Copenhagen 2026: The Lakes, Torvehallerne, Frederiksberg

Our first day in Copenhagen was much more strenuous than we would have liked but self-imposed out of necessity since we had such a large time gap between when our flight landed at 6:40am and when we could check into our hotel apartment at 3pm. This resulted in a lengthy trudge through several neighbourhoods near our apartment hotel, Erik Vokel Suites, while we were jetlagged and extremely tired. At least we planned all outdoor activities, hoping the fresh air would keep us awake. On our first trip overseas many years ago, we tried to visit a museum on our first day in London and my forehead actually hit the glass of a display case when I dozed off for a second and tilted forward while trying to read a label. The plan was to walk along a stretch of water called “The Lakes” to get to Torvehallerne, a high-end food hall, loop back on the other side of the Lakes and then head west towards the posh Frederiksberg district where we would see beautiful architecture, an interesting cemetery and a large park.

After we dropped off our bags at our hotel and headed towards the Lakes, we passed by several “coal chute doors” which were once used to deliver coal directly into a basement or storage cellar from the street. Near the Copenhagen Central Train Station was the Hotel Astoria, a historic 1934 luxury “station hotel” built to allow travelers a convenient place to stay overnight before continuing on their journeys. Noticeable from afar is the bronze sculpture on its roof, shaped like a winged wheel topped with a crown, which is the old Danish State Railways logo also found on the train station. The winged wheel is a classic rail symbol of speed, motion, and transport.  Further along was the Vesterport (West port) Train Station which is part of the suburban/urban “S” rail service that connects central Copenhagen to its suburbs. Also built in 1934, this station an example of the modernist/functionalist architectural style compared to the Art Nouveau/Neo-Renaissance style of the 1911 Central Station. At the southern edge of the Lakes is the Tycho Brahe Planetarium, named after the renowned Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546–1601), known for his accurate astronomical observations including the discovery of a supernova, all done prior to the invention of the telescope. Open in 1989, the striking cylindrical-shaped building has a blue and white V-shaped patterned sloping roof and zigzag pattern on its yellow façade.  The result is a minimalist, Brutalist style that resembles a cylindrical fortress.  The planetarium features state-of-the-art astronomy exhibitions, immersive space journeys in the largest dome theater in Europe, real meteorites, and lectures on astronomy.

When I first researched what to do in Copenhagen, I saw mention of “The Lakes” and scanned Google Maps looking for a natural lake in the city. It was only after further investigation that I realized this name referred to a set of man-made interconnected rectangular water basins created between the early Middle Ages (12th-14th centuries) through the 16th centuries. Formed by damming a natural stream, the first lake called Peblinge Sø (Student Lake) was created to power water mills. In later centuries, Sørtedams Sø (Black Pond Lake) was added to the north and then Sankt Jørgens Sø (St.George’s Lake) to the south for fortification and defense of the city since they could both be flooded in case of attack. Today, the three lakes are surrounded by paths for walking, running and cycling with the entire loop spanning 6.35km.  The eastern side of the Lakes features elegant 19th-century residential architecture and institutional buildings, while the western side has more varied residential character with terraced houses and villas.

Sculptures are found at the ends of various bridges that intersect The Lakes including copies of two famous bronze sculptures representing the Nile and Tiber River Gods. Nilen has 15 babies crawling over him, alluding to the flooding of the Nile River. Tiberen holds a cornucopia symbolizing prosperity and a rudder representing travel.  Nearby is the “Young People Sitting” or “Seated Lovers” sculpture created in 1940 by Johann Hansen, depicting a couple seemingly deep in conversation. A new sculpture erected in 2024 by Danish feminist artist Kirsten Justesen is a tribute to Grevinde Danner, a 19th Danish icon in the Women’s Right’s Movement who fought for women’s emancipation and social awareness. Engravings on her skirt highlight her many accomplishments. Found on the posts of the bridges are various depictions of Copenhagen’s coat of arms, consisting of three (red) towers rising above wavy water lines. The central tower is topped by a crescent moon and a knight with raised sword stands in the gateway. Stars top the two outer towers. This emblem is seen throughout Copenhagen, especially within its City Hall.

Leaving the walking trails of The Lakes to head towards the Torvehallerne Food Market, we saw some interesting buildings. The headquarters of the United Federation of Danish Workers at 4 Kampmannsgade has a band of stylized yellow floral/lotus-like motifs decorating the top. At its entrance is a humorous untitled work by Danish sculptor Keld Moseholm Jørgensen.   The artist describes this piece as “three fat men trying to make ends meet”. Torvehallerne (Danish for “Market Halls”) is a premier indoor food market just east of the middle lake with two pavilions housing over 60 stalls, flanking an outdoor space that hosts a fruit and vegetable market. One pavilion seems to focus on fresh meats, seafood, cheese and cafés selling sandwiches and tapas while the other offers breads, pastries, baked goods, chocolates, sweets, coffee and tea.

This first visit to the food hall was a scouting mission to see what we could bring back to the hotel the next time we were in the area. We could not purchase anything perishable this time since we were only at the beginning of our planned walking route and still hours away from being able to check in. Initially we just wanted a cold drink and a seat to rest our feet. Rich had read about “Cocio”, a Danish chocolate milk that has been dubbed “the world’s best chocolate milk” with a rich, caramel-like velvety taste. We found a stall with small tables that sold the drink and purchased a bottle for 28 DKK. It was tasty and in the days that followed, we bought a few more bottles at local grocery stores at more reasonable prices (between 17-20 DKK). After checking out both pavilions, we made our selection for lunch by ordering our first Danish specialty—the smørrebrød which are open-faced sandwiches with different toppings on pieces of rye bread. We chose a three-piece sampler that included one with shrimp/hardboiled egg, one with chicken salad/mushroom, and one with rare roast beef topped with crispy onion.

