Passing another ferry while crossing Fehmarn Belt
I was excited for the train from Hamburg to Copenhagen because I saw it’s one of the last places in Europe where a train is put on a ferry for part of the journey. As we secured our seat reservations, we learned that part of the scheduled train line was down for service so we would be transferred to a bus. Unfortunately, we were put on busses before the ferry across the Fehmarn Belt so we just boarded with all the other vehicles. The trip was still neat and it was nice to be able to walk around the ferry as a break from traveling.
Our bunks at Generator Hostel
Surprisingly, the bus arrived at the train station right on time (seems a lot of bus trips take longer than scheduled). After a bit of a walk, we arrived at the Generator Hostel where we checked into a dormitory room with 8 beds. We haven’t had to stay in a hostel since Singapore because hotel rooms are usually cheaper for both of us. This hostel was like a bed factory – it was nice and clean but had no personal touch. It was also huge – there were tons of rooms and the common area was packed. We weren’t phased much since we didn’t plan on spending much time in the room.
The Lakes with swan boats
That afternoon, we wandered north towards local food and local beer. Along the way, we found a nice city park where many people were enjoying the beautiful weather. As we crossed the The Lakes, there were even more people relaxing on the bridge and the surrounding park. Sara told me that she wanted to come back and relax with the locals.
Kolsters Tolv Haner
Online, I found a couple different options for local breweries. Our first stop was Kolsters Tolv Haner brewery. It was a very cute shop and the bartender was extremely nice. After enjoying a few of their varieties, we moseyed down the street to another brewery. Olsnedkeren seemed like an American microbrewery – they had many similar styles that are typically found at home. And to top it off, we met another American couple at the bar! They actually said they visit the brewery because it was featured in a travel article by the New York Times.
Sara did some research for food but the first place we tried for a typical Danish dish, smorrebrod, was closed. It is apparently just a spot for lunch and had been closed for several hours. Sara had a backup down the street, Banana Joe. It was just a small takeout place so we ordered their main dish, burger and fries, and walked to the bridge to enjoy our dinner. I was nice to be able to have a mini picnic in such a beautiful place.
Will contributing to Christiania’s newsletter
We spent the next day exploring Christiania on recommendation from the bartender at Kolsters Tolv Haner. Christiania was originally a military base but was abandoned. In the 1970s, hippies moved in by essentially squatting on the land. Eventually, they bought the land from the government and it became its own city in the 1980s. While walking along the shore of what used to be a large wall encompassing the city, we were asked to participate in an art project. Look for us on their website in a few months along with our one word descriptions of Christiania! Overall, it was neat to see the how the hippies have shaped and decorated the military style buildings. There was a lot of painting on the walls as well as overgrown foliage everywhere.
Rosenborg Castle Gardens
The sun was still high and we had plenty of daytime remaining to relax in the park we had previously found. We grabbed a towel to sit on, our iPads to do some work, and a couple beers to enjoy. At Rosenborg Castle Gardens, we found a nice spot under a tree which was very relaxing and inspiring for journaling. There were lots of other people in the park and even a couple groups playing a variant of cornhole. It felt like a perfect summers day.
I would have loved to go back and relax in the park the following day as well, but we had to take a day long train journey to Norway in order to meet my parents.
Rosenborg Castle Gardens
Locals relaxing on bridge crossing The Lakes
Bikes everywhere!
Olsnedkeren
Lingering summer sunset
Actual swans on the Lakes
Carton of yogurt for breakfast
Bikes in the Canal
Christianshavns Vold storefronts
Edge of Christiania - no cars allowed
Christiania home on bank of canals making the island fortress
Christiania homes
Another Christiania entrance
Christianshavns Kanal
Rosenborg Castle Gardens
Excellent dinner from Smagsloget
Enjoying our sandwiches from Smagsloget at Rosenborg Castle Gardens
