I’ve been catching the train a bit more now that my destinations are closer together, and it’s so easy to buy a ticket online, get to the station and hop on board. I was recommended to check out the Man in Seat 61 website – https://www.seat61.com/ -and it is amazing. This guy has compiled a recommended list of train travel all over the world so you can look up how to book, what to book and useful tips before you go. Despite having looked up my trip from Copenhagen to Berlin I was surprised when my train got onto a boat for the crossing to Germany! It was in the site, I just missed it 🙂 So cool.
Train stations are pretty universally similar, so even though I can’t read the signs, normally I can navigate my way through without a problem. In Berlin though, the train station has 5 levels, each with multiple platforms and 16 tracks in total! Confusing. Worth allowing extra time if you’re arriving/transiting or departing from here just to figure out where you are. Oh and do buy a giant salted pretzel while you’re waiting for your train. Yummmmm.
One of the things I love about travel is that wherever you go, you get to see that people are basically good, and experiencing this gives your faith in humanity a warm boost. I feel a bit uneasy about visiting Berlin, because I think the sadness of its history will be too sad. And it is. I feel sick to my stomach as I walk to the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, Potsdamer Platz, the Berlin Wall museum, Checkpoint Charlie, the former secret service HQ, the site where Jewish people were deported on trains to concentration or extermination camps, and many other memorials to all of the terrible things that happened here not so long ago (not even a century). 2019 is also the 30th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down so there are lots of memorials dotted around Berlin. Tourists with their selfie sticks climbing on things and posing for pictures with their big smiles in all of these places does nothing to make me feel better. This is a heavy place to visit. After a couple of hours I am feeling quite low and take a pause in one of the many local parks to sit in the sun and recharge. It is 24 degrees today – quite unexpectedly warm for this time of year but I am not complaining at all. Although I might have to go shopping if the warmer temperatures last because I left most of my summer gear in the UK.
Today is a Sunday, a day of rest, and nothing much is open except for these monuments, museums and food places. Being the weekend I am sure I can find some local hang-outs if I go searching, and I do find some amazing places. Berlin photo week is on and there are awesome exhibits and experiential displays in the eastern part of the city; the old Tempelhof airfield which was once the site of so much destruction and despair is now a vast park where people skateboard, fly kites, cycle, rollerblade, picnic or sleep on the grass; in the eastern side of the city people flock to the river for time out and sunshine; restaurants are packed with people enjoying their day off; and there is incredible street art on buildings and on remnants of the Berlin wall to be seen. I am so appreciative of Google maps on trips like this – I can’t imagine traveling now with just paper maps – but sometimes even Google throws a wobbly, sending you in a wild circle back to where you started, or blanking out when you are in the middle of nowhere, or giving you no clue which way to go next. Today, at my lowest moment, Google sent me into the dodgiest area of Berlin, home to some charming locals who in return for only a few Euro offered me drugs and many other pleasurable experiences. Luckily I am a seasoned traveler, so in return I offered the classic kiwi ‘oh yeah nah’, put on my meanest face and hot footed it out of there.
By the time I return to my hotel I have clocked up just over 19km of walking (you can hire bikes or catch trams but I felt like walking) and my feet (and heart) are tired. I feel a better sense of the harmony the people of this city are creating amongst the reminders of the past, but the past is all around. If, like me, you only have a short time in Berlin, I recommend looking up some travel sites and blogs for recommendations of what to see and do. The city is spread out and a game plan is definitely needed. Even I made a list 🙂
The Reichstag (parliament)
Brandenburg gate
Holocaust memorial
Doesn’t seem hardly big enough
Memorial to the wall erected in 1961, 2019 is the 30th anniversary of its coming down
Covered in chewing gum
Amazing street art here
Frau en blau
Sections of the wall remain
Checkpoint Charlie is a tourist mecca (sigh)
Old Trabi cars
Berlin photoweek
The east side gallery, large sections of the old wall preserved with street art – stunning, well worth seeing
The old Tempelhofer airfield, now a public park
Adolf emoji?
