København - Final Day and Final Thoughts

The forecast for our last day in Copenhagen called for rain showers. It ended up being the sunniest day we got with the rain only making a quick, albeit heavy, appearance around noon. We had a light breakfast of smørrebrød, a Danish open-faced sandwich on rye bread with a variety of toppings. We chose one with fried fish and 2 with hard boiled eggs and shrimp.

Afterwards we walked to a nearby waterfront area called Kalvebod Bølge (wave). It's a pedestrian bridge going into the harbor with a modern design and a kayak slide. The dark skies began to roll in so we started walking towards our lunch spot.

The rain began as we neared our lunch destination. The restaurant was inside Det Kongelig Bibliotek (The Royal Library) which is an impressive glass building with a modern design. The restaurant, Søren K, served small plates focused on the flavor of the fresh Nordic cuisine. Our favorites were fried scallops bathed in lobster bisque and fried brill with an onion puree. It was an excellent way to end our time in Copenhagen.

The last quick adventure was getting to the airport. We arrived at our hotel to pick up the stored luggage just under 2 hours prior to departure. Although we were initially thinking about catching a taxi, the hotel clerk ensured us that we had plenty of time to catch the train. After a 10 min walk, we were at the train station in line to get a ticket. But for some reason, unlike everywhere else we'd been, the ticket machines did not accept US credit cards or Danish bills (only coins). So it was a 20 minute struggle to try different machines and cards, all whilst having other travelers breathing down our necks. We finally found out that our US debit card worked. The train ride, fortunately, only took 15 mins. After a short disagreement with the automated baggage machine regarding what constitutes overweight luggage (turns out heavy is just a note for handlers), we were back in the hectic terminal of Scandinavia's biggest airport.

While we enjoyed Copenhagen and think it's worth a stop, you don't need a lot of time to visit all the popular sights. The food was definitely the highlight and it was a refreshing change of pace from LA, with the majority of Danes biking rather than driving, and the city continuing to invest in bike-friendly infrastructure. Copenhagen was modern, accessible, and clean. Interestingly, though, we felt it was a bit chaotic in many of the public spaces (airport, squares, etc.), most likely due to the fair weather and the long daylight hours drawing big crowds. Outside the freetown Christiania, there wasn't much of an "edgy" feel to it in terms of cultural diversity. Though there is definitely something to be said for being the world's happiest country.Read more