Helsingborg for beginners!

Helsingborg is going to be my residence for the next six months. This is for sure now. In this context it is very important for me to get to know the city, since I haven’t been there so far, so everything is totally new.

However, before I have even start doing the research about the city by myself, the first opportunity to discover Helsingborg was given by the institution I will go there for, Lund University. They organized a city tour for all the new students in the city, including me of course. It was a tour lasting about two hours when we walked around the centrum of the city, including most of the basic information, not only for students, but also for everyone new in Helsingborg, or for any tourist coming here for a city break.

Here are some of the things I discovered:

There are projects to change the city plan. This wants to say that the city was developed in the middle of the 20th century, being designed for easy access, by cars, to the city centrum. Now, because the focus has changed towards a greener and more eco-friendly environment, with more walking and cycling, the plans are to take the main street and the train rails underground, leaving a more aired centrum, and an easy access, by foot and/or bike…at least in the southern part of the city, the one we began the tour with. For the moment there are tunnels for pedestrians to go under the rails and road to the other side.

Southern part of Helsingborg, called Söder, has not a very good reputation and it is not very attractive. It seems that here is the district where most of the immigrants and homeless people live. From my little experience with the city, I also consider the Northern part of Helsingborg a lot more beautiful and interesting than the southern part, with the beautiful seaside, the Sofiero Castle and the green forests, to mention just a few.

Want cheap food?…then visit Gustav Adolf Market. It is located in the same area, Söder, next to the church with the same name, Gustav Adolf Church. As I understood, the products here are cheaper than other places around the city, but in the same time you have to check them for the quality.

There are two main churches in Helsingborg: Gustav Adolf Church, in Söder, and Sankta Maria Church, in centrum of the city; churches that can be visited as well.

In Helsingborg lived Linda Nilsson. At Bruksgatan 5, in the central Helsingborg, lived Hida Nilsson, one of the famous angel makers in Sweden. She is believed to have killed eight babies before she was sentenced to death. The babies were given to her, by the mothers who got pregnant outside their marriages or before the marriage, in an era when this kind of behavior was harshly condemned (http://www.algonet.se/~hogman/angel_maker.htm).

Tura! Helsingborg is the closest Swedish point to Denmark. From here are only 20 minutes ride by ferry to the Danish city of Helsingør. Now, as it was told to us, Swedes have a funny tradition and enjoy taking the ferry between these two cities! Until here nothing funny or unusual; the funny thing is that they don’t get off on the Danish coast, but ride the ferry back to Sweden, and then again to Denmark, and so on!!!! This is because they use to enjoy the time on the ferry together with friends, drinking and eating, and only when they are full, they decide to get off the ferry, most likely in the Swedish port. This is because the drinks are cheaper on the ferry than in any of these cities. This kind of trip has even a name, which is Tura! So, whenever you are invited to a tura, you know what to expect.

Kärnan Tower, is the high tower oversees the city from its top. It is a symbol of the city, representing and lasting from the old times when it was used in defending Helsingborg from the enemies’ assaults, especial during the war with Denmark.

Kullagatan Street. It is the oldest shopping street in Sweden. Although not a very long street, it is very crowded with people looking to explore the multitude of shops. The street looks very nice especially due to the many flags hang up.

Fika! Not the last, I found out which is the most loved social activity in Helsingborg, and generally in Sweden; it’s called Fika, and it defines the moments when people use to sip a coffee and have a cinnamon cookie, but it also require that those having these two things engage in friendly discussions to each other.

These are the first things I learned during my first time exploring Helsingborg guided by the representative from Lund University. However, there remains many aspects to be discovered. For instance, just walking around the city –this time alone- I enjoyed a lot the view, from instance the one of the harbor, the city hall building, again the superb view given by the top of Kärnan Tower, the Dunker Culture House ( museum and art center designed by Kim Utzon, the son of Jørn Utzon, who designed Sydney Opera House) and Sofiero Castle and gardens (this place is a bit outside the city –only 5km away- but it worth any effort made to visit it. It is like a corner of heaven on earth: green, quiet, a lot of flowers, restaurant, forest, a lot of different plants which would make jealous almost any botanical garden etc.).

Sofiero Castle!

Helsingborg’s City Hall!

The entrance in Helsingborg’s harbor!

As a consequence I believe that Helsingborg has a lot of resources to make worth it a city break. I would live there more than that and for sure some of the sights will become no longer of interests, but I can already foresee that the overall beauty of the city will not stop delight and attract me.

PS. If possible, don’t miss this weekend in Helsingborg, ’cause this is when it takeS place Helsingborg’s Festival, and I heard it’s a pretty cool time to be there.

Lunchtime on the Peblinge Lake!

