Introduction to Scandanavia...

Hi all my blog fans...welcome back!

 

 

So, for my latest experience....decided that it was time to explore some of the Northern parts of Europe. Sat down and looked at what was close and, relatively, inexpensive and came up with Denmark or, more specifically, its capital...Copenhagen.

 

 

Copenhagen was the perfect choice, a capital city with Christmas markets (One of the main reasons for wanting to get away), not too big (so easier to explore) and close to Sweden (so I could add another country to my list).

 

 

Flew out of Gatwick early Friday with Norwegian air. For those of you who don't know about Norwegian, they are a relatively young discount airline (been around some 10-15 years) that has recently expanded to more international routes including to the USA. The flight and the airline were pretty good for the cost, staff were polite and helpful and the plan was a new Boeing (with on-board WiFi!!). Arrival at Copenhagen airport was uneventful. The airport looks pretty new and modern with two main terminals. The airport itself is on the outskirts of the city, probably less than 10KMs from the city center. When you arrive you have a number of choices for travelling to the city. You can take the train (Station is co-located at the airport as with most European cities) for 36 Danish Kroner...about £3.60 or $7.00. Alternatively, you can take a bus for a bit less or a taxi for significantly more (About 250 Kroner)...I decided on the taxi as the lines for the ticket machines were huge.

 

 

I am not going to spend a huge amount of time on this trip as it was only a short break...may add more later if I get some time. So, on to the trip....

 

 

Decided to stay in the center of the city which proved useful given how small the city is and how close the Radisson Blu (Royal) is to the Tivoli Garden which was one of the main reasons for the visit. The Tivoli garden is a large city park that the Danes convert to a Christmas market during the holiday season. The park is huge and contains a number of restaurants, booths and rides. You can buy entry tickets to the park only for about £10 or for entry and the use of the rides for about £15 per person. Alternatively, you can buy entry on the rides at the actual rides. You can also re-enter by getting your hand stamped.

 

 

I really enjoyed the market, thought that it was very consumer oriented but that was expected.

Tivoli Gardens at night...beautiful!

 

 Managed to do some walking around the city, mainly the shopping area. It was very busy and much along the lines of most major city shopping areas...traffic free with lots of familiar shops. The prices were a bit higher than most places but not significantly and it certainly didn't deter the throngs of visitors from the Far East eager to spend their money..

Ended up back at Tivoli where grabbed a 'proper' Danish dinner at one of the restaurants that are available...always marked by the compulsory beer! Proud to say that I've had a beer in almost 30 countries now. :-)

 

 





There's always beer... :-)

 

 

 

The following day was dedicated to taking a trip to Sweden. One of the reasons for choosing Copenhagen was the ease at getting to Sweden. There is a fantastic rail bridge between Copenhagen and the Swedish mainland. The main train station, itself an architectural highlight, was only a few minutes from the hotel. Once I figured out the ticket machine (actually didn't figure it out until I had arrived in Sweden!), it was easy to catch the train to Malmo (Runs every 20 minutes from platform 5/6). The trip takes about 45 minutes but be prepared to show passport at the first stop in Sweden. Oh, by the way, the ticket cost about £12.50...a deal until I figured out that was one way!

 

 

It was a rainy day in Malmo but managed to see some sights, do some shopping and experience one of the best meals that I had at a proper Swedish restaurant...and, of course had to have a beer!

 

 

 

Did I mention that there's always beer...?

It was cold in Malmo but once the rain stopped it was nice. Lots of canals...

 

Managed to make it back to Copenhagen in time for dinner...did anyone say that it was beer o'clock? :-)

 

Oh, and a beer....

 

 

The final day was mainly focused on some sightseeing. I never use to take the bus tours of cities but had become a convert. When you have little time and the weather isn't great...kinda like the Sunday in Copenhagen, then a bus tour can be useful. I have used the greylines tours in a number of cities, tends to be very good albeit a bit rushed and short on info but you can hop on and off. The tour was around £12.50 for what ended up being 90 minutes around the city.

 

Gave me the chance to see a number of sites including Christiana (the free town), the opera house, Nyhaven, the little mermaid, the English Church and the old stock exchange building to name a few.

 

 

The final act was to have a huge burger before heading to the airport..some advice for travellers, pay a little extra and opt for the airport lounge. Copenhagen airport is very nice but it is like a shopping mall with an airport attached. There isn't very much space to sit down and wait, can be very crowded and not the most pleasant way to end a trip.

 

All in all, I loved the trip...very relaxing. The food and beer were fantastic and there was plenty to see and do. Definitely head to Sweden, my short trip there made me want to see more of the country.

 

Until next time...