To bring back to the hotel for dinner, we bought some big peas and fresh strawberries from the open-air market, as well as feta/spinach and ham/cheese pastries. For dessert, Rich bought another Danish specialty which was the cardamon bun. On our next trip to Torvehallerne, we were able to stop by at the end of the day. This time, we bought three types of seafood spread including a curry shrimp, a crayfish, and a cod spread, as well as slices of smoked halibut and a breaded fish cake. We were able to get two hearty dinners out of this haul.

After our tour of Torvehallerne Food Hall, we completed the circuit of the first two Lakes up to Dronning Louise Bridge, then headed west to Frederiksberg Allé, an elegant avenue lined with lime trees that has been compared to Paris’ Champs- Élysées. Laid out in 1700 as the private road of King Frederik IV leading up to his Baroque palace, Frederiksberg Slot, the avenue spans over 1km in length, is 40 metres wide. There are beautiful Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance buildings, fountains, and sculptures found along this street. One of the most impressive buildings is at 42A Frederiksberg Allé where the Alhambra Amusement Garden, created by Georg Carstensen in 1857, once stood. When the building was redeveloped in 1906, an Alhambra sign was added as a tribute to the location’s history. Gorgeous Art Nouveau sculptures and floral motifs decorate the entrance and façades of the building. Today it is the building houses the Frederik VI pub and eatery at ground level with residential apartments above it.

A pair of memorial fountains installed in 1922 are situated on either side of Frederiksberg Allé. One fountain is topped with a bronze sculpture of a seated falconer with a falcon in his hand, as a tribute to the royal falconry farm once located in Frederiksberg. The sculpture atop the other fountain depicts a seated Dutch woman with her child, reflecting the history of Dutch settlers and farmers brought to Frederiksberg in the 17th century.  Another ornate building at 23 Frederiksberg Allé is nicknamed “Lille Rosenborg” (Little Rosenborg) because the details of its façade are reminiscent of King Christian IV’s Rosenborg Castle. Interesting street art includes a stone fish carving that has been integrated with a drainpipe. A section of the boulevard is dedicated to the “Frederiksberg Walk of Fame” with plaques on the ground honouring Danish legends of film, TV, theatre and music. Unfortunately, we did not recognize any of the portraits that were depicted in caricature-style, but it was still fun walking by them.

At the end of the Frederiksberg Allé is the Frederiksberg Cemetery (Kirkegård), established in 1734 behind the Frederiksberg Church. We always visit cemeteries in a new country as we are interested in the cultural differences found in burial practices. Danish cemeteries are designed as lush gardens or parks with trimmed hedges delineating plots, gravel paths, and an eclectic planting of different types of trees, shrubs and flowers, especially tulips which are a symbol of remembrance and respect. It is the Danish tradition to treat burial grounds as public parks for recreation and a place of serenity, relaxation and enjoyment. Unlike other countries where a grave is purchased and maintained by the cemetery for perpetuity, in Denmark the gravesites are reused after 20 years for burials or 10 years for urn cremations unless the family continues to pay for maintenance.

While many of the grave markers are modest headstones provided and owned by the families, some have interesting sculptures or artwork on them while other plots are decorated items that perhaps reflect the personality of the deceased. A common motif scene on multiple tombs is what looks like Aladdin’s lamp, likely a symbol of light or the soul of the departed.  Notable burials in Frederiksberg Cemetery include Adam Oehlenschlager, the poet who wrote the lyrics to Denmark’s national anthem, and Poul Schuluter, Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982-1993.

Although there were many eclectic tombs and sculptures in the cemetery including the typical mourning and religious figures, the grave I was especially looking for was that of Robert Storm Peterson (1882-1949), a cartoonist, writer and early pioneer of Danish animation. Working under the name P.Storm, he has been described as the forerunner of Danish cartoon and drawn animation. Peterson was best known for his characters Peter, a cheerful, round little man and Ping, his well-dressed witty penguin. The characters are carved into a large tree next to Petersen’s tomb as a fitting tribute to the animator.

After our visit to the cemetery, we intended to tour the Frederiksberg Have (garden) before heading back to the hotel. In retrospect, this would have been too much for us to handle as we were already exhausted at this point. Instead, we came across the smaller Haveselskabets Have, which sits between the cemetery and that much larger park. This beautifully landscaped little public garden was created in 1882 and serves as the headquarters of the Danish Garden society. Surrounded by tall yew hedges to form a quiet oasis, the park is divided into various sections including a water garden with aquatic figures, a romantic rose garden, a long mirror pool, a pond with bridge and a pavilion, perennial gardens, flower beds, fountains, sculptures and benches to sit and admire the scenery. This made for a lovely, serene final destination to a very long day. Too bad we still had to walk all the way back to the hotel.

Copenhagen 2026: Flight, Hotel, Surrounding Area

Our flight into Copenhagen was quite eventful. We thankfully booked our tickets early before the recent surge in oil prices caused both higher airfares and fewer flights worldwide. Our research showed that many attractions and stores were closed on Mondays in the city, so we decided to use them as travel days and flew both to and from Copenhagen on a Monday. As an added bonus, it was also less crowded on the trains.  When we took a day trip to Malmo, Sweden on a Saturday, our train, which passed through the Copenhagen airport, was packed with people clogging the aisles and overhead racks with their huge suitcases.

We chose Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) since it offered the best prices relative to the other airlines. Unfortunately, our selected “red-eye” flight was scheduled to leave at 5:10pm EST and landed at 7:05am Denmark time. This meant in Toronto’s time zone, we were flying “overnight” from 5:10pm to 1am, making it almost impossible to sleep. When we landed 30 minutes early, few stores or cafés were open yet, the reception at our accommodations did not open until 9am to drop off our bags, and check-in was not until 3pm. This meant many hours of stumbling around Copenhagen with little to no sleep.

