Day 5: Day trip to west coast

5th August, Saeby

The day started with the fantastic Gronbech breakfast of danish bread, cheese and cold cuts.

Danish Pastry

Today we are supposed to go on a day trip to the west coast of Denmark. We started our journey around 10:30 AM after dropping the kids at Hanna's place. The day was bright and sunny and we had a nice drive chatting over things. The wind turbines look fascinating. I was told that Denmark only produces 20% of its electricity by wind and is trying to increase this. The citizens have an option of buying power from different operators. Also they can choose to pay extra and use wind power produced locally rather than what is imported from Norway. You can also have your own small wind turbine just to power your house, anything extra can be sold to  the grid.

Our first stop was in the rock and roll museum at Blokhus which was also hosting the annual sand and wood sculpture show. It was real nice to see how amazing sculptures has been carved out of sand by the artists.

The sand sculptures

We moved ahead to reach the west coast which around 15 Kms of white sand beach next to the north sea and the best thing was, you can drive on it all the way. It was a nice beach with some good waves for surfing. The beach was dotted with people having a good time camping, kiting, sunbathing and relaxing next to their camper vans. The beach also has a lot of summer houses nearby which can be rented or you can opt to rent a few cabins just on the beach. We drove around 10 kms on the beach and then came on the road towards Longstrup, a nice lazy town where we plan to have our late lunch.

Longstrup Beach

We have somehow fallen in love with the small, cosy and colourful scandinavian countryside houses. Longstrup was dotted with them, with beautiful flowering plants all around. Another fascinating thing to see is locals keep things which they wanna sell viz. vegetables from their kitchen garden, some shells they found while fishing or anything else and tag the price on it along with a box for people to drop the money. People here are so honest, they drop the money in the box and take what they want, no one need to sit around selling. Back home, i am sure it would have been very very different.

We settled on a place called Mama Rosa and ordered for some danish open sandwiches(79 DKK) and a platter(98 DKK) for me and John. Lotte settled for some vegetarian dish. Due to the flu which got me from the day before, i abstiened  from having any beer. My platter consisted of danish meatball, deep friend fish fillet, a heap of fresh shrimps and some lovely pickled herring (which i am so much in love with by now). We were approached by the gorgeous stewardess who told me in broken hindi how much she loved Bollywood movies and come to india some day. She apparently have seen a few of Pritha's brother's movies too. It amazes me every time how Bollywood connects everyone.

At Mamma Rosa

We started our way back to cut through straight towards saeby. On our way back we made a stopover at Frederikshavn harbour to purchase our ferry tickets for Goteborg, the next day. (170 DKK each).

We reached home around 5:30 PM, after picking up the kids from Hanna and chris's house. We did spend some time with them over some very nice wine. I must say the danes are a very warm and hospitable community.

We decided to take an hours power nap before we leave for dinner later in the evening. Me and Pritha, along with Lotte,john, the kids and sophie left for our planned dinner at the harbour at Jensen's  Fiskerestaurant. I have been here before and hence know how good it is. Jensen's is always full and hence a prior booking can be handy. The spread is mainly variety of fishes and lobsters/ crayfish. After a hearty meal we took a well deserved walk on the harbour. The weather was warm and sunny, perfect day. We walked past "The Lady from the sea", which is situated on the harbour. After a long stroll on the trails around the creek and tasting some fabulous softies ( called soft ice here), we headed towards the hill top from where you get a very good view of the sea, but it was quiet dark by the time we reached there.

At Jensen's

So we reached home and somehow got into the sports mode. So after a few rounds of table tennis and air hockey, we retired to our beds. A fantastic trip to Denmark comes to an end. We had spend around 2500 DKK apart from what we had spend on accommodation in Copenhagen.

