Copenhagen, Denmark: The (second) happiest place in the world
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What's a better way to get my happiness levels up than to visit one of the happiest places in the world? Disney wouldn't have a chance in standing close to number one compared to Denmark, and that's not just because I was married here! Denmark is a remarkable place that's full of history and has a lively culture. We spent a total of four days in Denmark, one of which was my wedding day. Before my mom left, we drove to Sweden. It was only a 45 minute drive, but the toll total was 100 Euro. It's definitely not a cheap commute, but with a car full of people that are willing to pitch in, it's a completely do-able day trip!
On their website, it states that they have laundry services and other amenities, but those amenities are located near the hotel. I was lucky enough to have them rush the dry cleaning of my wedding dress! The hotel had a restaurant called “The Italian” attached to it, and breakfast with an additional fee, unless you upgraded your booking online for it to be included. I never had the chance to eat breakfast there, but my family did, and they enjoyed their selection. The staff were very pleasant people who helped us as we scurried around the hotel in preparation of our wedding day. They allowed us to keep our flower arrangements and cake in their cooler. They gave great recommendations of what sights to see and where to eat. They even posted a short story about us on their Facebook page!
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| We took some pretty magical photos in this greenhouse on our wedding day. Isn't it enchanting? |
We walked for the most part while we were in Copenhagen. We drove the car around on the last day because some of the attractions were a little further, and we were all very tired from walking. So before you think of renting a car, make sure you check if your hotel offers free parking. Our hotel had us park a couple of streets away in a parking garage that charged 280 DKK per day, or 40 DKK per hour. That's about $40 per day, or $6 per hour. I know that it doesn't seem that much, but when your fees for parking are almost double the cost of your rental, you start wondering why you ever decided to rent a car in the first place.
Long story short – Don’t rent a car if you don’t need one. Also, if you do decide to rent a car, make sure that you stay there long enough to see how much they are going to charge you, and get a final quote face to face. Don’t allow them to say “we’ll send you the invoice at a later time” because then they’ll be able to bill you whatever they find and you’ll be countries away before you can do anything about it. My husband blindly trusted the man at the return lot, only to find out later that they charged him more money than what was expected.
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| Probably the best sign to see when you're hungry! This is the beginning of Paper Islands. |
The Italian (4 out of 5) – Our family decided that they wanted to eat here when Michael and I went to go show our original documents, so we just ended up meeting up with them. We ordered a margherita pizza and Michael got spaghetti and meatballs. I must say, that even though we were in Denmark, their Italian food was delicious! I really enjoyed the bread they gave as an appetizer and the olive oil dip that went along with it. We never got the chance to eat breakfast here, but from what our God parents say, the breakfast buffet was great.
La Glace (4 out of 5) – I’ve already mentioned La Glace in my wedding blog, but we had the chance to come here before getting our cake for our big day. We ordered a chocolate cake, and tried their coffee and their hot chocolate. It was a bit pricey for what you were buying, but it did taste very good. Both times that we went to La Glace, we were lucky enough to not have to wait in line for very long. When Michael and I went, we had enough time to look at their menu, and then we were let in. When we went with my in-laws, we went at opening, so we were actually the first ones there. It was about an hour before anyone else started showing up, so there is no need to rush getting there.
Cofoco (5 out of 5 - okay I may be a little biased on this one) – This is where we ate for our wedding day! My husband did an excellent job planning out our reception dinner. We were placed in a private room lit by tea candles along the wall. He chose a four course meal with wine pairings, and I was thoroughly impressed. They make their dishes with fresh produce from Denmark, and have a great culinary twist of French and Southern European techniques. I loved every dish.
Shawarma Grillhouse since 1980 (3 out of 5) – Frederiksberggade 36, 1459 København K, Denmark – Michael and I were out the entire day before our wedding, and we were supposed to continue into the night by going out for some drinks, but we decided to call it quits. We went here to grab some shawarmas because the hotel actually recommended it to us. It apparently was the first shawarma place in Copenhagen, and it's location was very close to the hotel. The restaurant itself wasn't very big, and it was your typical "hole in the wall" type of eatery. The floors were very slippery from the grease, and the smell inside was very... indescribable really. It was a mixture of grease and spices, which isn't uncommon I guess. The meal itself was very small, and tasted very different from what we have in Germany. It was well seasoned, but it wasn't as satisfying as I thought it was going to be.
Lagkagehuset (5 out of 5) – Frederiksberggade 21, 1459 København K, Denmark – We went to this bakery three times I think! If I could have this bakery next to my house, my life would be set. Their coffee and their chai lattes were delicious. But the pastries and their sandwiches? My goodness, it was like heaven in my mouth. I’m actually getting hungry just thinking about it. I would definitely recommend going here if you just want coffee and a treat for breakfast. They even have yogurt and sandwiches, so it’s not just a bakery. The sit down area is pretty spacious, but I assume that they get really busy during rush hours because they have a ticket machine. We went before 9 AM, so there wasn’t a line.