The cost of the same flights fluctuated weekly if not daily.  Using Google Flights Tracking alerts, we snagged two Premium Economy tickets for over $400 less that the highest price offered around that time. These days we always splurge and fly Premium Economy if it is available, since we are of the age where we want to be more comfortable on long flights. But more importantly, this type of ticket allows us to board the plane before the people with economy tickets, almost guaranteeing us overhead space for our carry-on luggage. For the past few years, it seems like on every flight we take, there is an issue with enough cabin storage. We have not checked a bag on a flight since 2013 when Air Canada lost our luggage, never to be found again. One additional perk that SAS offers its Premium Economy customers is the ability to bring on a second carry-on bag per person, in addition to the personal item.  This came extremely handy when we bought a few souvenirs that would not have fit in our first carry-on bags. It is too bad that SAS only flies direct out of Toronto to either Copenhagen or Stockholm or else I would always fly this airline, just for the perk of having a second carry-on bag!

The weird timing of our flight had some advantages. When we arrived at the Toronto Pearson airport lounge, which we had free passes for with our credit card, we found that our standard lounge was closed mid-day. Instead, we were allowed into the premium lounge, which was roomier and had better food choices. We had a nice snack of Asian dumplings, meatballs, pasta, and salad while we waited for our flight. Because it was so comfortable in the lounge, we cut it a bit close to return to our gate, which was at the other end of the terminal. But we still started back there with enough time to arrive just before boarding began.

Leaving out of Terminal 3, our gate was “B26” which involved going down an escalator (that wasn’t working) where we had to hop on a shuttle bus that drove for what felt like a long way before reaching our destination.  We found out later that this was the “Infield Concourse”, a separate satellite building located beyond the main T3 terminal that is used for overflow of certain flights that the main B-gates can’t handle. What made the experience feel extra weird was that we were the only people on the bus! We were either really early or really late. Debarking from the bus and scurrying up the escalator of the new building, we found our real gate and a lounge full of people. While we were not late since boarding still had not started yet, the rest of them were really early!

We got there just in time to hear our names called because we were amongst the people who did a web check-in, which meant our passports had not yet been inspected or scanned by a live attendant. We were the first people in line to have our passports checked and during this process, we received an unexpected and wonderful surprise. Out of the blue, the boarding agent told us that we had been upgraded to business class and issued us new boarding passes.

The level of luxury and pampering that we received on this flight is something we will not soon forget. We were the first people to board the plane and arrived to find big, comfortable seats with so much leg room that I had to unbuckle my seatbelt to reach my personal belongings bag in front of my seat. We learned later what all of that extra room was actually for! On top of the usual around the waist seatbelt, we also had an over-the-shoulder belt like in a car. Before we were even settled, we were offered a pre-takeoff drink of champagne (or cranberry juice in my case). Built into each seat was a compartment with a bottle of water, complimentary toiletry bag containing overnight essentials, and big, plush over-the-ears headphones to use with the entertainment system.  I was so impressed with the movie choices including several movies that I had been wanting to watch but were yet not available on any of my streaming services. Since I couldn’t sleep anyways, I ended up watching several movies during the 7-hour flight including “This is Not an Accident”, part of “Marty Supreme” (which I found annoying and quit), and half of “No Other Choice”, which I finished watching on the flight home, along with “Is This Thing On” and “The Family McMullen”.

Once the plane took off, the offers of drinks and then food seemed to be non-stop and came with a four-page menu of choices. We were given hot towels to clean our hands (both before and after the meal) and our fold-away trays were covered with tablecloths. First, we were provided with a snack of roasted cashew nuts in a heated bowl accompanied by a choice of cocktail. I chose a “Hugo Zero” mocktail of elderflower, mint and sparkling soda while Rich selected a “Polar Pioneer” consisting of vodka, blue Curaçao, Umeshu, Champagne and apple juice.

This was followed by a three-course meal. The appetizer options included seared scallops with smoked tomato vinaigrette, corn salad and truffle oil, which we both selected. The other option was Thai beef with cucumber salad, fried vermicelli and roasted shallots. There were three choices of main including oven-baked pasta with spinach, pomodoro sauce, broccolini, roasted peppers and grilled lemon, or Ponzu-marinated chicken thigh with herbed butter, garlic gai lan (Chinese broccoli) and jasmine rice, or beef top blade steak with onion demi-glace, sun-blushed tomatoes and crushed potatoes. I chose the beef and Rich had the chicken.  Both came with salad and bread. Of course, wine was served with dinner.  Finally, dessert was a choice of fruit salad, a cheese plate with Grey Owl and blue cheese, or a frangipane tart with mixed berry compote. At this point, I was regretting all the food I ate in the airport lounge! I chose the fruit which seemed like the lightest option while Rich had the cheese. As post meal aperitifs, I had a Baileys on ice and Rich had a cognac. It was so nice to have real plates, glasses and cutlery for our meals, with no plastic foil or lids to remove from the food.

Once dinner was over, it was time to turn our attention to all the fancy buttons on our seats. In addition to the standard tilt in a regular seat, there is a button that triggers an ottoman to raise your legs and a massage function that gently strobed up and down your back. But most intriguing was the tilt functions that caused the chair to recline within a self-contained unit so that the person behind you is not affected. At full horizontal incline, the unit turned into a bed where your legs and feet slid into that deep cavern that I originally thought was storage space for my personal items. We were also given a plump pillow, a plush blanket and the toiletry bag contained socks, ear plugs, sleep mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, skin cream and lip balm. If this had been a true red-eye flight, the sleep environment would have been ideal. But given that the lights went out around 9pm, it was hard to fall asleep even in these conditions.  Just before landing in the “morning”, which was about 11:30pm in our original time zone, it was time for breakfast. When the plane landed at 6:40am Denmark time, our adventure in business class was sadly over. Having been so royally spoiled, it was difficult to go back to flying economy, or even premium economy.

