Copenhagen, a surprise & delight
Monday, July 18th, 2022
As we departed from the Brussels airport we turned our thoughts to the next 24 hours. T through her wizardry of comparing flights, prices, schedules, etc had found that the most affordable method for us to be in Greece to meet up with our friends when they would still be there (more on that in the next blog post) would be for us to have a long layover in Copenhagen. As neither of us had ever been to Denmark, we decided it would be a great opportunity to explore one of its major cities. If either of us had any expectations, they were few.
Knowing time was short when we landed, we quickly found our accommodations at Steelhouse, an excellent hostel which also rented out private rooms with attached private bathrooms. If you are looking for an excellent spot to crash in Copenhagen, this is it. The building is right by a riverfront and is very close to some of the cities interesting architecture and attractions. Additionally, they have a generously large bar and snack area, a gym, and best of all bike rentals. It goes without saying that this last item, bike rentals, greatly expands how much of the city you’ll be able to see and experience in a short period of time and it helps that Copenhagen is the most bicycle friendly city in Europe, or perhaps the world.
We quickly dropped our packs and debated if we wanted to spend our evening game planning for tomorrow morning or just jumping right into wandering about the city. We chose to jump right in. On the walk to our hostel, T had spotted a particularly colorful building that she wanted to see more closely. So, we wandered over to it. Then we spotted another interesting building. Then we spotted an interesting square. Then we saw it. The entrance gate to Tivoli loomed just on the other side of the street. Our Uncle J had recommended if we had time we should stop and see Tivoli. The architecture, the plants, the amusing lighting all worked in concert to draw us in. Like a moth to the flame, before we knew or understood what happened we had entered the park.
For those unfamiliar with Tivoli, it is a amusement park combined with a botanical garden. The entrance on that night was lined overhead with magenta orchids that dangled down above your head and were mingled with the yellow lights of an old school travelling carnival. The sun was low, but still gave more than enough light and due to the clouds it began to appear like a mix of blue and pink cotton candy. The park was an eclectic combination of the fantastic and fanciful rides or stalls, tastefully grounded by both the humble and spectacular plants which blended together marvelously. Many cultural themes appeared throughout the park as well, buildings designed to bear likeness to the Orient or Arab countries were matched with Victorianesque or even Art Deco styles. We even discovered a old ship in a small lagoon that immediately drew up images of pirates, mermaids, and Neverland. While we did not spend nearly the amount of time at Tivoli we would have liked, the time spent was magic and the whole of it had come as such a surprise to us given that it was located in the middle of the city.
After reluctantly leaving the park, we returned to our hostel and picked out the few things we hoped to have time for the following day, before leaving for Greece.
Tuesday, July 19th, 2022
We woke around 7:30 am and quickly rented bikes. The excellent bike lanes, signs, and flat terrain allowed us to make excellent time. We first stopped at a small bakery T had wanted to grab breakfast from. From there we headed down the street to the old harbor lined with its iconic colorful houses. The area was interesting and while in some ways modest, made this observer feel comfortable. Next it was off to find the little mermaid statue. Along the way we passed through an old palace square guarded by soldiers bearing traditional uniforms. Biking along the river front we passed a series of sculptures and knew we were on the right track. Soon we found the throng of tourists and determined correctly we had found the little mermaid.
Surrounded by her admirers the little statue sits just off the shore. We were lucky that we were able to arrive between the departure of the original hoard we had spotted and the arrival of another group. We spent a few moments studying the details of the statue, snapped a few photos and left just as the new group began filing in.
It was now nearly 10 am and we needed to return to the hostel to pack our things and check out. We completed this with practiced hands and all too soon left steel house to catch our flight to Greece.