Summer is about to be over, at least in the northern part of Europe. Yet there might be few more days with very beautiful and warm days, when any of us would like to spend the day somewhere out, chilling next to a drink and enjoying a nice view.

Thus for all of those belonging to this category of people, I might have a suggestion, at least for those living or visiting Copenhagen. My suggestion is to go and spend some quality time at Kaffesalonen (http://www.kaffesalonen.com/), on the Peblinge Lake (Peblinge Sø).

I was there myself on the beautiful Saturday that has just past, and I had a great time. The interest in this place had been built up by my brain some long time ago. It is so because it, my brain, linked the excellent position – on the lake – of the cafe, with my interest in exploring new places and enjoying a day next to the water…and this link was made all the time I travelled by bus around that place. So, at a moment when all the Danish media was talking about the great weather from this last weekend and about the best and sunniest August in the last 11 years (http://www.dmi.dk/nyheder/arkiv/nyheder-2015/08/dejlig-varm-august-maaned/), I couldn’t remain cold to it, and I decided to go out and enjoy the day at this particular place from my must-do list, Kaffesalonen. With no reservation, but with my girlfriend and two more friends, we hit the road together towards this cafe.

Kaffesalonen is centrally located, some 10 minute walk from Nørreport Station, in Nørrebro’s direction. Then, just after passing Queen Louise Bridge, which is the most crowded bicycle bridge in the whole world (https://designtoimprovelife.dk/busybikecph/), we turned left (the cafe can be easily seen from the bridge) and there we are, ready to meet one of my interest summer spots in Copenhagen.

Kaffesalonen – on the left side of the lake!

Without being welcomed or anything like that we walked alone around the place, looking for a spot to satisfy everyone of us: chairs, tables, standing, sitting etc. In the end, we decided to seat in the area that looks like it was designed for picnic.

There we had the menus as well; menus that I would say offers a quite good diversity of drinks and food.  After a thoroughly check of them, we decided to order; but for this we had to go the bar.

The bar!

India Pale Ale Beer!!!

At the bar we thought we could order both food and drinks, but we were wrong: only the drinks could be ordered at the bar, for the food it is necessary to cross the street and go to the cemented location of Kaffesalonen, and place the order there. However, we ordered the drinks and with them went to order the food.

On the way there I unpleasantly discovered that my beloved ice coffee was actually ice-cream coffee, a totally other think that, despite its desired refreshing effect, it is very sweet and it has nothing to do with the ice coffee I know, like and want: coffee and ice, dot. Disappointed to have been paid 45 kr for a drink I didn’t want, I was looking for a better experience from the food. Like I said, the cafe is just over the street, and it looks like many other coffee shops in Copenhagen: that Danish style, with simple arrangements, bare walls and, in this case, grey walls although they were designed for sure to be white. When at the desk, I had another disappointment: the waitress told me that even for my Caesar salad, the average waiting time was of about 40 minutes!!!! I was blank for a second, then I started joking and in the end I still ordered the salad, paying 119 kr, knowing that we would be there for at least one more hour; but still 40 minutes!!!!

My Caesar salad

These chain of events were the most challenging facts of that afternoon, because once we return to our fancy spot we started talking and having a great time while enjoying the hot rays of the sun. The place is magnificent! Imagine only: you are in the middle of the city but in the same time you can lie down, even strip, and enjoy the sun next to the lake! It was all I needed. In the end, I received the salad too. It was very good, but the memories of those 40 minutes made it taste less delicious that it actually was.

We spent there about three amazing hours, and then we had to go with the thought that we have to return there again, maybe next year.

As a last line, I don’t specifically recommend Kaffesalonen, but I recommend its position and its great asset…the seating on the lake.

Wandering along Amager Beach!

In the last couple of days weather has been great in Copenhagen and its surroundings; a lot of sun and temperatures up to 25-28 degrees Celsius! With other words a time just perfect to have holiday, relax and enjoy a cold drink, preferably on the beach. I am not among the lucky ones when it comes at matching the perfect summer weather with my schedule, so I can only envy those out there having a wonderful time in Copenhagen, while I am just looking outside through the window of my flat.

This situation makes me remember last time I enjoyed a day at the beach here in Copenhagen! I have this experience very fresh in my mind since it happened just three days ago, when I succeeded to make a window in my schedule, and I escaped to one of the beaches in Copenhagen, Amager Strand. However, I didn’t go there for having a bath in the sea, I just walked along the beach together with my girlfriend, enjoying the views and the timeless-like atmosphere.