It was actually interesting to compare our experience flying out in business class with our flight home in premium economy. There was no pre-takeoff champagne, hot towels or tablecloth. Our drinks came in plastic cups instead of glassware and while we did still get cashews, they were not heated in a bowl and we had to rip open the packaging to get at them (the horrors! 😊). After being served each course on individual plates in business class, we were back to the standard airplane meal that came in a single tray with peel-away plastic wrap over the food. At least there was real cutlery and the premium economy people received an extra meal choice (chicken or pasta) while the economy travellers were only offered chicken. Our section consisted of wider seats than economy with just two seats on each side of the centre aisle but there was no longer the extra over-the-shoulder seatbelt. Our seats were the first row of the Premium Economy section so we still had plenty of legroom although we had to store our personal items in the overhead bin since there was no seat in front of us. From our seats, we peered longingly into the business class section just in front of us, before a curtain was closed to separate us. We were provided with the usual crappy earphones that you stick inside your ears but which never actually fit well, so we used our own noise cancelation Bose headphones instead to watch the same great selection of movies.  While we were descending into Toronto, I spotted the ultra tall tower that is being constructed across from our condo. It was a lovely experience flying Scandinavian Airline’s Premium Economy and we would have appreciated it all the more had we not been so decadently spoiled on our flight out.

The Copenhagen Airport is full of fun art, starting with the first of six Little Mermaid related sculptures that we would see on this trip, including this replica, the actual iconic one in Langelinie, plus other versions created as homages or spoofs of the original. We took our time exploring the airport before going through customs since the reception at our hotel did not open until 9am and we wanted to drop off our bags before roaming around the city as we waited for our 3pm check-in time.

Like most of Europe, Copenhagen has a robust train system that ties into its transit system. The purchase of fares for the train, bus, metro and even ferry boat services are consolidated into the single Rejsebillet app which allows you to pre-purchase tickets on your cell phone. Copenhagen works on a zone system so it is the same price to ride on any mode of public transportation when traversing between the same number of zones. When buying transit tickets, the minimum purchase is for 2 zones at a cost of 24 Danish Krone (DKK) or $5.2CAD.  The trip from the airport to Copenhagen Central Train Station (København H) crosses 3 zones at a cost of 30DKK and takes only 15 minutes, making it a quick and easy ride into the centre of the city. Confusingly, the corresponding metro station, which is about a block away from the train station, has the same name. This seems to be true for all hubs in the city where the train and metro both stop at the same location.

We noticed some interesting aspects of the train and metro systems. The trains run quite frequently, often with multiple trains passing through popular locations. There are special cars with toilets and others designated for bicycles where seating has been replaced with bike racks. A few cars are designated as “silent” cars, where no noise, phone calls, or conversation is allowed. On another car, in addition to space for bikes, there were spaces designated for a luggage rack, wheelchairs and baby carriages. We lucked onto this car on our way back to the airport and were able to stow our luggage on the rack. The metro stations have all been outfitted with safety doors that line up perfectly with the subway train doors. Subway trains seem to come every 3 minutes, but the main city routes (M3 and M4) follow the same path for multiple stops.  If you are traveling to those locations, a subway train seems to come through København H metro station 1-1.5 minutes that will head to your destination.

Like many of the older train stations in Denmark (and Europe in general), København H is ornate and majestic. Open in 1911 in the south-east corner of the historic old town, the station is the largest in Denmark and acts as the central hub that disburses trains in all directions. This made it easy to return home from a day trip since all trains seemed to pass through this station. But picking the correct train to leave the station was daunting, especially if our destination was not the last stop since there were so many choices and tracks to choose from. On our four forays out of Copenhagen, we were able to select a departure time and purchase our ticket ahead of time using the Rejsebillet app. The ticket is good for 90 minutes, so if you miss your intended train, you can board the next one 20-30 minutes later. Once we arrived at København H, we had to read all the departure boards to find the right track and be aware of the time that our train left since several trains headed to different locations could pass through the same track just minutes beforehand. Denmark transportation does not use the tap-on/tap-off system of ensuring that a fare is paid. Instead, there are intermittent spot checks by transit inspectors, especially on longer train rides. We were only checked a few times but I wished it had happened more often as that would have made me feel better about the hefty prices we were paying to ride on the transit system.

For our 13-day stay in Copenhagen, we rented a unit in the Erik Vokel Suites, a chain of apartment hotels that also has locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid and Hamburg. Lately we have been looking for apartment hotels which provide us with a complete living space including a full kitchen, couch, and dining area, in addition to a bedroom and bathroom. It also offers a manned reception desk so that we can drop off our bags before check-in time and have someone on site to address any issues.

We chose Erik Vokel for its ideal location, two blocks away from the central train station and right around the corner from a Metro station that feeds the two main subway lines running through the centre of the city. It was also within walking distance to many attractions. The reception desk is only manned daily from 9am-5pm so we took our time getting to the hotel to drop off our bags. Once we got there, we realized that we could have arrived earlier since there are large lockers available outside of the reception area where we could have safely stored our luggage until check-in time. Although there is a self-check-in option for people arriving outside of the staffed hours, we were grateful that someone was available to hand us our keys. One evening during our stay, we encountered guests with their luggage standing helplessly in front of the apartment next to ours with no way to get in since the auto-generated key did not work. At least there was an off-hours emergency phone line that they could use, but that must have been a stressful experience for them.

Our unit had some interesting quirks including an electric black-out blind that rolled down behind the regular blinds, effectively blocking out all light at night and in the early morning.  Although our apartment had a washing machine, it did not have a dryer or a clothes rack. I used a glass pane by the window as a pseudo drying rack, letting the sun do its work and then helping out the drying process with a hair dryer. Surprisingly, the apartment also lacked an ice tray in the freezer. I had bruised the top of my right foot just prior to arriving in Copenhagen resulting in a painful swollen bump that was aggravated by the amount of walking we were doing each day. Without ice to help ease the swelling, I resorted to an old trick.  I went to the local grocery store and bought the least expensive bag of frozen vegetables that I could find, which turned out to be a bag of okra. After several nights of applying the okra on my foot along with taking Motrin to ease the inflammation and Tylenol to dull the pain, I was able to walk without issue for the rest of the trip.

