Day 1 : Copenhagen

I arrived at Copenhagen Airport and was surprised that Immigration did not even asked if I was vaccinated or to show my vaccination cert. Even more surprising was that the moment I took the train from the airport into the city, no one was wearing mask both outdoors and indoors. Other than some signs to remind you not to enter if you show any minor symptoms of covid, and sanitisers placed in high density places, it's like Covid was never a thing here,  

After flying more than 13.5 hours to get far away from Singapore, alas the first thing I see when I got into the cental train station is this...

McDonald's Singapore Fried Chicken burger. What on earth is Singapore fried chicken? 😅

Anyway, as I arrived way too early, the room wasn't ready for me to check in, so I had to store my luggage. It's the 1st time I encounter having to pay to store luggage at the hostel I am staying at. The tricky situation was that the machine only accepts cash. Only just arrived in Copenhagen, I didn't have any local currency on me nor was I intending to get any as I read that everything can be paid with a card. The hostel staff subsequently told me that I could also store it at the central train station which is a little more expensive but at least they accepted cards, or get currency changed at the train station.

So off I went to the train station again, with luggage in tow, but unfortunately the money changers do not open so early on a Sunday morning. I made my way to the train luggage storage counter and in a blurry state I made an error with the conversion - what originally seemed decent in my mind, turned out to be 3 times the cost of what it would had been if I had stored it at the hostel with cash (DKK80 vs maximum of DKK30). Travel woes! But I was glad to be able to get started with exploring what Copenhagen had to offer.

After a drizzly and gloomy arrival, the weather nicely cleared out by 9.30am (by the time I stored my luggage), allowing me to cover much of Copenhagen has to offer in beautiful sunny weather. It was 9°C for most part of the day, but it didn't felt at all cold, except for later in the afternoon, when it started getting breezier.

In the 5 hours I had, I managed to cover probably about 70% of what I wanted to see in Copenhagen.

Tivoli - most popular amusement Park in the world. It's said Tivoli inspired the creation of Disney world. As a thrill seeker, I considered visiting, but after seeing the price, I gave up the thought. Besides having to pay for admission (which was easily S$80), rides are then individually charged. Way too expensive for a budget trip! 😅

City Hall Square

Stroget - longest pedestrian only street in Europe. Lots of beautiful low rise buildings located in this street with numerous shops, including the famous Danish brand Lego. One can easily roam around here and find pleasure in getting lost among the various side streets. 

Christmas markets were also just starting to be set up, though it's likely I won't already be in Copenhagen when it starts operating. 

Royal Danish Theatre - a beautiful building

Nyhavn - one of my favourite spot in Copenhagen, with the colourful buildings by the water.

Amalienborg - home of the Danish royal family. The guards are known as Den Kongelige Livgarde. Marching of the guards seemed less formal and rigid compared to other countries which has similar changing of guards.

Frederick's Church - one of the nicest Church in Copenhagen. Also known as the Marble Church for its rococo architecture. Lots of details in the building, including statues of prominent theologians and ecclesiastical figures encircles the grounds of the building. It has the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31m. The inspiration was probably St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Kastellet - is a citadel. It is one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe. It is constructed in the form of a pentagon with bastions at its corners. A number of buildings are located within the grounds of Kastellet, including the Citadel Church as well as a windmill. 

The area houses various military activities but it mainly serves as a public park and a historic site.

The Little Mermaid - iconic statue of Denmark. Commissioned to be built by Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen, after he was extremely moved after watching the ballet of the same name. It was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land.

Every morning and evening she swims to the surface from the bottom of the sea and, perched on her rock in the water, she stares longingly towards the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved prince.

St. Albans Church - also known as The English Church, dedicated to the growing English congregation back in the 1880s. The church with the Gefion Fountain in the foreground.

Meals are on the expensive side in Copenhagen, which can easily cost at least DKK150 (S$30) but I found a pizza takeaway (Tony's Pizza) that had raved reviews and was just less than 10 mins walk away. 

I came back with an amazingly good Italian pizza topped with pepperoni and mushrooms for DKK61 (about S$12).

After all that walking and an extremely long day, I was extremely exhausted that I fell dead asleep by 8.30pm!