Copenhagen

We left Kronborg and set out for Copenhagen. It took us about an hour to get to the capital city. As the road ran along the coast, I couldn't help taking tons of pictures in spite of being a bit drowsy. Well, it paid off! I was about to turn off my camera and take a nap when at one moment, to my astonishment,  I caught a glimpse of ...

my long-awaited cuddly Scottish Highlands coos!!! They did make my day! I had looked for them everywhere in Scotland and all of a sudden, one month later, they just showed up right in front of my eyes in Denmark! Life often takes us aback, doesn't it?!

In Copenhagen, the time went by far too quickly. We stopped at numerous tourist attractions and visitor centers, names of which I couldn't even remember. As usual, I paid close attention to urban architecture.

Hotel d'Angleterre

The Hotel d'Angleterre is one of the most deluxe hotels in the world. The hotel has hosted such notable guests as Winston Churchill, Bill Clinton, Alfred Hitchcock, Arnold Schwarzeneger, Michael Jackson, Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cameron Diaz, or Justin Timberlake.

Magasin du Nord

Denmark's most prestigious department store - Magasin du Nord, also called the Harrods of Copenhagen.

One of the obligatory points of all city tours in Copenhagen is the famous Little Mermaid well known from the Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.  

The Little Mermaid

While I was taking a leisurely stroll away from all the hustle and bustle of the crowded site, I spotted this giant ferry! It was actually bigger than the nearby buildings or trees. A real monster. I would love to embark it one day and go on a long cruise!

Afterwards, we headed towards Carlsberg. At our disposal, we had about two hours to look around and taste beer  :) Even though I'm not a big fan of beer, I actually enjoyed the tour. 

Carlsberg Brewery Museum

And what's up with the bottle there?

Next we stopped at Stroget - the longest pedestrian street and shopping area in Europe. The street is lined with upmarket and rather pricey shops, street cafes, and food stalls.

And just look at those bicycles parked everywhere, so often left with no security locks! 

In Denmark itself, there are 200 kilometers of bicycle lanes! That's a real paradise for Polish cyclists like myself!

Stroget is the only place that I remember while visiting Copenhagen in the 80s. It seemed to be a dreamland compared to the Polish poor communistic country at that time. Having only breadstuff and vinegar on the shelves of Polish shops, colorful, enormous, and very well equipped stores seemed dazzling, shocking, and simply vertiginous. 

Right after I booked the cruise to Scandinavia I looked forward to the moment when I could find myself at Stroget again and compare my past experience with fresh impressions from a point of view of a grown up. Conclusions? I was both disappointed and relieved. I didn't feel "abroad" any more. The same chains of shops, similar-looking streets, even the same taste of ice cream (The flavor of the ice cream my parents bought me there so many years ago stayed with me for years afterwards).  Today's Polish towns are just like other European cities. The discrepancy isn't noticeable any longer, or at least, it isn't visible to the naked eye. 

Before returning to the ferry we also stopped by charming Nyhavn - a 17th-century canal and entertainment district with wooden ships, bars, and restaurants. 

The weather suddenly deteriorated while we were going across the Oresund Bridge - the 16km/10 mile bridge linking the capital of Denmark with Sweden's third largest city Malmo.  Alas, because of the driving rain, the pictures didn't come out well.

On the way back, we took another ferry - Polonia which is regarded as one of the most luxurious ferries on the Baltic Sea.

I really liked the purple covers in my cabin and the ferry interior as a whole.

We arrived in Swinoujscie the next day in the morning. I was utterly exhausted and sleep deprived, but at the same time I was also very pleased and hopeful to go on a cruise again in the future.