Copenhagen Calling...Part 3

SUNDAY 8TH FEBRUARY

Our last day in the Danish capital and still so much to do, see and experience. It was a beautiful crisp morning with clear blue sky and a chilling wind. We put our best foot forward and marched into the centre viewing an interesting piece of Danish tableware along the way.

The centre was gloriously peaceful and calm even with the local fire brigade turning up to investigate a potential fire in a luxury clothes store. As much as the girls wanted to stay and ensure the firefighters were doing their job properly, we headed for the canal - a boat tour awaited. Under the low bridges we sailed, carefully listening to our guide's talk about the history of different areas of the city. She even encouraged the boat full of tourists to join in with a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' much to Mel's horror and embarrassment.

To warm ourselves up and get even more into the spirit of Denmark, a hot drink and Danish pastry was next on the list. The selection was superb but I eventually settled on one and it was like tasting a little piece of heaven.

With only a few hours to spare until our flight home, we decided to explore the Botanical Gardens. We wandered through the coniferous forest, rock gardens and frozen lakes to reach the Palmehus, a glass house similar in style to Kew Gardens and heated! A quick dash inside led to further botanical thrills as we climbed the Victorian spiral stairs and circulated around the dome on a precarious gantry. We all descended safely.

A short walk out of the Botanical Gardens led us to the Rosenborg Slot, a Dutch-Renassance palace surrounded by a moat and decorated with spires and towers, was built by Christian IV in 1606. I couldn't resist a photo opportunity when the guards weren't looking!

And then our time was over. Back to the hostel, gathered our things and off to the airport for our journey home.

Copenhagen Calling...Part 2

SATURDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2015

One by one, we found ourselves up and about after a broken sleep. It seemed that staying in the same room as 6 others with unfamiliar mattresses and a shaft of street light illuminating the dorm did nothing for a deep night's sleep! However, we were not wavered from having fun in the Danish capital. Heading out into the fresh morning sun after deciding over breakfast what to do and where to go, our first stop was the Marble Church.

Fortunately, we were in time to climb the 260 steep, twisting steps to the top of the bell tower and enjoyed 360 degree views of the city. The wind whirled around us and its chill penetrated to our core. Worth it for the views.

Next stop was the Amalienborg Slotsplads. The square is surrounded by four almost identical royal palaces, which are not as sumptuous as British royal palaces but are more functional and are still the official residence of the Danish Royal Family. I don't believe the sentry on guard was impressed with Sasha and me trying to take a selfie with him!

A short, cold walk along the canal let us to one of the most famous landmarks in all of Copenhagen, the little Mermaid. Created by Edvard Eriksen in 1913 and inspired by the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen story of the same name, she has been twice decapitated and is now on her third head!

Walking back to towards the centre and stopping off for a much needed hot drink at cafe 'Oscars', we found ourselves at the vibrant houses along one of the harbour areas. They were beautiful and reminded me of the houses of Tobermory in Mull...apart from a very peculiar looking figurehead above a shop which looked like Freddie Mercury with a very bad breast augmentation!

By now, we were all chilled to the bone again and a hot beverage was needed. After locating a warm cafe, we refueled before Jo, Mel and I found ourselves all excited about our impending Segway fun. As we approached the segways, a feeling of excitement tinged with trepidation flowed through my veins - I was more nervous about riding on the roads where potential dangers lurked in the form of bikes, people and cars but our guide soon put my fears to rest. After a quick practise, the thrill of riding at up to 20km an hour was before us and we were off zooming through the streets of Copenhagen. Many sites were seen and a brief history of the city was explained.

It was decided that the best think to do post-segway was to return to the hostel and have a few pre evening drinks. It was happy hour on our return and a litre of ale was only 50 krone - I had two! From here it was a quick change and a casual walk to find a suitable venue to eat. At this stage, the 2 litres of ale had affected my system and I was feeling rather inebriated so the best thing to do was carry on drinking. Thankfully, I made it through dinner before developing hick-ups, my tell-tale sign that I have had enough alcohol! Journeying home, the shenanigans continued which tired me out so I decided to rest my eyes for only a moment. Next thing, everyone is returning from the bar. "I'm just getting ready," I declared, half getting up from my bunk where only half my clothes. "Too late, you've missed it!" exclaimed the others. Back to sleep for me!