Though no longer a youthful dreamer, but a middle-aged bougis, I got to take my European tour. But not on your typical high-end tour with planned itineraries and big buses...I planned and executed said trip on my own making copious use of Marriott points and frequent flyer miles. Is it everything I thought it would be...no, but in some ways more. This trip taught me something about myself and how I want to go about exploring the world. While I've never been a fan of sightseeing and organized tours, I've also always felt compelled to not miss the "sights" deemed by the world as the reason you sit on a cramped airplane for countless hours to visit.
Whilst wandering cobbled streets and enjoying a fresh draught at a sidewalk cafe, I realized what my true travel goals and interests are. I'm making a list, so I won't forget and become distracted by the siren's call of significant sight-seeing attractions.
1. Life - Even if it's just a brief peak, I want to get some picture of what life really is in a place. I want to see where people like me really live, not the Queen. I want to eat where they eat. Shop at the market they buy their groceries from. Browse the racks at a boutique off the tourist track. I want to hang-out at local bars and cafes...talk to whoever is sitting next to me.
2. Environment - I want to see how the cities have developed. Admire the architecture and quirks of how people decorate their balconies and gardens. I want to see the land past the urban boundaries. See the farms, the small country villages, the forests and the hidden treasures you can only find along a narrow country road.
3. Nurture - To really feel the place you are in, I believe you must try as much of the local cuisine and way of life the natives. This means risking street food, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, at least tasting the locale's dishes and favorite drinks. It also means getting a feel for how people stay fit (in my case, seeing...not doing).
4. Schedule - This trip I had spent countless hours reading and researching where to go and what to eat. I tried to have a basic plan for what we would do each day. While I don't regret any of the research, because it did help me focus on what I was really interested in, provided a handy list of potential places to dine and educated me on the history...at the end of the day, the best plan is no plan. You can't plan for how well you will feel, or what interesting festival you may happen upon. You need to free yourself from the necessity to see everything there is to see, to see what you really care to see.
So with these insights into my persona, here are the highlights from our 10-day European excursion:
Copenhagen -
After a long day of flying, we arrived in Copenhagen. I quickly found the desk where I could purchase the Copenhagen Card (a very good value since it included all forms of transportation and admission to anyplace you would want to go). I thought I understood the directions via the airport train, and since the connection was right there, we decided to try it. Unfortunately, the train we boarded didn't go to the stop we needed. So we aimed as close to our hotel as we could and caught a taxi for the rest of the way.
The Marriott Copenhagen was a lovely property, located directly on one of the city canals. We were upgraded to an executive level room with a view of the canal. Very updated and comfortable. The Concierge Lounge (CL) was open 7 days a week and offered breakfast, snacks and wine/beer in the evenings. The food in the restaurant and bar was very good, especially the after-dinner s'more treats.
Saturday (the day we arrived), we decided to try to find a festival and flea market that was going on in one of the neighborhoods, Norrebro. The city bus to get there was easy and we enjoyed seeing all the kids with "I love JB" painted on their faces (Justin Bieber was having a concert there that night). Norrebro, and the flea market we found, was not that great. It's primarily an Arab neighborhood with lots of kebab places and junky shops. We decided to give-up on finding the festival there and just head toward the center of town we had passed on our way. We spent the afternoon just walking around and enjoying beer at a sidewalk cafe. It was cold, but the cafe gave you blankets so you could sit outside. We found that to be the common thing at most places with outdoor seating. That night, I had made reservations for dinner at Det lille Apotek, the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen that has been open since 1753. It was a bit cheesy, but it had retained its character for the most part and felt a bit like traveling back in time. We shared a salmon appetizer and a three kinds of herring platter...very good.
The next day, we boarded a train North to a farm I had found that had brunch. The train ride was really enjoyable and it was great seeing the forests and farmlands. The trains there are also clean, comfortable and quiet. When we got off at our stop, it was not clear which path we should take to the farm. Lucky for us, a local chef was heading that way and accompanied us on a trail through the woods to the farm. The farm itself, Aarstiderne, was an interesting place. It was a complex of several barns and a large house. The brunch is held in one of the barns converted into a dining hall. You pay a set price, and you sit at long tables. They bring you bread, then a compartmentalized tray with your brunch. The food was okay, but not worth the money. It would have been better to have just gone to the market next door and had coffee with pastries. The market was quite nice, by the way. Down the path from the farm and across the roadway is the museum, Louisiana. This is an exquisite, modern museum integrated into it's location on the North Sea. They had a wonderful collection of pop art and traditional pieces. A great way to spend the afternoon.
After Louisiana, we made our way back to the train and headed back South toward Copenhagen, but stayed on all the way across the North Sea to Malmo, Sweden. A lovely trip! Malmo was much colder and windier than Copenhagen, but we enjoyed walking around there anyway. It was Sunday, so no shops and many restaurants were not open. I had made reservations for a jazz high tea at Bloom in the Park, but we couldn't find it and arrived by the time it had closed. Instead we had a nice salmon dinner at Gustav Adolf. We headed back to Copenhagen and made our way to Christiana. The Free Republic of Christiana is really something to see if you don't mind things a bit crusty and free-wheeling. The sun was setting as we arrived and we got into the spirit of the fairyland atmosphere, even without the help of the legal drugs available there. We liked the sounds of what we heard from a jazz club near the entrance to the community and decided to hang-out there for a fun evening of improvisational jazz...loved every minute of it!