Sad
High point of my day = schnitzel, warm potato salad and a glass of gruner veltliner
I’ve spent a week in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, and it is a place that just feels good . If you look at photos of the city you’ll see beauty and history and amazing architecture (old and new), but that won’t give you a feeling of the place, so I’ll try to let my words do the talking and suggest you take the photos below as eye candy. Denmark has consistently ranked as one of the best countries for quality of life and happiness (alongside Finland, Norway and Switzerland), as measured by income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity. Taxes here are very high – the base rate is 40%,or 65%+ for high income-earners – yet the majority of people support this because they know the country will support them when they need it for healthcare, loss of job, study etc. Home loan interest rates are only 0.5%. There are bike roads everywhere, plus metro trains and buses making it so easy to move around the city. And then there’s the Danish philosophy of Hygge, pronounced ‘hewgge’ in a NZ accent. If you Google the word hygge it has a very formal description that talks about intentional intimacy and coziness. From my time here, and talking with people, it seems to mean being happy in yourself, living in the moment and sharing your happiness with others, and that happiness comes from you and not from things. Which is a wonderful outlook on life and one I can relate to! And it really does feel like that here, even to a visitor. I’m eating alone in a restaurant and people seated next to me invite me to conversation explaining we’ll all have a better night if we share it together. Trampolines installed on the footpath just to have fun with (I LOVE these trampolines so much). People move out of your way, and you do the same because it’s nicer. Babies in prams sit on the footpath outside neighborhood stores while their parents are inside. Bikes are lined up on footpaths unlocked. Cemeteries are parks where people walk and picnic and spend time, and they’re beautiful. People you meet want to help you have the best time in their city. It’s cheap to eat healthy (until recently there was a tax on nuts ! because they’re high in fat). Neighborhoods are becoming nicer and safer through the efforts of locals and start up businesses wanting to create a better place to live. I’m sure these traits also exist in other places, but this is the first place I have been where it is so apparent. As I’ve talked with people about my travel they’re like WOW that’s amazing that you’re taking time to find yourself, but that’s not it. I don’t need finding. I know who I am. I’m taking time for me and investing in my happiness and love of travel and learning new things. Which is actually pretty hygge 🙂 🙂
I’ve stayed in a few different places in Copenhagen because I keep extending my stay – first in the very centre, which is nice to see but I recommend you move out to one of the suburbs to experience life as a local. I rented an apartment through Airbnb in Norrebro which is a young hipster neighborhood and really nice to stay in. And right now I’m in Vesterbro which was an industrial area that is fast becoming known for amazing food and art. Copenhagen has 17 restaurants with Michelin stars and is quite the place for foodies – I’ve eaten in a few of the off-shoot places owned by the Michelin star places and the food is really good. Even the current food trend of porridge (made from pearl barley) is good, served savoury with chicken, coriander, chilli and peanuts; or sweet with apple and syrup.
As well as wandering and exploring in my usual way I have also booked some tours through Air BnB which have been amazing. I love biking but because I am not used to being on the other side of the road, and there are SO many bikes, I book a bike tour to help me get my bearings and understand the road rules. Highly recommend doing this, or just rent a bike and stay on the right. This city is made for biking and with no hills you can get anywhere fast. I also booked a tour called ‘Good evening, hygge and happiness’ which was the best experience, run by grad students, exploring the parts of Copenhagen you won’t find by yourself and having a wonderful time. This tour also introduced me to orange wine, which is not made by oranges, but is a type of wine that is orange in colour, organic, and really tasty. And I chose a walking tour of the city to understand its history – also run by a grad student and it was great to get a deeper insight and to piece everything together.
Tomorrow I catch a train to Berlin, and while I’m looking forward to seeing it, I am sad to be leaving because I like it so much. I must be feeling comfortable here because I am often asked for directions by people speaking Danish – I send them off in different directions with a smile, a bit of English and my few Scandi words – Ja = yes, Takk = thanks, Exact = you’re so right, Absolute = yep, Top class = that is most excellent. Hopefully they found what they needed 🙂 And if I do find a new version of myself while I’m traveling I’d like her to be part Danish 🙂 🙂
Nyhavn
Copenhagen copied its canals from Amsterdam back in the day
It’s a copy
Little mermaid
Bikes rule
Love this t shirt
Xmas is all around
Lobster is cheap
Trampolines! In the footpath!!
Cemeteries are parks for walking and relaxing, and they’re beautiful
Every song or story needs a pause, a slowing down of the tempo in order to build up again. Gothenburg is that place for me. And it’s perfect that I have arrived in time for the weekend when everyone is ready to relax. Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, and while its attractions are not vastly different to Stockholm, what it does offer is a slice of real Swedish life that you won’t find in the capital. Being the weekend (and mostly sunny!) everyone was out walking with their family and their dog, enjoying fika (coffee catch ups) with friends, having a barbecue in the park, or finding a quiet place to soak up some sunlight. The city centre is compact and within 30 minutes I was walking through a gate from the botanic gardens into a nature reserve, through the forest, around stunning lakes, and finding my own patch of sunshine. So relaxing. And as the temperature has dropped to -1 overnight and during the day the cold is biting unless you are in the sun, I soaked up as much as possible. I’ve also added a neck/face warmer to my bag, and to my eternal surprise I have started wearing a headband. Not one of those bite into your head plastic alice-bands, and not a cool one like my friend Lissy makes, but a knitted practical fleecy one to keep my ears warm. Sigh.
