Copenhagen

We arrived in Copenhagen yesterday afternoon. The train station is just behind the famous Tivoli Gardens. The picture on the right is a picture of the entrance to the Tivoli Gardens. It is an old amusement park, one of the oldest, I heard.

We checked into our hostel, which is about half a mile from the train station. A hostel is like a dorm. You pay by the bed and you typically get 4, 6, or even 10 people in a room with bunk beds.

The room that we were in has 10 beds. It is co-ed. You share toilets and bathrooms. Many young travelers like to stay in hostels because it's cheap and provide a lot of amenities. For example, the hostel where we were in has wireless internet and even loan out laptops and iPads. They have a bar and restaurant that sells inexpensive food and drinks. A lot of the residents like to congregate in the lobby/restaurant.

If privacy is a problem for you, a hostel is definitely not the place. Many adults and families also stay in hostels because it's a no-frills way to travel. I paid about $42 for my bed. The prices vary depending on which country and city you are in. We plan to stay in hostels for almost the entire trip.

On the right is a picture of the mayor's office. It's a very impressive old building. In front of the building is the Town Square. On the left is the Palace Hotel, another impressive building. Unfortunately, McDonald's chose to build a restaurant to the left of the hotel.

To the left of McDonald's is the famous Stroget Street, a pedestrian mall with name-brand shops. It runs 2 or 3 miles through the center of the city. It is crowded with pedestrians and shoppers. On both sides of Stroget Street are other shops and restaurants. In fact, the whole neighborhood is filled with small boutique shops and restaurants. At the end of Stroget Street is Nyhavn or "new harbor." Nyhavn is a street filled with high-priced restaurants for tourists. One tour guide called this a tourist trap and looking at the prices on the menus, I'd certainly agree with that. It was said that the area was built by Swedish prisoners. I heard that the Swedes like to come here to drink because drinking is so expensive in Sweden. I heard that the Swedes and Danes don't like each other and they are constantly at odds with each other.

No visit to Copenhagen is complete without a visit to the Mermaid. The picture on the right shows the back of the mermaid taken from a canal cruise tour boat. While walking towards the Nyhavn area, we ran into the Copenhagen University Choir raising money by having the public ride on this tour boat. One of the choir members would explain different landmarks and the choir would sing a song related to that landmark. For example, if they passed a building where Hans Christian Andersen used to live, the'd sing a song that was his favorite or related to his story. It was an excellent cruise because seeing the city from the canal perspective is definitely different from land.

One striking thing you notice about Copenhagen is the architecture and the color of the buildings. On the right you see a few brightly painted buildings on the side of a canal. Another thing you will notice is that Copenhagen, like all Scandinavian cities, is an expensive city. The Danes are super nice and they all speak excellent English, with a Danish accent, of course. Everyone seems to be blond and blue-eyed.

On our second day, the weather did not cooperate. It was cloudy and it rained on and off. I saw a brochure at the hostel for a free walking tour of the city. We met at the Town Square and met a local guide wearing a red T-shirt. The guide works solely on tips. If you like what he or she did, you tip him or her whatever you think is fair.

Our guide was was born in Copenhagen and lived here all her life. She took us on an almost 3-hour walking tour and explained a lot of history and background behind a lot of the landmarks. It was an excellent tour except that a few times we were caught in the rain. At the end of the tour, most in the group gave her something, whether it was coins or some notes. Not a bad way to earn some extra money, especially if you are a student. I understand there are such tours in many European cities.

Note: if you want a larger view of the pictures above, you can click on it and it will show a larger view.