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Published: September 3rd 2008
Picture Perfect
Beautiful Nyhavn CanalDenmark, the first of many weekend breaks over this summer, this time with Leo who I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t seen since before Christmas.
It was little surprise to us that our no-frills flight was running a little behind schedule; however it was a bit of a shock when we arrived at our hotel to find the reception closed! and no sign of life anywhere!
No one answered the door bell or phone that we could hear ringing on the other side…
Realising that we were not going to get into this hotel any time soon, we started scouring the city for another place to stay, as it fast approached midnight.
We did find a place not too far away with the door open, sign outside and a guy behind the reception - phew! It was a little expensive, but it was a bed for the night, so we went in.
We were told that they were closed (!?), but their sister hotel was open … and then went on to tell us they were also fully booked. (but they are open!)
He did actually end up being helpful by giving us a map of the city…. and
Nyhavn Canal
Hannah & Leon we eventually found what looked like a nice modern backpackers.
They had one room left - we’ll take it! even thought it was a little more expensive than our Bed & Breakfast.
We got to our room, opened the door, and I literally folded in half with laughter. I’m not sure how else to explain this, except to say ‘our bed’s were folded up into the wall’ and the décor: well that’s a whole other story. Leo opened the window to let some oxygen into the room, to find it over looked an alleyway come rubbish dump…
By this time we decided we had earned a drink, so headed back into the middle of the city to a promising looking cocktail bar with toe-tapping music and a list of enticing cocktails… just what we were looking for.
We made sure we were out of our room on time the following morning to ensure they did not try and change us for an additional night. We went straight to our Bed & Breakfast and explained to them that our flight was late, no one was here when we arrived etc etc. we’re not paying for last night, but
we still want to stay for tonight.
A concept the receptionist found difficult to grasp, but when she did finally get hold of her manager the following morning, it all seemed to be sorted. That is until I got back to London to find they had charged my credit card for the additional night without my consent. The saga still continues…
Meanwhile, Leo and I could finally start some sightseeing of Copenhagen!
First stop was past the wide canals to Orsteds Park with its mature trees around the still lake, and a coffee shop on the corner that Leo and I swore you could uplift and place anywhere in NZ to blend in. They even supplied blankets to sit out in the grass or in our case, sit under to keep you warm - what a fantastic idea!
We continued our sightseeing with the suggested walking tour through the old part of the city, starting at the Radhus - the town hall, and winding our way through the pedestrianised streets that link the cobbled squares, each with their own fountains - evening buying a bag full of fresh peas from one of the stalls along the way.
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If you could only see this lit up at night.. hahahaha We stumbled upon the gorgeous Nyhavn canal, with its brightly coloured buildings lining the wharf area; one of the most beautiful and iconic landmarks of Copenhagen.
We spent a while here just sitting and watching the hustle and bustle of people and boats coming & going and just soaking in the scenery.
Both of us were keen to get out on the water, so got on one of the water buses for a tour around Christianshavn and the surrounding islands, including the opera house. We got out at Christianshavn for a closer look, I was particularly looking forward to climbing the spiral tower of Vor Felsers Kirke - but it was closed for refurbishments 😞
And then the rain soon turned that into a closer look at the bakery instead of the sights!
A little further into Christianshavn is an interesting place called Christina, a self-declared independent state, the ‘new society’ based on the peace/love/dream thoughts of the 70s.
Back on the mainland, we went to see the Royal Palace: Amalienborg Palace and gardens. To be honest, the only reason I could tell it was a palace is because it had guards standing outside, but even they weren’t
Gammel Torv
One of many paved squares that prominent. Continuing further north, we headed to Kastellet, which looked like a giant star-shaped fortress from above, and then to see The Little Mermaid status on the coast, which was another case of ‘oh, is that it?’.
Yet surprisingly difficult to get a photo between people, just to say you had been there!
But what ever trials and tribulations we’d had so far on the trip, were all going to be more than compensated by the awesome evening we had at that night, starting at Tivoli Gardens, a century-old amusement park. It was like a mini Disneyland with fairy lights and lanterns hung up in the trees, cute buildings everywhere and lots of themed restaurants to choose from. There were a number of rides ranging from ferris wheels for people like me to the extreme crazy death-defying rides, which you had absolutely no chance of getting me on in a million years.
Somehow, and I have no idea how, Leo managed to get me on the large double twisting looped rollercoaster. Nervous as could be, and trying to find a short-cut to the exit, I magically survived the ordeal, reasonably unscathed!
While Leo went on the next extreme
Man i feel short today!
Guinness Books of records - World's Tallest Man ‘let-see-if-we-can-make-you-throw-up ride’, I said I’d head to a more placid ride, however I started to realise that it was getting quite late and most of the rides had closed for the evening… why or how, I can not tell you, but the next thing I knew I was strapped into the roller-coaster all by myself! Ekkk!!!!...
However, our night did not stop there.. we headed back towards Nyhavn for a drink on the canal edge. We were later joined by our waiter, who commutes to Denmark from Sweden?!, and took us out to a few more local bars before he caught his train back home (yay for 24hr train system!). It was well after sunrise by the time Leo and I got back to the hotel - always a sign of a good night!
One of the coolest places we visited was the Rundetarn, a large tower on the side of a church with a 3-4m wide spiralling ramp leading up to the viewing deck 209m up, which as you can imaging gave very good views across Copenhagen. At the very top of the tower was an observatory, and we were able to see the sun through the
telescope (to me it look like a big red ball) but interesting none the less.
Rosenborg Slot, Christian IV’s 17th Century castle is not exactly what I’d think of when imaging a typical castle - it’s not on a hill, nor look that big from the outside and its defence wall probably couldn’t keep out the local youths - and although it does have a moat of sorts, it’s not until you get inside that you see the grandeur of the place.
Rooms with a multitude of painted panelling - each one a masterpiece, and ornate ceilings, furniture, tapestries… and the glassware and table settings are just something else. The throne room, located at the top of the castle (which I thought was strange), is quite impressive, and had three silver lions guarding the throne for the present and past kings and queens.
We also saw the royal treasury with the Danish crown jewels, including the crown of Christian IV. All very impressive.
We spent the rest of the say relaxing on the edge of the canal over looking stunning Nyhavn and had one last adventure to Christianshavn to try the local beer before we started the return
Christianshavn
Hannah at one of the many waterways trip back to Londontown to pack for the next holiday.
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