Day Trip in Copenhagen

As i was in Denmark for two weeks last Christmas, i had more than enough time to explore around the beautiful city, Copenhagen, where i met up with friends and family and had a lovely time.  If you ever happen to be visiting Copenhagen but for a shorter stay, I recommend the following places to visit.

Torvehallerne, a market that opened publicly in 2011, is a place that will definitely excite both your sight and senses. It consists of two market halls where there are endless stalls selling fresh bakeries, cheese, fruits, seafood, savory dishes, and many special Danish delicacies, such as their famous open sandwiches (smørrebrød).

There are also restaurants and cafes inside Torvehallerne where you can sit down and relax, while you enjoy a nice cup of coffee or a cold pint of Danish Carlsberg beer. The food varieties are also plenty if you feel hungry, ranging from Danish open sandwiches, burgers, sandwiches, to even Spanish and Japanese food. I decided to have some open sandwiches that day, and ordered my favorite fish fillet with remoulade sauce, frikadeller (Danish meat ball), and potato with red onions. My friend ate some quite interesting tuna sashimi wrapped in cucumber.

 After enjoying a much filling meal, you take a stroll inside the market, where you can admire some fresh and beautiful flowers. You can even do a stop over at Summerbird, a prestigious Danish chocolate and confectionary brand. One of my all time favorite are their almonds covered in different chocolate flavors, including raspberry, strawberry, lemon, coffee, seasalt, cocoa, nougat, and many more. It’s a perfect gift to take home for your friends and family.

You also have to try their flødeboller, which is a waffle base with marshmallow like filling inside, and covered in chocolate on the outside. It was my all time favorite snack growing up in Copenhagen. In fact, there was a Christmas tree made of flødeboller inside the Summerbird shop when i was visiting, and it looked sooo pretty and yum.

If you are in for a bit of history and culture, I suggest you to visit the Rosenborg Castle (Rosenborg Slot), which is a mere 15  minutes walk away from Torvehallerne. This castle was used as royal residences until around 1710, and was also built as a country summerhouse in 1606. This is only one of Christian IV’s many architectural projects back then. To have a full experience of the Rosenborg Castle, and if time permits, take a tour inside the castle to see the real life of a royal back then. You are allowed to take pictures inside the castle but you need to pay for this.

The Knight’s Hall, which is located on the third floor (as shown below in the fifth photo) is one of the rooms that captivated me the most. It was originally intended to be used as a ballroom, and as you walk in, you will be mesmerized by the long hall, along with the golden walls and high ceilings above you. I think the high light of touring the Rosenborg Castle must be witnessing the crown jewels and crown regalia at the basement, where you will find the crown of Christian V and  the queen’s crown.

To end the day, head over to Tivoli Hotel for happy hour and enjoy some cocktails. This hotel carries the theme of the amusement park, Tivoli, into its interior design and decor, where everything feels very fairytale and dream like. The lobby has these pretty red and green lights along the window, and paired with the iconic Swan Chairs (as designed by Danish designer, Arne Jacobsen) in a very clean white color.

Upon arriving to sky bar on the 12th floor, the crowd was already bustling with everyone chatting and laughing away in their own world. What i really liked about this bar was that their seats were in the form of swings and had a beautiful  night view of Copenhagen right in front. My friend and i decided to become kids again and sat on the swings as we sipped on cocktails and chatted the night away, just as we saw some fireworks up in the air from a distant. And if you are feeling a little peckish, you can head over to Sticks ‘n’ Sushi for some Japanese food, which is on the same floor as the sky bar. Having the best of both worlds, what isn’t there to love, right?

Photo source: all photos by me

Tivoli Christmas Market By Night

Tivoli is an amusement park in Copenhagen, and being the second oldest amusement park in the world, where it was opened in August 1843, this is definitely a place worth visiting. Tivoli is a fun place for both adults and children, where there are rides for all ages, and you can enjoy Denmark’s famous and delicious soft ice (soft ice cream), as well as other savory foods, while intaking the lovely view of the Tivoli Garden.

I’ve never been to Tivoli during the winter season so when i found out they were having a Christmas market during December, i was more than thrilled to see it with my very own eyes. The entrance of Tivoli always amazes me and this time was no different, except it looked even more beautiful with it’s dreamy Christmas lights shining amidst the night. There were also some baby reindeers not long after we walked into Tivoli, which is a fun event for those with children and an opportunity for them to learn about animals. Or you can even stand in que and wait to take a photo with santa clause.

There were a lot of shops selling cute Christmas decorations, and some shops serving hot drinks, such as mulled wine, warm waffles with jam and chocolate sauce, and savory food, to fight off the cold weather. One of the best things about visiting Tivoli at night during Christmas, is just how magical the place turns into, with all the pretty lights shining everywhere.

A few of my favorite spots at Tivoli was the Taj Mahal building lighting up with a beautiful white peacock at the front, the very fairy tale looking swings, and the one that really made me stand still in admiration was the tree that had these lovely red hearts hanging down.

I was also lucky enough to witness the water and light show, just as we were on our way to leave Tivoli, as it was near closing time. The music playing in symphony along with the water, while the lights changed to different colors, was such a beauty.

I will definitely be going back to Tivoli, just a matter of when.

