Entries about capital

the Danes

What a very cool city. I can't even quite put into words the experience I had of exploring Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The Scandinavians use the hygge term to refer to a comfort and cozy feeling; it was like that but more hip, exciting, freedom, everyone's equal type vibe.
What makes Copenhagen so cool? It doesn't seem to try, but it just is. It's just enough classy (Tesla taxis) and enough trashy (the Christiana free town squatters) to make it all work together. There is an abundance of transit options: subway, commuter trains, boats, buses, walking, cars and the king of the road known as the bicycle. All of these seem to just work together.

I had almost no plans or research into the city. I knew I was staying near the center, and wanted to just see what I could stumble upon. I rented a bike for a few days to live like the locals. And even though there were several heavy rain downpours that I got caught in, I saw some interesting areas and sites. With minimal fanfare, that list of sites include among others:

• the Kastellet fort
• Rosenborg Castle
• Kings Garden
• King's New Square
• Østre Anlæg Park
• Ørsteds Park
• Amalienborg Palace
• the Free town of Christiania
• Opera house
• Amager strand
• shopping streets
• canals and islands
• Tivoli amusement park
• central station

Recommend:

• renting a bike
• Amager strand beach and park
• Nyhavn
• Strøget pedestrian shopping street
• bars and restaurants of Westerbro

Some of my favorite photos:

One of the many waterfront picture scenes you can see around town

A waterfront neighborhood near Christiana Free town

The New Harbor - Nyhavn

Trip Map

related:
Malmo Sweden
Stockholm Sweden
Lofoten Norway
Oslo Norway

Pictures

see more on Facebook Murk Travels albums

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

the median

I'm going to make a disclaimer right away, that I do really like Stockholm. It may not seem like it from the post, but I would take the opportunity to go back. Seems like a fantastic city to live in and experience for a longer time. I was only there a day and a half.

My initial thought as I was walking around the metro is that Stockholm is Europe's most average city.
• Its clean but not sparkling. Dirty but not trashy. Somewhere on the scale between Copenhagen and Naples.
• There are green spaces but not excessive in quality or quantity. Above Antwerp, but it's no Dublin.
• You'll see some sculptures and fountains, but nothing that people flock to like Trevi in Rome.
• The Royal places are spread around town, mostly plain looking and among other buildings; no Buckingham Palace experience.
• The cityscape is generally the same level with homogeneous looking blocks and structures. It doesn't match the endless supply of spires like Prague, but there are a couple.

The people thrive in mediocrity too.
• Not taller like the Dutch, but not shorter than average either.
• They're nice but not in an outgoing manner like. Straight forward but not bluntly British.
• They stroll and live casually but don't shut down for Spanish-esque siestas.
• A fair number of the populace enjoy their fashion, smoking and cafes, but pale in comparison work the Parisians.
• Its a mix of socialism and consumerism. Ikea style shops for electronics, home improvement, clothes, sports.

I only had a day, so I made the most of it and walked all around the city center. Stockholm is a bit of a shopping haven and there's lots of pedestrian streets with shops, mega malls, and little out of the way center. The main ones are: Drottninggatan, Biblioteksgatan, Birger Jarlsgatan, the Gallarian, and NK Stockholm, which are generally in the Norrmalm neighborhood and east of the main train station.

Although most of the Gamla Stan island, also has a lot of shopping, but it's more known for the royal buildings, nobel museum and views of the surrounding harbor and islands. In nearby neighborhoods are the city hall, kings garden, observatory, history museum, modern art museum, Vasa museum, and Skansen. I would easily recommend them all.

While I was there, the city marathon was taking place so I got to witness a bunch of runners throughout the town and several markets and exhibits set up for that. There was also a large food truck and music festival going on. There was some delicious food from all over the world represented and I had several meals there.

Recommend:

• Drottninggatan pedestrian mall
• Gamla Stan island
• park by City Hall

Some of my favorite photos:
The city panoramic view from a hike I found.

The park and waterfront by the town hall.

The historic Gamla Stan island buildings.

Trip Map

related:
Copenhagen Denmark
Malmo Sweden
Lofoten Norway
Oslo Norway

Pictures

see more on Facebook Murk Travels albums

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

link to the related Norway post from my time in Lofoten

overview

What a fun little city.

Well, it' not exactly a small city, because the greater urban area does have over a million people in it. However it does have a welcoming neighborhood feel. The main downtown area is very walkable. You could get from the Opera house on one side of it to the Royal Palace on the other side in 25 minutes. A little quicker with their multiple public transit options (subway, street cars, buses ... and technically boats, but that wouldn't help in this situation).

There's a pedestrian shopping and entertainment street. There's a few parks, random art, the hidden gem pubs and the typical chain restaurants. You have great views of the harbor (especially from the mentioned Opera house) and can still get into the natural environment quickly away from shore. There's a few cool neighborhood areas just outside downtown (also walkable), which include Bygdøy, Frogner, and Tøyen to name a few.

