Ironically, unlike the lonely little mermaid statue, I found Copenhagen the happiest Nordic country I ever been. While I found Stockholm is the cooler one, Copenhagen somehow has that happy, laid back feels to it. It probably has things to do with the array of colorful houses or maybe the tons of parks everywhere or the just-next-door-right-in-the-center Tivoli theme-park. Probably all of them. 😊
Travel Light!
This is the part 2 of our Copenhagen Travel Journal, read the first part here if you haven’t! My third day in this city was actually started pretty late. I actually spent the night before at the Tivoli Gardens which I might have too much Glogg, maybe…
So, instead of waking up early and venture out, I stayed up a little longer in my Airbnb and shoot all the stuff that I bought with me. I wasn’t really going in a full “backpacker” mode, but I did only bring one backpack for my 8 days traveling solo. I’d say it was the art of traveling light. Anyone fancy seeing separate post for packing tips and tricks?
The (not so lonely) Little Mermaid
After I repacked all my belonging, the first place I was going is the iconic Little Mermaid. It is a 1,25-meter bronze status was based on the famous fairy tales in the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was located in Langelinie promenade.
It’s easy to use public transportation to reach the park. But somehow the bus that I suppose to take wasn’t coming and I have waited for quite some time. So at the end, I took the bus to Østerport station and walked from the to the statue. Yes, it was quite a bit of a walking involve but that’s the perks of exploring on your own, sometimes a bit of walking is always the easiest option… 🚶🏻
Unlike the sad background story of the little mermaid, if she is actually alive I didn’t think she will be anywhere near lonely because the statue is never alone, literally. You can almost always sure to see a flock of people (mostly tourists) waiting for a turn to get their picture taken with the statue. So be patient and wait for your turn.
There was actually a mixed review of this place online, some people said that it’s not worth your time and some said this is a must visit. But for me, the little mermaid was like the Petronas Tower of Kuala Lumpur or the Merlion in Singapore. So for me, of course, I was gonna spare my time to see this. It’s just the icon of the city!
Stroll around The Langelinie
The Langelinie is where our little mermaid dwells, it actually is a pier, promenade, and also a park. People, especially the ones with the bus tour, usually only stop here to take pictures with the statue and then took off. But the Langelinie area is a nice park to stroll around.
It was also very centralized, which means if I was about to walk around the park I will probably able to visit the Kastellet. You probably get the image better if you see the map at the bottom of this post, it was all the places I visited (and meant to visited). But in my case, I was going along the path and stopped until I reached St Alban’s Church.
…Continue with Churchillparken
Churchillparken is a public park which the St Alban’s Church located. So it was technically going from one park to another one but I am not complaining. Because just look at the view, it’s mesmerizing!
The park area is the land between Kastellet and the street Esplanaden. I found walking here was like walking in a fairy tales, with the groups of ducks in the water and oranges leaves falling from the tree.
Every time we travel somewhere, we always try to eat the local delicacies. But I was a bit lacking in that area during this trip. Since I was going alone, having to deal with a camera in one hand and handphone to navigate in another is already a hand full, literally. So, most of the time I was just eating anything I could find along my track. But I have made smørrebrød a place in special place in my schedule.
Smørrebrød at Aamanns
Smørrebrød is an open-sandwich in a nutshell. Originally come from the word butter (smør) and bread (brød) which nowadays has elaborated into a much broader range of options. When I searched where the best place to eat Smørrebrød, Aamanns came right away. It was actually a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant in Copenhagen!
Now they are originally a Deli & Take Away which as the name suggested, only for take away. But they, later on, opened the restaurant version that I went to. I didn’t actually expect much about the restaurant itself since it was a “sandwich” we are talking about. But it turned out to be a slightly fancy restaurant… 😅
The presentation clearly showed that this was not your typical Smørrebrød. It was almost too good to be eaten, it was stunning! I opted for 2 kinds, one with salmon and one with beef, going as per what they recommended. The tastes were really delicate and just melted in my mouth.
It was not cheap, to be honest. DKK 270 for 2 sandwiches (!) Well, it was a splurge. Because if I had to try the famous Danish specialty, then why not do it in style? 😎 *that’s what I was telling to myself after eating
The Round Tower “Rundetaarn”
Next place in my list was Rundetaarn. It was an astronomical observatory built in 1642. Now, it is open as an observation tower, located just a couples of minutes away from Nørreport station/bus stop. The tower is also a part of the Trinitatis Church but the entry is different. I was going inside the church at first and then having to go out and re-enter the building again for the Tower.
I think Rundetaarn is most known for the spiral ramp. So, instead of stairs, they have the spiral walk that you have to go to reach the top. That’s roughly 210 meters of walking to get up there! I have such a high expectations for this spiral walk, ever since I saw all those Instagram’s post with the amazing picture of rays of light going through the windows. But in reality, there was no sun at all and the inside was kind dark soo yeah…
In reality, there was no sun at all and the inside was kind dark soo yeah… But nonetheless, I can see the city from the observation deck which might be basic but the way up is definitely not. There is also an observatory but it wasn’t open for public.
The Library Hall was also accessible on the way up The Tower. It now serves as an exhibition space. There was also the Bell Loft, but since I was coming already pretty late and they were closing, I’m unable to explore more. It’s definitely a different experience than just going to an observation deck, but prepared for lots of walking!
Late Walk at The King’s Garden
It was already pretty late and all the museum has closed, so I decided to spend my time walking around. And what’s more appropriate than walking in a King’s Garden! It was actually the Rosenborg Castle’s Gardens, used to be private gardens of King Christian IV’s that now opened as a public area.
It’s an amazing park, just why we don’t have this kind of public park everywhere is still a mystery. Everyone just walking around, bringing dogs for a walk, jogging, chilling, and what did I do you ask? Taking pictures and also selfie, of course. Now, I didn’t do selfie very often, but when I do, I make sure to do it in the proper way. 😏
There are also an opening hours for the park, so nearing the closing time there were security guards reminding every visitors about this. But there weren’t many things to see when it’s pitch black anyway. So after I was done freezing my hands trying to get the perfect “self-portrait”, I was gladly continuing my night walk.
Night Time Walk
The rest of my night was spent walking around places that I wanted to visit but didn’t have the change to in a day time, so night time it is. When I meant walking, I literally meant walking by foot. Because why not, it was my last night in Copenhagen…
Frederik’s Church
Also known as The Marble Church, that’s famous for its copper green dome and rococo architecture.
Amalienborg
More like going around in the courtyard or in Danish, Amalienborg Slotsplads.
Nyhavn
Ah..the iconic rows of old houses. Night time might not be the best time to visit this place but I thought it was the best to be seen with the sun shining or in the Golden hours but since we didn’t have the gold at that time then why not try seeing it at night time.
The Black Diamond
Is the newer building as the extension to the Royal Danish Library and the only reason that I wanted to visit this place is because it looked cool. It still opens until late at night but I believe only on certain sections. But too bad I wasn’t here to read, tho I much wanted to do so.
Then, I was back to the Airbnb because I have an early morning flight the next day to Oslo! Which of course, coming up later in the blog so stay tuned for that.
I would say, I would much prefer staying another 2 or 3 days in the city because I loved Copenhagen! The city and the vibe, it’s just mesmerizing. If you can, spare longer time staying here so you’ll be able to taste a slice of Copenhagen living. Yes, yes, you should put this city on your next destination! Let me know if you have ever visit Copenhagen and if you do feel the same way as I do. 😊 Until next time, vi ses!
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