Berlin beginnings

Scheduling a concert the night before a long travel day isn’t the best planning but at least the concert was very good.

Sleep deprived, I head to the train station in the morning to travel to Berlin – about a 7 hour journey. I am departing from Copenhagen and things are already off to a shaky start because my train is delayed and I have a 30 minute connection in Hamburg. As I wait the train gets delayed even more and then we are made to change tracks. Eventually other guests and I start to notice that the screen above starts crossing off the Hamburg Hbf (Hamburg main station) portion of the itinerary, a place most of us need to go to get our connections. Confusing as it is I start looking into alternative travel plans. I think I can go on to the final station in the itinerary (in Denmark) and try to find other trains to eventually get me to where I need to go. A few minute before the train arrives the itinerary switches back to going to Hamburg Hbf. Us passengers aren’t all convinced this is happening but we remain hopeful. At best most of us are missing our connections though. Some of my train companions have further to go like Switzerland; luckily there are trains available every hour to Berlin. We do make it to Hamburg and I wait until I can take the next available train to Berlin. I have napped a bit so I am not as cranky anymore.

I arrive in Berlin and easily figure out how to take the tram to my hotel. I am staying in a chain. Sometimes it is nice to know what to expect with the chain hotels having mostly consistent service and often breakfast. It costs more money and lacks charm but sometimes it is nice to just have modern comforts like air conditioning again. It’s been a long travel day so I call it an early night.

The next morning I have reservations at the Reichstag dome. The Reichstag is the government building where parliament meets. It has lots of history but for tourists there is the dome at top which was opened in 1999, almost ten years after the reunification of Germany. Reservations for the dome are compulsory and should be done at least a month in advance. Luckily I had the heads up from a friend who tried to visit before me. The audio guide is free and very necessary since it tells you about the skyline of Berlin as you climb the dome. There is a good lesson of history here but it is condensed. Another museum might be better to get a more thorough history of Germany. The appeal here is marveling at the artwork of the dome and appreciating the view of the skyline.

I am really liking the design of the different metro stations especially the one nearby.

I get a good introduction to the city here so I start formulating a plan of things I want to see. My next stop is the Brandenburg Gate, a 18th century gate to the city. You can’t see it here but I see in another museum later that part of the Berlin Wall went right through this area and it looked vastly different for many years.

Next stop is at a Jewish memorial, some unassuming rows of rectangles of various sizes.

I walk over to where I see my first sight of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to separate the sides of Germany from the conflicting governments at the time: East and West. East Berlin is GDR (German democratic republic) aka Soviet occupied zone and West Berlin is Federal Republic of Germany – the allied occupation side of Germany (USA, UK, and France). All of this is a result of WWII. The time of the wall was a very divided time in history, separating friends and families almost overnight. The wall destruction finally begins in 1989 after calls for reunification are successful. So Berlin as we know it is a fairly young city.

Next to this piece of the wall is a very thorough museum on the history of Germany and its affect on other parts of the world (Topography of Terror). It filled the holes I had on my education and made me worry based what is happening in my own country looking at Germany’s history in the early 20th century. Funny how history still wants to keep repeating itself.

The museum is very emotionally draining but I walk by the famous checkpoint Charlie location afterwards on the way to a scheduled visit to the Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral).

At the Berlin Cathedral I make the exhausting climb to the top to get another great view from the dome at top.

I climb back down and I am very exhausted at this point so I sit at a cafe and just stare at the water from the bottom side of the cathedral. I see two people with a fun looking cake and decide I need a piece. I watch boats and eat my cake.

Being tired it is a good time to do a river cruise. I order a beer and listen to the commentary as we float. I am regretting my decision of wearing a dark colored shirt because the sun is baking me at this point. I cheer on all the clouds.

Where my boat exits is the next museum I visit, DDR, a interactive museum about life in East Germany during soviet occupied times. It is educational and kitschy. I have fun here for a little while.

My energy is almost down to zero so I walk back toward my hotel. I stop in a tourist beer garden for dinner. I try to eat healthy by ordering the asparagus special but they are out of it. Being sick of eating salads lately I decide on a very unhealthy chicken schnitzel and lots of wine….I know I *should* be drinking beer in a beer garden but can’t handle multiple beers much anymore.

It’s been a long sightseeing day so now its time for bed.

More Copenhagen

It’s supposed to storm today so I am heading out early to the gloriously historic theme park of Copenhagen, Tivoli Gardens.

