Copenhagen
Luckily, the ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen wasn’t nearly as rocky as it had been on the other trips. I felt a little queasy at times, but nothing major. I didn’t have to spend my evening outside, so that was an improvement.
We didn’t arrive in Copenhagen until later in the morning, so I had a chance to sleep in and feel slightly better about life. I was severely sleep-deprived throughout this trip, so naturally, I was stoked about sleeping in.
Once we arrived, we started the trek to the hostel. It was a lengthy walk, but we got to see some beautiful things. The sun was shining and we were moving pretty quickly while hauling our luggage. By the time we arrived at the hostel, everyone was sweating, despite the chilly temperatures
We checked into the Danhostel, which is the largest hostel in Europe, then headed out to hunt for food. Jordan and I ate at ChiliMillie, a health food restaurant. The prices were decent by Scandinavia’s standards, so we went for it. The food looked pretty decent. As soon as I took a bite, I understood the name of the restaurant name. YOWZA!! That food was spicy! I’m pretty sure the reason this is “healthy food” is because your body will burn all the calories you eat, as it tries to cool itself down from the spices. I should add a disclaimer here: I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food. It was delicious food, but man, it was too much for me.
After eating, we took off to check out the sights in the city. The old city was what I wanted to see. We checked out the Round Tower, which was great. We also got to see Rosenborg Castle. I loved seeing the gorgeous castle grounds. Unlike Moscow, it is still autumn in Copenhagen. The leaves are still vibrant on the trees and the foliage is still hanging on before it frosts over for winter. There were cute little ducks waddling around some hedges. They kept jumping to pluck berries off of the bushes. It was really cute to watch them run and jump to snatch the fruits. As we admired Rosenborg Castle, the sun began to set, which made for some beautiful scenery and photos.
We checked out the rest of the old city, and then decided it was time for food. Seeing that all food is overpriced in this part of the world, we thought we would be economical to eat at KFC. Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that going to KFC was a mistake of epic proportions.
This place was pretty trashy. We should have realized this as soon as we stepped into the building. There were no biscuits or potatoes there, which are honestly, the only reason I ever go to KFC. The chicken sandwich was pretty weird tasting. The fries were gross. Also, the soda dispenser was labeled with sticky notes. The place was dingy, dirty and sticky.
Travelers heed my warning: You may be tempted to eat some chicken from good ole’ Colonel Sanders, but resist the temptation. KFC is NOT as good as it is in America. Most KFC’s are pretty sketchy, but European ones are even worse. You will feel sick and you will regret your decision. Do not eat KFC. You’re welcome.
We didn’t want to go back to the hostel yet since the sun was hanging on for a little bit longer, so we journeyed to the residential area in Copenhagen and enjoyed an amazing sunset. Once I’d taken in the sunset, we continued across the bridge. A little pizza parlor lay at the end of it. On the front window is a flag from Kosovo. Jordan spent some time living in Albania and Kosovo, so he was ecstatic to speak Albanian to the people inside. He chatted with the owner for a while and then left with a giant smile on his face. After speaking with his new Albanian friend, we went back to the hostel and hung out with everyone for a while, then went to bed.
Helsingør
That morning, I got to sleep in! Hallelujah! It was a great feeling. After getting some rest, I got up, ate a muffin and got ready for the day before taking a train ride to Helsingør, Denmark.
Helsingør was amazing! It’s a small little village on the coast of Denmark. We checked out a couple of beautiful cathedrals, which, interestingly enough is one of the two largest in Denmark. Another fun fact: the rich used to buy grave plots inside the cathedrals. That way they could be buried inside. So yes, there are dead bodies buried all along the walls and under the floors of the cathedral.
Okay, explanation time. Paul has a foreign exchange student from Denmark living with his family back in America. His name is Sebastian. Paul arranged with Sebastian’s father, Nickoli, to meet up in Helsingør, where he works. Hopefully, you caught on to all of that.
Nickoli took us to the building where he works and fed us a traditional Danish meal. The meal was Smørebrød. Don’t ask me how to pronounce that. It is a piece of bread with lettuce, meat, cheese, vegetables, and horseradish sauce. I tried two different varieties. The first was with roast beef, bell pepper, tomato, and horseradish. The second was with lettuce, boiled eggs, tomato, cucumber, and shrimp. I actually loved the shrimp one, even though I typically am not a big fan of shrimp! It was so fresh and delicious! I want to make this when I get home!
Kronborg Castle
After eating, we journeyed to the beautiful Kronborg Castle. Fun fact: this is the castle that inspired Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet! As I wandered the grounds, I could imagine exactly where everything took place in the story. It was such an incredible experience. Although you can go inside, I chose not to, because I was completely content wandering the grounds. The sea is right outside the castle, so I spend some time on the beach. In the distance, you can see Sweden. It’s only a 20-minute ferry to get there. Sometimes I forget how close the Scandinavian countries are to one another.
Alright, I think some further explanation is required with the Hamlet stuff. When Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, there was a prince in this castle named Amleth. He moved the H to the front of the name to create Hamlet. Shakespeare also changed the name of the city from Helsingør to Elsinore.
I loved every second of my time in Helsingør. Honestly, it made Denmark worthwhile for me. Copenhagen is fine, but Helsingør is incredible. I love the small-town atmosphere and interesting history.
Fun fact: Helsingør became very wealthy back in the day because the king implemented a tax. If you passed his castle, you had to come into port and pay the tax. If not, he would blow up your ship. Because of the tax, the small little village became very rich.
Back to Copenhagen
When we finished our time there, we returned to Copenhagen. Jordan wanted to say goodbye to his Albanian buddy, so Jordan, Elizabeth and I went to the pizza place to chat. Rather, Jordan talked to the Albanian, while I chatted with Elizabeth. The owner gave us a delicious free pizza. While we were there, three Albanian girls walked in. It was an Albanian speaking festival! The girls spoke English too, so they talked to Elizabeth and me occasionally. Jordan was psyched out of his mind that he got to interact with so many Albanian speakers.
After the pizza place, the three of us wandered through Copenhagen. It was fun to relax and say goodbye to our fantastic vacation.
The next morning was the end of our journey. We boarded a flight back to Moscow in the afternoon and arrived later that evening. I loved every second of my vacation. It was amazing and I recommend everyone visiting those places. I want to return to all of them!
I won’t lie to you, I’m a little burned out now. After vacation, I wanted to go home. I’m kind of done with it all. I am sick of teaching and lesson planning. All I want is to go home and enjoy the holidays with my family. Homesickness has definitely gotten the best of me, but I’m going to try my hardest to be strong and enjoy my last month here. As soon as I’m home, I know I will miss Moscow.
All my love,
Madison
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