Denmark - Copenhagen

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I was starting to get bored of Scandinavia. Another city, more beautiful buildings and parks, museums to look and all that history to read up about. We were considering pushing off to the second part of our Asian leg of our trip but it proved a bit too difficult to organize. A CF of 2 to me for thinking about skipping Denmark. It has turned out to be great.

Firstly, Claire (our very good friend from Manjimup) met us in Stockholm and has travelled with us to Denmark. It has been great. The kids love her and it gives us another adult to talk. Claire is travelling all around the world and has been on the road for 4 months so far. She has spent a large amount of that time in the Middle East (Jerusalem, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Egypt and the list goes on) so we have been able to have many travel discussions. There have been many common travel experiences and many that are very different. It has been a great laugh. Unfortunately we will have to part ways after Denmark but it has been great to talk to someone from home. Claire is a great laugh and is up for most things. She has proved to be very helpful over the last week or so. A CF of 10 to Claire for going out of her way, re-arranging her flights and travelling with us and the kids.

Secondly, Denmark is some how completely different to Finland and Sweden. Although the buildings are very old and well maintained, there is a very modern edge to the country, especially in Copenhagen. There is a very modern feel to this ancient city. It is also very easy to get around. A clear example of this is how they use their old buildings for modern uses. On our first day in Copenhagen we got onto a boat tour around the city and canals. It showed of the usual tourist sites such as royal palaces and museums. It also showed of the city’s green credentials and recycling of buildings. One example was an old submarine facility. Back in the 60’s and 70’s it was used for maintenance on the navy’s submarines. It has now been turned into modern apartments which are some of the most expensive in the city. Not far from there are old boat buildings that were used hundreds of years ago that are now offices. The city keeps it character but is very much in the modern world. There is a very different style of building here that is very pretty and from the low boats that we travelled on they really dominate the city. The city is also set up for push bikes and uses a lot of alternative, environmentally friendly energy sources. It was very easy to move around. It really is a model of how a city can reinvent itself for the modern world and not lose its old world charm. I think a lot of people from Australia (and by this I mean politicians and town planners) could learn so much if they came over here and saw what is going on. We have so many natural resources in our country yet we are still slaves to the car and oil based energy. A big CF of 3 to us as a nation for not making the most of what we have. Maybe all those tree hugging hippies are right, well some of there ideas anyway, and more should be done. Maybe that is why our government is in limbo still after the recent election. Neither of the mains parties is willing to take a long term stand that is in the best interest of the country and future generations. Such short sighted vote collected is really not the answer.

Thirdly the Danes love Aussies. There have been so many times that we have been stopped by someone in the street who asks us if we are Australians. We of course say yes and they all say that they that our accents were from there. They then go on to tell us that they either have a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend from there or that they have travelled or studied there. It is making things very easy for us, especially if we are a bit lost or need some words interpreted. Maybe it helps that their Princess Mary is also our Mary from Tasmania. On another note a CF of 10 to her for being pregnant with twins. Go you good thing. Australian heirs to a European throne. Who would have thought? We have also come across a few Aussies who live or work here and they rave about the place. Must be alright then.

On our second day in Copenhagen we went to Tivoli. It is the oldest and biggest fun park in Copenhagen. It is over 160 years old and it is brilliant. It is just massive and is more than just rides and roller coasters. There is something for everyone and for all ages. There are rides, restaurants, cafes, theatre, plays, concerts and parks. You can even go to gambling joints or just sit in a pub and drink. It seems to be more of a meeting place for Copenhagenites. We went on a Friday and that is one of its busiest days and it was packed in the evening. What we loved about it was that there were rides that the kids could really enjoy and get a thrill out of. At other places we have taken the children to there are usually limited rides they can get on and they can be pretty lame. But at Tivoli the kid’s rides are scaled down versions of the rides that adults can go on. It also means that those adults who want to go on the bigger rides can work their way up to them. One of the best rides was the roller coaster. Phoebe really wanted to go on it but was just a couple of centre metres short. She was gutted. As a result I only went on it once and told her that it was total crap. I didn’t want her to feel any worse. She eventually saw through my charade and told me off for lying to her. If there are any more good roller coaster rides in Hong Kong or Singapore I have told her I will go on them no matter what. By the end of the day we had been a Tivoli for about 7 or 8 hours and we all went back to our hostel exhausted. A CF of 10 to Tivoli for being something for everyone yet not turning into a half-arse fun park.

Speaking of our hostel, it is rather interesting. We have obviously not being staying in hostels because of the travelling with the kids. What we noticed when we stayed there, and from conversations with Claire about the many hostels that she has stayed at, is that they have changed greatly in nature. There is not a typical hosteller. We have seen people well into their 70’s or older use them, many different families and your typical back packing youngsters. Obviously the website at hostels let you know whether it is right for you and your circumstances. This Dan Hostel looks from the outside to be a large hotel or office building. It was 17 or 18 stories high. We booked out a family room that had two bunk beds, two single beds and its own bathroom. Really no different to what we have been booking for most of our trip, except cheaper. It was clean and simple and did serve its purpose well. My only complaint was the food. You could pay for a buffet breakfast and they were not shy about charging for it either. So we forked over our cash and man it was crap. What was meant to be hot was cold and what was meant to be cold was warm. The bacon was burnt and oily; the eggs (which I have no doubt were powdered) were a hard congealed mass. The coffee was cold and instant came in a massive kettle. The buns were rock hard and couldn’t be eaten. I didn’t try most of the food. You don’t mind getting crap food if you don’t pay much but this was pretty expensive. Seeing a heap of backpackers in the kitchen as the cooks should have been a warning. Obviously they are doing a bit of work to fund their trips and I am not sure that becoming a chef is on the cards for any of them. They seemed more interested in getting everything packed up so they could get on with their day rather than doing a decent job. Claire did point out that we did get there shortly before the breakfast closing time and that could have had something to do with it. Maybe so but then really they should think about this. I just wanted to tell the bloke with the massive dreadlocks to get a hair cut and get a real job. Obviously I am turning into my grandfather. I have ignored Claire’s viewpoint as those of a person trying to justify their lifestyle. She is after all a bum travelling the world as cheaply as possible now. So to the over priced Dan Hostel breakfast a CF of 1. At least we know the place is rat free because not even they wouldn’t eat what was dished up. Still for a backpacking place it is pretty good, we are just out of the loop with these things and have no doubt that we will probably stay there again on our way back to Finland.

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Photos

On the canals.
This was a very common sight on our trip on the sight seeing boat. Hard to take really.

Claire
Claire flew over to meet us for our leg to Denmark. Great for a laugh.

Beer anyone
I ordered a beer but was not expecting the standard drink to be a half litre.

The city of Copenhagen from our room.
Pretty during the day and even prettier at night. A great city.

Clean and Green
They definately take their green living in Copehagen very seriously. Bikes are just everywhere.

Picture perfect.
Yes it truely was like wandering through a post card collection for a tourist advert when we walked around the city.

Where's the captain.
There are so many boats on the canals. Many of the older and larger ones have been converted into house boats.

Hello Mary
This is one of the royal residences. We tried to visit and say that we are cousins of Mary's from Perth. Some reason it wouldn't work.