Where To Wander Next

I am on high alert wanting to get a glimpse of Ethan flying through the air above. I find myself in Copenhagen at ten o’clock on a clear brisk evening in May. What should be dark is light so we are out-and-about – on the town as they say – wandering around Tivoli Gardens watching the roller coasters roar overhead. My son, Ethan, and I had just got into town and walked over here from our hotel, the five-star Hotel Continental, which I most definitely picked for its central location across from the main train station and a quick five minute stroll to the famous amusement park. 

At Tivoli Gardens, the air is filled with deep fried foods, fragrant rhododendrons and excited screams as riders twist and flip through the air. I see Ethan fly by with arms raised but it’s so fast I can’t be sure. Soon enough, he comes bounding down the steps. “That was awesome!” he exclaims, and I see the kid in him from yesteryear for a split second. Next, we choose a children’s ride and hop into a life size trunk that takes us on the journey of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales – think It’s A Small World but the Danish version. Some of the stories we recognize like The Ugly Duckling but many we don’t. Nevertheless, we find it all charming. We exit and find ourselves on a path skirting a miniature lake where paddle boats shaped like swans glide around the surface. I snap photos of gorgeous flowers. Springtime in Copenhagen is delightful. 

We stop at a store to try gourmet licorice that is made of strange yet interesting flavors, and I buy a couple of sticks for my husband. My son tries his hand at speaking Danish with the sales girl and we all laugh together. We hear some music and follow it to an outdoor amphitheater where a Danish rocker croons to a happy crowd of healthy-looking 20-somethings to 30-year-olds sprawled on blankets. For a moment, I imagine what it is to be Danish, surrounded by friends, bundled up to ward off dropping temperatures as the night unfolds.

Copenhagen is a wanderer’s dream. Pastel colored buildings wind through narrow streets that lead to canals and bridges at every turn. There are too many things to see – many of them included with the Copenhagen card – which we purchased before we arrived and activated the minute we landed in the airport so we don’t have to pay for any transportation including the train from the airport to Central Station. 

The next morning we stroll down Strøget, one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets ending up at the Royal Copenhagen department store to ogle china and buy a souvenir tea cup. We wander to the Rosenborg Castle which was built in the 1600s by Christian IV. Using our Copenhagen cards, we take a tour of its medieval splendor but our favorite part is the extensive gardens on either side of the moat that surrounds the castle. Here you can weave in and out of the maze of hedges or sit on a bench and watch the birds flit around.

We stopped for lunch at a local cafe and found ourselves to be the only Americans squeezed between boisterous locals at a tiny table. A gigantic menu is thrust at us unceremoniously by a very tall man who looked out of place in this jewelbox of a restaurant. The menu listed no less than 50 different types of smørrebrød, the open-faced sandwiches Scandinavian’s love. The couple next to us helps us order, and we enjoy the classic made of cold shrimp topped with a dollop of mayonnaise and dill. 

After lunch, we make our way to the Royal Library. We are momentarily confused as google maps guided us through an arched passageway that appears to go under a building. We emerge to find ourselves in the gardens of the Royal library, a perfectly manicured courtyard with rose bushes. We take a moment to sit on a bench and people watch. Young families with strollers walk by enjoying the sunshine. Nobody appear to work in Copenhagen when the sun is shining.

After the museum, we see a dock and some tourists getting on a boat. We inquire and find out it’s the one-hour canal cruise included with our Copenhagen Card. We redeem our tickets and quickly board, the last ones on before it pushes off from the dock. The boat slowly makes its way to the open harbor as our tour guide points out in English and Danish the Queen’s yacht, the architecturally dramatic Opera House, and The Little Mermaid statue among other landmarks.

On the way back, the boat navigates under a variety of low bridges, each one with lower clearance than the next. Our heads barely clear the undersides of the last bridge, and our fellow tourists playfully ooh and ahh as we go through. Emerging into the sun again, I spot two men in business casual sitting on the seawall, feet dangling over the side like school kids playing hooky. They click glasses of wine. I wonder what they are toasting about and can’t help but smile. Copenhagen is full of life. You never know what you might encounter if you wander.

Lillian Martin curates tailor-made trips for Reece Worldwide Travel. Click here to contact