It was like I was walking in my dreams as we came close to our Airbnb. I had walked multiple times picturing this in Google Maps. I couldn’t have booked a better place to stay in Copenhagen as it was all I wanted it to be… living next to locals, observing their lives, getting a feel of the city and enjoying it.
I had planned about this trip for over six months now and seeing it come to life was very rewarding. We were visiting three countries that were quite challenging and making sure we do justice to them and experience what makes them worth visiting. It drove me crazy as to what we should see and do and how to get about doing that. I was tweaking till the last minute. It was challenging to decide which places to see on our own and where can we fit on tours. Challenging to plan how to balance a more local experience than a tourist checkmark vacation. In the end, it worked out to be a fantastic vacation, and Of course, there were times I could have planned better or done something different.
Our first stop was Copenhagen or Kovenhagen…
I fell in love with this small three hundred years old house. It has a character from outside, as well as modern comforts inside. It was located in Christianshavn district and surrounded by children’s play park and other old buildings, trees which were right next to the canal. I could have stayed here and not gone out exploring and still be very happy. We actually enjoyed every evening having wine & cheese in the courtyard covered with lovely pink roses. It was just perfect. The owners are really nice and shared the pictures and history of the house as they lived right across. I could just write a blog about this lovely house … haha!
We reached late evening, so choose to stay and enjoy the area around our Airbnb. After enjoying a long walk along the canal, we picked groceries from a nearby store and headed back. Dinner was simple but delicious, it seemed a great start for our vacation.
Next morning we headed Lagkagehuset bakery just three minutes walk from our Airbnb. Yes, I had it planned even down to how much time it takes to get to any location, google maps helped me get the feel of the city beforehand.
Back to the bakery, it one of the famous ones in Copenhagen and has branches everywhere, even in cute Copenhagen airport. This being the main one. We had the pastries in the season which were made with rhubarb, and they were heavenly, and Of course, we had to try a Danish. We went there every morning for our coffee and pastries. Kids choose to eat at Airbnb, PB&J, and eggs. My picky son had got his peanut butter from home, and we purchase jelly and bread wherever we go.
Bike with Mike Tour
We had all decided to go on a bike tour in Copenhagen and Bike with Mike was a fantastic tour that took us not only to couple touristy spots but mostly local areas with information about how locals live in Copenhagen. We all really enjoyed this three and a half hour tour. It was an easy and convenient ride with the metro to get to the starting point. After the bike tour, we were all famished, and I had just in mind what the kids could have and where we would go for lunch. We definitely tried to budget our lunches and dinner, but sometimes it would backfire.
Aamann’s Take away Deli
Finally, after we got over the shock of paying $60 for two margaritas pizzas for kids and tap water at Gorm’s…. yes, the guy charged us $10 for tap water, we headed to Aamann’s. Gorm’s was not worth the money and I messed up with this food place.
Aamann’s, on the other hand, was totally worth everything! Their Smørrebrød, which are small opened face Danish sandwiches, were incredibly delicious. We felt better after enjoying our lunch here and on the other hand, found out that the person at Gorm’s pizza has cheated us by charging us for tap water, as no one does that in Denmark.
By now, we were all tired, and the kids wanted to go back and relax as it was a little hot that day. We rested for a couple hours at our Airbnb. I enjoyed my wine and cheese in the evening again in the lovely courtyard, and kids made some pasta as a snack for themselves, and then we headed to Tivoli Gardens. We had booked “Skip the Line” for Tivoli Gardens, which was a total waste. There was no line there, so make sure just get regular tickets. It’s a beautiful area and lots of tourists and locals hang out there. My kids were not amused much… was it because they have been to Disneyland and Universal Parks, I wondered… or maybe they just like different things now. At least, my son was amused, taking hundreds of pictures of a peacock that was walking around there. We waited for the lights to come out as it sure looks pretty with all the lights and then headed for our dinner, which was twenty minutes walk in the Meat Packing District. We always tend to walk a lot on our vacations. This way we get to explore many local places which we will never see otherwise, and we also save money on transportation.
Meat Packing District
Reservations at Kødbyens Fiskebar was referred by our Airbnb host, and I had read quite a bit about it too. The whole experience of Meat Packing District and the restaurant was worth going for as it was more of a local joint and we all love that. The kids ran around and enjoyed their food, and ours was delicious too. We got mussels, fish, and chips & local oysters. It’s not a very cheap place, but it’s worth splurging on! We walked all the way back, which took us around forty minutes, but the sun sets around eleven in June, and it was a lovely walk back. The first day sure had some hiccups, but all the other experiences made it nonexistent… though I still think about why we didn’t argue about the $10 charge for tap water…not good, not reasonable!
The raindrops on the skylight windows next morning was a welcome change as it was kind of hot. Before we headed out, the rain had stopped, and the weather was perfect for exploring. I had must go Mirabelle bakery in my list for breakfast, but the nearby Lagkagehuset was so good that we didn’t think twice to head out there again. The bakery is right opposite the canal and it quite lovely there to have coffee and pastries. This time we went for a long walk as the kids were still sleeping. It’s beautiful to go for morning walks when it’s quiet and less crowded to get the feel of the city. I have always enjoyed this time on my travels.
Nyhavn
We gave breakfast to kids once we got back and headed out to see the old Copenhagen or as they call it, Nyhavn. My daughter and I walked while my son and my husband rented bikes. We loved it as it was still early enough to have no crowds there. People were setting up the touristy restaurants for that day, boats were getting ready for tours. I was glad my kids agreed to come early… and sometimes jetlag is a bonus.
After, an hour or so of walking and exploring, we headed to the Our Savior Church near our Airbnb. The kids ran up the stairs to see the lovely view of the city. It’s worthing climbing it, and I regret not going up as was watching over the bikes.
My kids made a video of the whole thing for me to see, which I can treasure. We all headed back to our tiny house.
Culinary Delights at Geranium
Kids and we both were extremely excited about our next to do… they wanted to watch Netflix and eat burgers and me, headed for my splurge for this vacation… eating at Geranium, a three Michelin and number four best restaurant on 50 Best Restaurants list.
It was thirty minutes of train and bus ride before I reached the restaurant … I choose to save money on transport again by not calling a taxi. The sixteen-course meal didn’t disappoint, and sitting at the kitchen table made it an extraordinary experience!! It is quite an expensive meal, but it was delicious. I choose not to have a wine menu and go for a la carté juice, as I knew there were many courses, and I did have a slight migraine.
I don’t remember some courses to be extraordinary and could have skipped them… then again my palette might not be refined enough! The chefs were quite engaging, and I like to talk a lot, so that was another part I really enjoyed in this restaurant compared to other Michelin’s I have been too.
Geranium Tour and Chefs
The tour around the restaurant was quite enjoyable, and the wine vault looked terrific, which has won lots of awards. It took almost 3.5 hours before I headed back with a full belly and extraordinary culinary experience.
Although I was on the waitlist, I couldn’t get into Noma, and they were closed most of the days we were in town. I would have loved to eat there too.
In the meanwhile, the kids went to Bridge Street Kitchen to have burgers at Gasoline Grill, which was close enough from our Airbnb. It’s a street food joint which consists of different eating places. Another place to go hang out in the evening and somewhat reasonable place to eat.
We skipped on a canal boat ride tour in the evening and decided to go for a walk instead and choose to spend the last evening at our beautiful Airbnb. Kids made sandwiches, and my migraine was better, so a chilled glass of rosé for me and Danish beer for my hubby with danish cheese, bread & Danish butter, and other crudités were our dinners.
We all sat outside in the courtyard for a long time chatting and enjoying our last day in Copenhagen. It was an excellent start to the summer of 2019…
One Foot Out the Door 