On the first of your two days in Copenhagen, you’ll walk along Strøget all the way to Tivoli, Europe’s oldest amusement park.
…Citizens of the world’s oldest constitutional monarchy, the Danes still have a Royal family and a daily changing of the guard at the Royal Palace and the requisite parades and fairy-tale-like ceremonies.
The so-called pedestrian street known as Strøget is your destination on the first of your two perfect days in Copenhagen. Remember, your quest is to find that perfect hot dog that I wrote about earlier. Of course, if you’re in the Danish capital for a day, you’ll need to modify the plan a bit.
Anyone could visit Kalvhomen, although it might feel a bit awkward to be a visitor among the few dozen or so families who live here (Sweden’s Right of Public Access law, known as Allemansratten, allows anyone use of another’s land for swimming, camping or picking flowers, mushrooms or berries. … Certainly, summer seems endless here in the archipelago, where the sun tints a rosy hue in the sky and on the water even after midnight (the picture above was taken at midnight, by Hedda Thorell; sunrise comes again as early as 3:30 a.m. during summer).
Kalvholmen (an island in Stockholm’s archipelago) — It would be difficult, if not impossible, to fully comprehend the Swedish soul without first learning to appreciate the Swede’s love of water and the archipelago. Nothing facilitates that appreciation more quickly or more tangibly than to stand at the end of a brygga (pier), muster up your courage and plunge into what you know will be a cold current in the Baltic Sea.
Arguably, one of the reasons for the Danes being named by two university studies as the world’s happiest nation can be attributed to a concept known as Janteloven, or Jante Law. Basically, the concept asserts that no one is better than anyone else and that you should never brag too much.
Here’s something else you should know about the Danes.
Arguably, one of the reasons for the Danes being named by two university studies as the world’s happiest nation can be attributed to a concept known as Janteloven, or Jante Law.
Basically, the concept asserts that no one is better than anyone else and that you should never brag too much. The local beer brewer even makes the claim that Carlsberg is “probably” the world’s best beer. Click to learn more about Janteloven.
Before setting you loose to explore Copenhagen on your own, I need to let you in on a secret: A lot of the people you’ll be meeting today aren’t Danes.
…Nyhavn, which you and I would pronounce phonetically as “Knee haven” is pronounced in Danish as “New Hound,” swallowing the D.
Before setting you loose to explore Copenhagen on your own, I need to let you in on a secret: A lot of the people you’ll be meeting today aren’t Danes. They’re Swedes.
Each day, they come across the Oresund Bridge, which opened in 2000, from Malmo, Sweden’s third’s largest city. Such is the number of Swedes who commute back and forth between the two that some people joke that Malmo is West Copenhagen. I once met a Swede who worked at the airport but had never bothered to make the 10-minute trip into Copenhagen’s city center. Swedes come to Copenhagen because they earn higher wages (and pay less in taxes) than in Sweden.
After all, every Dane loves a good dog, so not only will you be doing something quintessentially Danish, but on your quest for the perfect hot dog, you also will visit the key attractions in the Danish capital. Following my advice, you’re going to get a taste of Copenhagen — and a hot dog — that you’re not likely to soon forget. v Your quest begins at the time-honored D’Angleterre, one of the world’s oldest hotels, situated in the heart of Copenhagen.
If you truly want to experience Copenhagen, skip the Danish and go for the hot dog.
After all, every Dane loves a good dog, so not only will you be doing something quintessentially Danish, but on your quest for the perfect hot dog, you also will visit the key attractions in the Danish capital.
Following my advice, you’re going to get a taste of Copenhagen — and a hot dog — that you’re not likely to soon forget.
In Amsterdam, the rental agency, Mac Bike, recommended a route called “The Great Waterland Bicycle Tour.” I followed the route, well described on the map, through Amsterdam, riding past charming canals, beautiful architecture, over pedestrians (well, past most but nearly over one or two who stepped in front of the bike) and alongside other cyclists [...]
In Amsterdam, the rental agency, Mac Bike, recommended a route called “The Great Waterland Bicycle Tour.”
I followed the route, well described on the map, through Amsterdam, riding past charming canals, beautiful architecture, over pedestrians (well, past most but nearly over one or two who stepped in front of the bike) and alongside other cyclists and eventually found my way to the train station and the ferry across to Waterland, north of Amsterdam.
The ferries are free and transit every five minutes or so. A ramp lowers and you push your bike on. In fact, I don’t think there is any public facility that hasn’t been set up for bikes. Even outdoor stairways, have a steel gutter to accommodate the bike’s wheels. The ferry transit is only a couple of minutes, and I stood there among a throng of other cyclists waiting to reach the other side.
