København, Danmark

View from atop Christiansborg Slot

If you were to ask me about my favorite city in Europe, I would tell you Copenhagen. If you were to follow that question with a "why", I would say that you better sit down so I can tell you everything. I have seen a lot of cool things and been to some pretty amazing countries, but when I was in Denmark, there was something about it that made me feel at home.

My dad was flying in from LA to visit me for about a week, and we met up in Copenhagen. It was literally the day after I got back from Malta that I left, so I was pretty beat and a little sick of flying. I was excited though! A new country, new experiences, and I was going to see my dad.

So after flying SAS, which by the way is really easy and I totally recommend it, I landed in Copenhagen! The airport though was pretty confusing. I mean, the Amsterdam airport is a hassle and way too big, but Copenhagen was just as big of a pain. After meeting up with my dad, we had to go get train tickets from the airport to central station.

One thing you should remember when it comes to traveling, is not all european countries use the same currency. You have England that uses pounds, many countries that have euros, and Denmark that uses danish krones. It can be confusing, especially since (at the time) 1 euro was equal to 6 DK. Everything seemed more expensive because the currency was different, so that threw me off. The whole time we were in Denmark, my dad and I were using a currency converter to find out how much things were.

My dad and I reunited in Copenhagen!

Anyway, to take the train from the airport to central station was I think 74DK, which again, seemed like a lot, but was about $12 or something. So we bought our ticket and waited for the train. It was a bit different because I have been so used to things being in Dutch, so seeing everything in Danish confused me. I had no idea how to pronounce any of the words, nor did I know what they meant. If I didn't look at the map the lady at the airport gave me, I wouldn't have known which stop was central station, because it was in Danish.

So we finally get to Central Station, and we were so excited! We start walking around and go straight to our hotel. I downloaded this Copenhagen Card app on my phone that would use my location and it helped guide us where we were going, since we had no clue. We were originally staying at Hotel Danmark. Originally. We get there and the lady at the front desk tells me that there are no rooms available (now this is after we booked out hotel months in advance, and they contacted my dad the previous week to say they had a room ready). Great start to this trip.

So they pay for a cab, and send us to their "sister hotel" called Hotel Astoria. You know what, I think there was a reason there wasn't a room available because this hotel seemed so much better! It was right next to central station, it was clean, nice, and had a good pizza place attached to it downstairs.

Scandic Palace Hotel

After we checked in, it was time to venture around the city for a bit. Man I tell you this city was wonderful. It felt like a big city with all the tall buildings, flashing lights, cars, bikes, shops, you name it. It sort of reminded me to LA, weird but it did! I didn't feel like I was in Europe anymore because everything seemed so Americanized.

My dad thought I was crazy because I kept saying that it didn't feel like I was in Europe, but it is true. Coming from staying in a little town in the middle of the Netherlands where everything seems to be done the old-school way, to a big city with old things around it, it gave off a different vibe.

We walked around the city and mapped out everything we wanted to do the rest of the time we were there. If you are ever planning on going to Copenhagen, I recommend you get the Copenhagen Card. It really comes in handy, and makes things easier. There are so many good discounts to restaurants, attractions, and free entry to a lot of different places.

Nyhavn

So we got the card and were on our way. The city is big, but a lot of the things you want to see and do are really near, and only walking distance. We walked to Christansborg Slot and then from there, we hopped on a canal tour boat. The way the boat worked, is that you can hop on and off wherever the boat stops. We were taken around the bend to Nyhavn. Oh my goodness, it was like Pinterest in real life. It was so beautiful, and it was the best. By far my favorite area of the city.

All of the buildings by the water in Nyhavn were colorful, and there were boats lining the dock. Cafes were all down the street, and of course, all the tourists. That was the only downside to it, there were so many tourists there. So we walked around, took pictures, enjoyed the lovely sun and fresh air, and sat at a cafe at one of the colorful buildings. The coffee was great - talk about a wake-me-up! The people were friendly, and our morning was just getting started.

Rosenborg Slot

Not too far from there, you can walk about 10 minutes to a giant park. In that park is Rosenborg Slot. It was being renovated at the time that we were there, but we still got a chance to go inside and check everything out. It was crazy how much bigger it was on the inside!

Crown Jewels in Rosenborg Slot

There are different parts to the castle; you have all the crown jewels in one area, and then you have the actual castle area. The rooms where all the jewels were, was insane! The crowns, the gold cups, the armor, just everything was so cool to look at. By the way, this was an attraction (along with the boat) that was completely free of charge because of the Copenhagen Card.

After we looked at the jewels, we looked at the rest of the castle. Now, the Rosenborg Slot was built in the early 17th century, so everything was totally old and fun to look at. We saw the King and Queen's chairs, bedrooms, just everything plus the kitchen sink!