First I stop at the nearby food hall to try smorrebord and some fresh strawberries. We grow many strawberries where I live and I am embarrassed at what we call a strawberry; I believed I didn’t care for them much because ours are usually tasteless and a large size. This market’s strawberries are the opposite – bite size and full of sweet flavor. I am a fan. I buy a box of them to carry with me today.

Tivoli Gardens, the 19th century amusement park, feels like a walk in a Time Machine with all the splendor of times past. Although most rides and exhibits are actually high tech now, it gives you the feel like you are experiencing something from 150 years ago.

I buy a ticket to just enter the garden, which you can do, but there are also options for passes for rides. There is even an app to buy passes for individual rides if you wish to do so. It is probably more cost effective to buy a ride package but I didn’t really come to do all the rides so I just buy one ticket for one ride I want to try. I spend the rest of my time admiring the decor and eating all the things. I even do a little shopping. I stop at a restaurant on site for a beer and some white asparagus, one of my favorites lately. Not long after my lunch the clouds get thicker and I decide to start heading back to my hotel to wait out the storm.

Before I go back to my room I buy some snacks and gin cocktails to hunker down with. I am being warned about this upcoming storm by locals. I am from Florida and we know how to prepare for a storm (aka Land of Hurricanes) but turns out the storm is actually just a large amount of rain. My local friend tells me a storm like this is a big deal here because they aren’t a car centric city. Everyone has to try to get to their buses or trains or ride their bikes to places in this terrible weather. It is very disruptive. I use it as an excuse to call it a night early and try to see if I now like gin.

The next morning I finally get laundry done. The place close by doesn’t take credit cards but the one ten minutes away does. I start my load and then go out to enjoy a coffee and croissant. The lady who served me asked why I am out so early when it is obvious I am not a local. Yes I get up early no matter what time zone I am in; its my curse: sun is up and so am I. This will explain why I try really hard to go to bed early when I can. My wake time will not change no matter what time I go to bed.

After laundry I go back to Nyhavn to catch one of those canal boat tours, sitting in the back in the open even though it might rain again.. and it does. Luckily I remembered my jacket and it is only a light sprinkle. I get to see other parts of town I have yet to see and probably won’t due to time like Freetown Christiana (an independent hippie squatter part of the city). Today will be another short sightseeing day because I have bought tickets for a concert tonight.

After the boat tour I decide to eat all the foods I’ve had on my list. This leads inevitably to a tummy ache. I go back to my room to briefly recover when I get a message from friends of friends to meet them at a bar before the concert.

I am going to see one of my all time favorite bands tonight – Depeche Mode. When I am traveling I do check to see if any good bands will be in town while I am there and I always just miss bands. This time I am lucky and there are tickets available. After I purchase my seat though I notice I have a warning of it being a possible partially obstructed vision. Darn it! My local friend is going with some other friends. They have tickets in general admission. I avoid floor seats and general admission these days because I’m short and my views are usually very obstructed. It might have been fun to be down below with the crowd and dancing; no one but me is really dancing my section.

I never find the people I am supposed to meet at the Depeche Mode pre-party. I have never met them in person and it is hard to locate them based on the photos I see in the group chat. I decide to go ahead and head down toward the stadium because I have no idea how long it will take me to get there.

I eventually find my seat and the obstruction isn’t the best but I should still be able to enjoy the concert with it. Only unfortunate thing is I am in the center of the row so I need to monitor my fluid consumption. It will be a pain getting past all those people to go to the bathroom.

The show is everything I wanted it to be, the perfect mix of cool new stuff and fan favorites (the last time I saw DM they played majority new music). I am very happy I bought tickets to the show.

Depeche Mode

As expected it takes a while to get back with the crowds thick. However they have non-stop trains arriving to move the crowds out. Copenhagen knows how to plan! I end up sitting in the front and there is a cool view of the tunnels I never noticed before.

Time for bed since I am heading to Berlin tomorrow morning.

Copenhagen

I leave Ribe on a regional commuter train and switch trains at Bramming and somehow get a direct train to Copenhagen even though it seems like most have switches in Odense. I purchase an assigned seat but the train I am on does not have the car I am assigned to so I just grab a seat anywhere (we are on a two car train for some reason). Fortunately no one makes me get up for my entire journey. I have no train snacks because none of the stores are open before I leave in the morning.

My original plans had an overnight stop in Odense, the home of Hans Christian Andersen. Because I really dislike rushing through cities I cut out this stop and added time to Copenhagen instead. This gives me an excuse to return to Denmark.