Our escape started at Femøen Metro Station. Around 7-8 minutes from the station is the closest point to get to the amazing outdoor swimming pool, Kastrup Søbad. It is a very uncommon swimming pool, just offshore, in the sea water! To this, its innovative and fancy design adds even more excitement to everyone visiting it. Moreover, here it can also be seen the Øresund Bridge, the only link between Denmark and Sweden, together with tehe rest of the Nordic countries!

Kastrup Søbad seems to be aslo the southern end of Amager Beach.

Kastrup Søbad!

Øresund Bridge!

From there we walked north. The weather was nice, with clear sky and good temperature, although the wind blew quite hard at that particular time. The beach is wide, clean and with sand; yet, the water has plenty of stones, seaweed and it is pretty cold. But, we are in Denmark, not in an exotic destination, famous for the best beaches; although if you don’t consider sea’s characteristics, the view is close to what one may have seen in other destinations with nice beaches.

Apart from the beaches, there are also parks, where people come to enjoy their spare time without getting wrapped in a sand layer.

As a negative side of beaches in Denmark, and so of Amager Strand  as well, I have notices that there are not many bars, coffee shops or other kind of shops around the beach; but this might be due to the proximity of the city streets with their shops. However, there are some places with drinks and ice cream, and we even discovered a cafe. It is called Allehånde Cafe (http://www.allehaandecafe.dk/).

Salmon sandwich!

Fadøl with view!

Allehånde Cafe!

It is a very nice one, on a boat, at shore and with view to the sea. There I served a cold beer -the popular Danish fadøl– and a salmon sandwich. They have a pretty diverse menu for both drinks and food, and the prices are not higher than in the city, although the view is better I would say; so, I do recommend this place if you found yourself wandering around Amager Strand.

I mentioned some rows above that day was quite windy, and that it created the unpleasant feeling of having the sand in your eyes, properly. Yet the wind seemed not to bother everyone; this is because that day was like gold for the kiteboard lovers. There were many of them enjoying the very good wind, which is actually not rare to Denmark, but as one of the kiters told me, to have good temperatures, a perfect clean sky, and such a great wind, it is yet not something they have every day. We enjoyed a lot this on site show, and took a lot of pictures with our phone cameras!

We wouldn’t have gone from there, unless the evening was coming and we had to follow other plans as well. Thus, from there we walked to the Øresund Metro Station, from where we took the train back to the city center.

It was a great walk along the Amager Strand beach, and I think this can be a very nice activity to do in these very nice and hot days in Copenhagen; I refer here especially to tourists, because I am sure the Danes and the others living in Denmark for some time know about this beach and they will take it over.

My advice: enjoy it at its max!

Burger crumbs from Cocks & cows SP34, Copenhagen!

I love burgers…no matter from where, when, how etc. I usually associate them with adjectives like: delicious, nourishing, fast and cheap :-)! Of course this is not the case all the time; sometime burgers mean also art or fancy meal.

Refering to the city I arguably know the best, Copenhagen, there are several good places with good and very good burgers, and of course there are different rankings used to name the best burger places in the city. These rankings include many places, but some of them are present in almost all the tops, which might be an indication of their value and appreciation from customers’ side.

One of these places is Cocks and cows! With a very weird name, but very appealing in the same time -although there are neither cocks nor cows in the restaurant- Cocks and cows is a chain of burger restaurants in Copenhagen which has been nominalized several times for the best burger restaurant in Copenhagen (http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/cocks-cows-sp34-gdk916953 ; http://www.aok.dk/restaurant-og-cafe/cocks-cows-paa-gammel-strand). Almost any time one searches on internet “the best burger place in Copenhagen” the majority of the results will suggest or include Cocks and cows.

This is how I decided for the first time to visit Cocks and cows; it happened about one and a half year ago; that time I visited the restaurant situated on Gammel Strand Street. Although the burgers were delicious, the overall experience was not memorable; or to put it another way, the only thing I could really remember was the name of the place stamped on the top bun of the burger!

That was my first experience with Cocks and cows; yet, few days ago I decided to visit Cocks and cows again. I decided to do so not based on my previous experience, but on some other things like: availability, mood, curiosity, venue etc.!

Since Cocks and cows is a chain having three restaurants in Copenhagen, this time I decided to go to another restaurant of the chain, Cocks and cows SP34. The booking I made was for Sunday evening. Surprisingly at the moment I made the online booking –three days before the actual visit- all the tables were available; first thought: something is wrong with this place; although, I knew this place was very appreciated in the city, thing which confused me even more. Anyway I didn’t change my mind, and Sunday, at 19:15 I was in front of its door. I wasn’t alone, but together with my girlfriend and two friends. Although it has its own entrance, we were asked to enter through the entrance of the hotel which is hosted by the same building. The first remark: there were customers in restaurant (contrary to the feeling I had when booking the table); not fully booked but enough to create and support a good atmosphere for a great evening. Once at the bar, after the waitress found our reservation, we were asked whether we would like to seat in the restaurant or on the terrace. Since we didn’t know about the terrace, we asked it to be shown to us before we could made a decision. Kindly, the waitress took us to the first floor, where an intimate and quiet terrace opens in-between the walls of the buildings. We liked it and decided to stay there. Like Visit Copenhagen says very well this terrace is “an intimate oasis in the middle of buzzing Copenhagen”. No noises, no traffic, no people staring in your plate…!