By the time we walked through the castle, we were both starving. If you want a good burger for a reasonable price, go to Grill Royal. It is located just past Nyhavn on Kongens Nytorv. It was so dang good, and hit the spot! You know, the entire time I have been in Europe, I haven't had one hamburger, and that was the day that my tummy was like "why don't you have these more often!?" Definitely a burger place I recommend.

Since we had the Copenhagen Card, we were able to do a lot of other cool things for free, like take a canal tour. We actually took the boat to Nyhavn where we got off, and then after we walked around there, we hopped back on where it took us to see the Little Mermaid statue, and other parts of the city, like where the King and Queen live now, the Opera house, and more.

Dad at Carlsberg Brewery

Also located in Copenhagen is one of the worlds oldest amusement parks, founded in 1843, Tivoli Gardens. Right when you leave Central Station, it is actually the first thing you will see. The park is situated right in the middle of the city, and it sure is popular! My dad and I went there one night to just walk around (another place that is free with the Copenhagen Card), and it turns out that it was the same night of some Danish rock band that was going to play. There were so many people, and it was cold, and the rides were insane, but it was a good time. Walking around the park, you felt like you were back in time the way that everything was designed.

Another really cool attraction that we went to was on our last full day in the city. We took the bus (another thing that is free) to Vesterbro, another part of Copenhagen, to the Carlsberg Brewery. At first, I was thinking it was going to be fun for only my dad because I don't really drink beer at all. Turns out, it was so cool! We took so many pictures and had a blast walking around, drinking beer, and looking at the old Brewery. Visiting Carlsberg is another place I would recommend you do while in Copenhagen.

Dad and I

You know I talk about all these different places that my dad and I went to, but it is hard to actually talk about everything we really did. We did so many other little things, like go to different museums, cafes, restaurants, etc. If I can say one thing about the city, it is that it is still, to this day, my favorite European city. Like I said, it made me feel like I fit in, and feel like I was home. Trust me, if the Denmark National Hockey team was hiring a sideline reporter, I would be there.

Let's Go to Malta

Before I studied abroad, I mentally made a list of all the countries I wanted to visit - Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, England, Ireland, and Spain. Since I have been here, my list has moved along in a different direction. I have seen a lot of cool places already, but when it was only a few days before Easter, my friend Heidi and I knew we wanted to go somewhere different.

Many different places crossed our minds, but when it came down to it, we wanted to go somewhere warm. Living in the Netherlands, it always seems to be cold and dreary! It's a funny thing because even on the warmest days, everyone is still wearing a jacket and scarf...but at the time we wanted to go somewhere, it was cold, windy, and raining.

After debating on Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and so on, we decided on Malta.

Aerial view of Malta 

Malta? What is that? Where is that? Yeah trust me I was asking myself the same questions. It was the most random trip in the history of random trips, believe me. So, how did this all come about? Well we were constantly checking Ryan Air for cheap flights out of Eindhoven, NL to go anywhere! That's when Heidi said, "Malta is only 150!" Malta was the cheapest flight we came across. Shortly after, we looked for cheap hotels in Malta.

To say the least, $200 later our trip was booked. Neither of us knew what we were in for! All we knew was that we were going to leave in two days for Malta. What's in Malta? We didn't know. So, we thought that since the tickets were booked, we should probably figure out what the country is like. Turns out from the pictures we saw on the internet, it looked so pretty.

Just a few days after we booked this trip, we were on our way. Sunglasses, check. Maxi skirt, check. Sandals, check. We were ready to roll.

It was my first time flying with Ryan Air, and oh man do I hope it is my last. Flying this airline was the worst. There were too many people on one small plane. Bottom line, there is a reason why the flights are so cheap! You get what you pay for.

Apartment view - Sliema, Malta

Anyways, after we were on the plane, all settled snug on the plane, we got to Malta two hours later. It was beautiful from above, and when we got to ground level, we didn't really know what to expect. First of all, we noticed real quick that the cars are different - the steering wheel is on the other side, and everyone drives on the other side of the road. It was a bit odd, but we got used to it.

Not only were the cars and the roads different, but the buildings were different. We stayed at the Bayview Hotel. Actually, we stayed in the apartments which were right down the street from the hotel. It was a bit weird at first, but the room was really nice. We got a studio apartment with a kitchen and a big bathroom, When we finally got to our room, we looked out our window, and it made me wonder if we were really in Malta. The view isn't what either of us thought it would be like. I felt like we were in the middle east or something, just from the vibe that we were getting.

After the both of us were a little sketched out on the situation, we figured that we should go do something. We were staying there for 4 days, so we thought we would just take it easy, relax, sightsee, and enjoy our mini-vacation.

