Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen was the last leg of our three-week trip and although we had a very short time in this city, it was a great introduction to Denmark (although David has been there before). After arriving in Copenhagen in the early afternoon, we quickly booked into our hotel at the airport and then took a 15 minute train ride into the city centre.   Denmark itself is a small country and fortunately Copenhagen is a compact city that is easy to explore on foot (or by bicycle, which seems to be the choice for many locals). 

Nyhavn

The first stop on our planned route was to an area called Nyhavn, home to Ida Davidsen.  Ida Davidsen is a small kaelder (cellar) restaurant that is renowned throughout Denmark for its Smorrebrod (classic Danish open sandwiches).  Fortunately David's sense of direction is excellent, so we found the restaurant easily.  However, to our disappointment, the restaurant was closed due to water damage.  What a pity, as we had been looking forward to sampling at least 2 of the 177 different sandwich toppings that are usually offered.  

Staying in Nyhavn, we made our way to the historic and beautiful Nyhavn canal, lined with colourful Dutch-style town houses and one of the city's most photographed sights.  The canal was originally built in the 17th century to link the harbour to the city centre and is today a popular tourist area with bars and restaurants lining the canal.  

Stroget

After our visit to Nyhavn, we took a short walk to Stroget, Copenhagen's main pedestrian shopping street, which is actually made up of a number of streets and squares.  This area is said to be the heart of the city and we found it to be lively with a nice atmosphere.  We had the opportunity to visit some of the lovely shops, which range from famous Danish brands like Skagen, Georg Jensen and Illums Bolighus, to more international brands like Gucci, Hermes and Louis Vuitton, to small independent shops selling clothing, knickknacks and ceramics.  This area is also home to many cosy cafes and restaurants, and bakeries selling an assortment of pastries.  Locals prize some of these establishments for their unique cosy atmosphere, an intangible feeling known in Danish as "hygge".   In fact we had read that Copenhagen restaurants, cafes and bars do their upmost to foster a "hyggelige" atmosphere, with open fires, lit candles and a good supply of alcohol.   It was here that we stopped for a smorrebrod (rye bread topped with smoked Salmon, onion and arugula), some delicious Kransekage (traditional Marzipan cake) and where we fortunately found a vegetarian restaurant for dinner.   After an enjoyable dinner, we made a stop at Magasin Du Nord, the oldest department store in Scandinavia, before taking the metro back to the hotel. We flew back to Singapore the next afternoon and although it was a very short visit to Copenhagen, it was enjoyable and definitely a place we would want to visit again.  Our visit to Copenhagen was a great way to end a wonderful trip!