Exploring Europe 2018: Copenhagen, Denmark

One fine day Donovan was looking at cheap flights since we have a long weekend before going to Poland, and he found flights to Copenhagen, so here we are for a 3D2N short trip (technically speaking we only had two full days because we left early in the morning on the last)!

DAY ONE

After sleeping over at Kaunas (Lithuania) 's airport for a night, we finally arrived in Copenhagen!
Alighted from the train to city center at Central station for about 36 krones and it was freezing cold... the wind speed was about 19 km/hr and it was around 6°C? Halp.

The central station not only looked great and rustic on the exterior, its interior was amazing as well.

Central Station
Københavns Hovedbanegård

I loved the streets of Copenhagen so much; it's clean and calm, and the biking culture is the best I have seen so far in Europe. Besides having clearly marked out paths for the bikes, I don't feel threatened by the incoming bikes unlike when I was in Amsterdam. Also, the person at the front of the group will always be the "leader", using hand signals to guide the rest behind especially when they reach the traffic light. 

Also, while we were walking to our hostel from the central station, we saw this middle-aged guy dressed in slightly torn clothing and holding a plastic bag full of random stuff. We thought he seem suspicious and we should be careful just in case. He suddenly stopped and bent down to pick something up. We thought that it was money, but he merely just picked up a key and put it at the ledge beside him so that if the owner come searching for it, he/she can easily spot it. 

I FELT SO GUILTY FOR JUDGING TOO SOON. Do not judge a book by its cover. But then I also felt so heartwarming to see others being so helpful.

That aside, we stayed at Danhostel, which was really comfortable and it felt a little like a hotel especially the toilet hahaha. It was about 54 Euros for two nights per person in a 6-bed dormitory with a private toilet. The view at the canal right beside our hostel was amazing too.

Danhostel

H. C. Andersens Blvd. 50, 1553 København V, Denmark

After taking a quick nap, we walked to the Botanical Garden to check out the palm house and the little hills in it.

Botanical Garden

Gothersgade 128, 1123 København, Denmark

For lunch, to save money, we bought ham, cheese and bread from the supermarket and chilled at Torvehallerne market. Besides groceries, the market also has lots of food stalls selling stuff like salmon, fish and chips, sushi, but to us it was a little pricey :(

Torvehallerne Market

Frederiksborggade 21, 1360 København, Denmark

Checked out Christiansborg Palace and the City Hall which were in the city center.

Christiansborg Palace

Prins Jørgens Gård 1, 1218 København, Denmark

City Hall

Rådhuspladsen 1, 1599 København, Denmark

We also visited many churches and cathedrals.

Copenhagen Cathedral

 Nørregade 8, 1165 København, Denmark

Church of Our Saviour

Sankt Annæ Gade 29, 1416 København, Denmark

Afterwards, we headed to Rosenborg Castle which was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606.

Rosenborg Castle

 Øster Voldgade 4A, 1350 København, Denmark

Checked out The King's Garden which was right beside the castle.

The King's Garden

Øster Voldgade 4A, 1350 København, Denmark

I googled about Tivoli Gardens to see some pictures of lighted Chinese pagodas at night, but to arrive and see that it was a theme park though we peeked through the gates and saw that there are really some parts of it that resembled a Chinese garden.

Tivoli Gardens

Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 København V, Denmark

St. Peter's Church

Sankt Peders Stræde 2, 1453 København, Denmark

For dinner, we ate at this kebab place and the prices were relatively more affordable. My fish and chips were around 62 krones and Don's tacos (?) was about 38 krones.

Strøg Shawarma

Frederiksberggade 5, 1459 København, Denmark

Finally checked out the famous Nyhavn, and unfortunately the skies were so grey due to the bad weather and the pictures aren't as nice.

Nyhavn

København K, Denmark

We had to wait for a while to get an empty spot to take photos hahaha.

DAY TWO

The second day was way better, less cold and beautiful clear blue skies!

