Living in Aarhus, this city seems to have most things: an array of bars, shops and outer woods to explore or go on a walk. However, what it suffers in is Christmassiness. Of course, it does its bit. There was a Christmas parade a few weeks ago where the Christmas lights were switched on and there were various stalls selling chestnuts and alike. But there haven’t been huge Christmas markets and the feeling of constant festivity in the city (though this hasn’t been helped by the fact I am entering essay season). So, as a pre-essay stress holiday, we went to Copenhagen! AND IT WAS WORTH IT.
Day 1: Arrival and the Tivoli Gardens
Smart pigeons staying warm by the vents.
After the classically long coach trip to the city (on which we went through fields still covered in untouched snow, eeek) we headed to the hostel before going to Tivoli. Unfortunately, Tivoli is crazy expensive. It costs 99 dkk entry (basically a tenner) or that plus another £20+ to go on the rides. So being the poor students we are, we opted to just do entry this time. But it was so worth it. The Gardens were absolutely beautiful and so so Christmassy: the festive cheer was abundant. There were cute stalls everywhere, the decorations were gorgeous and it was a necessity to stop and get hot chocolates to warm us up!
Day 2: Church of our Saviour, the French Embassy and Christmas Markets!
We started off this day with the intrepid expedition up the tower of the Church of our Saviour. This is an absolutely beautiful piece of architecture which you can actually climb up for a small fee. The climb itself maybe wasn’t what I was prepared for on an early morning and it definitely proved I was not very fit at all. Be warned: if you are not a fan of heights, narrow steps or working out then maybe this isn’t for you. However, the view is magnificent. Luckily we had a lovely clear day so we were able to see all across Copenhagen, take a look!
Next, we wondered back through the city to the Christmas markets! On the way we encountered so many photo worthy things, for example:
The best thing however, was the flower memorials outside the French Embassy. It was an amazing sight. A whole section of the road/ pavement was cordoned off for the display and it was a true symbol of how the world can come together as one against the atrocities that occur. A simple gesture that shows the unity of a world in fighting evils.
#prayfortheworld
Next up, Christmas Markets!! After our initial excitement at the first one we found, it did become clear that all the others were the same/similar. Nevertheless, we had an awesome time and of course, money was wasted on a lot of food! There were furs, glogg, hats and decorations and it was just what I wanted from the trip. If you want a classic Christmas market, then Copenhagen is a perfect place to go!
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