View from rooftop at the hotel

On the first full day being there, we literally did nothing. We got coffee and hung out, went up to the roof and tanned, and just enjoyed the sun! It kind of sucked because it wasn't so hot like we wanted it to be like, but the weather was so much better than the Netherlands, so there wasn't much complaining.

One thing that we realized not long after being there, was that everything was cheap! You would think that since it is a small island, that things would be a bit more expensive, but that was not the case.

When Heidi and I went to this cafe in the hotel, their prices were so low! For a cappuccino, it was only €1, and if you wanted to get something to eat, you could get any pasta with a free glass of wine! Now usually a free glass of wine means that it's going to be really gross, but this wine was pretty good, and the pasta was only €5! Now these prices were not just at the hotel, it was everywhere on the island that we went.

Comino Island, Malta

After we were bummin it at the hotel and on the rooftop, we figured we should do some touristy stuff so we can really see the country, and hopefully enjoy it a bit more. We set up two excursions, one for a boat ride to Comino island, and another for a hop-on hop-off bus tour around the southern part of Malta.

For our first excursion, we decided on doing the boat trip since it was supposed to be a nicer day. Honestly, I don't think any day would have been better. It was by far, the worst boat ride I have ever been on. The water was so rough, everyone on the boat was sick, it was such a disaster. But once we finally hit land, we were all happy to be off of that boat! And of course, once we were off the boat, the wind was whipping around like crazy, there was nothing fun about any of it.

Comino Island, Malta

Enough complaining because the view was amazing! Comino island had the bluest waters I have ever seen. The cliffs mixed with the water was outstanding! Luckily it was a little warm outside, so tanning was an option. After spending a few hours on the island, it was time to face the dreaded boat ride once more. Man I tell you, nobody wanted to get back on that boat because we were all afraid that it would be like the ride to the island. Luckily, it wasn't. I am not saying it was a smooth ride, but it was manageable.

If you decide to go to Malta in April, know this now. The weather is not as warm as you want it to be! You might be thinking the same as Heidi and I, thinking that the weather will be wonderful, and you can tan and chill on the sandy beaches, but that's not the case. There are not any sandy beaches to hang out at, and the weather is not as nice as you want it to be. So, if you think that a boat ride is a good idea, think again because it might be like what I experienced.

After the boat ride from hell was all over, we decided to take it easy for a little bit. We pretty much spent all day out at sea and on the island, so we were going to rest up for our bus tour the next day. We were quite excited for it too! I know it sounds ridiculous and like a super-tourist thing to do, but I think that if it is going to be your only time in a country, do as many things as possible to have a good time! I think that the bus tour was a great idea.

Marsaxlokk Fishing Village, Malta

We stopped at so many different places, and it was so interesting to see all the different landmarks and all the different parts of the country. Turns out, I underestimated the country. We got on the bus and started our day trip around the south. We stopped at a few different places, but one in particular that I recommend getting off at is Marsaxlokk fishing village. When you look it up on google, I guarantee that all the pictures that come up probably look similar to this picture I took.

It is strange how we can think how cool and beautiful the place looks when the only thing that makes it different is the small, colorful boats scattered in the harbor. There was a street filled with different fun little souvenirs that you can look at, and there were boats that people were working on, and many different cafes to choose from. Heidi and I actually ate lunch here at some cafe with really good prices.

Blue Grotto, Malta

Now, the waitress with the beard was a bit strange, but the food was really good! For fresh fish, it was so cheap, and drinks were really cheap as well. So, if you do go on a tour like we did, getting lunch with this view isn't too bad.

After the fishing village, we stopped at the Blue Grotto. I was so excited to stop here because I was expecting some amazing, blue grotto! Turns out it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. There were plenty of little shops and such, and the view was great, but there wasn't much to see. The water was not as blue as it was at Comino, but that was okay because the view was beautiful.

After the Blue Grotto, the weather turned bad and it was cold, windy, and raining. Being stuck on the rooftop of this tour bus was not fun! So, we headed back to the hotel to get warm and ready for dinner.

The food! It seems to be something I have not mentioned yet! Okay so the food was really good. Malta has a lot of Italian influences, and the food shows it. Every time you would blink, you would see either a pizzeria or just an Italian restaurant.

Everything by the way was in English in this country. Now, it isn't their main language, but everything was in English so everyone can understand what is going on. The Italian food was great. The pasta couldn't be beat, and the pizza was just as tasty. The portions are big and the prices are low. Kind of surprising again because you would think that everything is more expensive on this small island.

Other than the good food, the trip was great. It was nice to go back to the Netherlands, I will say that. It's always nice to take a break from everyday life and have a little vacation! So, next trip? Well the day after I returned to the Netherlands, I left for Copenhagen.