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Copenhagen birthday treat

On a generally very busy week I was looking forward to my long weekend in Copenhagen but due to lack of time and general tiredness I didn't plan anything in advance. With no preparation and having zero idea about the city and its attractions and not even looked into practicalities such as how to get to my hostel from the airport, I already felt lost in the very the moment of my arrival. Not the best feeling but the challenge of overcoming it excited me as always! I just hoped that English is widely spoken in Denmark and I find helpful people on my way. 

Luckily it was just as I hoped...English is spoken and helpfulness is everywhere so I quickly had a metro map, a very informative city map and enough helpful people out there and my trip started with an interesting first walk through the already dark but pretty and atmospheric streets. My feeling of being lost suddenly turned into I loved being a complete stranger and seeing everything for the first time! 

I was looking forward to the morning and seeing all in daylight! The information on the city map, some leaflets in the hostel and a quick browse on the net helped me to find all sort of things that interest me and, because I didn't have much money with me, cheap or even better, free! Finally I had my 2 and a half day plan for Copenhagen! 

I love guided walking city tours and luckily there is one of those in Copenhagen so I joined that. They are great because the guides are always very cool and prepared with tonnes of interesting stories about the history of the city / country, the people, traditions, they show us the coolest places and by the time it ends I no longer feel a complete stranger and know where to turn and where the landmarks are. I walked a lot...from morning to dark...and how lucky I was with the weather! Sunny and cold (very cold) winter days are my favourites!

I really liked listening to the stories about the Vikings; the two great fire that destroyed large proportion of Copenhagen twice - first in 1728 (according to the story it was started with a 7-year old boy) and the next one is 1795; how Denmark became such a huge and wealthy empire in the past, also hearing a bit more about its situation now (still very good!); how it is one of the most environmental friendly cities in the world; about Danish people and their view of life - hearing million times about the importance of hygge; the interesting life stories of the fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen and another 'national hero', the beer maker, Carlsberg Brewery founder J. C. Jacobsen. I loved learning about one of the most popular Danish monarchs, King Christian X (King of Denmark 1912-1947 and King of Iceland 1918-1944) who helped with the rescue operation of Danish Jews during the II World War also he was a prominent and avid character of the national independence and resistant movement against the Nazis. As for more contemporary times I also liked the interesting stories about the present Royal family members. The real 'fairytale story' of how Prince Frederik found Princess Mary still makes me smile. That is just crazy! I also liked that the very popular Queen Margrethe, amongst her other duties, also participated in translating and illustrated the Lord of The Rings. She is also a talented painter and designed costumes for the Royal Danish Ballet's plays.

Nyhavn - New harbour
It used to be red light district, now a restaurant/tourist area

Fake windows painted on the Royal Palace. Just funny.

After the city walk and story time I was off to find something very different.
Freetown Christiania. It was created by the hippies in 1971 and since then then community and their life style have always stirred controversy. Good read about it here. 

I loved finding my way in the city, following signs and walking on the beautiful streets until I reached a waterside that is the edge of Christiania. I love icy waters and the freezing temperature combined with sunshine so I was really in my elements and enjoyed experiencing these beautiful winter conditions!

Taking photos in certain parts of Christiania is not allowed so here's just a few.

Walking in this area, feeling the crisp and clear air was so calming and I didn't want to leave just yet but there was another place to visit in my plans for today. 
It was time to get from Christiania to NY Carlsberg Glyptotek. Another fab walk through the city until I found this beautiful art museum. They use natural light in some of the rooms and a strange spooky atmosphere lingered in the rooms full of white sculptures and famous paintings  as it went quite dark while I was there from late afternoon to early evening. I had a fabulous time here; didn't bother with taking photos so just a few. Oh just a tip...on Sundays entry is free here!

On my second full day in Copenhagen I wanted to experience more of the city because I had some really good feelings about it when I browsed the streets the day before. I had 2 places in mind that I wanted to see, both were free so that suited me well! While I was walking through the city to get to the Assistens Cemetery, then to the Botanical Garden, I realised how much the streets and the architecture remind me of my hometown, Budapest. I felt this time to time during the day when I looked at the buildings, sneaked into the small streets and even the hanging streetlights brought some memories of some part of Budapest.

Just to illustrate what I mean by the similarity here are some photos from Budapest I took ages ago when I visited:

My stroll in the Assistens Cemetery was lovely and having my favourite kind of weather all through my stay made me even happier! It wasn't difficult to find Andersen's grave here...while I was walking there and soaked in the clear, fresh air I decided to read his fairytales when I get back to the UK. As soon as the idea came it was something I was looking forward to actually! 

The Botanical Garden was beautiful and the greenhouse is very much like the one in Kew Garden, London! I spent long time in the company of the huge plants and in humidity. While outside the biggest icicles were formed in the 4-layer-jumpers needed kind of cold, inside the temperature was tropic. I was boiling in my 4 jumpers!! But I never minded...it was a fabulous place to hang out!

However i loved the humid greenhouse and the plants, the icicles entertained me even more...
I rarely have chance to see icicles in the UK so I realised I actually miss them a lot!
I miss real, icy and cold winters altogether!

The last day of my stay was my birthday so I celebrated with a beautiful breakfast in the loveliest and cosiest cafe I've ever seen, Kompa 9. My long walks in the city on the previous days gave me some good chances to find and check out many, cool, Nordic style shops and cafes. They are really fabulous and I decided that I will choose the cosiest place this morning to relax and enjoy my birthday coffee while watching the morning city. It was a beautiful morning!

The rest of the day, until my journey back to the UK was spent with a little more walks in the city, admiring the buildings and the frozen harbour, present shopping and general chilling (literally). I was happy and free. 

19 - 22 January 2013, Copenhagen