I didn’t sleep well last night because of the party outside until late. Luckily I nap on the train ride.

It’s a 20 minute walk to my hotel so I grab a croissant sandwich and coffee for the journey. My room isn’t ready yet upon arrival which is probably good because I can see myself lazily lounging in my room until it is time to meet a friend later. I had originally planned to do laundry during this time as well but the weather is too beautiful to be inside. Hopefully I can make my clothes last a couple more days (sorry Copenhagen about my smell).

From my hotel walk towards what looks like the center of town. I end up on a busy shopping street. I notice truckloads of high school graduates in mobile parties like the ones I’ve seen in other towns. These are loud and more high tech though. One truck backs up into the square I am in and loads of kids come swarming, stripping off their clothes and bathing in a fountain. What fun! I will continue to see truck after truck of party goers the next few days (you can always hear them coming with the music and whistles).

There is a mermen statue underwater that I try to get a look at but the water is cloudy.

My friend reaches out. She is biking down and will meet me at a beer bar around the corner. We grab some beers and sit outside in the nice cool air and chat. It is very warm in the sun but in the shade the temperatures are perfect.

She takes me around town and shows me landmarks and gives me advice. We stop for a cider across the street from a Scientology building where there is a desk for L Ron Hubbard, if he ever comes back.

From there we share a BBQ plate at WarPigs, a Mikeller location that has American style BBQ. The BBQ pork rivals what I can get in the USA. The location is in the Meat Packing District which is basically an old meat packing district home now to many hangouts in its unassuming blue and white color buildings.

We go down by the water and enjoy the nice early evening. Danes are all about soaking up the sun. I am very lucky to be here this time of year with the sun constantly shining despite’s my annoyance that I will sometimes sweat here.

I finally check into my hotel and there is no AC as usual but I have a fan so I feel lucky. There is noise outside but I am so tired that I sleep well.

In the morning I head out early to get coffee. I am meeting my friend for brunch but not for a couple hours.

She suggests this very funky cafe Bankeråt around the corner from my hotel. There are lots of animal heads and other things…very strange. Brunch is the Danish style where you can choose a number of items from a list and they all come out in little containers (similar to what I did the other day in AArhus). It is like tapas for brunch.

She has errands to run so I wander around town by myself, first stopping to check out the food hall TorvehallerneKBH near my hotel. I am full now so I make a note to return.

This is a bike centric town so one has to make sure you are not actually walking in a bike lane. Bikers are pretty good at avoiding tourists but its always good to watch out for them.

I rent a bike and ride out to Superkillen park, a funky park in the Norroborro district that was designed to incorporate themes related to nearby immigrant groups.

I get on a bike again but this time starting my search for the popular little mermaid statue. I make a pit stop in a park and the happen upon some historic housing.

I find the genetically modified version of the little mermaid first, a modern art take on the historic character. There is also other weird sculptures in this area that looks like it is also a cruise port.

I eventually make it to the actual little mermaid and it is crowded with tour groups lining up to take pictures with the mermaid. I sit aside for a while thinking if I wait in out the crowds will die but they never do. I eventually get up and go snap some pictures myself, doing my best to avoid the crowds in my photos.

I continue on along the water to a waterside seafood restaurant where I get some fish and chips and a drink and watch the boats pass by. It is a beautiful day which I guess are rare here. I am very lucky because most of my days are beautiful.

I walk to Nyhavn district, the distinct beautiful view of the city with the colored buildings. I watch the drawbridge as the boats pass underneath.

I’ve been warned about the pricing of the area so I stop in a cute bar that is on the way back to my hotel to get a carrot cake themed whisky cocktail that is quite good.

Tomorrow I plan to check out the historic theme park Tivoli and try to beat the upcoming rain.

More Aarhus, open air museum

The next morning I walk down to Den Gamle By, an open air museum. I am really digging these open air museums lately. I love popping into a historic town and seeing how people lived. It’s voyarism at its best.

They must have built this entrance later because it seems they actually have us start now in present day instead of old times. I can tell later there was another entrance in the back of the complex. So basically I start in present day times, exploring stores and apartments set up on how people in Denmark live today. The apartments they show are pretty large. I move onto the 1950-1970’s stores and apartments. Finally its the early 1900’s and 1800’s.

I slowly glide through businesses and apartments from 1974 (the year I was born!). Again it is fun walking through apartments, one of a hippie commune, and wondering how life was like. There is an apartment that is set up like it houses Turkish immigrants and I learn how much labor had to be imported because they could not find native residents who could fill the employment needs.