I spent part of my first arrival day checking out areas around my hotel. That included the harbor, Opera house, Royal Palace, and the new luxury neighborhood of Aker Brygge. It has sculpture gardens, bars, restaurants, art stores, a walking tour path, a beach and swimming area, among other public spaces.

The second day was a big museum and park day. I got the Oslo 24 hour pass and it was completely worth it. It covered all the city transportation, and I took them all. It also included entry into most of the tourist sites around town. I started with a ferry ride to the Bygdøy peninsula. It includes museums galore: Fram, Kon-tiki, Maritime, Norwegian Cultural History, Viking ship, Holocaust and Pharmacy museums. I saw the first 5 of that list and they were all entertaining. The Viking ship was the smallest and had the least to do, however it was so packed. I think most big tour buses and paid packages include that. If you go, it's fine to skip that one because you learn and see so much more at the rest of them.

Probably the most impressive of those that I saw in the morning was the Cultural history. It has indoor displays about the local nature, clothing, art, and history. But the amazing part is the outdoor sections covering over a 1000 years of the past. There are a ton of old buildings from towns and villages around the country. Some of them are the originals that have been moved, and others are replicas that have been rebuilt using only the tools that would have been available at that time. A countryside area includes a working farm with livestock, gardens, mills, textile machinery, and other tools from 17th and 18th century living conditions.

In the afternoon of my big tour Olso pass day, I continued with some more local displays. First up was the Oslo city museum with all the information you could want about how the city came to be. There was also the Vigeland museum, about a local sculpture who carved average everyday people in the buff, and a display of all his works in the nearby Frogner park. Also visited the Munch museum for the local artist, most famous for the Scream painting. Next up was the Natural History and Zoological museums. Right next door was the botanical gardens, so I walked through them back towards the city center. I closed out the day with a visit to the Nobel Peace museum.

There's definitely more to do that what I covered as well. You could check out the Astrup museum and center, Akershus fortress and castle grounds, Ekeburg neighborhood and it's sculpture park, the ski jump and winter Olympics training grounds, the National theater, day trips to islands in the harbor, or eat and drink all day from the best chefs in the country at the Mathallen.

Recommend:

• Fram museum
• Norwegian Cultural History living museum
• Frogner park and Vigeland sculptures (free)
• Nobel Peace museum
• Botanical gardens (free)
• Aker Brygge food and drink
• Opera building with harbor and city views from the top
• Mathallen

Trip Map

related:
Copenhagen Denmark
Malmo Sweden
Stockholm Sweden
Lofoten Norway

Pictures

see more on Facebook Murk Travels albums
or for this Oslo trip: Oslo Norway album
some of my favorites:

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

SLC

It's only an hour flight from Denver; and since we have free flights on Southwest (well, gotta pay $11 in federal fees), but might as well check out the "Crossroads of the West", an apparent nickname of Salt Lake City. While we were there, the highs were between 98 and 102 every day !

Who knows about SLC? Who's been there? Would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on the town.

Recommended

These places were awesome and we recommend checking them out:

• Settebello Pizzeria - true Naples Italy style pizza that was Delicious !
• Capo Gelato Italiano - Italian gelato that was much needed on the day it got up to 102 degrees C
• Pulp Lifestyle Kitchen - healthy, delicious, and affordable
• Saturday Farmers Market - chance to interact with the locals at Pioneer Park
• City Creek center - yes, there is a creek

Activities

Here are some of the fun things we did and enjoyed.

Urban Adventure Quest : This was a blast and a great way to get to know a city. You get clues (and hints if needed) via your smartphone about your next destination. When you answer correctly, you get directions there and some history or interesting facts. You can compete against other teams for high score or fasted time to complete. We took about 3.5 hours and saw 20 different tourist sites.
This website has tours in most large US cities.

Temple Square : The headquarters of the LDS. You can take a self led or guided tour (both free) around the campus to see the temple, the tabernacle, the visitors center, the ancestor family search library, assembly hall, and a number of exhibits. Enjoy, but just don't get brainwashed !

Grand American hotel : Check out the fancy shops, courtyards, ballrooms, pool, or take a self led art tour of their collections around the property.

Wiseguys Comedy Club : We saw Orny Adams. Never heard of him before, but he was hilarious, with his connected 1 hour bit about how the new Millennial generation needs to toughen up. #OrnyAdams #CoalForOrny #LowerYourExpectations

Things we would like to do next time:

• Park City & Sundance
• Salt lake boat ride / tour
• Winter Olympics site
• Hiking

Pictures

Panoramic from the Capital:

After Jesus disappeared from Jerusalem, he showed up in SLC:

Get coffee-faced in Pioneer Park

Yes, they have made a Polygamy beer there. The back of the label promises that you can love this beer equally with others. Ha.

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempted at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen