One of our suppliers, located just outside of Copenhagen, had arranged for an international training session for 5 days and as the ANZ distributors, we had to attend!
Arriving in Copenhagen a little before the start of our supplier training, we got out on foot and started walking all over the city of Copenhagen to get a feel for it. The first thing that stood out was the number of pushbikes in the city, and secondly was the oderly way it all just flowed and how they observed the road rules. There were even traffic lights for the bikes.
The city is clean, very clean. There are many canals and Copenhagen was modeled on Amsterdam and hence the canals.
Walking around Copenhagen, one cannot help stopping at local pub for a beer and a feed and to contemplate the passing world.... especially while on Hans Christain Andersen Boulevard. I wonder if he also had a feed and a beer at the same pub?!
Within Copenhagen itself is a place called Christiana. It is an autonomous hippie district that is self governing and has been around since the 70's. It's worth a visit for sure. We took no photos as we were unsure if we could, as it turns out we could have but nevermind.... Check out this link to see more on Christiana and its rules... https://theculturetrip.com/europe/denmark/copenhagen/articles/7-things-tourists-shouldnt-do-in-freetown-christiania/
We did a canal tour, tried various street food vendors (there is a whole undercover area on one of the canals dedicated to this), and we walker - a lot!
Houseboats take on a whole new meaning in Copenhagen......
Into Lego.....???? Denmark is the home of Lego... pick a colour, pick a shape and go to dedicated multilevel Lego stores and buy what you need! Looking for a "special" Lego model? You'd be amazed as to what you'll find.
We hired a car in Coenhagen and toured around northern Denmark. We headed up the east coast to Kronborg to do a little exploring. Kronborg is approx 3km from Sweden and the only thing that separates Denmark from Sweden is that 3km stretch of the Baltic Sea.
Kronborg was once a fortification to protect the Danes from the Swedes. The fort was surrounded by high walls, a moat, and had battalions of men and horses at the ready in case of invasion.
Manicuerd gardens and vast estates can be found all over Europe and Denmark is no exception....
After our tourist session, we then ended up in a town called Hillerod where we attended a 5-day training session. On one of the days, Stephanie and I asked where they suggested we go for dinner, and one of the people suggested Sweden!
"You know there is a 7km tunnel on the floor of the Baltic Sea that starts in Copenhagen and surfaces on an island that sits in the middle of the strait. From there, there is a 7km bridge that continues across the strait and you end up in Malmo in Sweden. That would be a fun thing to do for dinner tonight!"
Not another word needed to be said, we were sold on the idea. So at the end of the training day, we headed to Sweden! A Euro$50 toll (one way) and we found ourselves in Malmo Sweden. We parked the car and found a restaurant (the name appealed), so we walked in. The food was great, the service was also excellent and we were happy. we explored Malmo a little by foot and car before heading back to Hillerod.
One of Copenhagen's most visited landmarks is Nyhvan harbour because of all the decorated old buildings... We visited there as it was a bustling place.
After or training, we left Hillerod and headed back to Copenhagen.
We stayed in an older style hotel this time. Now this was awesome..... once we found the place (wasn't easy), Stephanie ran inside to check in while I stayed in the car parked in a no parking area. When she came out, she guided me to the car park - via a car elevator. Luckily, our car managed to fit into this elevator and we went to the basement level (or -1 as the Danes would have it) and we parked the car. The video below was taken from inside the car as the elevator was too tight for me to open the door and get out!
It was a fun couple of weeks visiting somewhere we would never have considered as a priority. The people were friendly and there was plenty to experience. I would have loved to visit Legoland, but unfortunately, time did not permit this.
If you get a chance, and you are travelling around the Scandinavian countries, I would encourage you to visit Denmark and its capital Copenhagen.
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