Tuesday, August 12, 2014

The Copenhagen Diaries: Days 4 and 5 - Thursday 22nd May 2014/Friday 23rd May 2014

Day 4: Thursday 22nd May 2014

Another day in paradise....it's still hot, bright and sunny, and I'm still struggling to cope with the heat in a hotel room with no air conditioning!  After a day in Sweden, today was all about Danish things and needless to say that includes a Danish pastry...well, actually, it's not really a Danish pastry of course, it's a 'Wienerbrod' but that aside, if you're on Strøget and looking for a Danish pastry then there is only one place to go - Lagkagehuset.  (You'll probably recognise this picture from my Twitter feed)



Lagkagehuset is basically Danish pastry heaven.  You may end up hanging around for about 10 or 15 minutes trying to make your mind up about which one of about 30 or so pastries to have - and that's not even taking the fabulous fruit tarts into account!

After a stroll around it's time for lunch.  Things took a bizarre turn as we ended up at a city centre restaurant which claims to serve the legendary 'open faced sandwiches' with a bizarre twist: there was no bread in faithful travelling companion's open faced sandwich.  This is a long story and I won't bore you with the details, but anyway several weeks later, we discovered that this was not an isolated incident in that particular restaurant. 

Today we slowed down the pace in the hot hot heat, and after the trauma of lunch we came across a Moroccan tea house for some much needed calm....and mint tea.


Following this relaxing break, we strolled round to the Christiansborg area - well, I had to take a quick peek at 'Borgen'.  We also encountered a military band parade. It was probably the hottest day yet, and we were flagging in the heat.  We eventually headed back to our hotel via some more of Copenhagen's fine central shopping streets.

Tonight was our last night in Copenhagen, and there is only one thing on the agenda: Tivoli.

Tivoli is one of Copenhagen's must-see attractions and of course we were not going home without a visit there.  None other than Mr Scooba-dooba-dap-dap-di-di-die himself, Basim, was playing a mini-gig in Tivoli tonight, but he was on stage just a bit too early tonight to fit into our schedule, therefore I had to give him a miss.  After dinner tonight - which is another long story, again I won't bore you with the details - we eventually entered the hallowed gates of Tivoli.  To call Tivoli an 'amusement park' is an understatement.  It's a beautiful, fabulous, scenic attraction which appeals to all ages and tastes.  If you live in Copenhagen, season passes are reasonably priced and it would be a great place to hang out for an evening and go for dinner, drinks or snacks at the many restaurants and bars in the park.  Here are some of the sights of Tivoli.





I would recommend that if you're visiting Tivoli, go in the evening, watch night fall and the park turn into an illuminated gem.  Every part of the park is lit up, including the spectacular Nimb hotel:




Just before closing time, Tivoli stages a fabulous sound and light show on its lake, which is an absolute must-see, and the perfect way to end the last night of our holiday.  But the night was young, and there were still a few Danish beers to be had before bedtime.  It turned out to be a very late night, including a trip to a karaoke bar (as observers rather than participants!) but even in the wee small hours, Copenhagen remained a very safe place.  We've visited so many destinations over the years, but I can honestly say that Copenhagen feels like one of the safest cities I've ever visited.

Day 5: Friday 23rd May 2014

I'm not doing a separate entry for Friday, because this mainly involved travelling home.  But I just thought I'd officially introduce you to the three newest residents of EuropeCrazy HQ, who lined up for a photoshoot in our hotel before we headed to the airport! Meet Rasmus, Lars and Troels!


Above: Rasmus, Lars and Troels: bound for EuropeCrazy HQ. 

However there was still a little time this morning to revisit the city centre. Today, Rådhuspladsen hosted what looks like some kind of energy-efficient/environmental festival, which seems very appropriate for a city which chooses the bicycle over the car.  That's been my main memory of Copenhagen - the cycling culture, and my despair that this just can't be recreated at home.

So as I said on Twitter during my holiday, we were going to have a lot of sad to undo on our return home.  Copenhagen left its mark on us - and I don't just mean the unplanned sunburn!  It's a fabulous, welcoming city which everyone should visit if they can.  It's a scenic, laid-back destination which is perfect for a city break. We had a brilliant holiday and hope to return again someday.

2 comments:

Raquelita said...

Oh this has all made me smile so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it,I do always worry that people I know who go there will be disappointed.Tivoli is absolutely wonderful and it grows on me every time I go- I definitely think even if you don't have time to do much else,you should go there.

I had no idea you could get a bus from the airport...

Laura (EuropeCrazy) said...

Glad you liked it :) I really loved Tivoli and it would be top of my list if/when we go back.

Yes, the 5A will take you into the city - I found this on YouTube as well (sadly minus the Pilou Asbaek lookalike): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V75zAaKbmWk