Copenhagen, Denmark

There is so much to see, do and eat in Copenhagen.  What a fun city to explore, and luckily we had a few days to do so!  Please, enjoy our travel diary itinerary:

-DAY 1-

We flew via Air Berlin, and let me tell ya, if you ever find yourself trying to decide which airline to take, and Air Berlin is an option, take it! They have wonderful parting gifts of Lindt Chocolate and that makes for a happy passenger.

When the wheels touched down in Copenhagen, we purchased Copenhagen Cards right at the airport. For us, the cards were totally worth it, they covered all of our metro and train rides, as well as many of the attractions that we wanted to see (and so many others that we didn't have time to visit). 

The Metro system is really easy to get a grasp of, so we used our Copenhagen Cards to get us to where we were staying: Cabinn Metro.  The room was very small, but just what we needed (the size of a small cabin) since we didn't plan on spending much time in there.  Jordan slept on the top bunk because I was scared of falling off without a railing, and the good news is that he slept like a log, and didn't fall down. I did enjoy the bathroom, because the shower head is right in the middle of the bathroom, and when the shower knob and sink knob are right next to each other...well, someone's gotta get wet!

After settling in, our journey began with a canal tour to get a lay of the land.  While we were waiting for the boat to arrive we watched street entertainment and had a snack in the shopping area of Strøget.

We also did grab a hindbær snitte, which is like a gourmet pop-tart, from a local bakery called HOLM.

We took the grand tour around the harbor and through idyllic canals.  It was really nice because our guide told us all about Cophenhagen's beautiful churches, castles, old houses and new buildings. 

Some of the cool buildings: The Opera House

The residence at the Amalienborg Palace.

 The canals were beautiful!

I heart houseboats, and love the architecture of the apartments where you can dock your boat inside the building...pretty cool!

After the boat cruise we walked around Christianshavn and admired the views until we decided it was time for dinner.  

No trip to Copenhagen is complete without scrumptious foodie delights, I had heard of all the amazing restaurants like NOMA (although we did not have enough time or money to make it there) so we had to check out the scene for ourselves and we stumbled upon Copenhagen Street Food on Papirøen Island. 

Papirøen Island is made up of post-industrial halls that once served as Copenhagen's paper industry. Today it is buzzing with affordable and tasty meals from all across the region, and is worthy of culinary exploration! 

Man oh Man, there were so many options of places to choose from, we could eat here more than once (and we did)!.  We loved that the 'Duck It' truck was giving out samples, it definitely became an instant hit to our taste buds! Here's what we ended up with:

Duck It! Pulled Duck burger, with fresh salad, home-pickled onions and a homemade dressing.  It was SO good.

Anatolia: Turkish Street Gozleme wrap with chicken food wrap, with an amazing savory spicy dressing....mmm yum.

...and for dessert Oreo cheesecake from "Cheesecaken"

All of these delicious foods can be eaten inside the warehouse or outside in the nice open air overlooking the city and opera house. 

You can even grab a sunchair and enjoy your grub watching the canal tour boats pass by.  It's a great place to digest! 

And that concluded Day 1... Back to the Cabinn to rest up for a busy day tomorrow! But first, an amazing sunset:

-DAY 2-

We started off Day 2 with a visit to Christiansborg Palace. 

The grounds are really beautiful and there is lots to see!  The palace houses the Danish Parliament, the prime minister's office and the Danish Supreme Court.  

Parts of the palace are used by the Royal Family for various functions and events. We visited Royal Reception Rooms, the Royal Kitchen and the Royal Stables...Take a look:

The Royal Reception Rooms were so elegant

...The queen's private book collection extends over three kilometers of shelves

I love the Queen's 1803 piece china collection-the botany theme was painted so intricately by only one person!

This is our Royal Throne, we are now seeing visitors:)

...but our favorite part was the Great Hall with the tapestries; more than 1,000 years of Danish history in wool.

The artistry is so detailed and amazing, we had to get a closer look.

Next we went down below to the Royal Kitchen, which was used for preparing food for several hundred guests when the Royal Family held official gala dinners in the Great Hall upstairs.  The kitchen is equipped and furnished as it was in King Christian X's day.

I love kitchens; this one made me copper crazy!

Our last stop was the Royal Stables where the family's horses have been living since the 18th century. 

Unfortunately the horses were not in their stalls, but out to pasture, it was still cool to see where they train, and the carriages from the 19th century that are still in use today for ceremonies and parades!

From the palace we went to watch a Red Bull high-diving competition...Can you guess where they were jumping from? Oh yes, straight off the tip of the Opera Tower!

...and while watching the brave men we gave our palates a thrill with a bar of Danish Chocolate; which was quite good: a milk chocolate bar filled with tiny caramel balls coated in dark chocolate.Who said dessert couldn't happen before lunch? 

The chocolate got us hungry for food, and went to a beautiful food market in the smack dab center of Copenhagen called: Torvehallerne.  It was very gourmet, selling some of the freshest groceries, kitchen knickknacks and small restaurants. 

Take a look inside!

So many kitchen stores, I just love it...too bad I am only bringing a carry-on back to Germany!

So many different food options-salivation glands workin' and stomach growlin'!

We tried Hallernes Smørrebrød, which served beautiful little open faced sandwiches that tasted as good as they looked!

We asked to try two of the most popular sandwiches which were: a roast beef with a honeymustard and coleslaw, and a breaded fish.  They were both very tasty, and the bread was so delicious, it was super seedy and full of grains, with a great texture and flavor.

