We had an easy morning, to recover from the unintentionally hectic day before.
We intended to see the changing of the guard, but we didn't get out of the boat until 11am. This might still have been OK, but we just missed a water bus, and I suggested getting on the wrong road bus, so we were never going to make it.
The plan changed while in transit. I had heard about an interesting shopping street, Strøget, which we happened to be en route to, so got off at its end and walked the length. It was quite interesting, with fashion and markets and funky shops. We got lunch in noodle place called Wok On. Tasty.
We then walked to Amalienborg Palace (well after the changing of the guard had taken place) via the local Tesla shop. On the way we also saw the beautiful domed Fredrik's Kirke. The nearby palace was disappointingly unimpressive - it has four identical classical facades around a large square, but it's just not pretty. Didn't help that it was a grey day. We did get to see some guards, marching back and forth by their posts. They had nice uniforms.
From there, we cut through a section with nice hedges to the river, and walked north towards the Little Mermaid statue, stopping to use public conveniences in a park on the way.
The statue was a bit of an anti-climax, as perhaps was expected, especially given half of Copenhagen was there too. It was possible to walk out onto the rocks to get quite close, and the setting was rather nice, or at least would have been on a nice day.
Christian got an ice cream and a coffee at a nearby van, and we decided to have a wander though the large star-shaped fortification we'd been following along beside on the walk, which turned out to be the Kastellet, one of the best preserved star fortresses in northern Europe. It was begun in 1626, and saw action against the Swedish, the English, and the Germans.
We walked around the top of the fort for a little way and went inside across a bridge. After going through the interesting looking barracks buildings, and seeing a few military types, we went up onto the earth ramparts. The grounds were beautifully maintained and the trees were just gorgeous. It was a lovely stroll. We left the fortress via a different bridge.
It didn't take long to walk back into the city. Though by this time, we were both ready for a sit down, and so found a cafe for a drink, and I had a traestammer finally. It was really good - worth the wait.
While eating and drinking, we talked about hiring a car to get to Malmo the next day instead of getting a train. It sounded fun, and Christian found some cheap deals online. We decided to have a look at Tivoli Gardens, and then go to the airport to hire a car, which had the added benefit of giving us a method of transport to the airport on the last day.
We got a bus to Tivoli, which dropped us off nowhere near an entrance, and bought entry tickets that didn't include any rides. We had a lovely wander in there - it's tasteful and old-fashioned, with beautiful grounds, but also has thrill-seeking rides for the young 'uns. There's a huge stage for music, and people already had their places on the grass saved for that night's entertainment (though it looked like rain and I had no desire to join them).
There were a few rides that we probably would have enjoyed (a little boat one and a couple of others), but we didn't bother buying tickets. We did enter an amazing vintage life-size chocolate wheel and won some wine gums. There were a lot of nice old games of skill that were quite popular, and we watched quite a few of them. While in the gardens, we booked the hire car over the phone.
On the way out, Christian got some popcorn, and we sat in a double deck chair. Just because we could. It wasn't terribly comfortable. As the central train station was a short walk away, we got a train from there to the airport. At the airport, we had to walk for miles to get out the other side of the terminal, and then had to get a shuttle bus to the hire car office.
At the hire car office, we got the final bill, got a shock, and found out that the tolls to get over the Oresund bridge were absolutely ridiculous (as in, more than the cost of the car), and so decided to go through with the hire, but stay in Denmark instead. There's so much to see in Sweden that it's worth another trip.
We were sent out the back of the office into a huge multi-storey, given the number plate, but still couldn't find the car in an Enterprise spot. Christian went back to the office, and discovered it was out the far side of the multi-storey. We found the car eventually, which was a black Audi A3, and drove back to the boat. Navigating up the cycle path was interesting, but Christian managed it well.
We looked at dinner options, and decided to try the nearby sushi place, but failing that, a ready meal from the supermarket was our next choice. It was a short walk. The sushi place was small but looked amazing, so we got a table, and feasted royally. It had to be up there with the best sushi I've had. Yum.
On the walk back, we stopped at a supermarket to explore the tasty things and buy snacks, tomorrow night's dinner (pizza), and get eskimo ice creams for dessert.
Back at the boat again, we sat for a bit, relaxing. Then bed. It had been another big day.