Because it is the last day where we can spend our money, we decided to splurge a little. Bought lunch at this Asian food stall (there were quite a lot of Asian food boxes like that along the streets) and we were allowed to sit upstairs though the second level is for the Chinese buffet. I don't have the exact location of it but its along the streets of Zara and Lego if I didn't remember wrongly.

We both ordered the same thing - stir fried beef with vegetables, noodles and fried prawn at 35 krones each!

Headed over to LEGO and I just realised that LEGO originated from from Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Nyhavn building was amazing and there were many interactive corners for kids to have fun!

LEGO

Vimmelskaftet 37, 1161 København, Denmark

Church of the Holy Ghost

Niels Hemmingsens Gade 5, 1153 København, Denmark

We then slowly made our way to the mermaid and we walked passed many parks too! Luckily for us, we say many blooming flowers (unfortunately not cherry blossoms)!

Churchillparken

 Churchillparken 7, Frihedsmuseet, 1263 København, Denmark

Gefion Fountain

Churchillparken, 1263 København K, Denmark

Mermaid (The Little Mermaid)

Langelinie, 2100 København Ø, Denmark

The Langelinie Park was supposed to be a #2 spot for cherry blossoms unfortunately we were too early in the year as it was too cold...

Langelinie Park

Nordre Toldbod, 1259 København, Denmark

In the park there was also a fortress where you can check it out; however it is rather huge and there is only one entrance so you have to walk one big round just to get out.

Kastellet Fortress

Gl. Hovedvagt, Kastellet 1, 2100 København, Denmark

While walking back to the City Center we saw a plane-boat landing on the waters...

In Churchhill park there was also this small little church!

St. Alban's Church

Churchillparken 11, 1263 København K, Denmark

And on our way back we checked out the most magnificent church (in my opinion) as well as Amalienborg Palace (they have changing of guards daily at 12PM but we missed it)!

Marble Church (Frederik's Church)

Frederiksgade 4, 1265 København, Denmark

Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg Slotsplads 5, 1257 København K, Denmark

We also visited Christiania where it is supposedly a hipster "free town" and they developed their rules without the Danish government. I don't have much pictures in it because it was a little scary because there were stalls selling mushrooms and cannabis and they were touting customers. I heard that if they catch you taking pictures of them they will scold you.

Freetown Christiania

Prinsessegade 1422 København K

Finally had that dinner at Scurry Hub at a super affordable price 65 krones and I couldn't finish my food because it was too much. Don ordered Green Curry and I ordered Penang curry (tasted more like Nonya Curry) but it was really good!

Scurry Hub

Fiolstræde 30, 1171 København, Denmark

Then that street was where I spotted my dreamcatcher shop (as most of my friends might know that I collect dreamcatchers everywhere I go; it is truly a stressful and expensive hobby). I literally gave up and I guess when you aren't searching the thing you've always wanted just appears. Wew. I got a huge red dreamcatcher at 39 krones.

Tessies

Fiolstræde 14, 1171 København, Denmark

We wanted to catch Nyhavn at sunset so we were a little early and decided to chill at the waterfront (facing the Copenhagen Opera house) a little. Don left to walk around because it was too cold for him LOL.

Copenhagen Opera House

Ekvipagemestervej 10, 1438 København K, Denmark

Had some money left and we decided to treat ourselves to some churros! I wanted soft serve but she ran out of it so I got chocolate as the topping instead... it was 55 krones :(

Gelato Rajissimo

Nyhavn 19 (504.67 mi) København, Denmark 1051

And YAY, caught the sunset to end off our trip to Copenhagen!

Don't forget to check out my vlog below:

Exploring Europe 2018: London, UK

There were cheap flights to London and Donovan wanted to catch a Tottenham match so PoLit decided to meet at London for the first time! Because we had no lessons, Don and I reached two days earlier than the rest. I was actually supposed to be alone for the first 1.5 days because Don headed to Birmingham to find his friend. 

