Copenhagen

Nyhavn - the most photographed spot in Copenhagen

 

Copenhagen is a terrific city! I had a great time and want to go back! I flew from Turku to Copenhagen on Tuesday and returned on Thursday -- just in time to start packing for our trip home to the U.S. on Saturday.

At the Ice Bar in Copenhagen

 

It was easy to take the train from the airport to downtown, then it was a short walk to my hotel, First Hotel Twenty-Seven. Had a tiny room, but it was fine, nice view, fairly quiet. The coolest part was the Ice Bar next door. Every January, they create a new bar with ice brought in from the Arctic Circle. It's a complete room, and everything is made of ice -- the walls, a chandelier, decorations, the bar itself, even the glasses you drink out of. They made me put on this ridiculous parka-poncho and gloves, because the temperature inside the bar is -5 Centigrade (that's 23 Fahrenheit). I had one drink, took some photos, and that was plenty of time for me to stay in there. I was joking with the bartender that -5 C will be balmy compared to what the temperature can get to in Finland in the middle of winter!

Tivoli Gardens

One of my favorite things about Copenhagen was visiting Tivoli Gardens, the fantastic park built in the 1800s. Apparently, Tivoli was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create Disneyland. The park was beautifully decorated for Christmas (I went during the evening) and there was a very nice Christmas market going on. I had the best steak I've had in Europe in a restaurant in the park.

I must have walked at LEAST 50 miles during the day on Wednesday. I hit as many historical places and shopped as much as I could before I literally collapsed back in the hotel. There is a pedestrian-only shopping area called the Stroget, and I really enjoyed walking around there.

If you want to see all the pictures I took in Copenhagen, here's the link:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5675974391876791265

Can't wait to come home and see everyone!