Denmark has extremely strict rules on recycling, with households being required to sort their refuse into up to 10 different categories. At Erik Vokel Suites, we found 8 small recycling bins under the kitchen sink that matched to corresponding communal bins down in the basement.  We were required to sort between paper, cardboard, plastic/food containers (washed), organic, metal, glass, hazardous waste(?) and non-recyclable garbage. We were warned when we checked in about fines of up to 3000 DKK for violations, although it was not clear if that was a fine against us as the guests or against the hotel.

This recycling initiative is paired with a deposit-return program for bottles and cans where you pay up to an extra 3DKK for a bottle, which you can get back when you return the empty, washed container back to any grocery store. Our 13-day stay at Erik Vokel Suites came with maid service every 5 days.  Because Danish currency was not available for purchase outside of Denmark, we had decided to go cashless and rely solely on our credit cards since we heard that Denmark was basically a cashless society. But this meant we had no way to tip the maids.  So, we washed out all of our bottles of milk, juice, and pop and left them for the maids to claim the deposits. It wasn’t much but better than nothing.

Not having Danish currency should not have been an issue under normal circumstances as Denmark is mostly a cashless society. But we were unlucky enough to encounter two region-wide WIFI outages that rendered credit card machines inoperable. This inconvenienced us when we were unable to purchase pastries at a bakery, coffee at a castle or drinks on a ferry boat between Helsingor, Denmark and Helsingborg Sweden. We almost couldn’t travel to Helsingborg at all because we could not pay for the ferry ticket, but the attendant let us on for free. The only other time when we wished we had cash was when we wanted to buy a souvenir from a yard sale. But luckily, the vendor accepted PayPal so we were able to make the purchase.

In general, everything felt really expensive when converting from DKK to CAD. A cup of coffee was almost $9 CAD and a simple meal for two easily came to over $100CAD.  The equivalent of $5.20 CAD per subway ride in Copehagen makes Toronto’s fare of $3.30 with 2-hour hop-on-hop-off privileges suddenly seem like a bargain. But after 9-10 days of walking until it felt like our legs would fall off, there was no price too high to pay to take transit if it saved us from walking the same route back to the hotel again. After a while, we decided not to do the conversion and just enjoy our trip.

It was unusually cold for 11 of the 13 days that we were in Copenhagen and surrounding areas but at least we did not get that much rain. We constantly juggled our planned schedule to try to be indoors in museums and castles during rainy days and outside in parks, cemeteries, and canal walks during the sunny ones.  Copenhagen is a beautiful city and we loved all the time that we spent here, exploring the popular attractions as well as finding gems off the beaten path.

Copenhagen 2026

After working on my travel blog incessantly for months, I finally finished writing about last year’s Scotland trip just in time to concentrate on our 2026 vacation to Copenhagen, Denmark. This knocks off yet another new Western European country that we have not visited before from our bucket list.

Unlike the Scotland vacation which involved changing accommodations multiple times and driving from small village to small village at the back end of the trip, this time we will stay in the same apartment hotel in the heart of Copenhagen for the entire 13 days of our stay.  From there, we will walk or take transit to thoroughly explore the city including suburban neighbourhoods like Osterbro and Norrebro. Once we getting a sunny and warmer day, we plan to buy an all-day City Pass that includes rides on the harbour ferry so that we can use it as hop-on/hop-off transportation to explore various ports on both sides of the Copenhagen Inner Harbour. The boat, metro and train service seem to work off the same Rejsebillet app. As usual, we will have castles, museums, art galleries, boutique shopping, flea and antique markets, cemeteries, parks, sculptures and architectural walks on our itinerary.

We also allocated some days to take the train to visit remote castles including the one that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, as well as the Louisiana Art Museum within Denmark. We will cross the Öresund Strait twice to visit coastal towns in Sweden, taking a train from Copenhagen to Malmo, Sweden one day, and a ferry boat from Helsingor Denmark to Helsingborg Sweden on another.

As we usually do when we visit a foreign country, we tried to buy a small amount of local currency. But we found that none of the Canadian banks or currency exchanges carry the Danish Krone (DKK).  Since stringent anti-money laundering compliance rules were implemented after a 2018 Danske Bank scandal involving a major money laundering case, Danish banks have been reluctant to accept DKK from foreign banks, effectively making it unavailable for exchange abroad. However, we have been assured by many previous visitors that Copenhagen is mostly a cashless city and that our credit card will be accepted just about everywhere. To ensure it is not rejected, we called our credit card company and informed them of the dates of our trip. If we really do need cash for some reason (e.g. perhaps to make a small purchase at a flea market or antique market), we can withdraw some from the local ATMs. By the same token, as we are only in Sweden for parts of two days, we will try to go cashless there as well.

In terms of getting e-Sims for our phones so that we can have data for google map searches, we looked into a European e-Sim but it cost significantly more than just getting a 30-day Danish e-Sim and a 3-day Swedish e-Sim.

Although English is spoken widely in Denmark, we have started to recognize some Danish suffixes in the big, long street and place names, making them seem a bit shorter. For example, gade=street, havn=port, borg or slot=castle, Kirke=church and kirkgard=cemetery.

In terms of dining, we are looking forward to trying Danish specialties including smorrebrod (dark rye bread with a variety of toppings, especially seafood), fish paste, polser hotdogs, and baked goods including cardamom buns.

Scotland 2025: Scone Castle, Perth Art Trail, Trip Postmortem

Our last full day in Scotland was spent in Scone and Perth before heading back to Edinburgh to prepare for our flight home.

