Doing It Up In Denmark

March of 2022 was my 37th birthday month. Since we moved to Germany in May 2021, we have not been able to travel much mainly due to Covid but also because at the end of 2021 I was super pregnant then with a newborn. We were so excited to get out and explore some more of Europe and we figured why not go celebrate my birthday in a place we have been dying to see...enter Copenhagen!

We took one of the ICE Trains to Copenhagen on Saturday morning. It was a 4.5 hour train ride. The way there was amazing, we had first class tickets and the kids were wonderful. Calvin loves all things trains, trucks and automobiles so he was psyched. Miraculously both kids napped on this journey which we were not expecting. To give you a little dose of how strict Germany is compared to other surrounding countries, we had to have masks on the entire train ride from Germany until we crossed the border into Denmark. Immediately upon crossing people took their masks off and were eating and drinking and talking. It was almost like a party. The train attendants even changed out and it seemed like the ones from Denmark were much more friendly and lively. We managed the long ride and immediately walked to our hotel which was strategically close to the train station.

We stayed at the Scandic Copenhagen. Our room was nice and big with a separate area which was essential to having our toddler sleep at all. There was a nice view of the city along with a large pond overlooking the Planetarium. Once we got settled in there we decided to get out and find a park for Calvin to burn some energy. We walked about 15 minutes to a huge park nearby and met up with one of B's colleagues who lives in Copenhagen. It was so nice to let Cal run around and play while we talked with a friend about our life abroad. We hung out for awhile at the park and then eventually said goodbye and made our way back to the hotel. Before kids, B and I would have gotten dolled up and headed out for drinks and dinner. These days by 5pm we are exhausted. Add in a day of travel and we were toast. We ended up getting sandwiches for dinner at this awesome spot called Smagsløget. We made our way to the hotel and got some drinks in the lobby while Kenna hung out in her stroller and Cal climbed on everything he could think of in the lobby. After that it was off to try to get everyone bathed and to bed...always interesting in a hotel room.

We managed a good night of sleep and were up early to try and hit up as many things as we possibly could. The weather was not cooperating as it was cold and windy but we made the best of it. We hopped on a bus and headed to Nyhavn. This was definitely one of the more touristy areas other than Tivoli Gardens (which was closed due to Covid still). It is a port area and definitely one of the coolest areas in the city. There are these incredible colorful buildings all along the water and amazing wooden ships in the harbor. We walked around a bit to look at the boats and then we ended up getting on a tour boat. This was awesome as we got to see the whole area via the waterway including the famous Little Mermaid statue. This was the highlight of our trip to Copenhagen. Once we got off the boat we did some more walking and shopping before heading back to our hotel. Navigating public transportation in a foreign Country with two children is not easy but I can honestly say we are getting really good at it. The buses here are amazing and so clean!

We let the kids nap and that gave B and I some time to recharge as well. Once they were up we went and walked around the lake and Planetarium. Calvin naturally found a playground so we had to stop. This ended up killing a few more hours. By the time we were done it was dinner time. We had reservations to go out but given the amount of walking and wrangling of children we had to do, we ended up cancelling these and ordering Pizza. We ate in the hotel room and actually had a blast with the kids. These are the little memories I cherish the most. Calvin and Kenna freshly bathed and sitting in the hotel window talking and playing at Sunset was heaven.

B surprised me with Donuts from a place called Bronuts for a Birthday treat and we ate some and talked for a bit before calling it a night. This ended our time in Copenhagen. The next morning we needed to take a train back to Hamburg. This ride wasn't as pleasant. The kids did not sleep at all and also the train was crowded. We still had first class tickets and reserved seats but there were people in the vestibules sitting on the stairs because there were not seats left in the main area. So any bathroom trip was very annoying. We made it home in one piece though and really enjoyed our trip to Denmark.

A few things to note about Copenhagen. This was a beautiful and very clean city. Everyone there speaks English and it was so nice to walk around a city and hear people speaking your native language for once. This never happens in Germany. We would definitely go back and there is a lot more to do that we didn't get around to. For starters it is a pretty easy train ride from Copenhagen to Odense where Hans Christian Anderson was born. There is a museum there for him as well I would have liked to visit. The other thing we would have loved to do would have been to visit a little "Hippie Town" called Christiania. It has existed since 1971 and there are no police and no laws. The houses are extremely colorful and the atmosphere is super free and laid back. Lots of weed is sold and smoked and the laws/rules of the society are completely governed by the 1,000 inhabitants. According to our friend who lives in Copenhagen it is a really laid back and safe place to check out. The people are friendly and the housing and landscaping are maintained very well. The last thing I would have wanted to check out was Tivoli Gardens but as I mentioned earlier, happened to be closed during our visit.

All in all this was a great first trip for us and another chance to use the amazing trains over here. Our next few trips are all by air so we enjoyed the ease of a fast train ride versus the chaos of the airport. Until our next adventure...

Tschuss!