First we received the menus, in English, and then we were given some time to consider what we would like to have! Personally I was happy to see in the menu the Jacobsen Brown Ale beer, and I went for it without any thoughts; as for the burgers, The New Yorker winkled at me and I couldn’t resist its call.

Beside the sandwich, as the menus are now made in many burger places, the customer is asked to choose separately the type of the bread, the sides, and the dressings! Of course each of them has its price! My choice: sweet American bread with salty fries, no dressing! Then we got engaged in discussing different topics. Meanwhile the drinks arrived, but for three of us only; for my beer I still had to wait about five more minutes.

No long after that, the burgers arrived. Then the silence took over and our hands, jaws and mandibles started working. Delicious! My burger was made with steak, which was so juicy…exactly like those served in genuine steak houses, like Mash (in Copenhagen).

I enjoyed so much the burger that I totally forgot about the fries; so I served them as chips for the beer! Worth mentioning or not, this time the logo of the restaurant was on the bun was well, though it was a bit difficult to decipher it; yet this time the taste of the burger got stuck in my mind, and not the logo!

All in all I had a great time at Cocks and cows SP34, and I left from there with better memories than after the first visit. Not the last, to the great experience a funny situation contributed as well! It all happened when at the moment we decided to pay the bill, I went to pay it at the bar, and while I was returning to my table, with the bill in my hand and my eyes resting on the numbers (especially when I noticed I paid for the tap water as well!!!), I could hear a gentleman from a table close to ours, calling me and saying, in Danish, “can we also get the bill, please?”! I was very confused, and all I could say was: “excuse me!?” after which he repeated his request. Finally understanding his request I started laughing, and I replied “well, I am not a waiter, I am just a client as you are too!” Then, the discussion was interrupted by long moments of good laugh, coming from both tables and not only!

What could I expect more for a that night!? However, I cannot asses  in what degree this place is one of the best burger restaurants in Copenhagen, but it definitely satisfyed my expectations for that specific night.

Go and try it, see what you get out, and then share your experience so the other readers can make the best decision for a great evening out in Copenhagen!

The Danish Riviera: Gilleleje & Hornbæk!

I believe there are many people around the Gobe dreaming to visit the Riviera…The French Riviera! However, I do. Yet, to dream is given to everyone, to actually visit the place doesn’t happen to everyone for different reasons: time, distance, money etc. I am personally one of those who haven’t got to visit the French Riviera…no yet. Yet, recently, I have heard that there is actually another Riviera, more closer to where I live…the Danish Riviera! I know, it sounds very, very weird; at least it did sound weird to me, so I decided to go and check it out by myself. It all started with a simple research on one of our best friends, Google. This happened last night! It didn’t take long to convince me, so this morning I woke up early and the only thing I knew it was I was going to the Danish Riviera. I didn’t go alone, because I didn’t want to, and because I couldn’t…my girlfriend came with me as well. And here’s the story:

We left our home, in Skovlunde, and took the train, line C; not a long ride, because in circa 10 minutes we should change the train with line F, to Hellerup. There, after circa 15 minutes of waiting time, we took line A to Hillerød. Not yet our wished destination! At Hillerød we board the 940R train towards Helsingør! After another half of hour we finally heard that the next station was Gillelege.

It was a two hours and 10 minutes trip just to arrive there from our home. However, our enthusiasm was still at high levels. Surprisingly, we discovered with pleasure that in the Gillelege train station is a Tourist Information point, belonging to Visit Nordsjælland (the name of the region). So first we went to ask about what is to be done in this little town, and to ask of course where is the beach. We discovered that the beach is actually very close to the train station, and that there is also a touristic area in the town, with shops, cafes and restaurants.

Next target?…looking for a coffee shop. I kinda knew that there is not Starbucks or Baresso (Danish coffee shop chain, similar to Starbucks) so we had to be happy with whatever we could find; and we found a bakery called Bagt. There we got each a Latte; Latte which unfortunately didn’t taste really like a Latte but more like some water mixed us some leftovers of coffee. The only positive thing of it was that it was cheaper than what we were used to pay for a Latte in Copenhagen. Here the Latte costs 30 Danish Crowns a cup.