At some point I end up in a museum, it is easy to get carried away here.

1800’s

I know I have missed something so I head back to see the 1970s gynecological office. Seems a little out of a horror movie. But things have surely gotten better, Right?

After Den Gamble By I travel over to Dokk1 which is basically a library. There is a very interesting art work here by the car park which is a city upside down. The car park itself is pretty cool. People park their car into available docks or elevators and I am assuming the car gets taken below. They then retrieve it later.

I later walk along the harbor a bit and then past a historic theater near my hotel.

I head to dinner, during this time I notice a bunch of white captain hats. A quick google tells me that those wearing them are recent graduates from high school and it is a Denmark tradition. Watching the graduates party seems to be a regular thing during the rest of my time in Denmark.

The next day I let myself rest a bit only leaving briefly to get coffee, where I get temporarily trapped by the rain. I am woken up by fireworks at 11:30 PM and loud birds in the early morning, a pattern that repeats the next night. Why I decided to not wear ear plugs when sleeping with an open window is beyond me. I eventually get my motivation and walk towards the water to explore one of the newer neighborhoods. I had originally planned to bike there as one blogger suggested but it isn’t a far walk. Sometimes I prefer walking so I can catch things along the way. Today is summer solstice so I’ll have plenty of sun to explore today.

Watching bike commuters while I’m trapped by rain.

I make it out to a Danish brunch and I’m a fan. The menu lists a bunch of choices and you can choose from a list of items to make your own breakfast combination.

I walk by rows and rows of boats. It is windy but the rain has stopped and the sun is out, I wonder why people are not out today. I know it is a week day but I always had the impression that Northern Europeans disappear from the office when they begin to see sunny days. I round the corner and see some sailboats. It seems like they are practicing tacking (I believe that is the word for turning around a water craft with a sail a term I only know because I had an ex determined to teach me how to wind surf).

I admire all the architecture. With all the windows I am able to slightly see into some apartments. I am very jealous of this lifestyle. Due to me not working and blowing all my money on travel I doubt I’ll be able to afford this lifestyle during my lifetime.

I walk past a row of wooden loft like houses. I can see completely inside and there are no curtains in sight (again with the large windows). It appears they can be rented out for stays. They are the definition of hygge. I have already decided that if I ever own a home again at least one room will be inspired by this.

I walk to another pier that seems to be the place for water sports. There is an area for swimming and a place to practice wake boarding. I watch for a while.

I had decided to head back toward the Latin quarter when I spot a dome in the distance on another pier. There are square foot gardens, wildflower patches and a cafe. The cafe seems to be occupied by a private meeting so I wander around for a bit instead.

It is here I decide to finally rent the bike, although my ride back is pretty short. I guess I could have taken it out for longer but it seems that it is going to rain again.

After a break in my room I head to a nice cafe. I am not impressed with my meal but the atmosphere is nice. I even get chilly and need to use my jacket. I have a cocktail at a local bar and then head to 7-eleven to get a water and some snacks. While in line a very intoxicated high school grad caresses my arm. He isn’t trying to be a jerk, he is just very drunk and friendly, even telling the older lady in line next to me that she is beautiful. It is a very weird interaction. I witness broken beer bottles and cups of half empty alcohol randomly placed around town. I am sure it is not always like this, is it?

Tomorrow I’m off to Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town.

Denmark, land of Danes

I’ve left Norway after a nice long visit. There is still so much to see there but my bank account can’t handle an extended visit in that country. Now I head to Denmark which is almost as pricey.

My plan for Denmark is to start north and then eventually end up in Copenhagen. My itinerary started busy with many city changes but I do eliminate at least one overnight location because I very much need to start scheduling more downtime. After my friend who never sleeps left me in Norway I joke that I took at least four naps the next day (two of them were on flights but I never nap like that back home). Not getting a full night sleep for multiple days hits me hard….but I did have fun.

Now I’m in Aalborg, a quiet town in northern Denmark. Right before I get off the airport bus I slam my leg into something. I am always smashing into things but this pain is so bad it debilitates me for a second, luckily the driver doesn’t take off right away because it takes me a second to get my composure and bags. As I hop off the bus a bike almost runs into me. Apparently part of the sidewalk is a bike lane. I am loving the bike friendliness but I just am not prepared. I drop my bags and take a couple more seconds to breathe through the pain. This is going to be a huge bruise later (note: the bruise resulting from this injury stays with me months later – no exaggeration).

