Tag: Marble Church

Back to Copenhagen!

Published on by Cyranny12 Comments

Yes, I am back in Vikingland!

It’s 10 pm, and I only had a 2 hours power nap over the last 36 hours or so… So needless to say that I will limit the storytelling to the minimum tonight. I started this in my bunk bed, my feet under the soft duvet, and I could already feel my eyes failing me.

So I came down to put these few pictures together… I obviously didn’t get a chance to edit them, but I think they are pretty good given the level of tiredness in the background.

Let’s we start?

 

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On the way to the airport, in Montreal… It made me smile.

 

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I am used to fly with Wow Air… So the pillow and large blanket waiting on my seat were already a surprise. When I got these crackers and was offered a (mini) bottle of red wine, I thought that would have to do as a dinner.

 

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But this arrived shortly after!! Ok, the braised beef wasn’t worth a Michelin Star, but in all honesty, it was airplane-delicious. And free… Well, included.

 

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Despite a delayed lift up in Montréal and a late arrival in Zurich (meaning me running like a headless chicken to make it to my connecting gate two minutes before they closed it), it seems like the German government has regulations regarding the number of planes flying over the country at one time. This resulted in an air craft traffic jam on the tarmac.

 

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It wasn’t the first time I witnessed this natural phenomena, but I must say it is always intriguing when it happens. The round shaped rainbow reflected on the clouds below us has a name, but I don’t remember it. If you know, leave it in the comment box, please!

 

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Welcome home? Awwww I knew you had missed me too, Denmark!

 

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I don’t have time to tell the story again tonight, but for those of you who know about when I made a fool of myself, requesting that my passport would be stamped before I left the customs of Copenhagen’s airport, this is the desk where the lady welcomed me, with her suspicious ”You know you could get in trouble here, right??” look.

 

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My home for tonight, the Bedwood Hostel

 

 

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Kongens Nytorv, the most important round about in Copenhagen has been under construction for years now. Since a new circular metro line is being built just under it, people have been deprived of one the best known places of the capital. As a matter of fact, I had never seen the very heart of Copenhagen without the high barricades that hid all the buildings until today!

 

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The Marble Church, still beautiful, despite the construction.

 

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Amalienborg, the Royal Palace.

 

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St-Alban’s Church, in and out.

 

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Yet another good reason to visit Denmark in May: The Little Mermaid free of tourists!

 

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First Danish dog… Not the last! Yuuummm!

 

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Nyhavn. Nothing else to say… A Must See!

 

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Random street views near Strøget.

 

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St-Peter’s clock tower between the buildings, if my memory’s good.

 

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One of Copenhagen’s many canals.

 

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The old stock market… One of my favorite buildings, if not MY favorite.

 

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Copenhagen’s reputation of being bicycle-friendly? NOT overrated. LOL

 

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At the end of the day, always good to know the spots for good, cheap food!

 

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Last stop in Nyhavn before bedtime!

 

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Many people hesitate to visit Denmark, because it is said to be very expensive to travel around. I agree, if you book rooms in generic hotels, and eat in the tourist trap restaurants. But when you are a bit creative and willing to go off the beaten path, there is a way to enjoy Vikingland without making your wallet whine.

Here’s my night’s loot: Cheese, cold cuts, rye bread, olives and (of course) remoulade. Danish rye bread is very filling, yet not heavy like it always seems to be in Canada. With this, I’ll be able to have supper, sandwiches for tomorrow’s lunch and some snacks along the way. For under 20 Canadian Dollars… Not too bad, right?

September Trip – Copenhagen, day 1

Published on by Cyranny10 Comments

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I am becoming a regular client of the purple plane company, and I must say that I recommend the airline to anyone traveling to Scandinavia from North America. Especially if you are on a budget, and are ready to fly simply. The staff is always friendly, smilling and helpful, and the flights have all been smooth and on time…  I haven’t seen the sun shine on Iceland so far, but I am not giving up. I know someday, I’ll catch the yellow ball off guard!

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First sights of the Copenhagen area. It was the first time I could spot the Øresund bridge from the air. The famous bridge is the link between Copenhagen (Denmark, of course) and Malmö (Sweden).

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Right after leaving Kastrup’s airport, we headed to our first “home”. The Hawila, a beautiful sailing boat, hosts people all year long, when it is not sailing. You can get a bunk bed for a very fair price, and although you have to be ready to chit chat with other guests coming from all around the world, it is quite an experience, and for people who aren’t familiar with Copenhagen, finding the location of the boat is a piece of cake, just a few minutes away from the airport by Metro. It is right next to Den Blå Planet, Copenhagen’s aquarium (We’ll get to that, just a little bit later).

We were just off the plane, and had our 6 time zones jetlag hitting us in the jaw, so I don’t happen to have an actual picture of the Hawila today, but you can read everything about it, and the young people who work on the Hawila project here.

 

 

 

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I did take a picture of the Metro station’s entry, though. No, that is not a ramp for wheelchairs on the left. Danes being crazy (in a good sense) about cycling, there are tracks like that everywhere around the city, to allow people to take their bikes up and down the stairs easily….

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Art can be found everywhere in Copenhagen, and Ai Weiwei has barricated these windows with migrants’ life vests, as a reminder of the migrant crisis taking place on Europe’s shores…

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Everybody knows Nyhavn, one of the most iconic locations in the Capital. And over the canal, people attach locks to the bridge. I have put one back in May 2016, and I was eager to see if they had left it there, after 16 months. And it was!!  It is the small green (well, it used to be a flashy green color, now it looks more yellowish) one on the left…

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Nyhavn… I told you it would ring a bell!

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Across from Nyhavn is the Papirøen project. Papirøen, litterally the paper island, is a street food happening that will unfortunately come to an end this Winter.

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Next, a stop to Amalienborg Castle, the Royal Familie’s residence in Copenhagen… But on the way to see it, we took a few minutes to visit the Marble Church. Don’t mind the strange orange fellow, he might show his nose every now and then during the trip.

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There will be pictures of Amalienborg Castle later… But here are a few pictures of the majestic fountain right next to it. The Marble Church, the palace and the fountain are aligned with the Opera, on the other shore… Again, photos to come later (blame the jetlag!)

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Gefion’s fountain is one of my favorite spots in Copenhagen. The gift from the Carlsberg family can be found near Kastellet, and is well worth the detour. But that’s just my opinion…

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Of course, we had to go pay our respects to Copenhagen’s effigy. The Little Mermaid is… Small. She is. But hey! It is the Little Mermaid. Don’t mind the few tourists cuddling her, she is, after all, the most popular mermaid in town!

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No visit to Denmark is complete without a hot dog. Danish hot dogs are just fabulous! Topped with remoulade, pickles and dried onions, they are an absolute must. You’ll find stands all around the city, and it is a sin to leave without tasting at least one!

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Ok, I’m not a fan of posting pictures of myself, but this one is special. It is at Amalienborg Palace, and I was just telling David how close the Royal family was to its people. In fact, there was no sign asking not to get near the Castle, and I said “hey! Take a picture of me, touching the Queen’s house!!”

What we can’t see on the picture, is the Royal Guard waiting for the picture to be taken, before he shouted a strong “Lady, step away from the wall!!!!”

Yeah, don’t touch the Castle when you come to Copenhagen. It brings out the guards’ grumpy side. At least, I didn’t get arrested.

Danes are so understanding… I think it was obvious I was just excited to take this shot.