Located near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scone Palace is an iconic site that was once the location where Scottish Kings were crowned in a ceremony that started in a grand Abbey and concluded at a smaller chapel. The Abbey was mostly destroyed during the Scottish Reformation in 1559 but the chapel remains and is of great historic significance. The current red sandstone Gothic Revival Palace dates mainly from the early 19th century, incorporated with older buildings from the late 16th century. This is the ancestral seat of the Earls of Mansfield. While the scone pastry is widely considered to have originated in Scotland in the early 1500s, there is no connection to the village of Scone or Scone Palace. We also found out from a guide that we were mispronouncing both the pastry (rhymes with “gone”, not “zone”) and the village (rhymes with “spoon”). To us, she said what sounded like “No, the skon was not created at Scoon”.

Scone Palace does not allow photos of the interiors because it is still an active private residence of the Murrays, Earls of Mansfield who have lived here for nearly 400 years. We were able to capture a few photos from the internet as memories.  We viewed the lavishly decorated state rooms and royal galleries to see the ornate furniture and the collection of antiques and artworks owned by the Murray family.  The Long Gallery displayed family portraits and taxidermy on the walls as well as Chinoiserie cabinets. The State bedrooms included beds once slept in by Mary Queen of Scots and King James VI.

One of the main reasons Rich wanted to visit this palace was so that he could say he ate a “skon in Skoon”, so we made sure we allocated time for this.  We ordered one Scottish cheddar savoury scone and one fruit scone which came with jam and clotted cream. For a change, instead of the usual pot of tea, we shared a latte. We also spotted some unique flavours of chips and decided to buy some to have as a snack in the evening. While they each had a distinct flavour, by the third bag they all started to taste the same and I don’t think we could have indicated the flavours on a blind taste test. But it was fun trying them anyways.

After touring the inside of the castle, we explored a bit of the extensive estate which consists of 100 acres of woodlands, gardens and a Victorian Pinetum. Scone Palace is known for its peacocks, both live and sculptural.  Right outside of the cafeteria entrance are a pair of beautifully constructed metal peacock sculptures with exquisitely detailed plumage. As we walked around the grounds, we saw several of the more common Indian peacocks strutting around the property with their bright teal necks and colourful tails decorated with the iconic circles that resemble eyes. Even more thrilling was when we spotted an elegant white peacock which is a much rarer experience for us. Finally, we came across a whimsical sculpture that was a cow/peacock hybrid. It was sponsored by Scone Palace as part of “The Hairy Highland Coo Trail”, a free public event that ran through the areas surrounding Perth in 2024. Created by artist Rio Moore, the sculpture was titled “PeaCOOck” and consisted of a cute Highland “Coo” painted in the colours and ornamentation of an Indian peacock. Moore said he was inspired by “Patrick the Peacock”, one of the resident peacocks roaming the grounds.

Next, we wandered over to a small 17th-century Presbyterian chapel on Moot Hill, which now commemorates the spot where kings were crowned while sitting on the “Stone of Scone” or “Stone of Destiny”. The stone resided in this location until 1296 when King Edward I took it to Westminster Abbey.  The real stone now resides in the Perth Museum but a replica sits in front of the Moot Hill Chapel where tourists can sit on it for photos. In front of the stone are plaques naming famous Scottish Kings who were crowned here, including Macbeth, Robert the Bruce, King James I, King James IV, and King Charles II. Inside the chapel is an ornate Italian alabaster monument to David Murray, 1st Viscount Stormont. Near the chapel is a sword in a stone, harking to the myths of King Arthur, probably added as a tourist attraction.  Two sculptures of deer made of wicker stand off to one side but look rather realistic from afar.

Continuing on through the place grounds, we passed through a stone archway, with the Murray coat of arms at the top, that is part of the surviving ruins of an old defensive wall. We found a gun loop or in the wall that was used for firing weapons or for surveillance. Further on is the Old Scone Mercat Cross, a late medieval relic that was the site of an ancient marketplace. We walked through the palace pinetum, which is a collection of coniferous trees including hemlocks, firs and sequoias. The highlight was a giant Douglas Fir that is extremely old and large. It was raised from seeds brought back from North America in 1826 by botanist David Douglas.

There is also a historic village graveyard on the grounds containing weathered headstones and old graves, as well as the remnants from the Old Scone Church and Abbey.  A small crenulated tower attached to the cemetery wall remains fairly intact.  Further off is the Minister’s tomb, honouring Presbyterian ministers who faced persecution during the 16th century Reformation, but we did not get far enough to see that.

Instead, we decided to try our hand at the unique star-shaped maze created from 2000 tall beech trees designed in the shape of the heraldic five-pointed Murray Star from the family’s crest. Opened in 1991, the maze spans 215 feet across with 2625 feet of paths leading to a central pentagon-shaped fountain with a bronze sculpture of the water nymph Arethusa. Stairs lead to an aerial view of the maze pattern. We thought that one of us could stand on the platform and guide the other to the prize at the centre. Unfortunately, the stairs were blocked off so we had to navigate the maze on our own (which we are notoriously bad at!).  We went around and around for what felt like forever, getting close enough to the centre to see the nymph through the bushes but never finding the path to access her.  Even worse, we could not find the path to get out and were trapped in this maze! Finally, we stumbled across the exit and were so grateful that we hurried out. This took so much longer than expected that we did not have enough time to explore more of the grounds as we needed to head to Perth to go on a sculpture trail walk.

The River Tay Public Art Trail runs about 4km along both sides of the River Tay and into a few riverside streets in the city of Perth. The trail features over 20 sculptures and installations that reflect the city’s history and heritage. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to find them all and we missed some good ones, but we still saw many lovely works. One of the most spectacular pieces is titled “Millais Viewpoint” (1999) by Tim Shutter, evoking similar views painted by artist John Everett Millais. It consists of sandstone seat in front of a partial picture frame that highlights the stunning vista of the hills and Kinnoull Kirkyard across the River Tay. Nestled within shrubs and colourful foliage is “Foxtrot Ridge” (1992) by David Annand where a life-sized fox seems to be in mid stride as it looks back at the sound of a noise that has caught its attention. Deschampsia Flexuosa (1992) by Phil Johnson is a set of three metal litter bins shaped like triple-pointed Celtic-inspired flowers to blend in with the natural surroundings. Giant Thistle (2007) by David Wilson is a stainless steel and copper representation of the national emblem of Scotland.

