Copenhagen

Sixty quid and an hour or so on a plane is all it took to get us to Copenhagen. That and a touch of FOMO, courtesy of the vast number of our friends who’ve already visited this year. It was time to see what all the fuss was about!

We arrived late so although we saw little of the city that first night, we instantly fell in love with our home for the weekend; a typical scandi-style Art Deco apartment in the centre. The host had helpfully left us a detailed map with hints and tips for how to make the most of our stay and our eyes were quickly drawn to the food markets marked out. That solved the problem of where to find breakfast the next morning; the nearest one!

Following the river and our trusty map, we found Torvellhalerne with ease. I was surprised to find how health conscious many of the stalls were with paleo foods playing a big part in their selections. I jumped on the bandwagon, ordering a paleo wrap which more closely resembled a small omelette and then ruined my health streak with a pre-midday glass of wine and a cinnamon bun. At least the latter has the excuse of being traditionally Danish; how cultural of me!

Copenhagen itself is beautiful and just how I’d imagined it; colourful fronted houses, big open squares and retro bicycles dominating every pavement, park and path. It speaks a lot for the honesty of Danish people that the majority of bikes are left unlocked without the worry they’ll be stolen (or borrowed either for that matter, ahem Hana.)

We weaved in and out of the streets with no real plan or destination in mind but before long, realised we’d stumbled upon Christiania which we thought strange until we learnt how enormous it is! Copenhagen’s ‘Green Light District’ spans over 34 hectares; each one as wacky as the next. Observing the many signs which ban visitors from running (apparently it creates panic amongst the vendors) we ambled slowly throughout the town. In amongst the bizarre sculptures and adult playgrounds are dozens of stalls selling marijuana in its many forms. Though none of us ever touch weed normally, we were tempted by a mini hash cookie (again, just being cultural right?) to share. However, before money exchanged hands the balaclava-clad vendor piped up from behind the screen: ‘Yeh man, this one will really f*ck you up.’  He clearly mis-read his audience; we were out.

Back on the right side of the law, we then headed towards the Church of Saviours but it was closed to the public and we were only able to admire it from the outside. With more time on our hands than anticipated, there seemed only one sensible place left to go; another food market.

Papirøen is a huge warehouse which has been decked out from top to bottom with stalls boasting every cuisine in the world. It reminded me a lot of Brixton Village but condensed into a smaller space and with a beautiful outdoor space looking out over the canal. We all picked a dish from different regions to share and finished off with a cheesecake so good that B was hoovering up the crumbs from the table – dream.

Feeling significantly heavier, we weren’t sure we’d make it all the way back to our flat in the centre so decided to do as the Danes do and hop on some bikes! Copenhagen’s answer to Boris Bikes are so sophisticated, they make Boris look rather silly. With the aid of built-in GPS and electric power spurring us on, we were home in no time at all.

With only one night left in the city, we were keen to make sure we saw the best of it and found that almost every online review pointed us in the direction of the Meatpacking district. ‘Mother’ seemed to be the restaurant of choice so we joined the queue of young people wrapped in red blankets which had been lovingly handed out by the waiting staff.

Once inside, it didn’t disappoint! I ate my way into a food coma with a ginormous sourdough pizza followed by a completely unnecessary but totally delicious Nutella calzone (which I caught the waiter later taking a bite out of but could hardly blame him!) It seemed imperative we then dance off our indulgence so rolled out the door and into a club across the square.

On our final morning, we woke up to torrential rain but had fortunately already made a brunch booking at Alabama Social and the raving reviews were enough to tempt us out onto the streets of Norrebro. After eating our way through six courses of deliciousness, we were very happy with our decision.

Copenhagen is a foodie's heaven and there's loads of fun to be had for anyone with an appreciation for Scandinavian city life. Above all, the locals we met were so incredibly polite and welcoming that they made us want to come back and befriend each and every one of them. For only sixty quid a time, we may well do just that!