LAST DAYS IN ECO-NAVIA...
....so we're on the
11A bus waiting to turn left and head
to
Experimentarium City, a children's scientific centre, when
the driver clearly loses his bearings and turns
RIGHT! There
goes that plan, but Copenhagen isn't very big and so after a 30 minute ride
around the streets of the city we alight back in the middle of town and make
our way up past the Town Hall to
Stroget. It's the
collective name given to the 'pedestrian only' streets of the O
ld
Latin Quarter and the main area for fashion and designer stores etc
(luckily it's a public holiday!), as well as the world's best named bookstore!
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| Town Hall |
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| Groovy name for a bookshop! |
Our destination is Europe's oldest operating observatory,
the Rundetarn or Round Tower. It was built in 1637
and, like Seville's La Giralda, it has no stairs, instead
it has a helical corridor that makes 7.5 turns
as it snakes its way up to the top where from 35 metres above
the ground there are uninterrupted views of the city. Numerous odd
events have occurred within the tower - Czar Peter The Great
rode up it on horseback whilst his wife Catherine followed in a horse drawn
carriage, cars have driven up it, and there have been bicycle races up and down
it, from unicycles to penny farthings.
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| Round Tower - could you tell? |
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| The Oresund Bridge can be seen in the distance |
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| Unusual religious artefacts |
Denmark is, of course, renowned for
its astronomy links courtesy of the 16th century astronomer Tycho Brahe,
and we later walk past the planetarium named after him. His contribution to
astronomy was such that a crater on the moon bears his name, and he was also
famous for his contribution to medicine, indeed his herbal medicines were still
in use as late as the 1970s.
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| Tycho Brahe planetarium |
We have afternoon tea at
Café Norden; it's been recommended
to us and it doesn't disappoint. The coffee is good and the cakes are
scrumptious!
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| Strawberry cheesecake |
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| Dulcinea's low fat (not) selection |
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| carrot and lime cake - mmm mmm, and an excellent coffee |
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| Choc vanilla shakes |
We stroll along in light drizzle and come across
'Fish Kiss'.
In we go and before you know it, los ninos have been downstairs, had their feet
washed, and are now dangling them in tanks containing hundreds of tiny fish
sucking and nibbling the dead skin off their feet, giving a delightful tickling
sensation. The
Garra Rufa fish is also called
'Doctor Fish' and originates from
Turkey where this exfoliating treatment has been practised for
400 years. The proprietor asks if I want to have a go, but I advise him he
would need a new batch of fish if they got near my size tens! We wind up our
night at a local burger joint where the lass serving us says 'hello', thus
providing the best customer service we have had in Copenhagen.
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| Very brave fish is all I can say! |
Friday and we're catching the fast train (which takes 5 hours) back to Stockholm at
2:30pm, so we have time to catch the bus to the island of
Christanshavn.
Here we find
Lagkagehuset, the revered
Danish
bakery - I leave it to las chicas to fight their way in and procure
some treats.
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| Decisions, decisions... |
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| Whaddya expect - it's Easter after all! |
We stroll around the corner and past the extraordinary
baroque church
Vor Freiser's Kirke dating back to
1696. The
spire is amazing; it's
90 metres high and built of
oak,
there are
400 steps, the last
150 of which wind around
the outside. The
globe on top is 2.5 metres in diameter
and can
hold 12 men, whilst the
Christ statue is 3
metres tall. As the Great Wall is to the Chinese, climbing the tower
and touching the globe is a
Danish test of manhood, as
the whole spire shakes in the wind giving a 'sinking' feeling. Suffice to say
that Don L is
NOT a viking warrior!
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| Climb that? I don't think so! |
Next corner we come to
Christiania, a
self-proclaimed
autonomous commune, and there are warnings everywhere that
ban
photography, principally because of the ubiquitous use of
cannabis
by its
850 residents, which is still
illegal
in Denmark. Wandering through the area the unmistakable odour wafts around
everywhere. Don L finds it all a little contrived and cynical. It is, quite
simply, a slum that should be shut down, but it is the
fourth
largest tourist attraction in Copenhagen ( half a million visitors
annually), and abroad it is a well-known "brand" for the supposedly
progressive and liberated Danish lifestyle. Many Danish businesses and
organizations also use Christiania as a "show place" for foreign
friends and guests, the purpose being to show something Danish that cannot be
found anywhere else in the world. As I said, excuse my cynicism!!
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| The gateway to Cliché Central |
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| Humbug and hrmph... |
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| The gateway back to reality |
Time for a quick bite so we whip in to
Andersen's Bakery. We walked past here when we first arrived and Dulcinea saw
hot cross buns in the window and was determined to try them. We asked for 3 and drew blank stares from the staff, despite a full tray being on display, so pointed to them. This only gets better - can you
toast them please?
NO, that will make them dry (duh!)....sadly the service and coffee did not do the man's name justice.
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| Cold cross bun and revolting coffee |
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| Hans would be appalled at the luck of customer focus |
We're on the fast train travelling across the 8km long Oresund
Bridge and 4km tunnel, the longest rail and
road bridge in Europe, that links Denmark to Sweden. There are wind
farms that are erected in the sea. The train is extremely comfortable
and flashes through some beautiful scenery, and a lot of trees. We eventually arrive
in Stockholm once again and check into our new hotel, and the Scandic
Sergel Plaza restores faith in Sweden's hotel industry.
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| Happy train traveller... |
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| ...sorry, travellers |
A sleep in, sumptuous breakfast, and time for stroll around the nearby
stores -
H&M's flagship outlet and the
Bjorn Borg
undies shop - before we're airport bound again and heading back to Iberia. It's
been a short visit, a small taste of Scandinavia. Both Stockholm and Copenhagen
are very pretty places, but in a vastly different way to the grandeur of the
major cities further south. Here there is an unhurried feeling, and of
communities genuinely trying to address the planet's environmental issues;
eco-management
is noticeable everywhere (although it's hard to marry the concept with the
endless cigarette butts lying on the ground!). Due to the weather extremes,
tourism
is highly seasonal and we've just caught the start of it, so many
things weren't operating.
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| Shopping mall sculpture - "Anti-ViolenceAs stated before, " |
As previously stated, Sweden and Denmark are at the forefront of environmentalism. This really impressed us in Copenhagen - drinks are served in plastic cups and you are charged an extra 50 cents (sounds a bit like South Australia). But here's the cool bit - there are machines where you simply place the used cup in the hole and bingo, you get your 50 cents back - brilliant! The only downside is that it almost turned Buzzy and Aimee into rubbish scavengers as they sought out easy money!
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| Cup recycling machine with Scrooge McLeeden |
Travel Tip: check attraction websites beforehand
because they could well be closed. It's doubtful we'll be back, but we've
enjoyed it.
Travel Tip: Stockholm and Copenhagen are both very expensive, even by
European standards. Like the UK, Scandinavian countries are part of
the EU but retain their own currency, the krone (Swedish and Danish versions
are different currencies). They also accept credit cards everywhere and
for any amount as they endeavour to move to a cashless society - I fully
concur.
Travel Observation: Some Swedish obviously have a slight speech impediment as
they stutter a little.
Travel Tip: When in Copenhagen, be careful when saying the word
'finish' out
loud!!
And finally, here for posterity is the last foto of Don L's trusted Akubra Bogart. Sadly,
it is sitting on the luggage rack of the Arlanda Express where I accidently left it...vale my faithful companion!!
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| Adios mi sombrero fieles :( |
Hej Hej amigos........