In addition to the sculptures, there were many beautifully landscaped gardens to see including Rodney Gardens, which contains formal flower beds, a circular lawn, topiary, heather displays and a small pond. Norie Miller Park is a larger space with trees, shrubs and open lawns providing backdrops to the artworks. Bellwood Riverside Park offers grassy areas and informal plantings along the River Tay.

While exploring the art trail on the east side of the River Tay, we came across the Kinnoull Kirkyard, a historic burial grounds connected to the old Kinnoull parish church called the Kinnoull Aisle, the 17th century burial chapel built for the Hay family, Earls of Kinnoull.  Inside the Kinnoull Aisle is an elaborate monument to Sir George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull and Chancellor of Scotland.  It is cited as one of Scotland’s earliest major funerary monuments.  The Earl is depicted standing full-length in his Chancellor robes within a classical Corinthian portico with elegantly carved columns and a decorated pediment.  At his side is a table bearing the Great Seal of Scotland while the heraldic panel of the Hay/Kinnoull arms sits above, supported by fruit, shields, unicorns and spears.

Notable graves in the kirkyard include ones for Effie Gray, wife of artist Sir John Everett Millais, who inspired the Millais View sculpture that we saw earlier, as well as photographer W.H.Findlay, theologian John Hunt, and James Fairholme, a Royal Navy officer lost in the Franklin expedition. There are many intricately carved tombs where the images are still quite visible. The grave of Mary Duff (?-1782) commemorates her as being the wife of a ferry boatman with a distinctive tomb featuring a carving of a boatman rowing in the water with an angel flying above.

Returning back to the art trail, we approached the river and saw some beautiful views of Perth on the other side including the tall spire of St.John’s Kirk, as well as the many bridges spanning the River Tay. More sculptures were found on this part of the trail.  The Dance Within (1998) by Paul Eugene Riley looks like a totem pole of ovoid geometric shapes. Right by the water is a large installation called Benchmark (1998) by John Creed consisting of a central form of twisted steel flanked by two wooden benches that is meant to convey a sense of permanence and stability. Further away are a series spiraling metal shapes, each with a flat platform that might also be used as a seat. These are meant to represent the movement and force of the river. Sundial II (1970) by David Lovejoy is built on a solid concrete base marked with roman numerals. An upward metal bar that acts as the gnomon (the part of the sundial that casts a shadow to tell the time). 

Carved on a defensive flood wall on Tay Street between Perth Bridge and Queen’s Bridge are a series of whimsical Wall Sculptures (1998) by Gillian Forbes including one called “Cream of the Well” that looks like a waterfall, and another titled “Ecce Tiber” (translated as Behold, the Tiber River) but it is unclear what the sculpture depicts—possibly a river spirit?  Also on this wall are plaques depicting cities that twin with Perth, UK including one from Perth, Ontario!

TRIP POSTMORTEM

We spent 22 days in Scotland, not including the two travel days on either end. This was a long, tiring, but fun trip where we had so many different experiences. At a final tally, we visited: 

• 9 Castles (2 only outside on the grounds), 
• 9 Museums or Art Galleries 
• 8 Cemeteries (including a few unplanned ones that we stumbled across), 
• 6 Churches, 
• 9 Historic sites, went on 
• 9 Nature hikes along cliffs and through forests, and toured 8 gardens (some with sculptures). 

On top of all that, we watched 8 live theatre shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and toured 4 architectural masterpieces by iconic designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

We were extremely lucky in that it only rained significantly twice on our entire vacation, although both times occurred when we were roaming through kirkyards. It felt like the heavens were mourning the dead! We tried throughout the trip to walk and climb stairs on the left side like the locals but found that we were so often surrounded by tourists who walked towards us on the right that it defeated the purpose. 

Although it was not Rich’s first time driving on the other side of the road, it had been a few years and driving in Scotland had its own quirks. Every time Rich made a right-hand turn, I reminded him to “turn wide” while on a left-hand turn, I said “turn narrow”. After nudging the curb the first couple of times, the drive was mostly uneventful. We did find that there were so many “roundabouts” even when we were going straight for long distances. We found that the GPS in our rental car repeatedly brought us “near” our desired destination but not right to it.  We often had to use Google Maps on our cell phones to find the exact locations.  Thank goodness we each bought huge data plans. Many of the streets we drove down only fit one car in one direction. We soon learned the protocol which is to duck into one of the numerous pull-offs as soon as you see an oncoming vehicle to let them by before proceeding.  In a few cases, both cars pulled in and we were at a standoff. There were also so many traffic circles that it seemed like we entered them the equivalent of every few blocks, even when we were merely trying to go straight for a long distance. And we found that the traffic lights turned red, then yellow, then green unlike in North America where they go from green to yellow to red.

In retrospect, we needed to add a few more rest days to the trip and if possible, not change accommodations so often which was very tiring. But we enjoyed all the different types of activities that we took park in and liked that our trip was a bit different that most others who visit Scotland. As always, we like to wander off the beaten path and march to our own drummer.

Scotland 2025: Ballater Hikes, Aylth, Meigle, Blairgowrie

After two days in the Scottish Highlands, we spent our final two days heading south back towards Edinburgh to finish off our trip. But before leaving the Ballater area, we stopped at a location where we could go on two short hikes along two intersecting rivers. We then made more stops at Devil’s Elbow, Alyth Burn and the village of Meigle before reaching Blairgowrie where we would stay that night. Finally, on the last day of our trip, we toured Scone Castle and grounds and the sculpture trail in Perth before staying our last night near the Edinburgh airport in preparation for flying home the next morning.

