It would take far too long to recall all the details of my trip to Europe this past summer, not only due to how long ago it was but also because of how many cities I visited (19 in two months). So, I am going to give you all a breakdown of each city I toured, discuss the pros and cons of my first backpacking experience and share a few photos!
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Dates: June 7 – June 10
Where we stayed: Sleep In Heaven
Cost: $25/person/night
Pros: It was a nice enough hostel (clean, nice staff), cheap drinks at the little bar, free internet, social area with projection screen, lockers in room.
Cons: A bit of a walk from the town center, in a slightly run-down area, had to pay for linens (standard in Scandinavia, however).
Activities: Free walking tour in the pouring rain (Sandeman’s New Europe), which I would highly recommend doing wherever possible! This company has spectacular guides and you only pay what you feel they deserve. We honestly would not have learnt anything about this city if it weren’t for our knowledgeable tour guide (coincidentally from Ireland). Just make sure you choose a day with good weather… the following day we spent running around taking sunny pictures of the places we visited during the tour.
Memorable Moment: Encountering a gypsy in a pizza shop named Davey Jones, a man who was wearing a skirt and wouldn’t stop talking to us about how we were going to die of heat exhaustion if we went to Florence when all we wanted to do was eat our pizza. He also told me I wouldn’t be able to afford to go to Dublin. Finally, he shared the story of his one-night-stand experience with a 25 year-old woman from Wisconsin, I believe, and he was quick to point out that he’s 55. He then tried to get us to go for a drink with him at the pub, to which we politely declined but took down his cell phone number just in case. One of these days, Davey…
Bad experiences: Davey Jones adjusting his skirt. Walking around for four hours in torrential downpour without proper clothing or, for the first two hours, an umbrella. “The Little Mermaid” statue – anticlimactic and small.
Favourite spot: Nyhavn (New Harbour) – the colourful, both in appearance and atmosphere, waterfront strip that is filled with (expensive) bars and cafes and lined with boats from surrounding areas. This is likely a typical favourite for Copenhagen tourists but you just can’t help but love it!
Would I return? Maybe. It was a beautiful city and I would like to experience it again but without all the rain (if that’s even possible). I feel as though it was a tough city for me because it was where Drew and I both had to deal with leaving our exchange for good. I’d also like to hire bikes and experience the city that way, since it is a cycling city. We tried but didn’t succeed…
Hanging out at Nyhavn
Christiansborg Palace
Lunch in Ørstedsparken
Amalienborg Castle
The Little Mermaid
Tivoli Gardens –
one of the oldest theme parks in the world!
heroic hearts 