Oh, Copenhagen! Where do I begin? You are a magical city that completely enthralled and enchanted me. It is simply a beautiful city. The architecture was quite a heady mix of old versus a clean minimalist cosmopolitan appearance. Both worked in tandem with each other to create a unique city.
We like to be adventurers when we travel so after landing in Copenhagen airport, we got our luggage, bought tickets and headed to the train station underneath the airport. We made our way to Islands Brygge and headed for our hotel. It was gorgeous. It was a ginormous loft apartment/hotel that we just fell in love with. Floor to ceiling windows that slid or opened like a door. It allowed us to let in so much fresh air and we could sit on the couch and just look out over the water. Bliss!
We got settled, ran to the grocery store attached to our building, it was called Irma’s and was completely adorable. We ate some lunch and then headed into the city. Now our apartment was located about a 15/20 min walk outside of the city center, which suited us just fine.
The adorable Irma’s sign and a delicious cinnamon roll from Emmery’s
We had a lovely stroll along the water and over the bridge. The bikes! Oh, the bikes! I don’t bike in London, it is just too congested, but here, I would bike. I loved the many bikes that had a beautiful wooden cart on the front to put your children, your groceries or your dog. Or, in some cases, all three! I couldn’t get over the fact how bikes were just lined up along walls, with only a small lock secured around the spokes. In England, bikes are locked by the wheels and then locked to a rack and a million other things to make sure they are secured. Here, no one seemed to worry, there was such a lovely element of trust.
Our first stop was to the Glyptoteket. We should have known we were going to have museum issues from this point forward, all we could do was laugh. They apparently have an excellent collection of French Impressionist art, but unfortunately floor two was closed, so we didn’t get to see any of it. However, they have a stunning conservatory and as we strolled around we were regaled by a live production of a group singing excerpts from Wagner’s Operas. The Egyptian Hall more than made up for anything we missed. Part of it was designed to make you feel as if you were descending in to a tomb.
Next we headed to the Tivoli Gardens, which is the world’s second oldest amusement park. It was adorable! Walt Disney visited there when he was building Disneyworld, and you could see a few things that inspired him. We went to Andersen’s Bakery famous for their hot dogs, they were delicious! We split one as I really more interested in dessert. I got a mandelhorn, which was a crispy almond trumpet filled with an orange chocolate cream, I didn’t think Mr. Michie would be interested. I was wrong! I had to fight him for it, but I managed to steal a few bites!
We strolled around the park some more just taking everything in and finally headed home. It a magical place. There are updated rides, but there still remains a sweetness to the place. I loved a lot of their light fixtures. At night the entire park is light up, it was enchanting.
Day two began somewhat early, we had already scoped out the bakery attached to the hotel the day before called Emmery’s and had picked up some treats, so breakfast started with their coffee and the most divine cinnamon rolls smothered in chocolate that I have ever eaten. The pastry was more of a puff pastry consistency, the inside was filled with butter, cinnamon, sugar and nuts that that made there way down to the bottom and had caramalized and turned crunchy in the pan and the the tops were smothered in chocolate and fresh chopped hazelnuts were sprinkled over the top. What a way to start the day!
After we finished getting ready we headed down to the boat dock. Here we picked up a boat bus that took us to Nyhaven. It is a picturesque little section of Copenhagen on the canal. The buildings are so colorful and cheery. Hans Christian Andersen used to live here, in three different homes along the canal. We walked and took pictures and ate lunch by the water.
There is such a different pace of life here. I love it! Things get done, but you aren’t rushed. Most cafés and restaurants who had outdoor seating had a stack of blankets set out so you wouldn’t get too chilly. That made me very happy and as it was a cool day, my blanket kept me toasty all through lunch!
Next we headed to the National Gallery of Denmark. It was a really interesting place. Again, they had areas shut down as they were under construction, so we didn’t get to see everything, but what we did see we just loved!
There were signs everywhere to point out roads for pedestrians and roads for bikes. I liked that this path also included a place for bears to stroll.
We stopped at a little pizza joint for dinner that we noticed everyone at the night before. It was great and so fresh! After dinner we strolled home along the water and then headed up to the apartment. It was nice having a little haven to return to the evenings. Where we could stretch out on the sofas and watch tv or read or just listen to music and watch the boats go by.
I have more to share, next up Sweden! So, stay tuned, I’ll be right back!
