Copenhagen (August)

This time I decided to visit another on my list, and the 3rd one now, country of Scandinavia. I haven't been to Denmark so far, so it was a great opportunity when decided with a friend, Carmen, to meet right there after a loooong time of not having seen each other. In Copenhagen my good and dear friend had been living for the past 4 years now,so I seized a chance to visit him as well. He was happy to host us two during our stay, so we happened to be v.lucky in this rather expensive (otherwise) capital city.

Raffa, whom I met some years ago in London, when we bot lived there, worked with me in a busy restaurant in Soho - central London. I personally do not associate any warm feelings or remembrances with that place, so it's not worth mentioning any further. ;) Luckily though I got to meet my Spanish friends there, that's the plus at least. Thence in Copenhagen he was very happy to show us around the city and spend time venturing out together. Lucky me/us! :)

We then visited top-spots like Christiania (the anarchist's enclave within the city) where people decided and have managed to live on different terms than the rest of Denmark. It wasn't possible to take pictures there but we shot just a few.

As we were using bikes only to move around the city we saw most of the old-town, went up on the Christiansborg Palace's tower to see the town's panorama

and went for a stroll though the cemetery-park where Christian Andersen (the children's books writer) is resting in peace (hopefully).

if all cemeteries were like this...

...I'd be pleased to die there :D

Further sightseeing:

 

 

old town

looked like Gdańsk to me ^_^

 

We cooked some delicious food, from which the most top-notch were Spanish tortilla (I eventually learned how to make it properly, yayks! <3 ) :

a dinner (Asian food) with Carmen for which came more people eventually, i.r. an Italian neighbor who brought freshly baked (by himself) foccacia bread - typical Italian bread with herbs, so delicious!

Just before going back to the UK, I managed to try a Smørrebrød - typical Danish fresh-baked & seasoned sandwich in one of the local cafes. Very yummy indeed!

One day, we also went for a longer ride, doing probably over 40kms to Dragor and all the way around that little islet/peninsula, just out of Copenhagen. Stunning, little village it was. It's also funny how closely a capital city can be to the preserve. Blocks of flats on its suburbs are rising up from the grasslands and untouched bushes almost. Quite unique landscape, which I'd find very alluring to live in, if I was to live in a city, at least.
Also the beaches are unlike any others when belonging to such a big, or at least, city of that range. They were definitely not overcrowded, not scruffy at all and, most importantly, v. clean - as for the sand, but also the water, which was almost crystalline! I was actually wondering whether that's still the same Baltic sea I am looking at ;)

BRON!
Copenhagen-Malmö

Dragor village

I enjoyed my stay quite a lot and finally met Carmen and Raffa after long time no see. Yet, I must admit, that after having moved to the countryside I get tired with city's hustle & bustle far quicker than ever. Oh well.

Either way, happy to have seen a dash of Denmark and ticking it off on my must-see list :)

- Happy traveling! :o) -