The best antidote to the whirling lights and sounds of Amsterdam is a few days decompressing in Denmark. Copenhagen came out on top when I had to choose between it, Stockholm, and Oslo. And it was the right choice. I arrived with no particular plans, no major sights to see, and was open to whatever the city would unfold for me.
The biggest gift it gave me was a walk. I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to go on a walk; a real walk. So I spent the day researching trails and realising the walk I wanted to do would be a bit bigger than I first thought. Something about the Ølstykke to Farum walk appealed to me most.
And so I took a train the next morning to the West coast of Denmark, and set off.
I got so lost at one point, that I turned on ¨Location Sharing¨in case Sydney had to send out a search party to find me. What I learned about location sharing is that it’s a massive drain on battery life, so if you use it, you should plan to be located pretty soon, or sort yourself out some other way.
Back in urbane Copenhagen, I stumbled across classic Danish design innovation: a staircase on the outside of a church tower.
So I climbed it.
I also stopped myself from entering these premises . . .
The better choice I made was visiting a museum about an hour North of Copenhagen called “The Louisiana”.
Perched on a hillside overlooking the Øresund Sound with an extensive maze galleries underground,
above ground,
and an outdoor sculpture garden that reminded of ¨Sculptures by the Sea” in Australia.
Despite popular thought. The name has nothing to do with the US state. The original owner of the site circa the 1850s named the estate after all three of his wives . . . who were each named “Louise” . . . hmmm.
Having been on the road for 2 months at this point, I got to shift my paradigm a bit by having a little flat in the heart of Copenhagen to come home to.
With a kitchen to cook in and a terrace to eat on.
I had exactly one meal out in Copenhagen, and if you go, I’d recommend you grab a burger here too.
Gasoline Grill is all organic, and the beef is ground onsite everyday.
Their opening hours are 11am – ‘until they run out of the day’s fresh meat’ (8pm a the latest).
Think about that . . . What if every fast food joint the world over made enough food just for one day, each day, and no more? I didn’t realise it was an operable petrol station too until a car drove up.
Copenhagen had the right mood, the right tempo, and the right mojo for me, definitely a winner.
Next stop: Germany
