Copenhagen – The Travel Bee

Best of Copenhagen – Denmark

February 16, 2023February 16, 2023TheTravelBee

Our four day ‘city break’ destination of Copenhagen turned out to be a brilliant pick. With the Travel Bee’s joined by Aunty and Uncle Travel Bee, it was difficult to find somewhere none of us had been (yes Aunty and Uncle do like to travel as much as us!). The kids were a little dubious but they needn’t have been, there was plenty to do for all ages.

Between day trips to Sweden, pastry cooking class and Bastard Cafe we used the metro and ferry to explore this intriguing city. We were all very impressed with how easy the Metro was to negotiate. The trains were cheap, frequent, not overly full and clean. The only snag was working out which exit to leave the stations from! This did lead to a fair bit of disorientation as we got to street level which turned out to be both a disadvantage and an advantage as we discovered places we were never intending to see!

One such place was Torvehallerne food market, a bustling, high end, gourmet type experience with both prepared food stalls as well as butchers, fish mongers, fruit and vegetables etc. It was here we discovered the Danish open sandwich and where we all agreed that these sandwiches were the best we had ever experienced! The photos tell the story…..

Apart from eating sandwiches, we also enjoyed taking in the varied architecture around the city with the pretty canal of Nyhavn and the view from The Round Tower amongst my favourites. Also impressive was Christiansborg Palace and the spiral spire of The Church of Our Savior.

Not overly impressive but a must see for any fan of Hans Christian Andersen is the Little Mermaid statue. I found the background just as interesting as the statue itself. The unusual sloped building seen in the photo below, CopenHill is a waste to energy plant that doubles as a sports centre including a ski field on top and climbing walls along its sides! The Danish are the masters of dual purposing and getting the most out of any construction.

There was only one place in this beautiful city that left us unimpressed, Christiania. Touted as the Amsterdam of Copenhagen, this is the ‘free town’ area an independent hippy type community. Here people live according to certain ideals including no violence, no stealing, no cars, no running, no photos and with a strong emphasis on sustainability and recycling. Marijuana although still illegal in Denmark, is a big part of the lifestyle in this area.

I had read much about Christiania, it’s vibrant cafe scene, it’s arty hangouts and it’s yoga and meditation vibes. We saw none of that. Perhaps it was the time of year, but the whole area seemed grey, run down and dirty. The only thing that matched the guide books was the distinctive smells of marijuana.

TTB

Bastard Cafe – Copenhagen Denmark

February 8, 2023February 16, 2023TheTravelBee

By far and away one of our favourite finds in Copenhagen was a spot we had long since researched, Bastard Cafe. Tucked away on an unsuspecting street, it is the kind of location you are unlikely to come across unless you are ‘in the know’. Fortunately the Lonely Planet guide had explained exactly what this place was and how to find it.

Although at our first attempt we were successful at locating it, we were unsuccessful in getting a table! We had totally underestimated it’s popularity on a wintery Sunday afternoon. Every table and nook was full of groups of friends, couples and families drinking and chatting excitedly and no one was leaving. It is hard to explain, but it just felt cool. We booked a table for the next afternoon.

Essentially, this place is a cafe dedicated to playing board games and hosts the biggest collection of games you have ever seen. They cover the walls, are shelved in the roof beams and stacked on tables. There are card games, board games, English games, Danish games, American games and so much more. There is even a whole section dedicated to Monopolies from all over the world.

There is also food, coffee and a bar. What more could one want on a rainy winter’s day? It is the coolest place to hang out and evidently a true Danish experience. Our booking was for three hours…… we stayed for six (as it would seem, most patrons do)!

Although predominantly inhabited by groups of friends in their 20-30s, our group ranging from 12-62 years had a blast discovering new games. We also enjoyed chatting to the ‘games gurus’ who were very impressive in their knowledge of games and spot on with recommendations for our group.

But, our favourite game was one I happened to walk past as it sat (unbeknown to me) on the repairs table (torn box). Wits and Wagers literally provided hours of all age fun guessing answers and betting on the likelihood ourselves or our fellow players were closest to the correct answer. We are still trying to locate a copy so we can add it to our collection at home.

An afternoon highly recommended, but be warned, it is definitely worth booking. Although you have to pay to reserve a table, you each get a free drink and access to all of the games on site. It is worth the small fee.

At the end of the day, we had full tummies, happy kids and merry adults (a few beers consumed). We were however left with one unanswered question…… Why is it called Bastard cafe?!

TTB

Terrible Pastries – Copenhagen Denmark

January 10, 2023February 16, 2023TheTravelBee

While in Copenhagen; Miss 12, Uncle Travel Bee and I enrolled ourselves on a Danish pastry cooking class on a rainy winter’s morning. Having read some reviews on Tripadvisor I selected Terrible Pastry School. One could easily be deterred by the name, but this would be a mistake! This school is anything but terrible. Named after its French owner and pastry chef Frédéric Terrible, the course was three and a half hours of pure joy, as were the pastries we produced!

