If I could live anywhere in Europe besides Spain, it would be Copenhagen. This was my second stop on my winter vacation and while I love each city and country I've been to and I know I say a lot of places are my favorite, Copenhagen might take the cake on that. The beautiful people, buildings, accents, Scandinavian style, sea side views, architecture, restaurant scene, color schemes, decor, hygge (am I using this word correctly?), the immaculate underground public transportation system(I was super impressed by this), the ability to bike everywhere, everything was perfect! I know for a lot of people Europe is a summer destination but I love traveling in Europe during the winter. It has a completely different feel to it. You get all bundled up to go out exploring for the day, and if you get too cold at any point, you have the perfect excuse to duck into a cute cafe or bar and have a coffee or cocktail. In Copenhagen, there is no shortage of cute cafes, shops, restaurants, or bars. One of the things I love most about being an expat and traveling is the way it brings people together. International travel has a way of bringing amazing people into your life that maybe wouldn't have made it into your life otherwise. The summer before I left for Spain I learned that a girl I went to college with who I never had a chance to get to know super well was also moving to Spain. We ended up connecting and decided to travel together. Since then, she has become a super close friend and someone I suspect will be a life long friend and travel partner. Cass and I hadn't seen each other since college ( we graduated 5 years ago). We had chatted about meeting up to travel and both had similar plans in mind for the winter break. We decided to meet up in Copenhagen for 4 days and then go to Berlin for 4 days for New Years. We had the absolute best time and travelled so well together! Cass had a family connection from Denmark and he was currently living in Copenhagen. He took us under his wing and him and his friends showed us all around the city. One of their friends actually used to be a tour guide, so we got an amazing vip tour of a bunch of historical buildings and landmarks :)
One of our first stops was The Little Mermaid statue by Edvard Eriksen.
Peaceful and tranquil moment with the mermaid, with minimal tourists at the time we went, calm waters, and bathing geese.
St. Alban's Church near The Little Mermaid. This is a lovely area to walk around along the water, also lined with small hills covered in vibrant green grass.
I loved this bridge.
Nyhavn is the quintessential area you think of when you think Copenhagen. Multi colored buildings along the canals that swarm with tourists and tour boats, with outdoor seating at most restaurants, and the magical feel you get just by being there - I totally understand why this is such a tourist attraction.
BRRR.. Copenhagen was the coldest place I went to in Europe.
We had to take a break from the cold and found a charming wine bar called Nebbiolo. It's half underground with dim lighting and great ambiance and they had a wide array of cheeses. We indulged in a few glasses of wine and a quick stop easily turned into hours of talking. Linked here:
Entrance to Lidkoeb bar https://lidkoeb.dk/
Loved the vibe here
Spiced hot wine
Walking around, lots of unique displays and buildings with quirky character.
coffee, fresh bread and cheese, yum
Danish pastries
So good
The Round Tower, originally built as an astronomical observatory. Has 360 views of the whole city.
Walking up in circles
View from the top!
Outside the Round Tower is the main downtown shopping area. Lots of people out and about shopping.
The Capital Region
Tivoli amusement park - basically the biggest Christmas market I could ever imagine with rides, restaurants, beer gardens, and a mini lake. This place was wild.
Inside Tivoli.
Another really cool experience was taking the water taxi! We took it to the Opera House, and then walked back into town.
Ramen! One of my favorite foods and something that I haven't been able to find in Jaén. We were over the moon about this restaurant. Ramen to Biiru
http://ramentobiiru.dk/norrebro/ SO yum.
Freetown Christiania, such an interesting part of Copenhagen. It started with squatters in an abandoned military area and now it is an entire community known for marijuana trading and graffiti art.
It is a safe place to visit, but don't take photos in the "market" area and make sure to be respectful.
Outside of Freetown and walking to get some coffee, Cass pictured above.
Cass found the cutest cafes and coffee shops for us. This one was called Coffee Collective, Jægersborggade location. We loved this street and the charm it held with the overflowing amount of bikes, independent shops and restaurants, and vintage stores.
Brunch at another cafe Cass found, Atelier September.
We walked through Frederiksberg gardens (highly recommend) and found an ice skating rink.
Cass and me, bundled up!
Other shopping places to note that aren't pictured - Ganni - super cute clothing store, a little pricey but they are unique statement pieces. I ended up ordering a coat from them I saw in the Copenhagen store and it's my favorite coat! Episode vintage is another stop worth taking if you are in the mood for digging through piles and racks of thrifted clothes. I found an old real shearing coat for 40 euros and a patterned midi dress, and Cass found some amazing floral vintage jeans.
Copenhagen, your energy is truly magnetic and I will surely be back, ta ta for now!
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