10 flights.
1 train ride.
50+ hours of travel.
4 time zones.
21 days.
1 trip of a lifetime!
I've just gotten back from a 3 week trip around the world...sort of. I flew around the world, but stopped in only a handful of countries.
Still cool.
The initial reason for the trip was to be back in Sydney for my graduation ceremony from Hillsong International Leadership College (HILC). Because I love adventure I decided to also go somewhere new, so I visited Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The posts will be split up: one for each country. I'll highlight my favourite things and include small bits of travel tips and info without sounding like a cheesy AAA brochure.
First stop, Denmark.
I LOVE COPENHAGEN!!!
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| Tivoli |
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| My sweet friend, HILC alum, and host, Nicole. |
I'm a fan of all things Christmas (lights, music, movies, parades, decorations, etc) and apparently so is Copenhagen. It was beautiful and so decorated! Tivoli, which is a carnival-like place themed according to season had just opened for Christmas and was spectacular. There were lots of little markets, rides, a water show and Christmas lights galore. One of the coolest things was one of the shops was making candy on site! Tivoli was pretty special but what made it even better was being able to share it with sweet friends. That's actually what made the entire trip in every location better, sharing it with friends. So even though I was traveling alone, I wasn't really alone.
Anyone who has known me for half an hour knows I'm a believer in all things Disney. So when I heard about "The Little Mermaid" statue I knew I had to find her. The Little Mermaid is a statue by Edvard Eriksen. He was inspired by H.C. Andersen's fairy tale (another famous Dane) and fashioned it after his wife. The Mermaid has been decapitated twice, vandalised by radical feminist, and quite a few other memorable events. You can read more about her interesting story by clicking on the headline. As one of CPH's most famous tourist attractions it is almost impossible to get a photo without dozens of other tourists...but I did it!!
Just another reason to wake up for the sunrise: no one will be in your photos :)
After I spent some time with the Little Mermaid I rode my bike back to Nyhavn, which is the popular strip of colourful buildings that are oh-so-picturesque. Around that time in the morning it was still pretty quiet and only a handful of people were outside. Nyhavn has such a lovely charm about it. No. 9 is the oldest house in the area dating back to 1681 and hasn't been altered since. Many of the houses of Nyhavn have been the homes of prominent artists including Hans Christian Andersen in No. 20. It's a sweet little area lined with boats and cafes best seen via canal boat tour!
Other Copenhagen activities included Guinness World Record museum (heaps of fun), German Christmas Markets, Hans Christian Andersen museum (great for those who love stories), Amalienborg Palace where the Danish royal family lives, and some fun window shopping Stroget, the largest pedestrian shopping street in Europe.
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| Amalienborg Palace |
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and I do love hot dogs! |
| World Record Museum- tallest man |
Overall Denmark was my favourite! The Danes have a word for the cozy feeling you get when there's lots of candles, warmth and friendship. The word is "hygge" and it's a very real feeling. Also, as a group, Danish men were the best looking out of the 3 countries ;)
As you'll read on pretty much every website, the Scandinavian area is pretty expensive, but it can be done well on a budget. I'd recommend the Copenhagen Card if you'll be there for more than a day. The card got me in to every museum I wanted to visit, included a boat tour and all public transportation. Well worth the krone!
Denmark was a dream.
Next stop, Norway!
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