I had another wonderful trip to Europe in December. This year felt like an especially ambitious itinerary that involved 7 planes, 3 trains (if you only count the train rides that lasted over 30 minutes), 3 boats, and 1 bus! I went to 5 new-to-me countries, and I began in Copenhagen, Denmark.
On December 10th, I left DFW on a flight to London. I paid extra for the front row of economy and was pleased with the leg room. Less pleased that the guy next to me tried to turn our overnight (sleeping!) flight into his man-cave for the Dallas Cowboys game.
I arrived at Heathrow at 6:20 a.m. on December 11th. I did a little shopping for tea (they assured me the Fortnum & Mason Christmas tea would be gone before I came back through on 12/21, so I grabbed a tin and hauled it around for the rest of the trip), grabbed a bacon sandwich at Pret A Manger and waited for my next flight.
I arrived in Copenhagen about 11:30 (there is an hour time difference) and took a train into the city. From the train station I took a taxi to my hotel (more on the hotel later). I was super lucky and was able to check into my room early, so I was able to take a quick shower, change clothes and attempt to look like I hadn't been traveling since the day before, and then head out to explore.
I was immediately charmed by Copenhagen!
I wandered through a couple of Christmas markets on my way to Nyhaven.
After Nyhaven, I walked to the Royal Copenhagen flagship store. It's really a store/museum.
Lots of history of the brand as well as displays of historical china.
Pretty displays which were fun to see because I love china.
At that point, it was around 3:00 and I HAD to have some food. My bacon sandwich from 7 a.m. had LONG left me. I had done some research before I left and mapped out several restaurant options. I was able to get into Aamans 1921 which is a Michelin recommended restaurant that specializes in smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches).
They recommend ordering 2-3. I selected 2.
Shrimp with egg
and butter fried breaded plaice with remoulade and salad.
I know it looks late, but it was only 4:00 in these photos!
I walked around a couple of markets and looked at the Christmas decor.
I walked over to the Hans Christian Andersen market, which was pretty, but mostly a bust (meaning they didn't have anything I wanted to eat or buy!).
I walked around a bit more and then went to Conditori La Glace, a famous location for sweets. There was a crazy line to get inside and eat, but I only had to wait a few minutes to go inside and place a to-go order.
I took my cake back to the room (along with some Danish cookies) and went to bed early.
The hotel I selected in Copenhagen wasn't the one I most wanted to stay in, but I couldn't pass up the price... Motel One Copenhagen. This is the 3rd time I have stayed at Motel One (I stayed at one in Basel & Köln also). They aren't fancy, but the price is typically great, the location is good, and they are clean and dependable.
I had one of the rooms with a "balcony" which was perfect because I could keep my drinks cold outside since the room didn't have a mini-fridge.
That's a wrap on Day One!
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