Initial impressions of a place are what I like to jot down before time and familiarity makes the little alterations not seem so different as when first experienced. Copenhagen has been hot for three days with temperatures touching the 90s in the European heat wave gripping the continent this past week.
Friday evening was our first hot walk. On the streets of the city, on an insanely crowded summer evening at 10pm, we noticed so many blonde women in Copenhagen. And a large proportion of blonde women dressed in short black dresses. I dubbed Copenhagen in summer as the ‘blondes in black’ city.
The heat of day makes long night walks preferable. There were still hundreds of people out in the streets at 3:30am on early Saturday morning, July 4.
Prices! What Prices? Copenhagen is expensive
Fortunately our hotel rooms are free. A 2-for-1 Club Carlson Visa award stay meant our stay at Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen, a block from the central train station and across the street from Tivoli Gardens, cost 50,000 points.
Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen offered great views from 17th floor overlooking Tivoli Gardens, originally opened in 1843 as an amusement and theme park. We could see Sweden about 15 miles away through the clear air.
Our second hotel is Skt. Petri Hotel, Nordic Choice Hotels Ascend Collection for 20,000 points per night. The hotel is located near Sankt Petri Kirke – St. Peter’s Church, the oldest church in Copenhagen, built around 1200.
There are lots of buffet restaurants around town charging from 50 DKK to 99 DKK for lunch or dinner.
We have been using grocery stores to buy salad, fruit, salmon, cheese and bread daily. The cost tends to be about $30 to $40 per day for food, including beer.
1 US Dollar = 6.75 Danish kroner.
The above photo shows 180 DKK in market food from IRMA, a local chain of markets with a big store open 8am-12am every day at Tivoli Gardens.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad = 43 DKK
Smoked pepper salmon 125 g. = 28 DKK
Strawberries basket = 15 DKK
Bread loaf = 12 DKK
Chocolate and coconut cream dessert = 30 DKK
Orla Pilsner 0.5L bottle Danish beer = 22 DKK per bottle
The Danish dessert are Spangsberg Flodeboller kokos. We called the five pieces ‘chocolate coconut mountains’. They are chocolate on a cookie base filled with a whip cream type substance. Incredible when strawberries are used to dip out the creamy center.
Where is the alcohol Carlsberg?
A note on Danish beer. In the Irma market, I paid 70 DKK for a six-pack of Carlsberg cans and 85 DKK for a 10-pack of Carlsberg in a 7-Eleven store. On July 4, I drank more beer without getting a buzz than I ever have before. The Carlsberg was crap and I highly doubt the 4.6% ABV label.
We drank only bottled beer after that let-down.
The streets were filled with people walking around drinking alcohol on Friday night, less so on Saturday and Sunday. There does not seem to be any rule against it.
Nordic Amsterdam
Parts of Copenhagen remind me of Amsterdam with canal boats.
There are beautiful churches all around to visit.
Church of Our Savior – The Spire
Christiania is the alternative theme park to Tivoli Gardens for Copenhagen. Greece is not the only place where the EU does not hold reign.
Entrance to Christiania, Copenhagen.
We happen to be in Copenhagen during the Jazz Festival. Live music is playing all around outside downtown.
Music, water, lakes and art.
Copenhagen has been a blast.
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