Thankfully, my bestie Susana linked me up with Amanda and SHE WAS WILLING TO HOST ME FOR A NIGHT. Thank god, because later on you will find out more kekeke.

So I began my very first "solo" experience, loitering around an entirely foreign place and I swear to god when Don alighted from the bus, my heart was thumping because then I was all alone. Finally it was my turn to alight and I stood for a while to use the free street wifi. The bus driver came down and asked if I know my way around because I seemed lost; I was so relieved to have met nice people keke. 

Then I began walking and FELL HARD ON THE FLOOR. Holy moly. Such a good start to my "solo" trip.

Thankfully, I was on my way to meet Amanda before heading to her house. So I camped at the Natural History Museum near her place to use the free wifi and hide from the cold at the same time. It was super freezing cold in London and IT WAS SNOWING, like wottttttttttttttt I thought I could escape from the winter in Vilnius.

Cleaned up my down jacket and everything else that was stained with mud, threw my jeans in the washing machine and Amanda was soooo nice to help me with it and she even invited me for steamboat dinner with her friends. They were all really nice people and I FINALLY HAD PINEAPPLE TARTSSSS.

It was like 1 degree at night, her garage was a little cold, and caring Amanda lent me her super cute dino onesie. I slept a little early and I woke up in the middle of the night to see Amanda bringing down her only heater for me. I was honestly really touched and I am so glad that my bestie has such lovely and nice friends around her :') 

Despite the bad weather, Amanda and I decided to head out for lunch at the pancakes place called Granger & Co. Along the way, I saw some really nice streets (I love red-bricked buildings) and of course, a mandatory picture with the typical London telephone booth hahaha.

Granger & Co.

175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB, UK

We spent about 25 pounds for their signature pancakes and kimchi cheese toast. It was honestly really tasty. And here's a sneaky shot of Amanda (unfortunately we were too busy walking and chatting and we forgot to take a picture together T_T). Look how beautiful she is.

After parting ways with Amanda, I met up with Desmond and we headed to Hyde Park for the snow. It was completely white and filled with snow, and people were just jumping around building snowman and throwing snowballs. Even the lake was frozen.

Hyde Park

Hyde Park, London, UK

Unable to build a standard-sized snowman, we built a fun-sized one. There was also a guy who built a mini snowman on his car while waiting for someone (I suppose) and he decorated it with wires, bottle caps, and a scarf! Amazing!

I also realised that squirrels in London are really friendly? Like they don't always run away from you, but they try to get close to you sometimes hahaha.

And surprise surprise, when I visited Hyde Park again about two days later, LOOK HOW DIFFERENT IT IS holy moly. It looks just like spring - blue skies, green grass, trees, birds chirping. Wowza. It's like increasing the saturation of the park overtime LOL.

I was walking around on day two alone and I chanced upon this super nice half-frozen fountain - it was literally like the Disney Movie "Frozen". And I got a Taiwanese girl to take a picture for me HAHAHA I was so happy it felt like an achievement unlocked - getting strangers to take a picture for me. This fountain was right beside Marble Arch Theatre by the way.

Marble Arch Theatre

Marble Arch, London W1C 1CX, UK

Thanks to Desmond, I got to check out this amazing Chinese eatery and I had dinner there for two consecutive nights. My orders were both under 8 pounds and the portion was humongous.

Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar

33 Cranbourne Street, London WC2H 7AD, UK

Beef Stew Dried Lamian, Wanton Dried Lamian, Beef Soup Lamian, Yangzhou Fried Rice

After a series of unfortunate events (Adrian and Cheryl's flight actually got cancelled due to bad weather, but after all we managed to still meet in London YAY). Our hostel is actually at YHA Central London and we got a private room for four (with our own toilet) for around 300 pounds for 3 nights!

We had breakfast at Bar Bruno AND THE PORTION WAS HUMONGOUS. We ordered two breakfast platter (10 pounds each and it comes with drinks) to share. I had my eggs scrambled instead of the normal sunny side-up.