Day 4: With the Gronbech family in Saeby

4^th August, Alborg/Saeby

Woke up at 3 AM to pack our bags and leave after dropping the keys in morten’s mailbox. We took the metro to Luftavn station. Metros here runs all night long so we didn’t have any problems getting there. From Luftavn station free airport bus took us to Terminal 1, which is the domestic airport. These busses start at 4:30 AM and hence we got the 1^st one. Our flight was at 7:35 AM and being the calculative indian we reached the deserted terminal at 4:45 AM only to be told checking starts only at 6 AM. Checkins are pretty smooth as you do self checkin and also print out the luggage tags at self help machines. After dropping off the luggage, we had a quick breakfast of rye bread, open sandwich and croissants (87 DKK) at the airport before boarding flight. Norwegian seemed to be quiet an ok carrier and got us to Aalborg on time at 8:30 AM.

 Aalborg airport is really small and cute which normally doesn't get more than a flight at a time. We got down and took 5 minutes to buy a bottle of wine for the Gronbechs at the duty free, in the meantime everyone picked up their luggage and left and i found only 2 of our backpacks going around on the conveyer. Outside was deserted, as if its our own private airport. John was nowhere in sight. After waiting for 10 minutes i decided to give him a  call, only to find out that he confused the dates and thought we were coming the next day. So have to wait for 45 minutes before an embarrassed John arrived to pick us up.

A fantastic drive through the countryside amidst wind turbines and potato fields took us to the small town of Saeby. We were welcomed by John's lovely wife Lotte and kids Mess,Younas and Matieyas. Also John's mother in law was in the house and was a very nice lady to meet even though she doesn't speaks a word of English. We were introduced to the liberal Danish culture, when we were introduced to 17 year old Mess's girlfriend Sophie who was staying along with them for the time being. Hopefully indian parents get even half as liberal to that.

The Gronbech Mansion

We had a filling breakfast of fresh danish bread, cold cuts and cheese and were told we will be taken on a tour of the town soon.So we took the leisurely walk around the old lanes and renovated, brightly coloured houses of Saeby along with John and Lotte. We looked around a lot of artist studios and art galleries before admiring the danish church at the havn or harbour.

Frank's Restaurant

Saeby Harbour

All this time the weather was chilly with an overcast sky, drizzling here and there. We sat at Frank's cafe next to the small harbour filled with numerous yachts and speedboat for a few beers. In the meantime the sun came out and then never went out. We drove back home as we were told that we have to join them for a traditional family dinner at John's parents house closely. 

It was a very cosy and well done up house that Paul, John's dad has, who was a farmer and hence loved his garden and green house. They have a huge kitchen farm with fresh vegetables coming out apart from numerous flowering plants and apple trees loaded with fruits. John's sister Hanna and her husband Chris joined us with their 5 kids and a golden retriever. A fantastic time filled with tuborg, chats and traditional danish meal is what followed. The speciality was this fish which is salted and dried for days before frying and serving it with berry pastes and parsley dip, along with boiled fresh vegetables from the garden.

Paul's House

The lovely Gronbech Family

                                                 

Having a hyggely time

The traditional dried fish dish

We came back after a day full of warmth from the extended Gronbech family. I caught a bit of flu due to the cold weather and have to get in bed after a few nicely brewed coffee and chit chat. 

Day 3: Experiencing Christinia

3^rd August, Copenhagen

We woke up at 9 AM. Made some good breakfast and started for a nice walk.

We wanted to have a relaxed day today as we did all the touristy things already. A good way of doing it is just buy the ticket to hop in hop off bus, be on the open roof and just don’t hop off for a few hours. So just feel the breeze and drive around the city. We took the mermaid tour route along with Carlsberg and christinia tour for 195 DKK per person. The whole plan was to take it in late afternoon to reach christinia and leave it.

We dropped the idea of doing Tivoli gardens,(As we are doing Liseberg in Sweden) which is a nice amusement park in the heart of the city. This is known to be the oldest amusement park in the world with a 100 yr old rollercoaster. Walt Disney got his inspiration for Disneyland from here. We checked out the neighboring Hard rock café in the meantime.

While we were waiting for our bus for Carlsberg route we met this Pakistani chap who approached us and asked if we want any help. He told us about some cheap indian and afgani restaurants and gift shops if we want to buy gifts cheap. Also he volunteered to draw us the route to reach Hindu temple, where we can get free food. (Nothing was of our interest as we are NOT the typical Indian travellers who definitely would have been interested).

We came to know that he came to Denmark 10 yrs back and did his engineering here. But due to the bad job market he was driving this hop on hop off bus now.

We moved ahead with the Carlsberg route, saw the brewery and got dropped back around 1:30 PM. We decided to check a few design shops around. Danish designs are one of the most chic and modern designs in the world. Especially when it comes to furniture and other house utilities. Needless to say but they are tremendously expensive. I definitely am a big fan of various Danish brands, but need to live here to buy them.

This being our last day in Copenhagen we wanted to have a traditional Danish Lunch and we found this very friendly restaurant called Skindbuksen on Lille kongensgade 4.

A few courses costs us 348 DKK. This included 2 Carlsberg drafts, my favourite pickled herring (to die for), deep fried fish with relish, creamy chicken mayo salad with bacon, pork roast with red cabbage and some fantastic black bread, cheese and butter. After this hearty meal we made our way to catch the last bus to Christiania at 3:40 PM. Pritha wanted to see the opera house from close eventhough we saw it from the other side of old town, while on the walking tour. So we decided to get down at opera house, which is just next to the big canal.

On the way we saw these amazing studio apartments and villas which will change the definition of coziness for an indian. These apartments have a canal running in the front where you can park your boat or yacht. Needless to say you can jump into the clear and clean water whenever you please. Due to the gourmet meal we had, we were feeling very sleepy and as soon as we reached the breezy opera house the only thing I could think of was to take a nap next to the canal. I had one of the best sleep in the last few months there. When both of us woke up after an hour we have charged our batteries for Christinia. The free town was buzzing today as it seems they have a big music festival. A lot of musicians support the rainbow lifestyle and I heard a lot of big names like red hot chilli peppers have performed in christinia.

After taking Pritha round the bohemian graphitized neighborhood, we settled for some Christinia beer and found ourselves a place to sit over the hillside to listen to these fantastic local bands playing everything from jazz to rock. An amazing mix of happy people all around us we had a fantastic time lazing around and taking a walk around the trails and lakes of Christinia. We finished the day at christinia with some shwarma and crepes at a street stall run by this polish student. (30 DKK)

We walked back home all tired with sore knee and ankles, dozing off as soon as we hit the couch.

Day 2: Exploring Copenhagen

2nd August, Copenhagen

So much was happening since last 2 days that was getting tired, by the time am reaching home in the night, all i can do is sleep and snore.

The day started with an amazing breakfast of fried bacon, eggs, orange juice and some great bread baked by Pritha. (Morten's formula).

Breakfast

It was a bright and sunny day and we decided to move out around 10 AM, to catch a leisurely walk along Strøget – Vimmelskafte, which is a walking street full of fashion and street performers. Living just on top of it has its own perks. So a nice walk amidst chirpy, happy tourists was good and we reached the town hall, where we wanted to join the free walking tour. For people who don’t know what is a free walking tour, it is a tour completely based on tips. So if you don’t feel like giving any, that’s completely fine. I have been using these tours in almost all European cities and I will say these are the best. The guides are one of the most hilarious ones and they really make your day. For knowing more details on the Copenhagen one go to http://www.copenhagenfreewalkingtours.dk

We met up with the tour organizers and signed up for the 11 AM tour, which was supposed to be a 3 hour walking tour. Our guide Magnus, a.k.a Danish Jesus, was a very funny guy with a very good sense of sarcasm. I was amazed to see a group of teenagers and some chinese kids sitting on the town hall steps getting drunk on jagermeister at 11 AM in the morning. Before they could interrupt our tour we moved away. What followed was a lot of banter, anecdotes and fun filled time with Magnus. We covered the centers of activity for Copenhageners, including the Lur Blowers, a look at Tivoli Gardens (from the outside) and the start of Strøget, the walking street, cobble-stoned streets of medieval Copenhagen, a lot of stories on Bishop Absalon, the founding father of Copenhagen, Kongens Nytorv, one of the most spectacular squares, with excellent examples of 17th Century Architecture, including Magasin Du Nord, the Old Royal Theatre and historical Hotel d'Angleterre.