Not even this Latte ruined our mood, so we continued our way to the beach. Soon we arrived at the beach. I personally didn’t have any expectation from it, I was just curious to see how it is, because until we got there, we enjoyed the way this little town looked like. The first view of the beach was nice, especially due to the houses very close to the beach and the blue water. Yet the beach is kinda dirty from the tones of seaweed resting on it. There were also many stones, but in spite of all these there were people enjoying the sun. We also enjoyed the views and so we took plenty of pictures.

Than we walked to the end of the beach we had to go back to the town streets. In this way we luckily arrived to the Gillelege harbor, which is arguable the largest fishing harbor in the whole Sjælland Island (http://www.visitnorthsealand.com/ln-int/north-sealand/gilleleje). Beside this I can say that the harbor offers a very nice view, and so it is a nice place to walk around. We did so, and soon we arrived in an area with restaurants serving sea food and dishes based on fish.

It was around 13:30 and we felt kin of hungry so we thought that it was the best idea to stay and eat some fishy dishes from the largest port of Sjælland. Thus, we stopped at Adamsen’s Fisk (http://www.adamsensfisk.dk/), and chose a plate with sea food and a plate with baked shrimps. I don’t know if it was the excitement or it was true, but these dishes tasted delicious. Beside this -we discovered after we finished our lunch- this restaurant offers tables next to a local water channel as well!

No hungry any longer, we continued our walk on the other side of the harbor, direction Helsingør. The sights were pretty much the same, with a plus for the way houses look like. After about two more hours of walking we decided to go back to the train station, and to continue our trip to another town. For the next location we asked at the information point! From there we were biased to visit Hornbæk, an even smaller town somewhere half way to Helsingør.

The 20 minutes ride with the train was just good for us to rest our legs, so when we arrived in Hornbæk we were just ready to explore its offerings. Indeed, Hornbæk is not a big town, on the contrary it is very small I would say, but still very nice, colorful and cheerful. Following the main road, after we passed by some local, little shops we first saw its harbor. With a lot of different and colorful ships, boats and yachts, it was a perfect spot for pictures.

Then we realized that in both sides of the harbor, two beaches were waiting for was. They are pretty similar, both are very wide and have amazing and very fine sand, and no stones. However, the beach on the right side of the harbor is wider….actually it is the widest beach I have seen in Denmark in this three years I have been living here. Beside this there were a lot more people than on the other one.

         

At this point we were very satisfied; beside the evening was about to seetle its chilling weather and to push the light of the day away, so we decided to eat one more ice cream and then to return to our home. Doing so we arrived home at around half past seven.

After this experience we can conclude that Denmark has a Riviera, and surprisingly it is very nice and vivid one. I would even go as far as to say that visiting the Danish Riviera should be a must for anyone no matter whether s/he is a tourist or a local. However, in the end it is everyone’s decision…so for the ones deciding to visit these places, I hope you enjoy them at least as much as my girlfriend and I did; as for the ones deciding to visit other places, I hope you enjoy those places as well!

God tur…as Danes use to wish to someone travelling!

Definitely one of the best places for brunch in Copenhagen: Cafe Pixie!

Are you a tourist or a local looking for a great place to enjoy a brunch alone or together with someone else? I might have a place that you may like it! It is called Cafe Pixie (http://cafepixie.dk/), in Copenhagen.

I chose to eat in this place after I had seen that it is promoted not only by VisitCopenhagen (http://www.visitcopenhagen.dk/da/kobenhavn/gastronomi/top-10-brunch) but also by AOK (http://www.aok.dk/restaurant-og-cafe/de-5-laekre-brunch)  as one of the best places for brunch in Copenhagen, and now that I visited the place by myself I can definitely agree with these two Danish sources.

Cafe Pixie is located close to Nordhavn Station -it took me about eight minutes to get there by foot-, and so somehow away from the touristic areas of Copenhagen, which gives it the feeling of an authentic experience. Next to it is another cafe, Bopa Cafe, which seems to follow the same business plan. However, when I first had the two of them in sight, I could say that Cafe Pixie might offer something more exciting than their neighbors; its patio was bigger and full of people, while the other one had not so many customers at the time of my visit.

Like I said, when my girlfriend and I arrived at Cafe Pixie, almost all the tables were taken, but luckily we got a table, without having a reservation. Few seconds later our order was taken: two brunches and two big latte.

I’d read before my visit her some comments on TripAdvisor about this cafe, as it takes a long time to get the food; well, I cannot say whether that’s right or not. All I know is that in our case it took about 20 minutes to receive both the food and drinks; they were brought in the same time!