Bar Bruno

101 Wardour St, Soho, London W1F 0UG, UK

Headed to the British museum while Don went to catch his match. I like how museums in London are free keke.

So we caught a walking tour for the Ancient Greece exhibition by this super cute granny, and there was this french family with three children. One of them is dosing off and I laughed to Cheryl "he must be so uninterested". Turns out that the boy was so bored because he already knew EVERY SINGLE THING the granny guide was saying. Holy Moly. Like how Poseidon or Athena or whatever is linked to Nike (or not IDK I can't remember like do schools teach them these in Europe) and like how there is this God Nike like the only Nike I know is the tick.

British Museum

Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG, UK

Headed to Covent Garden and Jubilee Market for a walk and lunch at Shake Shack (less than 10 pounds for burgers and fries)!

Covent Garden

Covent Garden, London WC2E 8BE, UK

Passed by the Royal Courts of Justice and saw this black dragon in the middle of the road.

The Royal Courts of Justice

Strand, London WC2A 2LL, UK

Finally reached the St Paul's Cathedral - it was so grand and beautiful; we caught the live choir at 5pm as well!

St Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, UK

So for the past 21 years, I always thought the London Bridge was the one on the right... nope nope nope it was called the Tower Bridge, and the real London bridge is the one on the left. Underwhelming due to bad weather T_T.

London Bridge and Tower Bridge

London SE1 9DD, UK

Took the tube.

We always walked past this but was never able to go in (because we have a budget and we have time constraints hahahah)

Palace Theatre

Shaftesbury Ave, Soho, London W1D 5AY, UK

Headed to the Wellington Arch the next morning! Got a Japanese lady to take this photo for us - "Cheese-sus"

Wellington Arch

Apsley Way, London W1J 7JZ, UK

It was around 11am and we ran over to Buckingham Palace for the change of guards... to see that it is too crowded to view anything. Adrian tried giraffe-carrying me but I almost strangled him to death. 

Buckingham Palace

Westminster, London SW1A 1AA, UK

Changing the Guard on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays at 11am. 

Check the schedules here: https://changing-guard.com/dates-buckingham-palace.html#/

We were right on time when Flat Iron opened at 12pm and the steak was soooooooooooooo good! It was at 10 pounds (with free popcorns, sauces, and salad).

Flat Iron

17 Beak St, Carnaby, London W1F 9RW, UK

Wanted to have a good view of Trafalgar Square but it was crowded with the Women's March,

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, UK

Caught the Lion King musical! 

Adrian and Cheryl dozed off at some point in time but Jasmine stayed awake because every second costs.

Lyceum Theatre

21 Wellington St, London WC2E 7RQ, UK

Had dinner at this super value-for-money Fish and Chips place! The entire set meal with drinks only cost 9.95 pounds!

Ben's Traditional Fish & Chips

200 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8JL, UK

Walked around in Chinatown and strolled past BBC London's office near our hostel!

Chinatown

10 Wardour St, London W1D, UK

BBC London Office

Portland Place London W1A 1AA

On our last morning, we headed to the legendary Sherlock Holmes museum, but because the prices were a little too expensive, we didn't go in. 

Sherlock Holmes Museum

221b Baker St, Marylebone, London NW1 6XE, UK

Checked out Little Venice and it was so beautiful! Cheryl almost fell into the water HAHAHAHA.

Little Venice

Regent's park, London W2 1TH, England

We hopped onto people's boat illegally HAHAHA.

Strolled along the stretch and arrived at Paddington, where there were free table tennis tables.

Paddington

Praed St, Paddington, London W2 1HQ, UK 

Walked past Imperial College London and headed to our last destination - Natural History Museum.

Natural History Museum

Cromwell Rd, Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK

Decided to end this post with a day and night view of the beautiful streets of London! Of course not forgetting to mention that PRIMARK is a super dangerous place because it sucked all my moneh.

And do check our my vlog too!