Greeted with a strong cup of coffee, Frédéric split participants into pairs and introduced himself with a quick rundown on his career as a pastry chef and teacher. Given we were a group of three, this meant Uncle Travel Bee was paired with a fellow would-be pastry chef from Italy. One of my favourite things about participating in this kind of class is meeting other travellers and this was no exception. Allessio turned out to be an interesting and light-hearted fellow who worked for the UN.

In a clever play on time, we were given pre-made pastry (by Frédéric) and instructed on how to measure, cut, fold and roll four different pastries. Miss 12 was in her element and took control of our table while Allessio poked fun at us for being the ‘model’ students. While these were proving, we doubled back and learnt how to make the pastry. Frédéric was relaxed, entertaining and fun as he expertly guided us. It was obvious he was highly skilled and we were all in awe as he whipped up the vanilla custard for our filling while chatting away to us (if only it was that easy).

After making our pastry, it was time for our pastries to hit the oven and within minutes there was a rich, delicious smell filling the kitchen. We were instructed to make ourselves another coffee or tea and then wait for the buzzer. You could feel the excited anticipation as we awaited our final product. They did not disappoint. When the ovens opened and the trays hit the bench, every single participant looked so proud and amazed at what they had produced with their own hand.

These pastries were mouth-watering, delectable, flaky parcels of deliciousness. Even after being pre-warned by Frédéric that the vanilla custard would be hot and not to burn your mouth, both Miss 12 and I could not wait and sure enough, scolded ourselves. But, in Miss 12’s words………… Mum that burn was worth it. Best pastry EVER tasted if we do say so ourselves!

And then we took the rest home!!

You can imagine with limited time, it is difficult to make the most of two boxes of pastries. We ate as much as we could but in the end a box went to our favourite hotel receptionist and we treated a homeless man on the street (of which there are very few in Copenhagen).

TTB

Three countries in five hours – England to Denmark to Sweden

January 8, 2023February 16, 2023TheTravelBee

Here is where we begin the real exploration part of our trip and what better way to start, than with an exciting day crossing multiple borders. The Travel Bee family were joined for this leg by Mr Travel Bee’s sister and husband for four days of fun in Copenhagen.

It was an early start in England with a 6:45am flight from Heathrow but we knew this way we wouldn’t waste a single minute! Carrying only hand luggage, we disembarked our plane an hour and a half later and were greeted by the friendliest immigration officers ever and for the first time since Covid, we got an actual stamp in our passports (England is all electronic for Aussies)!!

With our travel companions having done quite a lot of research on the easiest ways to get around, we headed straight to the public transport ticket booths located inside terminal 3. Here we were able to purchase a ticket that covered the trains, buses, metro and ferries for the length of our trip. Another city with fantastic and easy to use transport. Next we grabbed a map and we were off.

We caught the train to our hotel, dropped our bags and then hunted out a second breakfast. Not knowing exactly where we were heading, we somehow ended up in the cafe of the Copenhagen Museum. A beautiful old building with plenty of character, good coffee and another friendly and helpful lady. By the time left, we had full tummies, were caffeinated up and could say thank you in Danish.

From here we wandered back to the train station and got on a train headed for Sweden! You see, we had a plan……. At 3:15pm the Malmo RedHawks were playing Örebro HK at Malmo Arena. We were going to watch our first Ice Hockey match!

Copenhagen and Malmo are connected by the Øresund bridge a 16km road and rail link which actually consists of a bridge, artificial island and tunnel. The bridge is on two levels with the road on top and the train line running underneath. It is very clever and quite an engineering feat.

I have previously had the pleasure of crossing this bridge some 20 years ago by car on the upper level, so it was a little different being on the lower level. Just as it was 20 years ago, the day was dull and grey making it difficult to appreciate quite how spectacular the bridge actually is.

Within a mere thirty minutes we had transited from central Copenhagen to Sweden and with the help of yet another friendly Danish lady we disembarked the train right in front of Malmo Arena.

As it turns out, we could not have picked a better day to go. Firstly, inside the arena was dry and relatively warm. Secondly, for some reason unknown to us, it was a free game! All we had to do, was join the queue (much shorter than the Tower of London but similar weather) and at 1:45pm the gates opened. As we passed through the gate, we were given a ticket with a seat number. Easy and free!

Thirdly, Malmo won in extra time!!! By this stage we were fully fledged Malmo supporters two even kitted out in Malmo hats. We were munching on popcorn, cheering and clapping along like we had supported them forever. It turns out Malmo were bottom on the SHL (Swedish Hockey League) ladder. This was a much needed and very exciting win.

The Travel Bee’s very much enjoyed their few hours in Sweden and were all quite bemused by the UFO building adjacent to the stadium. The Hyllie Water Tower stands tall and eerie in the grey mist. Housing 10 200 cubic metres of water this tower was designed in-keeping with the large number of UFO sightings in the area!!

A very interesting and exciting day.

TTB