Marble church

At this point we took a coffee break at this cosy café (Baresso) next door. 2 nice coffees with cookies cost us 94 DKK. I took this time to discuss with Magnus, why Danes are the happiest human beings. Danes are one of the highest taxpayers in the world, which ranges from 50-65%. On top of it there is a 25% VAT that you pay on almost everything. Cars are taxed at 180%. However this is what they get out of this, free education till university. After you reach 18, you get 5500 DKK per month above free education to sustain yourself, if you are living on your own.

If you are working and lose your job, you get 10,000 DKK till you get a job or 2 years. This goes up if you have kids or you are handicapped, etc etc. After women go back to work post maternity leave, the father is entitled to a year of paternity leave on 80% of your pay. Rest retirement benefits etc are there too.

Off course Magnus agreed that this is possible due to the low population. Denmark has been considered by world media to be the most livable city in the world. We also discussed on the concept of Hygge, which is a thing every dane is very concerned about. This translates to cosyness and family time. Having worked with danes, I very well know what this means. Good Life!!!

We also had a walk on Nyhavn, the wonderful colourful harbour front, which we discovered the previous night, where Copenhageners and visitors alike gather to sip cold beer and enjoy the sea air. This also hosts the house of the famous writer Hans Christian Anderson, who once said “To Travel is to Live”.

Amalienborg Palace, the home of the oldest Royal Family in the world and the Marble Church, with its impressive dome, one of the features of Frederiksstaden, and examples of Rococo architecture.

Nyhavn

At the end of the walk we saw the Maersk headquarters and a walk took us to the little mermaid, a brass statue on a big rock, reminding of Hans Christian Anderson’s famous character.

The little mermaid

The canal tours

Us with Magnus

After tipping our guide for the tour, we decided to do the Chirtianshavn and Christinia Free Town tour with them at 4 PM and also bought tickets for the Pub-crawl in the evening. How can we stay home on a Saturday night? It was 100 DKK and gets you free shots and beers in a few bars and clubs. This also is a great platform to socialize and meet fellow travellers.

By the time we reached home, it was raining and we just managed to get 20 minutes rest before rushing for the Chritanshavn walking tour. Pritha decided to drop the idea as see needed to rest for the pub crawl, so have to go alone. It was a hell lot of walking around, but the history was amazing. What was more to my interest was the Freetown of Christinia, which the bohemian, hippie neighbourhood which runs this parallel town which also hold the Green Light District, if you guys know what I mean. This board at the exit which say, from here you will enter the EU, says it all. Free sale of soft drugs is allowed inside and hence absolutely no use of cameras is tolerated. Had some good swarmas there for 30 DKK.

Christinia

I spend a few hours there before taking a long walk home to meet Pritha. After some delicious icecream at Nyhavn, we joined the Pub-crawl for a crazy crazy night of partying. Jager bombs for 10DKK and beers for 25 DKK. We met a lot of interesting people from Singapore, Hawaii, Australia and Germany. We finished around 2 AM before walking back to our apartment and crash.

A very very tiring but eventful day.

Day 1: In the happiest nation of the world

So 31st july finally came, the day we were eagerly waiting for. At 9 PM, accompanied by 2 of our faithful backpacks loaded with a lot of enthusiasm, amidst torrential rains we flew to Delhi to start our epic journey to the nordic Europe. At delhi it was a night catching up with cousin and friends over some JD and wine till 2:30 AM and then a few hours nap, before heading to terminal 3 to catch our Finn Air flight to Copenhagen via Helsinki. My newly acquired priority pass came in handy giving us exquisite lounge access at almost all airports. Takes away a lot of stress for sure.