We intended to see the changing of the guard, but we didn't get out of the boat until 11am. This might still have been OK, but we just missed a water bus, and I suggested getting on the wrong road bus, so we were never going to make it.
The plan changed while in transit. I had heard about an interesting shopping street, Strøget, which we happened to be en route to, so got off at its end and walked the length. It was quite interesting, with fashion and markets and funky shops. We got lunch in noodle place called Wok On. Tasty.
We then walked to Amalienborg Palace (well after the changing of the guard had taken place) via the local Tesla shop. On the way we also saw the beautiful domed Fredrik's Kirke. The nearby palace was disappointingly unimpressive - it has four identical classical facades around a large square, but it's just not pretty. Didn't help that it was a grey day. We did get to see some guards, marching back and forth by their posts. They had nice uniforms.
From there, we cut through a section with nice hedges to the river, and walked north towards the Little Mermaid statue, stopping to use public conveniences in a park on the way.
The statue was a bit of an anti-climax, as perhaps was expected, especially given half of Copenhagen was there too. It was possible to walk out onto the rocks to get quite close, and the setting was rather nice, or at least would have been on a nice day.
Christian got an ice cream and a coffee at a nearby van, and we decided to have a wander though the large star-shaped fortification we'd been following along beside on the walk, which turned out to be the Kastellet, one of the best preserved star fortresses in northern Europe. It was begun in 1626, and saw action against the Swedish, the English, and the Germans.
We walked around the top of the fort for a little way and went inside across a bridge. After going through the interesting looking barracks buildings, and seeing a few military types, we went up onto the earth ramparts. The grounds were beautifully maintained and the trees were just gorgeous. It was a lovely stroll. We left the fortress via a different bridge.
It didn't take long to walk back into the city. Though by this time, we were both ready for a sit down, and so found a cafe for a drink, and I had a traestammer finally. It was really good - worth the wait.
While eating and drinking, we talked about hiring a car to get to Malmo the next day instead of getting a train. It sounded fun, and Christian found some cheap deals online. We decided to have a look at Tivoli Gardens, and then go to the airport to hire a car, which had the added benefit of giving us a method of transport to the airport on the last day.
We got a bus to Tivoli, which dropped us off nowhere near an entrance, and bought entry tickets that didn't include any rides. We had a lovely wander in there - it's tasteful and old-fashioned, with beautiful grounds, but also has thrill-seeking rides for the young 'uns. There's a huge stage for music, and people already had their places on the grass saved for that night's entertainment (though it looked like rain and I had no desire to join them).
There were a few rides that we probably would have enjoyed (a little boat one and a couple of others), but we didn't bother buying tickets. We did enter an amazing vintage life-size chocolate wheel and won some wine gums. There were a lot of nice old games of skill that were quite popular, and we watched quite a few of them. While in the gardens, we booked the hire car over the phone.
On the way out, Christian got some popcorn, and we sat in a double deck chair. Just because we could. It wasn't terribly comfortable. As the central train station was a short walk away, we got a train from there to the airport. At the airport, we had to walk for miles to get out the other side of the terminal, and then had to get a shuttle bus to the hire car office.
At the hire car office, we got the final bill, got a shock, and found out that the tolls to get over the Oresund bridge were absolutely ridiculous (as in, more than the cost of the car), and so decided to go through with the hire, but stay in Denmark instead. There's so much to see in Sweden that it's worth another trip.
We were sent out the back of the office into a huge multi-storey, given the number plate, but still couldn't find the car in an Enterprise spot. Christian went back to the office, and discovered it was out the far side of the multi-storey. We found the car eventually, which was a black Audi A3, and drove back to the boat. Navigating up the cycle path was interesting, but Christian managed it well.
We looked at dinner options, and decided to try the nearby sushi place, but failing that, a ready meal from the supermarket was our next choice. It was a short walk. The sushi place was small but looked amazing, so we got a table, and feasted royally. It had to be up there with the best sushi I've had. Yum.
On the walk back, we stopped at a supermarket to explore the tasty things and buy snacks, tomorrow night's dinner (pizza), and get eskimo ice creams for dessert.
Back at the boat again, we sat for a bit, relaxing. Then bed. It had been another big day.
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