The last time I was in Copenhagen was 15 years ago. At that time it was a quick drive through on the way to Sweden for the World Triathlon race my husband was participating in. Guess what; another triathlon, Ironman Copenhagen this time.
My first impression was that it sure was quiet. Not the hustle-bustle I was expecting as this was supposed to be one of the busiest weekend of the Summer. Besides the Ironman, it was also Pride weekend and there were 3 cruise ships docked. When I arrive in a new city my first tour is Hop on Hop Off. This gives me the opportunity to get a quick orientation then plan the rest of my stay. We arrived on a day that they had a bonus that included a boat tour as well as 48 hrs for the price of 24. If you go, be prepared for every kind of weather in the space of one day. You can count on it raining sometime during the day even though there is a spectacular cloudless blue sky. We ended up being very surprised at the number of tourists that emerged when the sun shone. The tour buses were so packed that we stayed on board for the whole tour. The poor tourists that got off at the palace and the Little Mermaid stops had to either wait for hours or walked back into town. The big draw at the palace was that the Queen was in residence and her yacht was parked out front.
The Danes are very innovative and have a big entrepreneurial spirit. They have a huge power plant very close to the Opera that was not the most attractive sight. They turned this unsightly plant into something very unique, they intertwined a ski hill among the stacks. On the ARC site, they manage resource of waste by recycling material while generating electricity and heating for the city. The ski hill promotes an active lifestyle among a world class architectural design that is environmentally friendly. The world could take notes.
Another great thing about Copenhagen is that they have a fantastic cycle culture with bike lanes everywhere as well as many pedestrian only streets in the core of the city. We were told that there are 2 bikes for every person in the city. This is evident at the Metro stations where there appear to be thousands of bikes stacked just waiting for their owners to take them home.
Copenhagen is the breading ground for chefs trying to make it in the culinary world. Two of the top five restaurants in the world are in Copenhagen, Noma and Geranium. There are also many Michelin starred restaurants that dot the landscape. We were privileged to have dined at Relae (1 Michelin star), a small restaurant in a residential area. The cool thing about Relae is that the head chef is Canadian (Jonathan Tam from Edmonton). He has spent the last 12 years working his way through Danish establishments including Noma. Read more about this restaurant in my restaurant blog.
Take your pick!
What the Danes are known for is their Smorrebrod or the art of the open faced sandwich. In the main market there is a deli that specializes in these delights. Be patient as the lines are crazy long but the wait is worth it. This is their “Food”. They eat them for breakfast, take them for their lunches and even the children take them to school. If you ask a Dane what they want to eat and they say food, it means smorrebrod. The bread is a dark rye which alone is substantial, but add the fantastic toppings and you have a meal. We elbowed our way up to the production counter to watch them being made, so simple but mouthwatering and very generous.
There were so many things to do and see but trying to fit them all into 4 days was a challenge so a repeat trip may be in order. Oh I forgot, the reason we went was for the Ironman, Mark did better then he predicted completing it in 11:24:22.
