Tag Archives: Copenhagen

Our Ocean Cruise

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Judy found out that to go back to Sweden we would  have to pay another $A60 toll on the Øresund Bridge, so we decided to go on an ocean cruise instead. We headed north out of Copenhagen (the GPS getting us lost several times), and headed for Helsingor in northern Zealand. It was saturday, and we got caught up in some road works on the way. We arrived at Helsingor put our credit card in a ticket machine and drove our car on the ship for an ocean cruise!

We wanted to swim in the pool, but there wasn’t one, and we were going to have a haircut, but there wasn’t time, we just had time to walk out on the back deck, and it was time to get down to the car and drive off. Total cruise time 20 minutes.

We had arrived in Helsingborg Sweden.

View of Helsingor from Cruise Ship (ferry)

View of Helsingor from Cruise Ship (ferry)

Greg enjoying the 1st class deck on the Cruise Ship.

Greg enjoying the 1st class deck on the Cruise Ship.

 

 

We then headed up north towards Gothenburg. We got supplies for crossing into Norway. All our reading says Sweden is much cheaper than Norway, so we stocked up to make sure. We continued north until we are about 200km south of Oslo, but still in Sweden. We found another nice campsite in the forest.

last-camp-sweden

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Out and about in Copenhagen

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After our bicycle adventure yesterday, we decided to spend today, our last full day here, walking and visiting some places we had cycled past yesterday. There were a couple of things on my ‘must eat in Denmark’ list too, including smorrbrod (Danish open sandwiches), ice cream and Danish pastries, which are called ‘Vienerbrod’ Viennese Bread here.

We had ridden past Christiania on our way to Noma yesterday. It’s a hippy commune located on an abandoned 41 hectare military camp, with lots of DIY houses, a small marketplace selling everything from rainbow clothes & jewellery to hashish and dope (no photos please!). The houses range from converted shipping containers to modern timber dwellings and lots of the army buildings have been repurposed as cafes and apartment blocks. I thought there would be more evidence of self-sufficiency, but apart from one wind generator and a lovely raised-bed vegie garden, it all seemed to be kinda suburban, with electricity meters and people bringing their shopping home from the local supermarket. The commune is spread across a couple of canals, with grassy areas for people to sit, and that was lovely, like a little haven in the middle of the busy city.

We found an ice cream shop and had scoop in a waffle cone for morning tea – chocolate for Greg, hazelnut for me … *waves* to our neighbour Hazel!

Next on our list was Nyhavn, a very touristy area along a canal lined with yachts in the water, and restaurants on the waterfront. Hans Christian Anderson lived in several places along this canal. We didn’t bother about going to see the Little Mermaid because we haven’t heard or read anything that has been positive. Everyone reckons she’s too small, overrated and not worth the effort. However we did wander along to Amalienborg Slot, the royal palace where one of Australia’s most famous exports, Princess Mary, lives with her family and other members of the Danish royal family.

By then we’d seen and done as much as we wanted to, so we found a sandwich shop and had lunch. Around $15 for 2 huge filled bread rolls and a small open sandwich with egg, tomato and pieces of some kind of fish.

Eating Waffle cone ice cream in copenhagen

Eating Waffle cone ice cream in Copenhagen

 

A bike lane in Copenhagen. A kerb separates the bike lane from the road.

A bike lane in Copenhagen. A kerb separates the bike lane from the road.

Judy outside a fellow Australians home in Copenhagen, hoping for an invite in from ... Princess Mary

Judy outside a fellow Australians home in Copenhagen, hoping for an invite in from … Princess Mary

the lounge in our apartment in Copenhagen

the lounge in our apartment in Copenhagen

 

Bicycles in Copenhagen

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Cargo-bike-canal

We got to Copenhagen yesterday in the early afternoon. We had booked another apartment with airbnb and met the owners daughter at the apartment in Valby, about 3 km from the centre of Copenhagen. After checking out the shops in the local areas we headed into central Copenhagen. The next day Thursday we walked into the city and hired a cargo bike, and Judy volunteered to be the cargo. It was a nice day (about 19C) and we rode all round the centre of Copenhagen, visiting the closed because of renovations Noma restaurant (number one Michelin restaurant). The number of people riding in Copenhagen has to be seen to be believed. There are more people riding on just a few streets of Copenhagen then there is in all of Adelaide.

There is no Lycra, no cleats, no road racing bikes, no helmets, and no drop down handlebars. Ordinary people wearing ordinary clothes and ordinary shoes riding around. It is one of the safest places to ride a bicycle in the world. Adelaide South Australia is not as safe to ride in, and we have compulsory helmet laws. Bikes have baskets, carriers and more, so things can be carried on the bikes like shopping, and cargo bikes abound for carrying children around.  There are great bike paths along side the road, mostly with a raised curb separating the bike path from the road.

 

Bikes in double level bike racks at a railway station near our apartment

Bikes in double level bike racks at a railway station near our apartment

The cargo bike outside our apartment. Notice the rows and rows of bikes that are parked outside every apartment building

The cargo bike outside our apartment. Notice the rows and rows of bikes that are parked outside every apartment building

 

 

Judy outside the closed for renovation noma restaurant

Judy outside the closed for renovation noma restaurant

Steak for lunch in Copenhagen, all the way from the Coorong in South Australia

Steak for lunch in Copenhagen, all the way from the Coorong in South Australia