Unexpected Lessons From Copenhagen

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First of all I'd like to say - welcome to my blog! I want to invite you on my adventures as I document my travels and discoveries.

I recently went on a spontaneous weekend trip to Copenhagen with one of my good friends. Now before I go further, Copenhagen is a beautiful city and I thoroughly enjoyed my trip. BUT... I was firmly reminded of some of the limitations of travelling. As I set off at 7:15am, I was buzzed to be venturing abroad for the first time in over a year, and as we flew over the English Channel I felt so at peace. I had a moment of realisation that for me, being above the clouds, being free, is the most important thing in life. All I want to do is see the world.

And then we arrived. Whilst everything I just said remained true for the entire trip, I did lose a little of that starry eyed wonder as I remembered that I am a human, who can't quite handle getting up at 3am after 24 hours trying to take in a whole city without feeling exceptionally rough. Not to mention doing it on a student budget, in a grubby apartment and in an expensive city.

So without further ado, here are a few of the key lessons I learned from my trip to Copenhagen:

24 lanes at this crossroad (32 if you include bike lanes!)
1) The city is HUGE. Whilst technically it is dramatically smaller than cities like London, it feels huge. The streets through the city center are often 4-6 lanes wide, doorways are built for giants, and many of the train stations are over 20 min walks away from each other. If you are planning on visiting, stay in the city center, and bring your walking boots (or invest in the 24 hour city passes, at 80dkk, or £9.30, you can travel by bus, train, or metro for 24 hours).

2) It is expensive. I found myself paying over £5 for a supermarket sandwich (which whilst delicious, was not worth the money), and wound up going a fair bit over budget in order to enjoy the trip.

3) Don't book an air bnb with no reviews! We made this mistake, and by the time we actually left, a few reviews had come out and they were mostly bad. If we'd known we would have never booked the place. When somewhere has a shower so grimy that you feel cleaner by not showering, you know there is a problem.

4) Don't do a one day trip, if it requires two days of travel. It is much too tiring and you spend your only day in the place walking like a zombie. Plus, if there is bad weather then your memories may be disappointingly cloudy.

However, lessons aside, it was a truly beautiful city. The harbour in Nyhaven was stunning,  wandering the streets of the city center felt so clean and polished, and the sweet treats were out of this world (seriously - go try a Swedish chocolate ball, or 'chockladbollar', as soon as you can. Believe me). And most importantly to me, I was out travelling again, seeing the world and learning as much as I can. The biggest lesson I will take from this trip, is when you are doing something you love, something that fuels your fire, even the bad points (such as losing your boarding pass in the airport) will still fill you with joy and passion.

But seriously, go visit Copenhagen, just make sure you have time and money.

Vicky
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

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