Copenhagen is apparently the happiest city in the world. It certainly feels that way today with the sun beating down and the sides of the canals littered with locals sunbathing and swimming. This city boasts a strong economy, and the residents benefit from shorter work days and free higher education all adding to the laid back feel-good factor.
We arrived at the main train station and decided to wander through the town, past the Tivoli Gardens and Town Hall, towards the Christiansborg Palace, historic residence of the Danish royal family and also the site of the Danish Parliament, Prime Ministers office and the Supreme Court! Unbelievable to have all these institutions under one roof, and what a roof! With limited time we decide to visit the royal reception rooms only. After paying for entry you have to don some nifty little shoe hats to protect the beautiful floors within, then you are free to roam. These fantastically huge and beautifully adorned rooms are used for royal functions like state dinners and diplomatic audiences. The Great Hall is particularly impressive at a staggering 40 metres long and 10 metres from floor to ceiling, and its walls are covered with 17 huge modern tapestries by the Danish artist Bjorn Norgaard depicting historical Danish scenes.
From here we wander towards the brightly coloured 17th century residences of Nyhavn harbour for a bite to eat near the water. The oldest residence on this beautiful waterfront dates back to 1681, and Hans Christian Andersen once lived here too in number 18. Although, in the name of commercial tourism, this is now commemorated as a HCA themed giftshop!
One of the most famous attractions in this beautiful city is the famous Little Mermaid sculpture by Edvard Erikson. The kids don’t fancy the half hour walk to see her, so we decide to use the brilliant river buses. These glass sided yellow boats ferry the locals up and down the banks of the canal and are a popular alternative to the usual boring buses. The river bus drops us off 5 minutes away from the Little Mermaid and we wander over to see what all the fuss is about. Perched on a rock just by the edge of the water, this statue was gifted to the city by Carl Jacobsen of Carlsberg fame and is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The statue is iconic as a symbol of Copenhagen and as such is definitely worth visiting for the obligatory selfies, but five minutes is enough and before long we make our way back to the river bus for a cruise down to the other end of its route for a stop in the Fisketorvet mall and a bit of Danish design retail therapy coupled with a coffee and cake break.
I have mentioned before that a great bit of advice when travelling anywhere with young children is to never miss an opportunity to go to the toilet. Our next stop was a good hour away on the river bus, but when asked if anyone wanted a “just in case” wee before leaving the mall, Bam decided she was fine. Predictably, ten minutes into the journey, old peanut bladder, as we’ve affectionately nicknamed her, realised she did actually need a wee! Amazingly Bam surpassed all our expectations on this occasion and managed to hold it the entire way, albeit with much dancing and worried faces all round!
We had heard that the best place to go for an interesting dining experience in Copenhagen was the sprawling outdoor food court Reffen based in the creative area of Refshaleoen. This place is absolutely amazing! The river bus drops you off at a piece of unassuming scrubland in the north of the city. You then blindly follow the crowds along the bank and over an industrial iron footbridge, descending towards the largest food court in Europe sprawling over an area of 6000 square metres right on Copenhagens waterfront. We literally ran down the other side of the bridge as Bam was fit to burst by this point. Luckily we found a toilet straight away, and with the pressure finally off we could explore.
It’s a real assault on the senses, with over 50 hand picked food vendors operating from repurposed shipping containers mixed with street artists and second hand clothing vendors. Knowing what to eat in a place like this is impossible, it all looks so good. To help my decision making I get myself a pint of “Passion Pool” sour beer from the awesome Baghaven. This brewery and tap house owned by the Mikkeller brewing company is home to a microbiology lab, and they create awesome spontaneously brewed sour beers using local terroir. I am a massive fan of sour beers, and this was truly up there as one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Passionfruit beer in hand, we start trawling the food stalls looking for the tastiest treats on offer. The kids and Kate all plump for freshly prepared Carbonara, while I go for a tasty trio of mixed tacos.
This former boatyard and warehouse district is also home to many independent and cool businesses including a theatre and art gallery. Predictably it has become a Mecca for the young and cool student population of Copenhagen. Right by the river bus drop off there are even floating student accommodation blocks made of old shipping containers. What a place to study, it really puts my home town of Bournemouth to shame!
After missing the final river bus back, I grab one more pint of “Hallo Ich Bin Berliner” raspberry Weisse sour beer from Baghaven, and we eventually fight our way onto a bus packed with Friday night revellers which drops us at the main station to catch our train home
We arrive back at the campsite tired and well fed, but content we have seen at least some of what this awesome city has to offer.