Come play… in Copenhagen.

It has been several weeks since I had the pleasure to visit potentially one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe, Copenhagen.

Me and my boyfriend flew via Ryanair on a Boeing 737-800.

(I’m pretty sure this is the only aircraft type for Ryanair’s entire fleet!) 

On the day following the events in Paris on the 13^th of November. If anything we were feeling a little worried, I’m a pretty seasoned flyer so I’ve never had any fears before, but watching so many armed police walking around the airport put me on edge a little.

Then I remembered that I was at Luton Airport, literally the shittest airport in the UK, so I doubt it would be on any list of places to be attacked considering it is within 100miles of the 4 superior “London” airports. 

After I gouged down on a Bacon Double Cheeseburger my attention was taken by a more pressing issue, my bowels.

After a good half an hour or so I came up for air and was good to go. We got on a plane and flew to Denmark. It was a fairly uneventful journey except when the aircraft was coming to land and the aircraft did a U-turn after flying over the city at low altitude now above the sea. You could literally see the tide crashing against the shore as we were in a pretty steep U-ie. That was pretty awesome.

Then we landed, and we were in sheer awe of how beautiful and awesome Copenhagen airport was! 

Also heads up, if you’re travelling from the UK to Denmark, get your currency there, we were ripped off about £20 by changing our money at the Post Office. You can get a much better rate at the airport believe it or not!

Then we headed straight for town, incredibly, within 15 minutes we went from the airport to Copenhagen Central Station (and unlike Berlin, it WAS literally idiot-proof). 

As soon as we walked out into the street we could see a sea of cyclists going about their business on their own dedicated pathways, it was an amazing sight to see, the size of the main roads are pretty huge too, its amazing the differences in European cities that have developed and grown after the wide adoption of the auto mobile as a main form of transport. 

Cities like Copenhagen and Berlin just make more sense in that way, something the more western countries could learn from, though it’s probably too late now.

We also caught sight of the impressive Tivoli Gardens, which I insisted that we needed to visit as a top priority, but we needed to walk towards our hostel, as travelling had taken its toll on our little bodies and we wanted to be fresh for our first day of exploring. 

We stayed at the Bedwood Hostel for two nights, and it was a very cosy and chic looking establishment. Funnily enough looking at the reviews people seemed to complain about the lack of shower facilities, when we were staying the entire hostel was fully booked and I assure you that we had no problems at all regarding any of the facilities. 

There was also a really cool hand towel dispenser, where you had to wave in front of it and it gave you towel paper, unfortunately due to this cool alienesque contraption, we probably ended up using a tree’s worth of paper before the novelty wore off.

Anyway, once we were in and settled, we thought we should go for a little exploration, it was kind of mad to think that our hostel was literally a 5 minute walk straight down the road to the French Embassy. So many flowers, candles, notes and soft toys had been laid there and the flags were flown at half-mast. 

Maybe I was just tired, but something in me just balled up and my eyes were streaming beyond any masking possibilities. I think I was not only emotional about what happened but also happy that people so far away took the time to write the messages and show their respect for a fellow nation who had dealt with such a tragic situation. It was truly a beautiful and powerful sight. And it spoke volumes about Danes as a people, I fell in love with the city there and then.

Over the following two days we toured the city, with the lovely Roger as our guide, if you want to learn about the city I’d highly recommend the Green Umbrella Tours. They’re free, though I’d recommend that you have some money with you as a form of a tip, though this is by no means compulsory. 

We wandered the food stalls, the bars, the river, Christian the 4^th’s Palace and Gardens, the universities observatory & other buildings, the Christmas markets and the highlight of the visit, the Tivoli Gardens. 

There was a water and lightshow, where it appears that the water is dancing to the music of the Nutcracker. I literally felt like I was in some sort of fairy tale. We were lucky enough to be joined by Kamils friends who happened to live only 30 minutes away in Malmo, Sweden. He worked with Ann in hospitality in Manchester and she was from Malmo and had returned home as (like the rest of us) she had gotten sick of Manchester.

It was really cool considering how close they were yet they were in a different country (it’s not like England and Scotland, they have a different Language, Currency, everything).

Ann and Rubin made our trip so special, it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes to meet up with friends abroad. Plus Kamil hates fairground rides, so Rubin took one for the team by getting on a few with me. He’s a good lad. 

We let Ann off since she was heavily pregnant, I personally thought it might have been a good idea for her to go on a ride, help the baby get a move on and all that, but apparently that is irresponsible. This is why I am not ready for children myself.

But yeah, Copenhagen also has Boris Bikes that make Boris Bikes look like Bloody Ratchet Bikes in comparison.

We then went home, and cried. I could honestly write so much more but I don't think anyone is reading this anymore, so yeah, we went home.

Denmark, we love you.

Kamil & Corky xx