Thursday was a bit more successful in the sightseeing stakes and more of a classic “What to do in Copenhagen” type of day. First on the agenda was Assistens cemetery, on the way to which i came across my first rare sighting of the day. In amongst all the crazy cyclists was one particular very brave dude, cycling on his standard boring bike but in a YELLOW CRUSHED VELVET ONESIE! and there was me getting all gushing about how stylish Danish people are… I couldn’t believe my eyes, but then i didn’t realise that i was straying into hipsterville. It was only when i came across a grown woman skateboarding down the road in full work clothes that i realised i must be near my destination.
The cemetery doubles up as a big park that people stroll, cycle and chill out in. It’s rare but beautiful for a cemetery to be used in that way, it made it a calm, tranquil and surprisingly busy place for people to pass through and even hang out in. There were all ages of people running, strolling, resting and meeting there. It was nice to just sit for a bit after my walk over. It was here that i came across the second of my rare species sightings, a bit more conventional this time though. There were lots of cheeky little red squirrels running around hunting for nuts etc in the grass.
After seeking out Hans Christian Anderson’s final resting place in the cemetery, there was more nature spotting was up next as i walked through the city back down to the centre. There were some rather majestic swans cruising around the water with their feathers all flared up looking very pretty. Which is not something you see every day, so i stopped to watch. Then almost immediately a pair of them very gently started to flap their wings and rise up out of the water. They swooped round in front of me, built up some speed and made their way round on a loop of the lake. It was only a couple of minutes in total but it was almost as if they did it especially for me. I’m so glad i stopped.
I managed to catch the boat for a harbour tour in a bid to try and get my bearings a bit better than i had done the day before. I caught the Netto Badene which was a bargain at around £4 for an hour and a bit tour of the harbour and all the main areas of interest next to the water in Copenhagen. The boat tour was great and reminded me why i love them so much, the guy telling us what was what was amazing. He seemed to bank on no one really listening to him and was dropping all sorts of facts in. Including telling us that Hans Christian Anderson’s first career choice was a ballet dancer but he was too ugly for it so he decided to be an author. I’m not sure if it’s true, he sounded a bit cheeky and i was the only one that laughed!
The boat finished right next to Christianborg Slot which houses Danish parliament and the royal palace, so i hotfooted it over to the tower to take advantage of the free view up there. I expected it to be your typical 100-200 odd step clamber up, but no there was a swish lift that swooped me almost all the way to the top of the highest viewing point in Copenhagen. It was then only a 2 storey climb up to the viewing platform. It wasn’t a very clear day but it was just fantastic that the tower is smack bang in the middle of the palace and parliament with all the politicians etc coming and going about their daily business as tourists were mooching around. It’s so laid back and accessible, AND FREE! We like this, i am trying to be good and stick to a daily budget so it all helps.
Just underneath tower is the ruins of the original castle (it’s been rebuilt twice since it’s first incarnation due to fires) which was another £4 bargain for a good look around what’s still there. The story of what happened each time and why is told in great detail and in a really accessible way with videos etc. It’s a shame that some numpty students were walking around very loudly not taking any of it in and making stupid comments like “All of these European cities have burned down like 10 times, what’s with that?” I moved on quickly to try and get away from them. Then overheard “Who was this Absolan guy anyway?” Only the guy who founded the boundaries of modern Copenhagen, no biggie! It took all my strength not to frogmarch them over to the placards telling them what they were asking right in front of them! Really?! Why bother going into somewhere like that if you’re not even going to bother to really see what’s in front of you?!
Unsurprisingly the ignorant students were out of there in a flash no doubt to update their Facebook status’ with what they have just “seen” in Copenhagen. So i was left to look at the rest in peace. Historic education done for the day, i set out to wander in the general direction of La Glace bakery that i started looking for yesterday. Sadly (or not so sadly!) before i got to it i came across the most wonderful wine bar and thought it would be rude not to go in… Ved Stranden 10 is the cutest place, it feels super relaxed, you can share tables with other people to allow them to squeeze everyone in. But they sell incredibly high quality food and wine that would be totally at home in a more formal setting.
The waiting staff are super friendly and experts at what they do, my host sat down with me and asked what i fancied and came back with a recommendation based on that. Fizzy? why the hell not, i stuck to my budget today so why not celebrate with some champagne… Only me 🙂 It was accompanied by the most divine open sandwich with a sashimi style salmon marinated in lemon a light citrus flavour and fresh broccoli pesto. It was so fresh and of the area, it was a perfect tonic to a busy days walking.
I keep chuckling to myself whenever i sit down for something to eat, i inevitably get out my notepad/s and pen and start writing as soon as i start drinking and ferociously scribble away. I think they are all convinced that i am a restaurant critic or something. Do i want salt and pepper etc when i am already half way through my meal, it’s quite sweet. I finished up with a lovely chat with the waitress, it was another “oh my gosh i really want to do that!” really? well just do it then! I started to make my way back to Julie and Jens. Unsurprisingly i got way layed by the food market again and stopped off to buy the traditional Æblekage (apple cake) for my days cake testing. More to come on that in another post, that’s enough from me for today! I have sleeping to do on the train from Copenhagen to Stockholm, i’m about half way there right now.
Ciao a tutti! x x