Our flight to Helsinki was at 10:30 AM indian time and we were supposed to land in vantaa international airport Helsinki at 3:20 PM. The connecting flight was supposed to start boarding at 4:05 PM. So that gives us a 40 minutes window to clear security check, passport control (As we are arriving from a non Schengen country) and reach the designated gate for boarding. Having travelled extensively, i understand this is pretty tight as european airports gets pretty crowded during summers and the queues are at times quiet long. With some good inputs on flight by Finn Air’s literature i found out that we don’t need to change terminal and Terminal 2 where we will land is pretty average in size. So we rushed out on landing, breezed through security and after spending some time in the passport control queue did make it to Gate 31E at 4:00 PM. Pat on our back.

Now the drama unfolds. Gate 31E seems to be swarming with passengers. Apparently Our flight AY699 was tremendously overbooked and chaos was all around with quiet a lot of people waiting on standby list. What amazed me, was with the amount of ease with which airlines ground staff were dealing with the passengers and the level of patience and regard with which passengers were cooperating with the airlines staff. Ground staff announced for volunteers  who are ready to take a flight an hour and half later, as some passengers on standby were in dire need of taking this overbooked flight to meet their schedule. Also a 125 Euro in cash was offered to anyone showing any compassion. Ya Ya, you guessed it all. My hand went up immediately. We were not in a hurry anyways to reach Copenhagen. It so happened that they just needed 1 extra volunteer and i was the man. It was a win win as both me and Pritha wanted some time on our own to check out the airports, so happily we parted ways after a vote of thanks from the Finnish lady who could take my seat on the flight. Pritha to Copenhagen and me waiting at Helsinki on the next flight. i was given a new boarding pass and a prepaid visa card with 125 Euros loaded on it. Helsinki airport has free wi fi, thanks to Air bnb’s android app, we are always connected to the owners via messenger and hence could let our host know that we will be late. 

I arrived Copenhagen at 6:30 PM to be reunited by Pritha, who in the meantime collected enough maps and tourist info to take us through. Unfortunately due to a lot of delayed flights the belts were clogged and almost took an hour before we got our luggage. So we were finally Happy, in the happiest nation in the world.

At Kastrup Airport

On our way in the Metro

 From Copenhagen Airport Kastrup, we have to take the metro and get off at 'Kongens Nytorv' station. This was pretty simple as tickets can be purchased with Automated counters  which accepts credit cards too. This was of great help because somehow the ATM at the airport wasn't accepting any of my 3 debit cards. The price for a 2 zone ticket was 24 DKK per person.

Our host gave an amazing description of how to reach the house and we made it around 8:30 PM after around 800m of walk in beautiful weather.

The apartment is on 5th floor and is a typical danish attic studio, tastefully designed. As there were no other guests we had the entire apartment to ourselves. Morten, our host was a very friendly person. He gave us all the briefs on the house and the security. We had full access to kitchen and pantry loaded with enough grocery to make our own breakfast and dinner. So we almost have everything that we needed.

The Bedroom 

The living room

The Kitchen

Around 9PM we decided to go on a leisure walk just to get our coordinates straight. Our location was fantastic, just in the heart of the city. Everything was walkable. We found this hot dog cart serving yummy hot dogs rolled in bacon (40 DKK) which was our dinner for the night followed by some amazing waffles (28 DKK). It was friday night and the gorgeous danish teenagers and everyone else were gearing up for partying. We found out this lane next to the canal in Nyhavn, which is the place to be to start the night. You can buy your beers and pizzas and sit next to the canal and have it, if you don't want to sit in the restaurants which dots the length of the canal. 

So after a long and heartening walk and broad smiles on our face we retired in our cosy beds for a well deserved sleep.