København (Part 1)

We're spending a few days in Copenhagen. Partly for work and entirely for pleasure!

I'll do a couple of posts over the next few days to share a little of what we have seen. This is my first trip to Denmark (Simon has been for work a few times). My first impressions are really very positive, despite the slightly gloomy weather which greeted us!

The airport is very close to the centre of the city, so it took very little time at all for us to arrive at our home for the duration - a house that we've rented right in the middle of the city. We're staying in a terraced workers cottage located between The Lakes and the National Gallery of Denmark. The road is very charming, with many bikes and children's tricycles and toys scattered randomly. Every evening the children here play in this very calm road. It seems a wonderful community.

Ahh the bicycles….we're big fans of cycling. Actually, we're big fans of coffee and cycling - and this city is overrun by cafes and bike shops! Cycle lanes run everywhere and it is a pure joy to cycle around this city. Locals are a little aggressive on the bikes, so you need to have your wits about you as they zoom on past. We've borrowed a great Christiania Bike, which has the box at the front for the children to sit in. It's very practical and the kids love it!

First morning was a little wet so we visited the Botanical Gardens right next to where we're staying. The buildings are beautiful late 19th Century greenhouses, although the history of the garden dates back to 1600! An elegant spiral staircase takes you to a balcony surrounding the building's dome with a fantastic view of the plants and outside across the gardens.

Cycling in to town the children were treated to an unexpected display of Danish pageantry as a troop of finely dressed soldiers passed us on their way to the palace. Ophelia is a little obsessed with Royalty (she's already invested all of her holiday money in 3 postcards of the Queen and Princess of Denmark) so we made a detour on our bikes to visit the Palace and see some more guards.

The beautiful harbour at Nyhavn is perhaps the most famous view of Copenhagen, but nevertheless well worth a visit. The architecture is wonderful - beautiful old buildings with a luscious spread of colour. It feels so obviously Scandinavian, so clean and precise.