I foolishly stayed up too late on the night of May 8th…meaning I woke up on the 9th at 05:30…my flight to Paris CDG was to leave at 07:05! Eek!!! But I thought, no problem, I’ll get to the airport in time.
Luckily my bag was all packed and ready to go, but by the time I’d fixed my hair and gotten dressed, it was already 6:00. Then the damn Metro had to be delayed for about 3 minutes on the way to the airport (to the point where it shut down and all the lights were turned off) — it was 6:30 and the plane was most surely boarding…and there I was, sitting in the Metro and getting no where.
When the Metro re-booted and finally completed its slow-ass journey to the airport, I RAN as fast as I could to the check-in terminal. I was flying Air France, so my terminal was not in the main terminal where the metro drops you off. The lady at the check-in counter told me I was WAY too late, but she called to make sure. Yup, the people at the gate said the plane was already boarded and I was too late. It was 6:50. The plane would leave in less than 25 minutes!!!
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During the Easter Holidays, many Københavners were pretty much gone…gone on vacation, or gone home to visit their families. So the city was pretty much a ghost town on April 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th. By the way, Easter is called Påske. When I ventured out of my room on Thursday the 9th, I wasn’t expecting nearly all of the stores and libraries to be closed and for the streets to be practically empty. There was, however, an abundance of tourists. Camera-happy, map-wielding tourists. Guess they decided to take their Easter holiday in Copenhagen. Well, I had a camera. I blended right in with them! :-)
The weather was lovely all Easter weekend, so I spent a LOT of time outdoors, on foot, exploring Copenhagen. I also took advantage of my transportation pass and rode the 250S, 5A and 1A busses to the end of their lines. :-) As a result, I finally have a better idea of how the boroughs of this city connect. For example, by riding the 5A, I finally know that Nørreport Station is just around the corner from Rådhusplasden. I now know how to walk from Christianshavn Metro Station to Strøget. I figured out how to walk to the Little Mermaid. Little things like that! I’ve been here since August and I’m only now figuring it out. And by no means have I discovered ALL of the gems Copenhagen has to offer.
One of my favorite discoveries during the Easter break was Kastellet (the citadel), this really awesome park not far from Østerport Station. It’s actually a fortification, according to Wikipedia, overseen by Danish Kings Christian IV and Frederick III in the 1600s. This citadel formed part of Copenhagen’s defense against England in the 1807 Battle of Copenhagen. Refer to Wikipedia for more details. ;-) Walking around the entire pentagon-shaped area is a nice thing to do on a sunny afternoon, because the views are gorgeous. It’s also a nice place to take a jog.
Another place I visited during my Easter walks around Copenhagen was Langelinie (litterally “long line”), a ship port near the water. If you like boats, this is the place to go. There was also a discount clothing market and quite a few food stands. It’s a bit touristy but I had fun. Langelinie park is not too far from the ship yard and it is there that you can find den lille Havfrue (the Little Mermaid).
Finally, I walked down Islands Brygge, a waterfront street with lots of little bars and cafes. One end of Islands Brygge (the one closer to the island of Amager) looks a bit deserted, run down and rough, with graffiti on the buildings, junk lying about and huge piles of sand everywhere. The opposite end (closer to the city center) is nice, with good-looking apartments and a cute little dock. Back in March, my classmates held a bowling night at a bowling center in Islands Brygge and it was grand. I hadn’t been bowling (in the physical world) since high school gym class. :-)
A random woman offered to take a picture of me at Langelinie. She thought I was a tourist because as I left she said, “enjoy your holiday in Copenhagen!”
“Rougher” side of Islands Brygge
“Nicer” side of Islands Brygge
Double-decker busses used on the 250S route…I caught a ride in one and ended up at the bus yard in Islands Brygge at the end of its route
More photos: Kastellet, Langelinie, Islands Brygge
On the third day in London, I headed to the Wellington Arch, the meeting point for the Free Walking Tour of London. David had also said he would be there, as did a brother and sister pair from Munich whom we’d met on the previous day’s tour.
Since I arrived at Wellington Arch early, I walked around the area, looked at a memorial for fallen soldiers and waited for the group and the guide to show up. It was a nice little green park area. As I was making my way back around to the arch, a woman about my age came up to me and asked if I was there for the Free Tour. I said that I was, and was waiting for the group. We started chatting. Her name was Alissa, she lives in New York and she is a graphic/web designer! Just like me!! Now that is awesome.
This time the number of people who showed up for the tour was larger, so they split the group up into 3. David, Alissa, myself and the brother and sister from Munich all managed to get into the same group. Sights we saw on this tour? Buckingham Palace (unfortunately the changing of the guard had been canceled because of the London Fair), the houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St. James’ Park, Waterloo, Wellington Arch and many more I’m forgetting! The whole time, I just couldn’t believe I was actually there! I also thought of my mother who reads a lot of books that take place in England and wished she was there to see these things with me! One day we will both go together.
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