Denmark, Copenhagen - 27th February 2019

Wanderlust, free Wednesdays and cheap flights spell for midweek trips, and that’s how Xian Fong and I ended up on a day trip to Copenhagen on a hot and sunny Wednesday, without the need for any luggage whatsoever. Being a relatively small city, the only times we used the public transport were to and from Copenhagen Airport.

We started out the day waking up at 5am, making the familiar journey to Liverpool Street Station. With our flight scheduled at 8.45am, we took the 6.40am coach to Stansted Airport. One thing to note about RyanAir flights is that the gate closure time is actually when they start allowing passengers to board, so one can reach the airport 30 minutes before the gate closes and still have ample time to buy and consume breakfast. I spent the entire 2-hour flight talking to a Taiwanese sitting beside me. Being the first time having an extended conversation on a flight, it was really an eye-opener to find out how much one can learn about another country simply by striking up a conversation. Speaking in Chinese for the entire conversation, I could not help but end up slipping a bit of English in almost every other sentence. I sure have to work on my Mandarin once I get back to Singapore…

Upon landing in Copenhagen, we were greeted with quick immigration clearance and a direct train (via the metro) to Copenhagen city. The entire process from landing to reaching Copenhagen city only took an hour, and we saw ourselves in Copenhagen just in time for lunch.

Copenhagen

After grabbing some sugared almonds from a roadside stall, we headed to Gasoline Grill for lunch. A Petrol station turned into a fast food restaurant, the burgers they served were sumptuous, and their fries were much better than those you would get from any fast food chain.

Gasoline Grill

Upon finishing our meal, we walked a short distance to Nyhavn to witness the colourful Nyhavn neighbourhood (often depicted in travel brochures and stock photos of Copenhagen). Once one of the busiest ports in Copenhagen, the historic ships have been replaced by commercial boats, which now instead go to Denmark’s larger ocean ports. Nonetheless, the ships remained an essential part of the Nyhavn skyline.

Nyhavn

With temperatures reaching 15 Degrees Celsius (in winter) and the sun shining brightly, we decided to drop by for some Ice-Cream. With 1 scoop at 35 DKR and 3 scoops at 45, we decided to go 3 scoops each for a sumptuous feast and a taste of diabetes.

Ice cream!

Taking a stroll down Larsen’s Place, the clear blue skies and deep blue waters were a sight to behold. We arrived at the Little Mermaid Statue, which was commissioned in 1913 and is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Being an iconic sight at Copenhagen, it was not unusual for the place to be filled with tourists, but we did manage to get a few good shots of the little mermaid.

Little Mermaid and St Alban's Church

We headed to Amalienborg soon after visiting St Alban's Church (where I lost my scarf), and the architecture of the Amalienborg palace was nothing short of impressive. Amalienborg was probably where we spent the most time, as Xian Fong skyped his S.O. while I skyped my friends at Singapore.

Amalienborg

Following our tour of Amalienborg, we journeyed to Democratic Café at Copenhagen’s main library. Serving traditional Danish Crossaints, the café also served various kinds of pastries that were perfect for those looking to unwind from a day of work.

Danish Croissant

Intending to explore the Tivoli Gardens, we were disappointed when we found out that it was closed and due for reopening in April. Tired from an entire day of walking, we settled for lunch at the Tivoli Food Hall, where we had an extremely costly (but delicious) Japanese meal.

Tivoli Garden's Entrance

There was no better way to end off our trip than a trip to an Irish bar for a pint of Carlsberg, Denmark’s national beer.

Carlsberg

Till next time, Copenhagen!

Expenses:

Air Tickets: £30

Tickets to and from Stansted Airport: £10

Tickets to and from Copenhagen Airport: £8

Food: £40 (Can be much lower if you bring packed food)

Total: £88

Credits to Xian Fong for the amazing photos