The Hungry Duck (4 out of 5) – I couldn’t find the address to this place, but it’s right by the Livingroom. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, and the only thing this place served was fries and duck burgers. We had to try it! The duck meat was like pulled pork. It was shredded, with cheese, shredded mixed greens on a brioche bun. The sauces were hoisin sauce and sriracha. If there were more choices, then I would have rated it higher. Also, the fries could have been seasoned a bit more.
Paper Islands - A little warehouse with a LOT of food trucks! There were so many people there, and so much food that we didn't know what to eat. The only thing I bought were two giant mojitos because me and Haizel were reunited, and we can't have a reunion without our classic mojitos. If I could go back just to eat food, then I would do it here. BIG recommendation for street food! My in-laws definitely got their taste of the food there and they enjoyed it.
Bar7 – Studiestræde 7, 1455 København K, Denmark – The night after our wedding, we tried to get everyone to go out and have some drinks, but of course, when you’re traveling with your parents, it becomes very difficult. So Michael, Haizel and I ended up going out for a drink and calling it a night. We ended up finding this cute little bar on a quiet street. Inside was really nice! I was surprised at the quality of the bar because I just did not think Copenhagen had it in itself to have such hipster-esque bars. The drink menu had very unique drinks that tasted great. I’d recommend going here if you want to enjoy a few drinks in a lounge type setting!
The Livingroom – Larsbjørnsstræde 17, 1454 København K, Denmark – On our last night in Copenhagen, we went out for drinks (just us three amigos again), and we ended up here. It was a two story bar. The bottom floor held a giant room fit for a house party, and then another section where there were a bunch of couches. It was great until we realized that the people around us were making out, and that made it very awkward. But the drinks were good, the music was a chill throwback type of vibe. The bartender was really nice. We didn’t spend too much time there because we got there at 1 AM, and it closed at 2. So we just got a drink and called it a night, again.
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| Me and my love on the top of Rundetarn Observatory. Copenhagen is such a beautiful city worth seeing. |
I would go into great detail about the places we'd visited, but I'm not, because this blog is already so, so long! So here's a list of where we went instead!
The Little Mermaid - It wasn't as crowded as I thought it was going to be. We were able to get our photos with her in about 10 minutes. If you want to get up close to her, try and time it for low tide.
Rundetarn Observatory - You do have to pay, but I don't think it was that much. Getting to the top was definitely a challenge. The tower spirals up in a very narrow fashion, and it's actually quite steep. The view from the top is well worth the struggle! Don't miss seeing the center of the observatory, where you can stand on glass. The circle is point ZERO in Copenhagen! So you're right in the center! It's actually the oldest observatory in Europe. You can't go all the way to the top, but you can view the telescope.
Nyvhan - This area is the community you see on most Copenhagen postcards. It's very well known for the colorful houses along the river. It's pretty expensive to eat here, so we grabbed food at Paper Islands beforehand. It's also a very crowded area, so don't try to drive there. You might as well park and walk into it.
Christiana Gardens - I'm going to be completely honest and say I was actually quite terrified walking through Christiana Gardens. I read that it was a great place to go to look at art, and it was a "friendly neighborhood", but we ran into people who seemed very angry at the world and were yelling at pedestrians. I would not recommend walking here along, just from my experience. I hope that it's better than what my experience was.
Botanikal Garden - This is where most of our wedding photos were taken. It's beautiful. There are different greenhouses for different regions of plants. My favorite ones were the tropical and the nordic plants! I loved it. Make sure you dress in layers, because the tropical greenhouse is no joke! It will make you sweat!
Ofelia Plads - Where we found the hobo house! We made a little joke about that because there was a small art piece in the middle that looked VERY sketchy. As soon as we got it in though, it was mesmerizing. I felt like I was in the middle of the galaxy. So take a chance and go into the mini pop-up art exhibits.
Amalienborg Palace - Small palace where the Danish royalty still live. I'm not sure who lives in this palace, but we got there right before it closed. We were also able to see the changing of the guard. Which actually gave me and Michael a little laugh because we could totally do the changing of the guard with them.
Frederiks Kirke - It's entirely made of marble! It took a very long time to build. I learned that from a tour guide. Of course it took long to build, it's a pantheon made of marble... It's actually really neat inside. It's free to go in, but there are signs posted everywhere that you musn't talk inside.
Numerous churches in the area (there are a bunch!) - We ran into a lot of different churches along the way, and we kind of just dropped in and checked them out. I'm pretty sad I didn't get to go to the top of the church that has a really narrow spinal tower. Maybe next time, ;)
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| My SIL and I at the palace courtyard. We were waiting for Changing of the Guard! |
All photos shown are personally taken by us.
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