Tag: holiday

Edinburgh – A Historic City

With the sad news of Queen Elizabeth’s death leading to her body being held in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, I was reminded of my first visit to this wonderful city, back in April. Having not blogged about it, I decided that now was an appropriate time to share my thoughts of this ancient city.

There is something fascinating about these old streets.
A modern shopping centre.

As soon as I arrived at Edinburgh Waverley station I wanted to look around. I noticed a gin festival close to the station and was intrigued by the deep gully that divided one side of the city from the other. After dropping off my bags, I took a walk up to Calton Hill, which was incredibly steep but the views were rewarding.

Nelson Monument
On top of Calton Hill

Although it was raining, I enjoyed walking around the old monuments, including the National Monument with its twelve pillars and the Nelson Monument, as seen above. You will also find the City Observatory in the same place.

As I was only in Edinburgh for three nights, I wanted to squeeze in as much as possible. Of course, the evenings were spent tasting Scottish whiskey and exploring local pubs and eateries.

The Dome, Edinburgh

My first delicious meal was at The Dome and its menu was mouth-watering. I went for the fish dish with asparagus and had a very tasty creme brûlée for pudding.

Edinburgh had an intriguing spirit and was really welcoming, with its colourful cobbled streets, charming scenery and remnants of culture everywhere. It is also built on two hills, so walking around it really gets the blood flowing. My legs were aching each morning but the experience was amazing.

Adored this pudding.

This was just the start of my Edinburgh adventure and I have recalled how perfect Edinburgh is as a venue for bookish people in my guest post ‘Why is Edinburgh a reader’s dream?’ which I recently posted on The Grumpy Olive Blog.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my article. Please consider following my blog for similar future content.

Things To Do In Copenhagen (Part Two)

Having just got back from a brilliant railway holiday across northern Europe, I am enjoying sharing my thoughts on the cities I visited. My previous Copenhagen article focussed on a castle visit and this time I want to talk about how to get a good overview of the city. So here are some more interesting and fun things to do in Copenhagen.

These canal cruises are brilliant!

On the second day I wanted to find out more about this beautiful city. The best way to do this is by boat tour and I decided that a one hour cruise would be a good taster for me. It was a Sunday and, though the weather was very hot generally, this was the one day that the sky threatened rain but that didn’t put us off. Funnily enough a rain storm started half way round and the guide gave us all ponchos to wear.

A slight hiccup.

It was during this rain storm, while we were out in the harbour, that the guide also let us know that the engine was failing. We managed to get the boat over to the nearest mooring and were told we could either end the tour there or wait 20 minutes for another boat to collect us. Of course, we waited and enjoyed the downpour, just like many others.

I am glad we did as the weather then cleared up and we carried on the canal tour, catching some brilliant insights into Copenhagen and its history. One of the first sights was Amager Bakke, a biofuel incinerator which is also used as a ski slope and picnic area. I have to celebrate Copenhagen’s keenness to become a carbon zero city. This generator provides power for 80,000 homes.

Biofuel incinerator

Another highlight was this beautiful Church of Our Saviour with its incredible spiral staircase which is situated outside. You can take the time to walk up that external staircase if you want to but I sadly didn’t have enough time.

The spiral staircase church
Hans Christian Anderson’s house

We also got to see the place where the Little Mermaid storyteller, Hans Christian Anderson lived. His was the first floor flat in the middle, under the balcony with the tree on.

Statue of Bishop Absalon, founder of Copenhagen
Streetside
The Opera House
Much needed food.

After a dramatic but fun boat cruise in the rain, we found ourselves in a Buka restaurant where I had a lovely lasagne. I had hoped for some baked goods but when I saw someone else having lasagne, I had to have the same.

Lasagne after boating

Following an eventful morning on the water, we decided to visit Tivoli but I will save that for a future blog post. Thank you for reading my article. Perhaps consider following my blog for similar future content.

Things To Do In Copenhagen (Part One)

After writing about my arrival in Copenhagen, I wanted to spend some time enjoying it before I began to document my experiences in more detail. Now, as I sit on a train back to Hamburg I can reflect upon such a wonderful holiday. With two years of pandemic awfulness, it was so refreshing to travel to Scandinavia. This holiday has secured my love for such a brilliant and modern group of nations.

Before I came to Copenhagen, I knew a little about the Vikings, had an awareness of the Hygge concept which is often referred to on blogs and was aware of the geography of Denmark. That was about it though. I had no idea just how impactful my travels to Denmark were going to be.

Doing that tourist thing…

Of course, you have to start somewhere and when I did my initial research, one of the most intriguing historic buildings suggested was Rosenborg Castle which was slap bang in the middle of gorgeous Copenhagen. Originally the seat of King Christian IV, this 400 year old building was stunning and you could book a time slot to look around its well-preserved interior.

In front of Rosenborg Castle
The ornate ceilings.

This place is so beautiful and has a good tour brochure that briefly describes each room in Danish and English. Every room was a new discovery as we walked into it. From bedchambers to a basement packed full of the Danish Crown jewels, I was very impressed by my visit.

The Great Hall
Two crowns from previous monarchs.

Entry cost 125 DDK (about £14) and it was definitely worth it. The gardens were also impressive and it was an easy walk from the centre of the town.

The artwork is very special.
The armour and weapons.

That evening we had a lovely meal at a Chinese restaurant and then tasted some of the incredible gin recipes on offer at Two Socks Gin Bar.

A brilliant Chinese from Magasasa in the trendy meat packing area of Copenhagen.
Gin and olves

The man running Two Socks was really friendly and gave a detailed history of how each Gin came about. I had one with a peach flavour and went back for a pear based concoction. As someone who rarely drinks gin, I was really taken in by the drinks there. Best of all, it was just a short distance from our hotel.

I hope my blog has given you a taste of Copenhagen. Thank you so much for reading and don’t forget to follow my blog if you want to know more about my travels or about books, TV shows and the environment. There will be more about Copenhagen soon.