I find my hotel on this unseasonably HOT day and there is no AC but they do include a fan in the room. Bonus points for them. I have no real plans within the town only a day trip tomorrow but the front desk is very helpful with suggestions.

After my bag drop at hotel I go out to explore and eat lunch. All the places I had picked to eat at are either empty or not open yet. I settle on a place that has smørrebrød, a thick heavy dark bread topped with any number of ingredients. I order the eel because someone says eel is good in some online review. There is bread, some sort of aioli, cold eel and topped with tomatoes, chives and dill. It is good but I find myself eyeing my neighbors plates instead. Smørrebrød is popular throughout Denmark so I am sure I’ll try it again.

I walk down to the water to admire the action down there. It is Saturday and beautiful and many are out enjoying it. A DJ plays techno music in a park while people sip on beers they can purchase from a trailer.

Also nearby is a very large USA coast guard ship. It is available for touring but I have missed the visting hours. After chatting with my cousin he tells me that it was docked in London years ago and he learned it used to be a German ship that USA acquired in WW2.

I walk down the party street Jomfru Ane Gade. I am not in the mood for partying but I do come across this interesting tapas chain on the corner of the street. My smorrebrod from earlier didn’t quite fill me up so I head in for a snack and a drink. The food isn’t too exciting but I am able to get some vegetable tapas to fill my veggie quota for the day (although the asparagus is swimming in bacon, not quite as healthy).

The next morning after breakfast I take the train to Skagen. Google somehow had the times wrong and I had to wait an additional half hour – perhaps I was looking at Saturday times and today is Sunday. Anyway the train runs every hour most days and is about a slow 2 hour ride to Skagen. It is slow because there are a few stops where it just sits and waits for about ten minutes. Without those waits I believe the route could be faster.

After I get off the train I head first to a bakery. I walk down a shopping street and am tempted by all the adorable sundresses on the racks outside. At the bakery I try a very large danish (but it is technically a half serving). I can tell you what we get in the USA should be embarrassed be called a danish. It is nothing like what I’ve been getting in the Nordic countries.

I head over to the bike rental place closer to the water. I realize later there is one right outside the train station but because I didn’t walk by it I never realized it was there until I caught the afternoon train back. The bikes are rented for the day which is fine because I have no idea how long I will need the bike anyway. I head in the direction of Grenen. I stop to admire the ocean views along the way.

When I get to the parking lot for Grenen there is a large area for parking bikes. Luckily these bikes have locks built in. I make sure the bike is locked and take the key with me.

It is a 3km walk to and back to the tip of the beach that contains the point where the two oceans collide into each other: North Sea and Baltic Sea. You walk past old German bunkers used by the nazi’s in WWII when they occupied Denmark. I then walk along the beach where dozens of jellyfish are pushed onto shore by the waves. I try to avoid them but do end up stepping on one when I am on my phone and not paying attention. Luckily there are no stingers involved since I am barefoot and enjoying the cold water. We are told no swimming is allowed because of the strong currents but I do occasionally let the water cover my feet.

I get to the tip of the peninsula where the oceans meet. You can see the waves occasionally head toward each other. I think the effect is more pronounced at low tide but now it is closer to high tide. There is a crowd at the tip as well as unclothed children running around. It is my understanding that Denmark is pretty liberal with its stance on nudity but I am struggling to get pictures without these kids in it. Thankfully they soon get clothed and leave.

I enjoy the view for a bit and then walk back to my bike. Except for the high tide I timed my visit correctly because it seems like it is going to start to rain soon. I get on the bike and head back to Skagen. I ride around a bit and get a seafood lunch. I order a plate of peel and eat shrimp and Norwegian lobsters (similar to langostinos).

It does start to rain a bit while I eat but I decided to ride around town a bit anyway. I return the bike and head to the train station to take the 2 hour ride back. When I arrive in Aalborg I take a quick stop at the singing trees. There is a park behind the train station that has boxes in front of rows of trees. Each box represents a musical artist that has visited the city. You can push a button and listen to samples of their music. It is a very unique art installation. The park seems safe enough but toward the edge of this exhibit there are some people sitting at a picnic table acting erratically (drugs maybe). Every place I’ve been in my recent travels has been very safe but I also have good instinct so I get far away from the group…..no need to chase trouble.

I fortunately bought snacks this time and decided I wasn’t hungry enough to go eat dinner somewhere tonight. This might be a good time to catch up on some much needed rest again.

Tomorrow I head to another city in Denmark.