January is such a bleak month and I am sure that some of you have already planned your first holiday/short break/glamping/festival/whatever for 2019. Last year in May I went to Copenhagen with my friend Nela and we had a really great time there. So in case you're going to Copenhagen (and Malmö) you might like this post. I feel a bit ashamed to say that I expected the place to be just 'alright' but in the end, I loved it much more than I expected.
I used to think that Copenhagen was a very expensive place to visit but this trip worked out pretty cheap. We didn't eat in a restaurant once and ate at markets instead, we didn't drink any alcohol and we only went to one museum which I don't even remember. The weather was just too good to be inside. My favourite thing about Copanhagen was probably the parks. They are so many around the city and they are all clean and beautiful. Everyone is chilling, birds are singing, people are sharing their picnic food...okay, the last one is a lie but it was super #hygge. I am just kidding! I am not about to start using hygge and tell you how to be more happy and how to have that perfect hygge life. I actually picked up one of those hygge books at the airport and all the advice was pretty much- go to a park with your family, go to beach and that will make you happy. Wow! Genius!
I believe the ones above and below are in Kings Garden.
While we were visiting Copenhagen we were actually staying in Malmö in Sweden those cities are connected by a bridge which you can cross by train. It was super expensive to stay in Copenhagen on the dates when we went so we stayed in Sweden. Later we found out it was because there was a hockey match but it actually worked out really well because we stayed in a really nice cheap hotel with amazing breakfast. Some days I had three plates of food. Oh yeah! Malmö is a slow-paced town with parks and rivers. It was pretty relaxing to walk around. I really liked the beach and pier and we also saw some traditional Swedish houses. I know there is a chocolate museum which sounds like something I would definitely like to visit but unfortunately, it was closed while we were there.
Anyway, across the river in Copenhagen my biggest highlight was possibly this cinnamon bun from Torvehallerne food hall, a place filled with the tastiest food. I swear I had a salad and I enjoyed it so that says a lot. It is a very modern place with food stands but also open-planned restaurants if you don't fancy a picnic lunch.
There was also sort of a flea market next to the food hall, there are markets scattered around the city pretty much everywhere so if you like browsing through old books, ceramics, black and white photographs of strangers you will have a good time.
In every big city that I visit I like to see their botanical gardens so this time I went to 'University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden' that happens to be about 15 minute walk from the food hall so you might as well see both of these places. I mean cinnamon buns and cacti? Travel goals.
The botanical garden is so beautiful, there is this round staircase that takes you up to a landing where you have a beautiful view of the palm trees and it feels like you're in an actual jungle because you are sweating a lot...Anyway, the entry is free so that's a bonus.
We also went to see Nyhavn because you know, we are tourists and it was busy, nice but you know just like in the photos, nothing unexpected. Personally, I think the cinnamon buns were more attractive. Unfortunately, we also went a loooong way to see The Little Mermaid statue. It is definitely not worth it, it is just this small statue, there are tons of tourists and it quite far from the centre. Save yourself some time, look it up on google, it is enough.
And of course, Freetown Christiania a community of about 1000 residents where you are not meant to take photos (I got told off after this one:) and where people trade different substances, drink and have a good time. There is more to it and you can find more information about how it all started here. Danish laws don't apply to this community and it is very different from the rest of the city. There are galleries, homemade houses, a skatepark, music venues, cheap eateries etc.
If I was going to go to Denmark again, I would definitely rent a bike, the city is flat so ideal for a lazy cyclist like me and the roads seem safe, it is not as crazy as in Amsterdam but I would say they like cycling there as much as people in Holland.
So that was just a few quick tips on what to do and maybe where not to go, (ehm ehm The Little Mermaid). The best thing to do in any city is always to get lost and just go to that nice street with that cool sign or see that park with that beautiful bush or maybe sit by that lake with swings. You know what I mean. Every time that you're not following some touristy route you are more likely to discover something amazing.
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