4 Days in Copenhagen

Faux Ice in Copenhagen

Overcast but one couldn't say gloomy.The Xmas rush is upon the city, and the shopping areas being festooned with magical Xmas lighting it looks like a scene from the movies or post cards. Well this is the land of Christmas or more correctly Santa Claus.

Canals in Christianshavn

It gets light at 8.30 with the dark spreading in again by 3.30. We were here for the shortest day, what with the overcast skies it seems to be in perpetual half light, the street lighting and decoration looking good all day and truly coming to life in the dark of evening.
The city centre was very busy with queues forming in all the popular shops that you would expect, such as Lego and toy outlets. The pedestrianised shopping streets (formed in the early 50s) make for a memorable amble through a smorgasbord of shopping opportunity.

Christmas Market. One of many.

The Krona is the currency here though Denmark is in the EU & enjoys a high standard of living, thus though we highly recommend this as a place to visit, you need to have deep pockets to enjoy your stay here. The hospitality industry performs above par and you won't be disappointed with your meals,drinks and service, but it costs. This does facilitate the claim that Danish people are the most contented nation and though we see a place continually shrouded in a darkened northern winter this is a claim well earned.

Canal & Cafe Area

We met an English expat who has been here for 30 years apart from 2 years in Nelson (small world eh) and tho visits old Blighty regularly have no intention of ever retiring back to GB. The couple have fully embraced DK and though initially struggling with the language are now fully immersed in their new home land. Language is key in any successful migration.
 
The city is truly bike friendly and a larger assortment of bikes I have never seen.

Most bikes are up right with only a very few mountain bikes for the obvious reason that aren't many mountains to be seen.
The bike lanes are fully integrated with the traffic system as a whole with its own lights etc and generally the rules are followed as with the cars and pedestrians it was a chancy business at some intersections if you tried to wing it through on coming flows.

Shopping Area

The girls and guys on their bikes dressed in their winter finery is no impediment to glamour, and the long legged Nordic beauties on their tall bikes have put the ass back into class.:):)


Restaurants too often had a line waiting to be seated but were assured by our friend Grethe that after New Year things would become very quiet.

Royal  Palace Courtyard

We were able to catch up with Grethe & Max, though Max is in a wheel chair, but Grethe guided us to a small homely eatery that they were familiar with, where we enjoyed their company and food before taking Max back to his nursing home.
The meeting was poignant as Max had a nasty fall in Nelson on their last trip out and we never got to say goodbye before he was medically evacuated back to Denmark for ongoing treatment, and he has not really recovered. Max and Grethe loved Nelson and very generously made a $20,000 donation to the Queens Gardens for ongoing planting.

Rosenborg Castle

We took the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg (5 hrs) and much to our surprise during the trip we slowed and stopped, after an incomprehensible announcement, then started slowly into a port area where we then entered the bowels of a large roll on ferry. This was unexpected, but a short chat to a fellow traveller assured us this was normal and we were in for a 40 min ferry ride to cut some time off the land only rail route. This way shaves about 2 hrs of the alternative. We left our seats and were able to spend some time in the duty free shops and lovely buffet areas. It was grey & misty outside so not conducive to a promenade on the deck or photos.

Castle Gardens

The first leg of this trip took us to Hamburg which at 3;30 pm on a wet cold afternoon held none of the magic of Copenhagen. We quickly found a small pub by the rail station and spent a relaxing 3 hours drinking wine, ale and having a typical meal of pickled cabbage, potato and sausage, which in hindsight was not actually a good idea as we were soon to embark on a another confined train trip which turned into a nightmare.
We had sleepers which share bunks with up to 6 and left at 9ish (30 mins late with interconnection problems with other arrivals). We initially got along for 2 or so hours albeit a bumpy and noisy ride at times. Then we seemed to stop and got shunted around and left over another few hrs with little communication from the guards then at 05.30 we were required to disembark and make our way to another train for another 4 hours to finally complete our journey to Amanda & Rico in sunny, pretty but cold Sursee, happy to be in familiar territory for our Xmas sojourn.