Once the food was on our table the feast started! The brunch looked fantastic and I kinda new from the very beginning that my stomach will have a hard time. But I didn’t care: I ate it all, this is how much I like it! Scrambled eggs, bacon, two pieces of grilled Merguez sausages, cantaloupe, grapes, cheese, yoghurt with muesli, salmon with cucumber, zucchini and mint, croissant, a little cake, Oland bread and of course the traditional and famous Danish rugbrød with butter….all of them very yummy, that I have their memory very fresh in my mind.

The atmosphere was also very nice: summertime weather , sun, and a lot of people at the tables around us…The service was very good as well; I will go as far as to say it was at a level one may expect only in high class restaurants.

At the end of this post, if it is to link this experience of mine with a famous TV commercial, it’d sound like this: distance to the cafe: 56 minutes; two brunches and two latte: 380 Danish Crowns (for two persons); my satisfaction: beyond words!

All in all I had a great time at Cafe Pixie, and I recommend it to everyone, tourists or locals, looking for a delicious and consistent brunch, in a pretty much authentic Danish atmosphere, and in a non-touristic area of Copenhagen.

In love with an alien!

I came in Denmark exactly three years ago! It was a decision I made pushed by the desire to experience the educational system in one of the civilized countries on this planet. Nothing more; just study! This was in my mind when I got here.

I had to say that before the autumn of that year, 2012, I visited Denmark for one week only in 2010; but, you know how it is when you visit a place for the first time, it’s all about holiday: relax, fun, easy-going etc., nothing serious, no hard feelings, and all these because you know you will be there for only a limited period of time. But the situation may change slightly when it comes to moving to a foreign country for a longer time; changes which help you speed up the process of getting integrated in the country’s culture, and to discover the country better; at least this is my story; a love story with a cold partner; a love story with all it’s ingredients; with fantastic moments, but with hard times as well.

However, even if I would like to, I won’t be able to put on paper all the aspects of my “relation” with Denmark; not even all the most important. Therefore I will just mention here some random aspects that struck me so hard that I can easy remember them now.

One of them was the weather. I am coming originally from a country with four seasons, from which a very hot one called summer. When I got here, in September, in my country the temperature was around 28 degrees; but in the same day a bit north, the temperature was 18, beside the wind which was blowing everywhere and everything, and made me wear cloths that in my country I would usually wear in the late autumn. The worst thing about my relationship with the Danish weather, is that since that moment I have been trying to get use with the temperatures, which make it looks like there are only to seasons here: autumn/winter (from August til June) and spring (in July, when the temperature goes up to 25 degree). This may make it easy for anyone to realise that now a jacket is as important to me as socks or underwear; I wear it almost year round here in Denmark.

Another thing about Denmark, that created turbulence during my stay here, is the Danish language; it is amazingly difficult to learn it, especially if you have other activities around it (like school and a full-time job, in my case). Of course, it is admirable that in Denmark are institutions, in every district, where you are taught Danish for free, from the beginner level to the level which is mandatory for  receiving the permanent residency in Denmark, or even to the level where, after finishing it, you can study, at a university level, programs taught in Danish; and again all these for free. Yet, to get these opportunity is for everybody, but to get to speak Danish language it is not (or not so easy and so soon). The most annoying thing about the Danish language and it place in one’s experience with Denmark, is that without it is very hard to do many things, like getting a job, friends etc.

Because I just mentioned for a couple of times about working in Denmark, I have to say that from this point of view, Denmark is a wonderful country; because there are jobs for everyone, and also guidance/help to get one; there are not jobs only for the ones who don’t want to work. In my case, I could find a job very soon after my arrival in Denmark; so, at the middle of September, at not even two weeks since I arrived in Denmark, I got a job. Of course I wanted to get a job, because I came in Denmark with money to be enough for only a couple of months, so from this perspective it didn’t even matter what kind of job it was; only to get paid. So, I got a full-time job as a cleaning assistant, in a hotel, and in order to be able to attend classes at my school, I had to take only the night shifts; so night at work, day at school, evening Danish classes (only two times a week). What was good about this job, it’s that it allowed me to go to school; it wasn’t addressed only to Danish speaking persons, and the salary was good enough to cover the monthly expenses for two persons. And here I come to the point where I release the fruit of love in my relationship with Denmark: it offers me money, I give “her” hard work, time and patience! I hope, in this way our relationship will be a long and healthy one.

Tårnet Tower up(s) & down(s)!

