Goddag!
Yep, Explorer Beastie is back today with more snaps from our recent trip to lovely sunny Copenhagen!
For this second post, we thought we’d stray away from the more typical tourist haunts and go hunting for the two places we always seem to end up in whenever we travel – graveyards and botanical gardens. We were pretty excited to discover that Copenhagen had examples of both! Care to join us?
After a hearty breakfast at the Laundromat Café (it’s a laundry, and a café, AND a second-hand bookstore – what more could you need?) we pointed our feet/paws in the direction of Assistens Kierkegård… Turns out it was pretty much just around the corner!
If you’re looking for somewhere ghoulish and spooky, this place isn’t going to be your cup of tea at all. With its wide open spaces and tree-lined walkways, it’s really more like a park than a cemetery – and the locals seem to use it as one. That morning, it was full of people taking the baby out for a stroll, or cutting through on their way to work… All of them enjoying the bright sun and the peace that reigns inside the gates.
Assistens Kierkegård is the last resting place of many famous Danes – in our wanderings, we came across the graves of Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard and Niels Bohr – but one of my favourite spots was the small Russian cemetery, tucked away in a quiet, shaded corner.
I could have stayed here all day… But Explorer Beastie was anxious to get to our next port of call, the Botanisk Have. It was back towards the city centre, and conveniently near the Torvehallerne food hall – that was lunch sorted! Suitably refuelled, it was time for some springtime fun among the crocuses…
Followed by a chance to view the gardens from higher ground…
…And indulge in a little early sunbathing!
Oooh, what’s in here?
The Palm House is the main attraction in the Botanical Gardens… And unlike the one in Dublin, you can climb a winding spiral staircase to the top and look down into the treetops! But WOW, is it hot up there – within seconds, my camera lens had completely steamed up!
Explorer Beastie would NEVER be seen in public without his trademark beanie hat, so he retired to the cooler environs of my bag until we came back down. But once we moved to one of the more temperate houses, he was up to his usual tricks again…
It was nearly impossible to persuade him to hop back into the bag and head for home. So, look out Copenhagen! I have a feeling we’ll be back…
What do you always look out for when you visit a new city? Let us know in the comments!
What a great trip that was – I can see explorer Beastie loved it! 🙂
He wasn’t the only one! It was so nice to get away and explore somewhere new. Are you still too busy for holidays, or have you plans for later in the year?
I’m glad you got away, I’m still too busy and now too broke for holidays. There’s little chance this year. Boo!
Boo indeed! That was my predicament for the last couple of years as well. But hey, my travel dry spell ended… I hope yours will too. In meantime, the Beasties and I will help you travel the world from the comfort of your sofa 😀
That’s very kind of you… I like your beastie journeys! 😊
Excellent! Hey, maybe I could write them off as business expenses now… 😉
I thought you would anyway… 😊
Nope. What a fool I’ve been!! 😭
Yeah but you won’t make that mistake again…
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Delightful trip (and I love that beanie)! I love history and nature and always try to find good views that cover it when I’m in a new city. I’ve had traveling companions complain about the long walks and climbs I take us on in search of a view but I adore finding them. And what great views you found in a city in which I’ve never been – yet!
Perhaps you’ll find yourself there sometime soon… And since Copenhagen is flat as a pancake, your travelling companions will have no problems keeping up with your wanderings! Elusive Boyfriend and I figured out we’d walked about 10 miles on one of the days, and we barely noticed we’d done it! It’s also a really cycle-friendly city, if that’s your thing. Thanks for stopping in! 😀
All good to know – thank you! Will definitely have to get there one day!
My first port of call is always a tower. Any sort will do, a church or cathedral spire, a viewing platform, even sometimes a nice high bridge just as long as I have a good view over the city and can get my bearings. Unfortunately at my age it can take me most of the first day just getting up there!
Hahaha! The Rundetaarn, where we started out on our first day, would be perfect for you then… Inside, it’s a wide spiralling ramp that goes most of the way to the top. So, distract the guy on the ticket desk and you could drive up in a car! 😀 You’re right though, getting up high is a good way to plan out your day’s wanderings – we never would have found the dragon spire of Børsen otherwise!
Great snaps and adventures! I love the idea of an open cemetery that doubles as a park where people can hang out and enjoy the sun on a good day. Rare to see in North America. And the botanical gardens and green house look wonderful. Glad to see Explorer Beastie enjoying the beautiful crocuses. How fascinating that your travels often take you to graveyards and gardens! 🙂 I’m an avid food-lover and love art, so my travels will often take me to places I can enjoy either (or both!) of those things. Thanks for sharing these beautiful snaps!
Thanks Shirley! Yes, that graveyard was one of the nicest ones I’ve ever been in, with some really lovely touches that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Like in the newer areas (which are still in use), there are watering cans which you can borrow to tend the graves. And apparently going to this graveyard used to be even more of a thing a couple of hundred years ago – people would bring along a picnic and make a day of it! Copenhagen has lots for art lovers too – there’s one gallery just outside the city which we didn’t make it to this visit, but which I’d definitely like to see next time! 😀
Watering cans! What a very thoughtful little detail. And picnics! I love that ethos. Hope you get to visit again soon – Copenhagen sounds like a marvelous city!
