Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen – 22 April 2011

The unusual occurrence of a fortnight of sunny weather, had resulted in the UK experiencing extremely high levels of air pollution, so it was great to be leaving for Copenhagen early this morning and as we flew out of Stansted, the brown haze extending as far as it was possible to see, was most unappealing. Thus it was a real pleasure to land in Copenhagen in beautiful sunshine, 1 hour 20 minutes later.

This was part two of our 'Baltic Cruise' and we hoped it would be less eventful than part one in Tallinn, where Christine slipped on ice and broke her arm on the first night. We were fairly sure that on this trip the only ice would be in our drinks.

Copenhagen has more than it's fair share of rain, so it was an real treat to enjoy the warm/hot sunshine, and all the sights were stunning. Spring comes later here, and daffodils are at their best, as were the many blossom trees in city parks. We spent our first day on a walking tour of the city centre, after checking into our centrally located hotel and finally, after 10 years and 42 countries setting foot in a country beginning with D.

As is common these days, much of the centre of the city is pedestrainised, and a pleasure to walk around. It's a pity London can't adopt this in more areas. The main shopping street, with about as many food outlets as other shops, leads to the famous sight of the Nyhavn Canal, lined with lovely old buildings, including the house lived in by Hans Christian Anderson. This canal is a wonderful spot to enjoy the crowds, but the food offered was less than appealing, so despite leaving home at 3:30am, we moved on, hoping for something better later.

After passing the palace with guards outside and the Marble Church, we finally came to a waterfront area, which is delightful, and has a brilliant cafe. We both enjoyed delicious salads, with wonderful light yet healthy local rye bread, and would definitely recommend the local cider with elderflower – delicious on a hot day, over ice.

The return route was through the gardens of the Rosenborg Slot – the royal palace built by Christian IV. This has a real Hans Christian Anderson fairy-tale air about it.