For dessert we had to give this hindbær snitte a try, although not as good as at HOLM.

...Okay so we ate too much food, but there was no better way to work it all off than the Copenhagen Free Walking Tour.  This is Jarod ,and he took us on an tour of the alternative side of Copenhagen, on the "Christianshavn Tour".

We walked down winding cobblestone streets and saw the original stock exchange, with its spire of four gargoyles representing the Scandinavian countries and their tails wrapping together to show their unity. 

We walked past the unique Church of our Savior... the bells it plays are of different songs.  We saw stairs, so it was a place we needed to revisit to see the view from the top!

Our tour ended at the door of Freetown of Christiania, the self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood.  Jarod couldn't continue to tour in Christiania because they don't allow it, but he did give us a history before he let us go and explore.

Here's what we learned: Christiania sits on 84 acres of an abandon military base, and was founded as a social experiment-they have their own laws, currency and the town is full of art galleries, restaurants, cafes and historic buildings.  If you want to see more of it, the musician Lukas Graham is from there, and shows lots of the city in his music video (and I like the song too!).

The town is full of vibrant scenery with a gritty edge.  There are street murals on every corner, and cannabis and jewelry is sold in the open air markets on Pusher Street, it is quite eye opening.

Technically Christiania is not in the EU...so as you leave you walk under this sign

On our way to dinner we strolled the streets of Nyhavn.  Nyhavn is the gentrified sailors quarter filled with cafes and jazz clubs.

 Great place to sit, eat, and people watch!

...and take a selfie:

Did you know Hans Christian Anderson, the famous fairy tail writer lived on this street, in this building?

It sure is nice to take pictures past 21:00 and it's still light out!

G'night, another big day tomorrow!

-Day 3-

Good morning! We started off day three with trip to Rosenborg Castle, built by Christian IV in the early 17th century.  It sure does make for a nice backdrop, don't ya think?!?

First we explored his residence, and then we went into the vaults...what awaits us there is a surprise!

Some pretty cool looking rooms, and a really cool clock

This man really loved himself, lots of decor with his face on it:

I want a pair of these earrings, made from scrap metal that was stuck in Christian IV's eye:

and some pretty impressive thrones:

The crowns of the Danish kings and queens are kept at the Castle in special vaults, along with the royal crown jewels of Denmark. 

I want a crown like this one!

From the palace we hauled ourselves up the Rundetårn (round tower), following the footsteps of famous astronomers that used it as observatory. 

The tower still functions as a great stargazing/viewing platform, and is the oldest functioning observatory (1642) in Europe.

We can't do too much sight seeing without thinking about our next meal...and so right around the corner from the round tower we went to Den Økologiske Pølsemand (DØP) for a delicious organic traditional hotdog. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and exploring the streets 

Seriously though, we are becoming foodies, because before long those hotdogs were off our brains, and we were ready for dinner.  We did it again, just because it was so good, and ate at Paper Island- I think this is my favorite relaxed place to eat that we have found on our travels. 

I'm not sure how healthy all the options are...I mean there are healthy places to eat...but who wants healthy when there are other options like the Pulled Duck Burger, and the fried chicken, onion rings and fries fried in duck fat?!?  Jordan says it's the best fried chicken he has ever had, and I am enjoying the food high.

 ...ugh so good

We seriously needed to get some exercise after all the food we've been eating, so we joined in with the biking vikings of Copenhagen and rented bikes. There were so many great things about these white gobikes.  For starters, they are all around the city, so you can pick them up, and drop them off. 

They are also electric so hills are not a problem, and they have a great GPS system that can guide you to all sorts of cool places around town.

...so we hopped on, and went for an adventure! Hey there, trying to take selfies and biking!

Our first stop was into a beautiful park, because I really wanted to see a life-size version of Hans Christian Andersen .  Not as handsome as my husband...

We went to visit one on Han's most famous storybook characters; the actual "Little Mermaid"

She looks really good in this lighting

The canals at this time of day are so picturesque 

This view never gets old...

We had an awesome day...and sad that tomorrow's the last one here in Copenhagen!

-DAY 4-

We started out our last day in Copenhagen the way it should start, with a breakfast of what some bloggers have considered the best hindbær snitte from Meyers Bageri.  It was pretty good, the pastry part was delicious, but it could use a little more filling.

We went to The Church of Our Lady to see Bertel Thorvaldsen's original statue of the Christus.  It was a beautiful way to start the day and so pretty, although Christ isn't as big as the one in the Visitors Center in Los Angeles....

Our next stop brought back so many great childhood memories, and I think Tivoli is one of the most beloved Danish attractions for that reason! Who doesn't love cute amusement-parks, which by the way, aren't overcrowded?  Magic has been in the air at Tivoli since 1843.

Denmark is consistently rated one of the happiest places on earth, and Tivoli might play a part in the development of this attitude, there is fun happening all over the place! We took a full walk around, there are so many exciting rides.

There is really something fun for all ages, even the older generations were having a good time!

We even had a little fun, but we didn't win anything.

After being entertained at Tivoli, we had a few more things to do before leaving back to Germany. We went back to the Church of Our Lady by Christiania to climb up the steep stairs...It was a little windy, and steep as we made our way up but, but let me tell you, the views did not disappoint!

And to end this trip off on a sweet note, we finished it off  just how it began with what we now would consider the best hindbær snitte, in Copenhagen, from HOLM bakery.

We have lots of trips coming up! So stay tuned, and hey, if you want to get notified of our travels, subscribe to our blog:)