Tivoli - Copenhagen

Tivoli Gardens is the second oldest amusement park in the world! It opened in the mid-1800's... the oldest park is even in Copenhagen as well.

Jaime and many of her friends have season passes to Tivoli - it's the type of place that you can go to and enjoy a walk, shopping, food, and fireworks at night!

It was a lot of fun to visit Tivoli while the Christmas Market is going on. ...Talk about festive!!! I felt like I was in a piece of Disney World.

This is where Santa is for visits!

Having fun with Jaime, Lisa, and reflections...

Jaime... awaiting our delicious Danish dessert!!! Mmmmhmmmm...

Deliciousness with powdered sugar on top... and dipped in berry jam!

What a wooonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I absolutely adore Copenhagen and everything Scandinavian design.

Christiania - Copenhagen

During our day in the city on bicycles, we went to Christiania - a commune that is separate from the rest of Copenhagen... as it is also referred to as "Freetown Christiania"...and well-known for its use and sale of marijuana. It was interesting to go to this area and there is only one section that sells the drug... it felt touristy and weird to me... but I can appreciate this commune for many reasons and enjoyed seeing it. I really liked walking along a path to a lake, some houses, and even a school for the children that live here! A nice break from the lovely city.

The Wikipedia article about Freetown Christiania is interesting to read.

This would be the perrrrfect reading nook!

This poem reads:

All men dream but not equally -- those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was all vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes and make it possible.

On the side of the school (with a small playground and beachfront area!)

Gooooorgeous and the right time of day for a visit:

Jaime, enjoying the music   : )

day on bikes! - Copenhagen

Jaime didn't have to work on Saturday and she planned a number of great things for us to do and see. She has gotten to know the owner of a bike rental shop near her apartment and he let us borrow bikes for the day (so sweet!!). He liked Jaime a lot - she has a beautiful vintage bike and has gotten everything for it (and its up-keep) from this guy.

We bundled up... got the bikes set... and were off to explore Copenhagen!

After a yummy coffee and brioche stop at a cute cafe, we biked to the bakery shown below and met up with one of Jaime's friends... for a Danish cake (similar to a pop tart)... mmmhmmmm... shaping up to be a lovely morning!

With our pop tart cakes in hand, we left our bikes locked up on the sidewalk and walked across the street to Assistens Cemetery (Kirkegard). The history of this cemetery is interesting (read more by clicking the link above)... it originated in 1760 for people that maybe could not afford to be buried within the walled city... but then prominent people (like Hans Christian Anderson!) were buried here in the early 1800's. Today, the cemetery also acts like a park... being a lovely, peaceful green space within the city.

The tree-lined entrance to the cemetery:

THIS guy cracked me up. His head is so small compared the rest of him. ...Looks like he's getting plenty to eat in the cemetery...

We walked around the cemetery, from Hans Christian Anderson's grave, and walked around some more... until our toes were too cold and we decided to find someplace warm.

Ohhh my goodie goodness. Deliciousness in a bowl! We stopped in a cozy cafe for a warm lunch and I loved my meal... it was a very flavorful kale risotto with lemon and other goodness mixed in. I want more... now!

After the delicious and warm lunch stop, we biked to Christiania... but that will soon get a post of its own...

The sun is setting around 4:00pm or so in Copenhagen this time of year... so it's nice to catch a sunset and still know that its early. BUT... it also made me sleep and, paired with the cold, ready to just cozy up in Jaime's apartment with pajamas on and my book   : P

Day on bikes!

Festive in Copenhagen

It was a lot of fun to be in Copenhagen for Thanksgiving. The weather is getting cold (really cold!) but not reeeeaaallyyyyy cold yet... and the holiday season has started! Christmas markets are popping up... mulled wine is plentiful... lights are sparkling... and there is a festive feeling in throughout the city.

The 5-star Hotel d'Angleterre, which opened in the mid-1700's

is gorgeous around the winter holiday time!

another Christmas market:

Happy Wall - Copenhagen

I love the Happy Wall in Copenhagen! Interactive art pieces throughout city... are awesome.   : )

It IS often the little, random things that can add some happiness in a day!

There was a family with a young boy at the wall and they were working to flip over various pieces. After some time, the they all stepped back and the mom asked the boy (in French) what he had spelled... he yelled out, "Victor!" Haha... so cute - must be his name. They then took a picture of Victor standing in front of his name on the wall.

More pictures can be seen here: Guerrilla Innvoation

The Happy Wall is in a large, beautiful square...

AND then I turned the corner and found some lovely street art paintings, which I matched with one of my favorite photos from my time living in Vietnam (left, below):

Nyhavn - Copenhagen

While walking around the center of Copenhagen, Lisa and I wanted to find the canal area lined with colorful townhouses. The area is called Nyhavn ...but we definitely were not pronouncing it correctly and confused numerous people as we asked for directions.   : P

...But we found it! Lovely area. One side of the canal is lined with restaurants and bars... the other seemed more quiet with storefronts and what looks like homes.

Wooden ships docked in the canal (which is very close to the harbor):

Cold but loving this city!

Let's go to Copenhagen, Denmark!!

My first time using Skyscanner.net was quite a success! A friend told me that you can search on this site with your starting point (Milan), dates of travel (I was searching for the Thanksgiving break), and THEN... the best part... choose anywhere as your destination. WHOA. That is a cool feeling.

Both Copenhagen, Denmark and Budapest, Hungary came up as the cheapest flights from Milan for the long weekend. I would love to get to Budapest at some point... but this time around, I decided to go with Copenhagen because a friend lives there! She said that her friends even have a Thanksgiving get-together each year. Sounded great. ...and it was great.   : )


Heading to the Malpensa Airport (the main airport for Milan), I take the bus, tram, underground metro, and train... to then get to the plane! Sheesh. It works though : ) The train leaves every 30 minutes... not bad... but not great when I missed it by one minute (truly... one minute). I had thankfully planned enough time... and realized again how much I love living in Italy, as I sat with my Kindle and a cappuccino to wait for the next train. Perrrrrrfect. The trip was off to a great start!

Arriving in Copenhagen, I took public transportation (metro to bus) to head straight to the Thanksgiving get-together. Jaime, my friend from Camp Stella Maris, set me up with easy directions and I made it! It was funny when people at the party asked me when I arrived and I would answer with, "My bag is in the hallway right now!" Haha. The party was a great group of people... probably about half Danish / half foreigners. Lots of laughs to be had and we each shared what we are thankful for.

I'm definitely thankful for having this great weekend with two old friends! Jaime has lived in Copenhagen for a couple years now... and Lisa (another friend from Camp Stella Maris) is working on her Masters degree in northern Denmark... so she also came for the weekend!

Jaime, me, Lisa

After a yummy brunch the next morning, Jaime went to work... and Lisa and I walked around the center of the city for the day. What a great city. Expensive? YES. Cold? YES. ...Absolutely awesome? YES!!!

I've decided that I will probably fall in love with each of the Scandinavian countries. The travel list only gets longer!