arrived my mouth was watering! It looked lush and I couldn’t wait to tuck in and I wasn’t disappointed, it was divine and it went perfectly with a pint of Carlsberg.

With our plates polished off we got into one of our meaning of life conversations and before we knew it, it was time to collect our bikes and make our way back to the apartment. The only thing left to do was a little food shop and this is something I never want to do again on a bike! At one point I genuinely was fearing for my life! Balancing carrier bags and a bike with no brakes was difficult enough but team that with a half blind idiot with no sense of direction.. it was a recipe for disaster! Luckily we made it back without any major injuries or accidents and with that day one was over, our first taste of Copenhagen had been a delight and we couldn’t wait for tomorrow to begin.