Denmark! (Part 1)

Bremen station in the early hours

We set off to Denmark in the early hours of Thursday morning and it was a good job that we left plenty of time as our train was cancelled and we only just made the alternative connection via Flensburg, arriving in Copenhagen just thirty minutes later than planned, phew.

I had forgotten how much I loved travelling by train during my days as a student.  Relaxing with a good book and the view can't be beaten in my opinion.

With Dad, inspecting the kitchen

 We found our apartment through AirBnB and were very satisfied on the whole.  As you can see here, the flat wasn't big and it wasn't modern but that added to the trip and we had everything we needed there.

Enjoying a nice drink and good company

We spent most of the evenings playing cards, talking and reading.  It was nice to relax after all the walking!

We could see many similarities with Amsterdam

On Friday, we walked into the city and got used to the layout.  There are lots of canals and there is definitely a big city feel but Copenhagen is probably the smallest capital city I have visited, it was even easier than Amsterdam to get around on foot, and it is possible to hire bicycles.

Enjoying the walk despite the weather

 After a nice warming hot chocolate, we spent the morning in the National Museum.  Half of the museum has general exhibits and half is all about Danish history.  We went with the latter which was very interesting and enlightening - well worth the visit.  I picked up a couple of lovely souvenirs in the museum shop - always my favourite part.

The Stock Exchange and Government Buildings

 On our way to the museum we had unknowingly passed the government buildings of Denmark which are housed in a former palace.  As with many capitals, lots of the buildings were huge and almost overwhelming with a lot of history hidden in their walls.

Almost thought we were in Berlin!

 Throughout the city, we saw many sculptures.  Lots were inspired by Greek and Roman mythology - something I definitely want to read more into at some point.  We were surprised to see Victoria's Quadriga up there, which really reminded us of Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.  Another sign of how European history is very intertwined.

Copenhaden Design School

After the museum, we wandered through the town past the town hall and shopping area and found a lovely Chinese restaurant for a well earned dinner.

Tivoli Theme Park

We saw Tivoli and it was amazing to watch the crazy rides from a distance and hear the screams of the people on them but it was a little expensive considering we wouldn't really have gone on many rides so we admired it from afar.  Definitely one to do for families though.

Copenhagen Town Hall

 After dinner, we walked back to the apartment over a different bridge to see more of the city.  We found a more modern and business like side to Copenhagen and found part of the university too.

The modern side of the harbour

While the weather didn't play along until the last day of our trip as you can see from the photos, we made the best of it and spent lots of time out and about, enjoying plenty of hot chocolate breaks in our walks.

Danish Restaurant

Above, you can see the Danish restaurant where we enjoyed dinner on our first night in the city.  I have to say, it is not easy to be gluten free in Denmark - everything comes with bread.  I had to order mine specially without but it was nice.

Our apartment

Above, you can see our apartment from the outside - yes, we were up there on the fifth floor with no lift!  It was in a lovely area though.  More on that and the rest of our trip coming up...