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Day 1

Copenhagen – Denmark

This was the first trip I was making outside Sweden. I could have gone earlier too, but then I was waiting for my camera. Copenhagen is very close to Göteborg. By train it takes only 3 hrs 57 min. There are buses too, at cheaper rates. But then I wanted to travel by train as always :) I reached the station at 9 itself, though my train was only at 9.40 AM. I went to the empty platforms and was taking photographs of the various engines and empty wagons. At that moment, I met a guy from Norway. It seems he was also a train fan like me. And add to it, he was joining a Swedish railway company :)After chatting for a while I boarded my train. The seats were broad and very comfortable. I had booked a window seat. I was rubbing by hands in glee, anticipating a green and scenic train journey. To say I wasn’t disappointed would be an understatement. Before I realized, 3 hours had passed by and the train reached Malmö. Malmö is at the southern most tip of Sweden. After that, the train travels on a bridge above the sea :D Its like this. There is a 2 floor bridge. On the 2nd floor is the highway for road transport. On the 1st floor is the rail track. Below it the sea :) Both sides are covered by concrete railings, so that the train doesn’t fall into the sea in case there is heavy wind. The train reached Copenhagen at 13.37 sharp. Not a second late. Wow!

Moment I got down from Copenhagen, I went to the tourist information centre. The tourist information centre is amazing. There are around 10 to 15 computers, with touch screen facility. You can book hotels, taxis etc and also get to know about sight seeing. Then there are counters, where people announce your queries in English  I got a single room at the centre of the city for just 300 Danish Krones, and also the map of the city. By the time I reached my room and settled down it was 3.30 in the afternoon. It was a 2 bedroom house and the landlord had rented out 1 bedroom for tourists. He was very friendly, and suggested me on what I should be doing in Copenhagen. The room was neat, with a single bed, reading table and a TV with DVD player. It was on the 7th floor, and when I opened the window I could look at the lovely skyline of Copenhagen. The place I was staying was very close to the city square.

At around 4 I set out for the new harbour called Nyhavl. There were canal tours from there. I took a canal ride for 1 hour. It costed me 60 DKK and there was a guide on the boat. Needless to say the ride was very scenic. I saved lots of time, by visiting many places through the boat itself. Oh yes, I got to see the little mermaid. It seems the little mermaid was a gift by Carlsberg( The beer company) to Copenhagen. Carlsberg is closely associated with Copenhagen. We saw a huge building, which the guide informed us as the brewery used by the kingdom for brewing beer to the royal family and navy. Carlsberg is using it now. And many more similar buildings with mention of Carlsberg this, Carlsberg that etc. Got to see the opera house, which costed around 33 million pounds it seems. After an hours time, we reached back Nyvahl. I clicked as much pictures as I can :)

Right from the moment I reached Copenhagen I saw lots of army trucks decorated with flowers and leaves. And there were teenagers on it, screaming, singing and dancing. All of them sported the sailor caps. When I asked a local guy about it, he gave me an interesting answer. It seems that was the last day of school. And tradition in Copenhagen was that, students went around the city in such trucks to celebrate. And they end the celebration by circling around the city square, form a human chain and dance. Ofcourse whilst drinking Carlsberg beer  It was a sight to watch.

I reached home, showered, changed and went to an amusement park called Tivoli Gardens. I can write a whole post on Tivoli gardens. Its such an amazing place. Its in the heart of the city, and so huge. There are lots of rides like the slides, free fall etc. But the best part was the music. There were around 4 stages and at regular intervals there was a concert. There was jazz, rock and many more I don’t know. But the best of the lot(Ofcourse according to me) was the instrumental. They played the theme music of MI2, James Bond and many more popular movies. The crowd was highly appreciative too. There were huge roars of applause when they start playing the song and at the end. The biggest cheer of the day(evening?) was reserved for the godfather theme music. It was heavenly.

It was a different experience altogether to go on all the rides all alone. I befriended an English couple with a very cute baby, and I went along with them. The baby was very friendly and she was playing with me. I gave my bag to them and went on as many rides as possible. The best of the lot was freefall. They take you slowly to some 100 or 200 feet and suddenly drop you. WOW. I was wondering whether I was in denmark or in an air deccan flight. Mindblowing. Everything happens so fast, it takes time to realize what you have been through.

After the rides, I was watching a jazz show for some time. I love the way these guys play with trumpet and many other instruments, which I don’t know the name of. I could recognize violin and cello. But then there was an instrument like a violin, just that it was atleast 10 times bigger than the violin. Woo hoo. The amusement park was open till 00.30. By 21.40 the sun set and the area became even more scenic with colorful lights and lovely ambience. I had a great time. Let me tell you this guys, if at all you are planning to visit Copenhagen do visit Tivoli gardens. The memories will remain with you for a life time. It doesn’t matter you are 6 or 69, married or single, Tivoli has something in store for you. Except for vegetarian food :(

After Tivoli gardens closed, I roamed around the main city area called as stroget. A long road with shops on either sides. It was 01.00 in the morning, and all the shops were closed. Still, there was a huge crowd since lots of night clubs are around that area. It was like a festive atmosphere. By the time I reached home, it was 03.00 in the morning. I literally crawled into my bed and slept. This, brings to an end the account of my first day at denmark :)