copenhagen part 1 | canals, cameras, and all things cosy

When your pal texts ‘Heyy random question, do you want to go to Copenhagen this weekend?xx‘, you say YES.  Immediately.  Is there any other  answer?  And that was that, off to Copenhagen Ellie and I went.  So sorry that her fiance couldn’t make it and I had to step in – so very sorry!  Definitely a shame for him and definitely not a shame for me.  My last city break was far too long ago (April… basically eons ago) so I was ready to take any opportunity to explore pastures new.  We only visited the Danish capital for 2 nights but managed to squeeze quite a lot in – I wouldn’t usually split my travel diaries into two (especially for such a short trip). but I have sooooo many photos that I thought it necessary. This is what happens when I spend a weekend with my SLR surgically attached to my neck.  Let’s just say I haven’t taken ~travely~ photos in a while and got carried away.  The autumn light was just so gorgeous, even more so on day 2 (coming soon to a blog near you) that I couldn’t help myself!

Our weekend started early Saturday morning when we left rainy Manchester, spent an hour and 20 minutes unable to nip to the loo because the other guy on our row was catching flies the whole time, and made our way across Copenhagen to our hotel.  Luckily they had a room ready by 11am so bags were dumped, scarves were layered on, and in search of brunch we went.

(Sidenote: never believe Easyjet when they tell you your flight is delayed!  Good job we didn’t decide to snooze for another hour after receiving the notification because we’d have 100% missed our pretty punctual flight.  Defo better to err on the side of caution with that one)  

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Whilst wandering slowly for brunch we popped into any little craft/design/generally cool shops on the way, and obviously stopped to take photos approximately 27 times too.  I’ll sniff out a yarn store wherever I go, you see.  I brought plenty knitwear in my suitcase but could have happily gone home 3 jumpers heavier.  That Hygge trend that took over the internet in 2016 is very much evident in its country of birth, yarn stores, cosy coffee shops, blankets and all.  Early October turned out to be a perfect time to visit Denmark as the city was so beautifully autumnal, but still a pleasant temperature to be out in all day.  Our weekend was basically spent alternating between spending a couple of hours outdoors until we needed cosiness and warm beverages, then indoors until we felt too hot in our bundles of scarves and jumpers and needed cool fresh air.  Not a bad way to pass your days if you ask me.

Lunch at The Bridge Street Kitchen

Now I do love a good food market and heard they were the place to go in Copenhagen.  Paper Island came highly recommended and sounded up our street (pardon the pun) until we realised it closed last December so… that idea was quickly scrapped.  On to the Bridge Street Kitchen we went.  Whilst this is a less expensive option it definitely isn’t ‘cheap’ (especially for a rather small sausage… and who wants a small sausage) but it was bloody tasty, I’ll give them that.  And definitely a tasty sausage rather than just a hotdog – this gal doesn’t like hotdogs but was a fan of this one!

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Nyhavn

Because obviously.  Can’t not visit this idyllic canalside spot, can you?  Like I mentioned on Instagram, it’s kind of crazy how swarming with people this one area is compared to the quiet streets literally just behind it.  Everyone wants a piece of the colourful house action.  It’s actually quite comical – people are sitting on the floor, posing with bikes, getting out the selfie sticks, all for the ‘gram.  I think there might be a whole blog post on this topic to be honest.  Interesting to hear later that Nyhavn was once the undesirable drunken sailor’s area of town – oh how times have changed (although the drunken part probably not so much).

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A ‘too cool to follow the crowds’ tourist I am not, so obviously took my fair share of selfies and cliche ‘standing by the waterside’ shots.  Would be rude not to.

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coat: New Look | jumper: French Connection | leggings: River Island | boots: EGO

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Boat tour of Copenhagen

What with our very little planning and relatively little time, a tour of sorts seemed like a good idea to see as much of Copenhagen as possible.  Often I’d go for a walking tour but I’m glad we took the boat option in this case!  T’was a lovely way to whizz around the city quicker than on foot and give our legs a rest in the process.  Boat tours seemed to vary in price quite a bit but we found one departing from Nyhavn every 20 minutes, lasting an hour and costing around £6.50, which seemed not bad at all considering Copenhagen’s expensive reputation.  Granted the queue was pretty long and we had to wait for one boat to be filled and leave before hopping on the next one, but there are worse places to sit around and while away half an hour.  

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I can’t remember the tour operator or the tour guide’s name (good travel blogger, I know), but our guide gave lots of cool information about Copenhagen and its history with a few funny snippets thrown in for good measure.  Obviously the harbour/canals/various kinds of waterway make a pretty big part of Copenhagen, so it was nice to see the city from this perspective.  Gave us a few ideas of where we’d like to head back to on foot the next day too, like the Marble Church below and the Christianshavn area. 

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Spotting the Little Mermaid statue from afar

Which was as much as we needed to see it, to be honest.  When I asked for Copenhagen recommendations on Instagram a couple of people told me that this one wasn’t really worth the trek, and I’m glad we saw it briefly and were satisfied that we didn’t need to head back.  She might be the stuff of fairy tales (literally) but it was another spot swarming with people whilst the surrounding area was pretty empty.  You’d have to wait a while or jab a few elbows if you wanted to get up close for a photo, put it that way.  Glad I saw it in one way or another though!

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Our boat tour was followed by a quick and 100% necessary pastry and hot chocolate stop, of which I have no photographic evidence because my apple and almond muffin was devoured quicker than I could snap it.  Damn you, appetite.

Cocktails and carbs in the city centre

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I’d read that the drinks were where things got real pricey in Copenhagen so we half expected to have a dry weekend, but spotted that quite a few places offered Happy Hours so snapped up that offer.  Two cocktails for 100 DKK worked out at £5.85 each, which is nothing compared to what you’d often pay in Manchester.  The dry weekend was no more!  Of course carbs are the best companion to cocktails (try saying that quickly… after a few cocktails) and we shared a pizza and moules frites between us.  Gotta love travelling with pals with the same taste in food who are happy to go half and half.  Can confirm pizza dipped in buttery garlicky moules frites sauce is absolutely 10/10 (and making me hungry even thinking about it).  I loved how so many restuarants had outdoor seating even in October – with blankets and fires to keep us toasty there’s no way I’d have passed up the chance to sit outside with a cocktail in hand.  Can we take this habit up in England please?

More to come in part 2 – I loved our second day in Copenhagen even more!

Lily Kate x

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