A wee gem I found today is the Boulebar, situated on the canal behind the fish market. It is modeled on the parks around Marseille in France, where you can grab a meal or glass of something and play a game of boules (petanque) with friends on one of the indoor gravel courts, and is run by 3 friends who spent time backpacking in France and became smitten with the game, and they now have a chain of Boulebars around Sweden. So much fun! And they had crème brulee which is basically sunshine in a bowl 🙂 🙂
View from my apartment
The fish market is built like a church, these people love their fish!
Bike is the mode of transport everywhere in Scandinavia
When I was a young girl in the 70’s I had long blonde hair and spent many happy hours dancing around our lounge, singing into my hairbrush pretending I was Agnetha from ABBA, and looking at the bubble gum cards I had collected of the band. So when I discovered Stockholm has an awesome ABBA museum filled with interactive exhibits I was stoked. The museum is amazing, fully digital and interactive with audio guides that let you hear from the band members as you move through the museum, sound booths where you can sing along, photo booths, a sound stage for dancing with the band (via hologram), music and memorabilia. For someone with a short attention span I was totally occupied for almost 3 hours, and bought a t shirt (and still have the songs playing in my head)! I even remembered some facts 🙂 Bjorn and Benny met at a folk concert when they both played with different bands, Benny was already dating Frida and then Bjorn started dating Agnetha. The girls did some backup vocals for the boys, and their voices were so in harmony that it became apparent that if they were going to be a band the girls would be singing and the boys would write. There are sections on Mamma Mia the movie and the band’s careers after they split, and the whole experience is very very cool.
It was a rainy cold day so I spent the rest of it hopping from museum to museum. Sweden do museums brilliantly, and there are plenty to keep you occupied. After getting my ABBA fix I called into the Spirit museum which is dedicated to their favourite beverage – Absolut Vodka. Next was the Vasa museum which houses a large sailing ship that sank in the harbour in 1628 on it’s maiden voyage. The King at the time had ordered the ship to be built with double decks to impress people and it was decorated with ornate Norse gods, lions and gold. Unfortunately building double deck ships was very new at the time and the ship builders were not confident it would be stable at sea and tried to persuade the king not to rush the work, but he ignored their requests and pulled the deadline even further forward (anyone working in a corporate will be shaking their head at this). The day came for the ship to launch, everyone in Stockholm came to watch, the ship made it about 1300m from the docks when a puff of wind caught the sails and it keeled over and sank. Several years later it was recovered and is now housed in a museum for everyone to see, and it’s quite impressive (the ship and the celebration of the ‘learning opportunity’). Meatballs were on the menu at the Vasa restaurant so I gave them a try and they were yum! Served with a creamy gravy that I’m pretty sure has fish in it, mashed potatoes, lingon berries and pickled cucumber. So good. Much better than the bland meatballs from IKEA. Also no idea why the Swedish chef on the muppets always had chickens – I haven’t seen it on a menu yet 🙂
The Vasa
The royal palace…fancy as and more gold than you can shake a stick at
The old town
George slaying the dragon
Salted licorice ice-cream, don’t try it, tastes BAD
Alfred Nobel was from Sweden and his will left funds for the Nobel laureate prizes in perpetuity (being announced next week I think)
Love Stockholm 🙂 it would be so easy to live here. Put it on your list. Only arrived yesterday but I just love it, it has a great vibe. Today I bought a Stockholm pass which covers hop on hop off buses and boats and entry to most attractions in Stockholm. The city is made up of many archipelago islands and is quite spread out and very cute. It’s also very very cold – my apartment is so warm that I totally misjudged the temperature outside and after 2 mins walking had to turn back and put my long coat on.
