Bikes, Planes, and Trains: A Year in Belgium: København and Malmö

København

3 days after returning from Italy, Meaghan and I went on a short trip to Copenhagen (København), Denmark! At first I thought I was crazy for booking a trip so soon after the long Italy trip, but Copenhagen was worth it. It was a relaxing trip and we lucked out because last minute, we were able to stay with Meaghan's friend Julie who was studying there for the semester. It's always nice not to have to stay in a hostel.

I didn't know much about Denmark except that it always topped the "happiest places to live" lists and the people are supposed to be beautiful. Both of those things rang true. Most of the people were tall and blonde. It was a clean city, with a great metro system with metros that are driverless and automatic! I thought the London tube was easy to figure out but the Copenhagen metro takes the top prize. And like in Leuven, there are tons of bikes in Copenhagen. Except that the bikes in Copenhagen are so much prettier. A lot of them are clean and painted in bright, solid colors. Meanwhile, the bike I have in Leuven is rusting and falling apart.

I also learned that Copenhagen is a city of fairy tales, as Hans Christian Andersen is from Denmark. There was a large statue of Andersen and throughout the city, there were numerous fairy tale-esque statues. The statues were whimsical and beautiful. They also contrasted with some of the more modern architecture in the area, creating a perfect blend of the old and new world. Copenhagen is known for its design as well, which I could see in everything from the sleek airport to the thoughtful and personal signs hanging over every store. If I'm rich when I'm older, I want to shop in Copenhagen when furnishing my home. I wanted to go in every design and home goods store I saw.

We also went to the Tivoli Gardens, which was an amusement park in the middle of the city. It was beautiful, full of unique amusement rides and concert areas where you could sit outside and enjoy the rock festival happening that weekend. One of the buildings there was what Disney based the palace in Aladdin off of. Although it was chilly, we spent a relaxing afternoon sitting on a bench, listening to music, and watching the people pass by.

My advice for people traveling to Copenhagen would be to rent bikes. It would have been a lot faster and easier to get around with bikes. There are free bike centers where you can deposit 20 Danish Kroner (which is less than $5), take the bike around the city for free, and then you can get your deposit back when you return your bike. Another tip about Copenhagen is that although the money looks cool, it is a very expensive city to live. It can get confusing computing DKK currency to dollars, so compute simple monetary amounts and keep it on hand while you're traveling around the city. For example, $10 is about 55 DKK. Otherwise, you may end up spending a ton of money without realizing it.

A flash mob on the metro. Wish we could have been there.

The Hornblowers.

Copenhagen's so safe that people leave their children in the stroller outside while they're in the store.

The famous Little Mermaid statue, from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Andersen's story of the mermaid is much grimmer than the Disney version. The statue was commissioned by Carl Jacobson who produced the Carlsberg beer.

Gefion Fountain.

A strange trash statue.

Mini medieval Copenhagen.

The Elephant Gateway greets you on the way to the Carlsberg factory. Elephants used to be a prominent symbol for Carlsberg beers.

Elephants are my favorite animal.

Outside the Carlsberg Brewery.

An interesting fact about the Carlsberg brand was that it used to use swastikas as one of its symbols. Swastikas symbolized prosperity and good fortune, but they stopped using it after WWII when it become more widely associated with Nazi party.

Even the horses are blond and beautiful.

Having fun in the Carlsberg brewery.

Jensen's a popular name in Denmark. It also happens to be the first name of an actor I love, Jensen Ackles...

Jensen Ackles
Source

There were so many 7 Elevens! It's always strange seeing a familiar store from home abroad.

Tivoli Gardens

One of the cool rides in the Tivoli Gardens.

Setting up for a concert.

The beautiful that was used as a model for Disney's Aladdin.

Statue of Hans Christian Andersen.

Malmö

When we realized that Sweden was only a 30 minute train ride away, we decided to spend Saturday in a different country. We took a train over a stretch of water to Malmö, Sweden. After reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I've wanted to go to Sweden. And, my Grandma,, who is part Swedish as well, once had a cute Swedish hockey player stay at her house and I was on the lookout for him. I wasn't sure what to expect in Malmo, it was a last minute trip and I didn't know much about the town, but we had a good time. It was a pretty little town that was easily walkable. We found out that H&M was from Sweden, so we made a trip there. And better yet, we went to IKEA! We were able to eat Swedish meatballs in IKEA in Sweden. So much fun! We had a great day and then headed back home. We rested for a bit then headed to the airport around midnight to spend a few hours there before our flight at 6 am. The airport was clean and warm, always a plus when you have to spend the night there. Although it was a quick trip, it was relaxing and fun and Copenhagen is definitely a place I would return to.