Taking in Copenhagen
The second leg of our trip takes me to my first new country since last year’s Poland, which we’ve visited since.
There’s a stark difference having arrived from Hamburg, where the regulations changed overnight to a particular type of mask required to go inside any building. In Copenhagen, none are required anywhere and it’s similar for the day trip to Sweden.
On meeting a friend who had recently moved from the UK, I learn, like in most parts of the world, the population does what is required of them and right now, masks are not required. I guess it depends on how strong the health service is to cope with outbreaks. The UK’s NHS was hugely understaffed before we lost vital workers to the EU and the pandemic’s arrival.
It’s great to meet up with a fellow Befordian in her new neighbourhood with the younger of her two sons. Unlike me, she has barely travelled outside her hometown and yet amazingly, has up-sticked her young family and arrived in a country I’d never been to! We sat outside in the winter sunshine as Caffe Deparmented is up some outdoors steps. It didn’t seem worth the hassle of dragging the sleeping toddler and his buggy up. I’m told leaving buggies and bike’s outside is common as clearly everyone feels safe.
Our first Danish coffee stop, Roast, also had some stairs going down. A common feature of new businesses opening up in places where the rent is cheap.
It’s easy to move about in Copenhagen, especially with the recently opened underground system and soon to arrive river taxi. After all, Copenhagen is situated on one of Denmark’s islands. It’s thrilling to pop on a train and arrive in Sweden, with a little passport check on a fantastic train.
I’ve been to Sweden before but having Malmo so close was irresistible. I love a train journey abroad where everything is cleaner, simpler and most often, cheaper than in the UK.
Of course we head straight for coffee and Swedish buns at the ever so quirky Lilla Kafferoisteret. For quirky, this time read as a rabbit warren of little rooms all decorated with a ramshackle of second-hand finds, or so it seems. Then it was the bus to the beach and a wave back to Copenhagen during a long walk just as the day opens up to be warmer and sunnier. We manage a comfortably long coffee at an Expresso House location with a stunning view of the beach. Thre is no rush.
Back in Copenhagen, there’s dinner at Mint, an Indian restaurant around the corner from our hotel - as so many are. However, we are starving and take no pictures. Regrettable because I recall they have interesting water vessels. This evening is rounded off fittingly by a couple of little beers in a Mikellar bar.
The meatpacking district is the only area I didn’t entirely take to; Multiple former warehouses taken over and converted into overpriced, uncomfortable restaurants. If I’m going to pay a lot of money for my food, the least I expect is a comfortable cushioned experience. Luckily Raw Pigs turn out to be unpretentious and there’s no waiting for a table. (this is early evening, mid-week). The slabs of hand-torn meat thrown onto trays is not for the faint-hearted closet vegetarian. I look away and made do with a paper pot of macaroni cheese (or mac and cheese as they Americanise it) and a beer to lessen the wooden chair experience.
An evening walk takes us past Irma, the supermarket my friend describes as the Danish Waitrose and we’d walked past a few branches, this quiet time seemed like a good opportunity to pop in.
I say all this but a couple of days later we were back in the Meatpckin during the daytime and enjoy a fantastic coffee at Prolog before heading off to see the Carlsberg gate, situated in seemingly a small village entirely taken over by one of the most famous Danish exports. I’d say lego and pastries are much more important to me. I should add bacon but I’ve never been into it.
From here, we explore more of this wonderful capital city and have to split up to go into two different coffee shops. Sadly, our most anticipated coffee shop Kaffevaerk does not have any facilities and I’m in dire need. Instead, they recommend the uber-friendly Freda & Vestas a couple of doors down so we both grab takeaways and sit outside watching the cyclists come and go. I took a few pictures of huge cycle parks.
The Tivoli Gardens food court comes in handy for a couple of lunches and I love seeing the largest Muji I’ve seen outside of Tokyo situated in the department store Illum. This is a lucky find on the first evening while looking for a coffee shop (with a loo). As it happens, there is a branch of Original Coffee on the top floor too with a view across the city. I’m smitten.
However, the highlight of Copenhagen is grabbing some post-Thai lunch (Wok) pastries and amazing coffees from Anderson Maillard and sitting on the beach wondering at the marvel of the city while the birds twitter in my ear.
I should say that I had been feeling under the weather a couple of days before this trip and hadn’t been eating. I’m just glad to make it to the airport and through the other side. My appetite is off and on throughout and I’m not feeling a coffee but there was one more place to visit before heading to the airport. I’m told Democratic supplied the best coffee of the whole trip.
March 2022