Photo source: all photos by me

Visiting Beautiful Copenhagen

With Denmark being reported as one of the happiest country in the world, it’s no wonder one must take at least one trip, to this wonderful land of happiness. As Copenhagen is my home town, i always go back to visit families and this city never fails to take my breath away.  And my visit back home last Christmas was no exception. If you are ever planning to visit Copenhagen, here are a list of my top things to do so you can make the most out of your trip.

One of my favorite things to do in Copenhagen is to walk by foot as it’s a relatively small city, and just admire the history and architect that this historical Nordic city has to offer. Museums and galleries are always in my agenda when i go traveling, and i feel it’s a fun way to understand more about a country. Amalienborg is the winter residence of the Danish royal family and definitely a must see. Take a walk along Amalienborg Palace, which consists of the four rococo palaces, and take photos of their majestic and historical  buildings.

If you are at the Amalienborg Palace during noon time, you will even be able to experience the change of guards in the court yard, where the Royal Life Guards are dressed in their distinctive black and blue uniform. However, you can also witness their vibrant red and blue uniform during special occasions or ceremonies, such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and etc, within the royal family.

You can also visit the Amalienborg Museum  if time permits, and understand the history about the Danish royal family. You are allowed to take photos inside the museum but you will need to pay for this. The dining room was one of the rooms that impressed me the most, which was where Christian X and Queen Alexandrine used at the time. The white detailing of the dining table, chairs, and cabinets, along with the golden wall gives it a very royal look. The lovely plates hung on the golden wall were actually wedding gifts for Christian X and Queen Alexandrine in 1898.

And if you want a little souvenir, you can check out their shop where they sell post cards and books relating to the royal family, and some other cute Danish souvenirs. One of my most common souvenir purchases are magnets and postcards and this shop was like heaven for me. In fact, i’m a collector of magnets and postcards for every country or city i visit.

You can also do a quick stop over at the Marble Church (Frederiks Kirke), which is located on the west of Amalienborg Palace, and is only a mere 10 – 15 minutes walk away. Admiring this beauty from a far or close up is just as exquisite. The dome of the Marble church is also known to be the largest church dome in Scandinavia (according to wikipedia). If the exterior of this church is not enough to impress you, then take a walk into the church itself and experience a magical moment, where you will walk into a space of serenity. The dark and quiet ambiance along with with candles lit up, against these tall concrete walls and a beautiful  ceiling of the dome, was enough to take my breath away.

After a long day of walking and if you want to take a break but not go too far, then look no further then visiting the Mormors Cafe (Grandmother’s cafe in English translation), which is also near Amalienborg Palace, located on Bredgade 45, Copenhagen 1260. You can find more details on their website here. My friend and i happened to stumble upon this local cafe by accident, as it started to rain, and we were tired and hungry. The cafe has a very traditional homey ambiance to it, with the floral wallpaper, wooden chairs and table, and old white cabinets to display their goodies. It’s almost sort of a moment you experience when you’re visiting your grandmother in her old cottage house.

I’m not sure if this cafe is a popular spot in Copenhagen but it definitely is a cosy and quiet place to chill with friends. I ordered a cappuccino and their home made apple crumble cake with cream, and was more than happy to stay out of the cold. It was just the perfect way to end our night.

Photo source: all photos by me

Copenhagen Street Style

Just thought i would share a quick post with you all of the fabulous Copenhagen Street Style. It only seems like the right way to bid farewell to my home town:) Enjoy!

Stripe it!

Lets roll with it

The ballet bun chic

 The floral fashionista 

Black meets wild wild wild prints

Do i need to say more? 😉

The knee high socks chic

Short jean shorts glam

Color me beautiful

Photo Source

Art jamming in Fox Hotel

If you happened to be travelling to Denmark for this Easter break and wanna experience something totally different and out of the normality, then staying at the Fox Hotel may just be the answer.  Fox Hotel is situated in the  heart of Denmark’s capital city Copenhagen. I haven’t personally stayed in this hotel before and so i sadly cant give any feed backs on it, but i read up on their website and the concept really got to me.

It  started in 2005 where Wolksvagan Fox was launching out and 21 artists from around the world in the fields of graphic design, urban art, design, and illustration were called out to work on this big scale project, which is known as today’s Fox Hotel. This hotel has 61 rooms and they all consist of different designs so getting bored of one room will not be an issue at all!!!:)  I would say alot of art jamming went into these rooms and im sure experiencing these rooms in real person will be totally awesome!!!  Below are a few of my fav rooms.

If anyone has the chance to stay at the Fox Hotel then please let me know how the experience was!!! And of course if i do ever stay at the Fox, i’ll be posting photos up whether you want me to or not, haha. I was actually thinking which room i will choose if i have a choice. I probably will go for the full on exotic red room , Japanese inspired room with the red walls, the whitish room with a chandelier that has a royal look to it, and the black and white room with a woman on the wall. Wow, that was quite alot, lol. So what’s your favorite pick?!!??  

Gosh, its getting late, i need to go chill and watch a DVD or something:D

Happy Bunny Hopping…..and eat lots of chocolate easter eggs & bunnies!!!!

Photo Source:  http://www.hotelfox.dk