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.