Me too! Time to start saving those pennies, I guess…
Looks like Beastie is enjoying Copenhagen. I loved it there too – though my photos weren’t as much fun as yours!
Thank you! It’s such a great city, isn’t it? I’d go back in a heartbeat. What time of year did you visit?
That seems like a lovely way to spend the day to me. I love exploring cemeteries so am always on the lookout for interesting ones to visit.
Yes indeedy! I’m not sure what it is that always draws me to cemeteries, but I think it gives you an interesting insight into an unfamiliar place that you might not get anywhere else. Thanks for stopping by!
I love Botanical Gardens too! There is something quite old world and elegant about them.
Definitely! This one would have made a great backdrop for one of your photoshoots… And there were plenty of places for a curious Beastie to explore, too! 😀
I guess I’ll be putting Copenhagen on the list so!
Heehee! So many places, so little time… Vienna’s on my list now after seeing your pics from there!
Sunbathin’ Beastie cracks me up! Great post. I love a good garden cemetery (thanks, Victorians!) and the sunshine looks divine. First stop for me is always sniffing out the closest passable espresso joint to my accommodation. Then – a long meandering wander to get the lay of the land and bookmark essential museums and fascinating facades. Waaahhh now I want a holiday!
Ah yes, caffeination always features high on my first day to-do list too! I was actually surprised how well the Danes do tea… Since I like mine Irish (ie, strong and tar-like), I often find continental teas a little weak and weedy, so I always pack an emergency stash of my favourite brew. This time, most of it came back home with me! Nice one, Denmark! And yes, a good ol’ wander (preferably featuring at least half an hour of being hopelessly lost) is an essential part of any trip. Hope you get away sometime soon!
Hahaha love it. Yes, love getting lost. One of my most memorable lost wanders was in Venice about a decade ago… where I ran into my oldest childhood friend from the US in a random, narrow alleyway. What a small world we live in!
Wooooah, that’s so weird! What a great place to meet up again though, I’d love to go myself someday!
I don’t know..that path lined with those looming, skeletal trees looks pretty ominous to me. As for favorite things in a new city…grocery stores! I love seeing all the different products. Okay, and sampling them. Then, I waddle my way through nearly every book store.
Oh yeah, I totally forgot about grocery stores! I enjoy those too… What better way to boost your vocabulary in a non-English-speaking country than to cruise the aisles of a supermarket and see what everything is called? Brilliant! Bookstores are fun too (“hey, look how they translated the title of that!”), although since Elusive Boyfriend works in one that’s always a bit of a hard sell. To his credit though, he was INCREDIBLY patient while I explored the 3-storey craft store we discovered! Cheers for stopping by! 😀
Beautiful =)
Thank you! It’s a beautiful city 😀
Looks like a wonderful adventure. My first stop is usually food-related – no surprise there! Glad you checked out Torvehallerne and I have added the Laundromat Café to my list for next time!
Yes, we would have done the same if we hadn’t got in so late on our first day… Our first dinner was a glass of “beer sausages” and the best cuisine we could rustle up from our local 7-11 😆 Laundromat Café is great, and the whole Norrebrø area (especially Elmegade) is worth a look for its quirky cafés, bars and boutiques. I’d recommend Street Food as well, which is over near the Opera House. But get there before people finish work – it gets super-busy in the evenings!
What a curious chap! I’d been exploring all over the palce too. Copenhagen looks like a great place to visit. It’s on my list!
Definitely go! Your trip to Amsterdam looked awesome too… I think you definitely won the yarn shop spotting prize!
This is pretty cool. I have a penchant for visiting cemeteries also, mostly because I always find them peaceful and beautiful. Love these pictures, the Russian cemetery corner looks amazing!! Sadly, due to excessive hermiting I haven’t visited any new cities in…oh, boy…quite awhile! But when I do I tend to look at book stores, libraries, cemeteries and anything else that looks interesting. The laundry/bookstore/cafe (launookafe? Boolaundafe? Cafookdry?)sounds right up my alley, the world needs more of those combos!
Hahaha! I reckon the idea of a Boolaundafe could really catch on! I never think to visit libraries when I travel, actually… How foolish I have been! That’s something to remember for my next trip away 😀
Lol, that one did have a nice ring to it. 🙂 Yeah, I’m a bit of a book groupie. The buildings can be pretty cool and it’s always neat to see what kind of stuff they have inside.
I’d say so! The Old Library in Trinity College is probably one of the best things to see here in Dublin… The main attraction is the Book Of Kells, a beautiful illuminated manuscript, but my favourite part is the Long Room Library. So many old books!
Nice! That sounds like something I’m going to need to add to my list of things to see. 🙂
Totally worth it! 😀