Yesterday was the day when I decided for the first time not just to visit the Tårnet Tower in Copenhagen, but also to have dinner there. The interest in these targets was given by a post on Instagram talking about the tower, its highs, views and the restaurant. At that point I was amazed about how I had missed this place, and I decided to put it on my “must do” list. First step: book a table for dinner; then, wait for that day, and hope the day of my visit will be a nice one, with warm weather and a lot of sun. The day has come and all these wishes were  fulfilled: the weather in Copenhagen is amazing with a clear blue sky, and circa 27 degree Celsius in thermometers. So, Tårnet here I come; with the booking for 18:30, I arrive to the King’s Gate at about 18:00 willing to go up in the tower as well, and to enjoy the best possible weather one wish for the moments one goes for enjoying a view.

The entrance point I chose was the central one; the one giving access to the city center, channel tours and bus station for the lines 1A, 2A, 9A, 26 and 40. The entrance cannot be missed, since it is the only one, and it is a visible through its big door; beside this. there is just behind the statue representing a rider on a horse. After passing the threshold of that door, there is a sign showing the direction to the tower and restaurant. However, the access to the elevator which take you to the tower is made only after a security check; process which is pretty similar to the one in the airports, although a bit more relaxed.

From that point, an elevator takes you up the restaurant, and from there if you want to reach the highest level of the tower, you should go up the stairs. So, all in all, the itinerary is simple and easy; enter the King’s Gate, wait several minutes to be welcomed to the security check, go through security check, take the lift for a short ride, walk up few stairs and there you are: in top of the highest tower not only in Copenhagen but in the whole Denmark: Tårnet!

There are four sides from where one can enjoy the view. However, even though one visit this tower to enjoy the view, but actually the view is missing. The view one can enjoy through these four windows is not a proper view, because it is not much to be seen. Luckily there is -in front of each window- a description of what can be seen from there, the highest buildings in sight!

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All the way up the tower, together with the picture session doesn’t take a lot of time, so I have time enough to arrive in time to the restaurant, looking forward to and enjoyable and fancy dinner. About my experience at the Tårnet restaurant you can read the review I wrote on TripAdvisor at http://www.tripadvisor.dk/ShowUserReviews-g189541-d7166129-r296200824-Taarnet_Restaurant-Copenhagen_Zealand.html#REVIEWS. As a short description of what I experienced in the restaurant, I can say that it was all enjoyable, stylish and not very expensive. As a funny but real fact I experienced it was that, although the rename of the place is a promise for a romantic evening, everything goes perfectly until the moment the cheese is served (if you order cheese, of course). At that moment, the cheeses look great, the same their description. Yet I was advised that for a more enjoyable experience I have to eat them from the left to right. This is what I did, but arriving at the last piece of cheese, called The Little Cristian, everything has changed. Why? because it stinks in a big way. It stinks so badly that even after I tasted it my breath smells terrible. Funny enough, that was the moment that ruined my evening, because my girlfriend never again that evening wanted to stay close to me.

Coming back to visiting the tower, there is to be appreciated that visiting the tower is free of charge.

However, even though the view didn’t level up my expectations, the experience was still enjoyable, and it is still worth visiting.

Toldboden in Copenhagen…the perfect place to enjoy lunch in a sunny day of summer!

For a couple of days now summer has arrived in Copenhagen as well. Everyone is extremely excited about it, but there is also a bit of uncertainty given by the fear that all these very nice weather will go away in no time. However, this made us all -the ones born, moved or touring Copenhagen- forget about anything else and try to go out an enjoy this special edition of sun. In my case I have been looking for this weather since August last year, when the last days of summer left some memories in my mind. So, although, I kind of overslept last night, and I waked up kind of late, in this way missing morning sun which supposed to announce me about the nice weather of today, the moment I saw how beautiful the weather is I jump out my bed, put on my running kit and went out and run for a while. Once back in the house I took a shower and got ready to go out and have the “morning” coffee on a terrace. As usually I aimed for a different place, wanting to discover new places, new recipes, new people….With no idea in my mind I google it, and I found as a suggestion Todboden, somewhere in central Copenhagen, next to the water. So, I just saw few pictures with the place and I was sure this is the place I want to enjoy a part of my day.

The moment I arrived there I could recall that I kind of remember the place from my previous visits in that area, because that place is a touristic one as well, more or less in the way to the Little Mermaid. However, Toldboden has a nice patio, just perfect to enjoy a drink and/or something else in a nice weather; but it also has a very nice and big room inside, which can welcome many customers.

Hungry being I skip all the other aspects and I decided to stay in line for ordering the food, bearing in my mind the image of a nice dish that another customer just got, but which I didn’t know what exactly was. However, in meanwhile my eyes were given to see some other nice dishes so I got totally confused about what I would like to have. My turn comes and I decided to go for Steak Frites, and a Heineken.

