I was in Copenhagen for 3 days. Arrived on a rainy day and pretty cold day and thought that it was going to be like that for next few days. Glad the weather forecast was a little wrong because it turned out to be super warm and lovely blue skies for the rest of the days I was there. I arrived in CPH super jet-lagged, tired and sick. I had a cold before my flight and the dehydrating air in the cabin made everything infinitely worse and my nostril passages were so dry. I got into Dubai airport and waiting for my connection, whilst feeling super tired, fatigue and like I was going to pass out from being sick. I luckily dosed up on all my medication whilst waiting for my flight to CPH. I felt marginally better, like I could manage another 7 hours there.

I stayed in Nordhavn, which is this area that is undergoing some urban renewal and it’s built out with some amazing Nordic architecture - clean lines, purpose driven and with a focus on the utility of the buildings. I’m glad I didn’t stay in the city area - because Nordhavn was truly perfect for me. I really enjoyed waking up by the water and watching the twilight, which was around 10pm every night. There were nights that I didn’t watch it because there was a part of me that didn’t want to truly adjust to the time zone there as I knew that coming back would be hard in terms of readjusting to the jet lag.

I did a walking tour the next day I was there and got to learn a lot more about Danish history and their long term rivalry with the Swedes. What’s interesting about Copenhagen is that everything pretty much burnt down some time ago and they just have been rebuilding things. After the tour, I went to grab some delicious food and had my first Smorrebrod which was incredible. I had an egg + shrimp and a pickled herring smorrebrod. The thing about Denmark is that you have to prepared to be paying a lot of money for food. You’re not going to get away with it - so you might as well embrace it and just pay the money and try everything. I then went to the Tivoli Gardens via the Metro and spent some time walking in amongst the gardens. Summer is truly alive there and all the flowers were blooming and the city is out to play. It was beautiful. I walked all over the city that day - 17kms to be precise and went all the way to Norrebro. My legs were feeling like jelly and I was starting to get really hungry. So I popped by any random cafe and had some moules frites. I guess I could say that I really pushed myself to make the most of my day, considering that I didn’t have a lot of time in Copenhagen and I knew that if I decided to lay in the hotel bed, I’d probably regret it because I didn’t get to explore the city much.

The next day I went to the Black Diamond - which is a library in Copenhagen famous for its architecture. I nearly bought a book on modern Nordic architecture - it’s something that I really love. I just love the clean lines and how they design everything. Truly beautiful buildings. I booked two restaurants this day because I decided to go all out and try all the food. It was going to cost me but I thought, you know what, fuck it. It’s another experience I needed to immerse myself into. I went to this place called Ripotot for lunch and had a 3 course Smorrebrod lunch with a glass of Rose. It was beautiful food - beef tartare and a egg + shrimp smorrebrod. They made me a peach and strawberry summer dessert because I told them I was lactose intolerant. Scandinavia is amazing - they cater to lactose intolerant so well. After that, I walked around a bit more and did some more shopping. Then I waited till 5:30pm for my booking at a Michelin guide recommended restaurant called Marv and Ben. Might be weird going alone but you know what, I just wanted to try the food. It was pretty experimental. There were some courses that I loved and some other ones that I wasn’t really that interested in. But I had to try it cause Copenhagen had so many Michelin recommended restaurants. What an experience. After that I took the metro back to the hotel and had to rest. I was utterly exhausted.

Copenhagen to me felt posh and refined. All the people dress super well too and I wanted to buy a trench. But it wasn’t in season so I didn’t buy it. But I truly admire the way they live - it’s all about the lifestyle. I saw some people jump into the harbour next to my hotel as their way to unwind. It felt super relaxing and the place is so open and vast. The city is super flat too so you should attempt to bike to places if you can.

Maybe it was because it was the beginning of my trip so I didn’t really feel the effects of the wonder of travelling alone yet. I was still a bit raw and tired from travelling halfway across the world to Europe so I was a bit tired. I was still sick too, with my ears still blocked cause my sinuses were so inflamed. So I couldn’t hear half the things that people were saying. It was bizarre because I felt like everything was muted. Copenhagen was super beautiful though and it was the best welcome to Scandinavia. Perhaps it was the beginning of me falling for the place and getting into the rhythm of travelling alone….which I ended up loving and feeling so alive in.