Apart from the usual sightseeing oohs and aahs the two unexpected highlights of the day were the Bergrummet Tido collection of toys and comics (a series of underground tunnels filled with 40,000 toys and comic books from old old to new); and a free exhibition of the Haenyo women divers from the island of Jeju in South Korea. A while back I read a book called Island of the Sea Women which is about these amazing women who free dive without oxygen or harpoons, using a breathing technique they’ve learned to cope with being under the surface for long periods of time, using seasonal harvest practice to ensure the sea remains healthy and alive. Haenyo are a thousand year old tradition but perhaps not for long as the average age of the women divers is now 60-80. I just loved seeing the faces of the women who have done this their whole lives, and can only hope to be as cool and spirited when I’m 80 years old 🙂
And on a boat trip this afternoon I learned we have Swedes to thank for flat screen TVs, Skype, Spotify, the shape of the coke bottle, the zipper, propellors, ABBA of course, the Celsius temperature scale, ultrasound, speed cameras, the computer mouse, Pippi Longstocking and GPS. All of which far outweigh their unnatural love of all things fish, especially the pickled variety (gag). And they built a fancy-pants aged care home which looks like a palace – so much so that a visiting US navy crew saw it, thought it was the royal palace, did a 21 gun salute from the water outside it which scared the life out of the residents who thought the country was suddenly at war for the first time in 200 years 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you Head Shop for the haircut and colour 🙂
Peppermint rock ice cream (polka)
Don’t be deceived by the blue sky it’s freezing
Raspberries, blueberries and lindon berries
Mushrooms
Bergrummet Tido collection of toys and comics is cool
Patience is not a virtue I can lay any claim to as anyone who knows me well will attest to. I can sit through around 20 mins of a movie before I start to fidget, museums I can do maybe an hour, even at Machu Picchu which is amazing and a wonder of the world I was ready to go after 90 mins. So when I booked a 13 hour boat trip up the largest fjord in Norway I knew it was a gamble. This fjord is 200km+ long, so getting down it takes a while. The one I caught this morning was headed for Flam, a tiny historic village in the depths of the fjord. It was cool but I did get a bit bored on the 5 hour each way (!!!!!) trip. So I took some photos. And when I got to Flam it’s so tiny, the 2 hour free time was about 100 mins too long, so I took some more 🙂 It is a gorgeous trip and Flam is cute and I didn’t get seasick, and the best bit is standing outside on the top deck with the wind tossing your hair around and the wake of the boat disappearing behind, and you’ve got every piece of clothing on because it’s freezing 🙂 and when you come back the lights from the houses blur into the water and it’s really really pretty.
I’ve come to Bergen in western Norway to see a UNESCO heritage village and a bit of nature. Whenever I say Bergen I want to add a flergen schlergen mergen aka the swedish chef from the muppets, but I keep this thought on the inside. While it’s picture postcard pretty and definitely worth a visit, it’s the least friendly place I’ve been to so far. There’s a large student population here and masses of tourists and the locals seem genuinely pissed off to see you. I spent today walking in the woods and around town and of all the people I said hi to only maybe 3 replied, and I’m pretty sure they were also visitors. I guess it’s not uncommon in smaller tourist towns for people to be unfriendly, and I can think of places in NZ that are the same, so I’ll adjust my expectations. Kind of surprised me because Scandinavian countries are apparently the happiest on earth. In fact when I caught the train here from Oslo I sat with a doctor from Dubai who was on the hunt for the happiest people in Scandanavia (bet he didn’t find them here!) and he didn’t think happiness had anything to do with money, which I would agree with. Before we parted he took a selfie with me and gave me very sage advice….if you follow what makes you happy you cannot go wrong. Here here.
Bergen is small so it doesn’t take long to check out the main sites – the UNESCO protected seaside village of Bryggen is cool, during the day until 4pm there’s a fishmarket where you can pick your catch and have it grilled/steamed or bbq’d fresh. A funicular takes you up to the top of the ranges (in the background of the shots below) and there are heaps of hiking trails to explore. I tackled a 7km trot up to the top of the ridge and back and it was gorgeous.
Picked up a bottle of wine on my way back to the apartment – tip for anyone coming to Norway – wine is sold in vinmonopolet (wine monopoly) stores that are open only until 6pm so a bit of planning is needed. Supermarkets sell beer and cider but only until 8pm. And lots of things are shut on Sundays.
Tomorrow I’m taking a cruise down the Sonjefjord to Flam and back, a 13 hour round trip. Looking forward to it, and for my Iceland buddies I’m not taking a seasick pill unless I need it because they make me too high ha! I might miss the return boat without you there to keep an eye on me 😉
The aurora forecast is also hotting for the days ahead….might have to set an alarm and get up at 1am to check out the skies.
Postcard pretty
UNESCO protected
no translation needed
Best job ever
Funicular to the top of the mountain
I was slow with my camera but this person is on skis with wheels and poles, the summertime alternative