In return I received a round pager which suppose to announce me when my order is ready so I can come to pick it up. With the hungry in my stomach, the beer in one hand and the pager in the other hand I took a seat at a table, obviously outside in the patio! After a waiting time of circa 15 minutes my pager let me know that it is the time for my stomach to celebrate. Anyways it was not only my stomach that should celebrate but also my eyes which were so delighted with the way my steak looked like

Steak Frites!

Steak Frites & Fish’n’Chips (my gf’s order)!

Once at the table, there was not waiting or thinking time…I jumped directly on the steak! It was delicious; and slowly, slowly I started feeling full, although the steak was still present on my plate. But this was not because it wasn’t good but because it was too much…ca. 300g. In the end I gave up, and I decided to share my food with someone in need, so I took it with me and gave it to a homeless.

However, before I left Todboden I took some more pictures to remember my experience there, but also to be able to share them with you, the ones reading this post, so you can have a more clear picture of what I am talking about.

As a conclusion, I won’t say bye, because we will meet again, but I will suggest you go and check out this place, Toldboden, as long as it is nice outside and you can enjoy the view as well.

View from the patio!

Patio’s bar (closed at the time of my visit)!

Bon appetite!

Visiting Sofiero Castle or the Schönbrunn of the North (as I would call it)!

It has been almost three years since I arrived in Denmark and I decided to settle her for a while. But despite this fact I haven’t travel to much into the nordic countries, although there are now very accessible to me. To this has contributed in a very high degree the weather which is not very welcoming, and which has driven me to more sunny and warmth destinations. However, recently I was accepted as an exchange student to Lund University, in Campus Helsingborg. This event has just put Helsingborg on my mind’s map, as a destination of high interest. Therefore, few days ago, in one of my free days from work I decided to travel and see what this city looks like.

However, before hitting the road I made a bit of research about what I can do/see and where and what I can eat – since I call myself a foodie, this is a must! As an outcome of my research I set as first priority to visit Sofiero Castle, together with its gardens, and to have the lunch there.

With this in mind, the next day -was a Monday- early morning I took the Øresund train, from Copenhagen Central Station, to Helsingborg. It was a one and a half hour trip. Once arrived in Helsingborg train station I got just enough time to buy tickets for the bus who supposed to take me to the castle, n to board it. The Castle is not so far away from the city center, especially for the ones who enjoy walking; there are circa five kilometers to there, most of the time walking along the shore, which may be a very pleasant walk. As an alternative it can be taken bus number 8, which run that direction twice an hour, and the trip takes circa 17 minutes. Although I love walking, I opted for the bus because I considered I would arrive to late for lunch at Sofiero Castle; beside I was a bit concerned about the route I have to follow to the castle. 

As I said, not after a long ride, I saw myself in front of the Sofiero Castle. There is a visitor fee to be paid at the entrance in the garden, and then it comes the splendid view; a view which seems to me pretty similar to the view one have at the Schönbrunn Palace, in Vienna, although in the case of Sofiero Castle, the distance from the entrance to the building it is filled by nice cut grass, the temperatures are a lot lower, and the tourists are not so many, so it becomes easier to enjoy the visit. Yet at the first sight the way everything is found (big and imposant castle in sight, flowers garden on the right, beautiful and multitude of flowers, nice view over the sea and castle, the little forest etc.) made it easy for me to recall the famous austrian castle.

Yet in spite of the beauty opened in font of my eyes, the first thing I did was to go streight to the restaurant and book the lunch. After I happily left the restaurant I allowed myself to be emerged in the beauty of the gardens.

The view based on a natural beauty, touched each and there by a human hand focused on details, made me feel so easy and excited. I started with the flowers part of the garden, where there where a lot of different plants and flowers, all blooming, and having from spot to spot benches which are placed perfectly to the right points in order to take te best pictures. However the gardens are not huge: it takes about one, one and a half hours to make the whole round of the gardens, but the beauty is at its home. Among others there are two small mazes, japanese garden, melon garden…it look a lot better than the botanical gardens from many european cities.

After I made the whole round I arrived just in time for the lunch I had made reservation, and which was also an important target of the day for me. I spent in restaurant about two hours, and I got out of it excited, very satisfied and full. It was an absolutely feast for my palates, and more details about this you can read in my review I made to it on TripAdvisor, at the following link: http://www.tripadvisor.dk/ShowUserReviews-g189836-d1042543-r294112495-Sofiero_Slottsrestaurang-Helsingborg_Skane_County.html#REVIEWS .

  

After the lunch I decided it was time to go, although the view and the fresh impressions didn’t let me go easily.

However I will not forget, and neither you the ones who want to visit this place should forget that it is quiet, green, with a lot of fresh air and flowers, knowledge through the little info that’s available about each plant/flower…it is absolutely a piece of heaven.