It was a very pretty drive where we saw some gorgeous vistas and a few ornate bridges including the cast-iron 1905 Edward VII bridge which is painted bright white. We passed by but did not have time to stop at the Mar Lodge Estate which is now one of the UK’s largest national nature reserves with the Mar Lodge, a former late 19th century hunting lodge, now serving as a heritage centre.

Our first hike was on the Linn of Dee trail which is a short scenic walk through forested pine woods towards and then along the River Dee where dramatic river views can be found. The full trail is 3.5km while a shorter loop is 1.5km. Since we were pressed for time before we had to head to our next destination, we took the shorter route so that we could also go on the second hike.

Once we reached the River Dee, we stood on large rocks as we watched the rush of the cascading water flowing towards a swirling pool where the water hit a dead end and then flowed outwards again. There were also small waterfalls, caverns, and caves. At one end of an old stone bridge, we found a gravestone that marked the spot where two people accidentally drowned in 1927. This caused us to step back a bit as we were taking our photos. Rather than going through more forest to create a longer loop, we doubled back to the starting point which also led to the start of the second hike.

Glen Lui Hike is a short 2.8km loop through more beautiful pinewoods, this time along the Lui Water (a smaller river that intersects with the larger River Dee). This hike involved following a gently rising path into the forest while peering through the trees to see the river below. We did not catch sight of it but there is supposed to be a manmade salmon ladder somewhere on the river. We did spot of at least one waterfall and mountain views as we neared the end of the route.

Devil’s Elbow is a famous double-hairpin bend on an old section of the A93 highway, located just south of Braemar above the Cairnwell Pass. It is the highest main road in the United Kingdom. Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II drove on this road enroute to Balmoral in the 1960s, as documented by a commercial postcard. In 1971, the A93 was upgraded to bypass this notorious turn but the original route is still available for people to walk or cycle on. A viewing point with curved benches and informational signs describing the history were added in 2016. We saw several sheep calmly grazing by the viewing point, turning what was once a dangerous and thrilling drive into a pastoral scene.

We made a quick stop at the village of Alyth to take some photos of a small, picturesque stream called the Alyth Burn which runs through the middle the town. Colourful buildings on both sides that reflect in the water give the scene a canal-like feel. The burn starts from the Forest of Alyth northwest of the town and flows into the River Isla a couple of miles downstream for a total distance of about 13km. Four bridges cross the burn within the village including old stone bridges and a smaller metal bridge.

Trees, Benches and street art line the burn at the heart of the town where shops, restaurants and a hotel can be found. On a side street, we found a shop that offered restoration of classic cars and found a garage full of very cool vehicles including a vintage Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, a classic Volkswagen Beetle, and more.

The Meigle Sculpted Stone Museum contains 27 carved Pictish stones created mostly between the 9th and 10th centuries with a few dating as far back as 700AD. The Picts were ancient people who inhabited northern and eastern Scotland and consisted of various groups that might have been descendants of native tribes from the Iron Age. Meigle was a religious centre with an important Pictish church and also associated with the ruling aristocracy. Many of the stones are thought be tombs created after the Picts became Christianized. Monumental stone slabs were carved with Pictish motifs including geometric symbols such as “V-rod with crescent” which might represent lunar cycles, and double disc with Z-rod which might have been used for timekeeping.

There were also representations of warriors in battle or hunting scenes, some on horseback, and animals including an adder, salmon, wolf, stag, cat, and an eagle. Mythical beasts included sea monsters, dancing seahorses, coiled serpents, dragons, griffins and more. The later stones marking the Christian period of Pictish sculpture start to include images of Celtic crosses and other Christian imagery including lion-like creatures that might be references to Daniel and the Lion. Some carvings show humanoid figures with animal-like characteristics. The most iconic image is the “Pictish Beast”, described as a hybrid creature with a dolphin-like snout, a crest or mane rising from its head, and spiraled feet and curly tail.

The style of the stones seemed to change in the later centuries, veering away from the upright, vertical tombs towards recumbent tombs that were meant to lie flat or rest horizontally.  Intricate carvings can be found along the long sides. One stone seems to depict images of cattle, maybe pointing to farming. There is at least one example of a “hogback” tomb, which is a specialized type of recumbent tomb with a humped, curved ridge resembling a hog’s back. It is thought that these tombs were influenced by the Vikings and made to mimic Viking-era houses.

One of the most interesting and detailed stones in the collection has several interpretations.  The initial academic reading interpreted this as a biblical scene of Daniel in the lion’s den. However, from the 16th century, local folklore and now some current historians claim that it is King Arthur’s consort Guinevere that is being torn apart by lions. Legend has it that Guinevere was kidnapped and raped by Arthur’s nephew Mordred, which was considered shameful. To save his honour, Arthur had Guinevere killed. The claims are that this stone marked her final resting spot and proves the existence of Arthur and Guinevere is perhaps more than just a myth. This was a fascinating museum and it was amazing to see such a vast number of stones that are still so intact with the original carvings still so clearly visible.

Leaving Meigle, we headed to the town of Blairgowrie which we chose as a location to stay overnight before our last full day in Scotland. But we arrived so late that there was not enough time to go on the small hike that we had planned. Instead, we checked into our accommodations at the Old Cross Inn, then wandered to the main street to look for a place to eat dinner. We spotted Jahangir Indian Restaurant and decided to try that. This turned out to be a really good meal that was highlighted by haggis pakoras, the perfect blend of Indian and Scottish flavours.  Throughout our Scotland trip, we ate haggis often and in many forms including pan-fried and in Balmoral Chicken, but this was a new spin!  We also ordered a kebab sampler plate consisting of chicken&lamb tikka, seekh kabab (spiced minced meat) and a King prawn kebab.  For mains, we shared chicken korma and tandoori salmon on pilaf rice with a side of okra. For starch, we tried another speciality, which was naan stuffed with minced lamb. For our last meal on the road before returning to Edinburgh, we at like kings and queens.