Next day, we went on the city bus 11A that takes you around to the major sights in the city. We disembarked where the boats are for the canal/harbor tours. The tour was fine, for us it was interesting to see the headquarters of one of the major shipping lines, Maersk. Afterwards, we found a small cafe near the canals and where the painted row houses are. A tourist trap, but fine. Also, went into the Amber Museum a bit...interesting pieces. The rest of the day, we just enjoyed walking around exploring the city...these people really like to jog and bike! Not us!!!
Tuesday, we flew to Brussels. Short flights, but the distance you have to walk at the airports is crazy. If you are flying to any of these airports, allow plenty of time to get to gates. I checked into the Marriott Grand Place in Brussels, while my husband went to the Seafood Expo taking place there. That day I ventured out only to Grand Place and enjoyed the local cuisine. The following day, while the husband was in meetings, I decided to visit the Queen's Greenhouses, which are only open a few weeks every Spring. After getting quite lost (blame terrible directions from the hotel concierge), I finally got on a "Hop On/Off" tour bus and made my way there. It was worth the effort to find, really something unique and different you wouldn't find just anywhere. Had a bucket of mussels for both lunch and dinner...loved it!
Thursday, we took a late morning train to Brugge. The second class section was quite crowded and my husband had to stand for the first part of the journey. We took a cab from the train station and checked into Hotel Navarra. The hotel has been in business since the 1700's, but the room was updated and comfortable.
We enjoyed exploring the city and took the boat tour. Had tapas that night at a small place off the beaten path...it was quite good. We did most of our gift shopping here at a factory store that had some very nice handbags and lace items.
Friday, after a mediocre breakfast at the hotel, we took a cab to Hertz and rented a car for the drive to Amsterdam. Yes, I know every travel advisor and website said to take the trains...I just wasn't into it and it was only a few dollars more to do the one way car rental than the high speed train. It was just as well we were in the car that day, since it was very cold and rainy. The Hertz rep advised us to take the backroads to avoid a major road closing and traffic delays, which I was very happy to do, since I wanted to see the countryside anyway. The roads were very easy to drive on and in great condition. The Belgian and Dutch countryside were absolutely beautiful...and we were even too early for tulips! We made our way first to The Hague, stopping at some lovely small villages on the way. The best was Brouwershaven, which was a medieval village with a quaint windmill. Had the best apple cake ever here! We also had the experience of seeing something else interesting. As we had wound our way through the the narrow streets with thought it was strange everything was closed. After we finally found one place open for cake and coffee, we noticed a hearse led by a man in a black top hat followed by a large procession of townsfolk in black marching behind him. It was quite something to see against the ancient village backdrop.
The rest of the drive was lovely along the deserted coastline and busy ports. We ran into traffic around Rotterdam, but it wasn't too terrible. We made it to The Hague late afternoon. Too late for tours, but we drove around and took photos at the world court. We had a simple dinner at a nearby Egyptian restaurant, before heading on to Amsterdam. We arrived at our hotel around 9:00 pm after driving around the city a bit. Luckily, Hertz had just established a relationship with the hotel and we were able to just turn in our car and avoid being charged for parking.
We stayed at the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel and it was very nice. We were upgraded to a club level room and the CL was nice. Breakfast on weekends was included in the main restaurant and was quite good. While in Amsterdam, we mostly just explored the city. We did, however, have the privilege to have had a private tour arranged for us by a friend of the Anne Frank House. I can't describe what an emotionally moving experience our visit there was. The museum has done an excellent job not only preserving the feeling of their life there and Anne's spirit, but also took the history that was there and brought it into our times...making it relatable to the present. We were very impressed.
We had an excellent dinner at a small Brasserie Van Speyk. We felt it was an excellent value for the nice dinner we had there...salmon for me, lamb for the husband. Unfortunately, for most of the trip I had been fighting a sinus infection and at this point, it became much worse.
The next day we walked from our hotel to the Central Train Station and took the high speed rail to Dusseldorf, Germany. It was a nice ride with lovely countryside to see along the way. Unfortunately, I was too sick to leave the hotel, Renaissance Dusseldorf. But my husband had a nice walk around the city, while I had a good dinner and rest at the hotel. This hotel property is like something from the early 80's...really hasn't been updated...even old style TVs and beds. But the staff, service and food at the hotel was great.
Our journey ended the next day when we had a direct flight back to South Florida on Air Berlin. Again, a ridiculous amount of walking to get to our gate. Also, no leg room at all on Air Berlin economy class international flights.
On the whole, it was a great trip. I got my yearning for some European travel satisfied and enjoyed my experiences there.
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| Copenhagen from the canal. |
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| The path to Aarstiderne. |
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| Copenhagen. |
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| Brunch at Aarstiderne. |
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| Brussels |
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| Mussels in Brussels |
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| Netherlands |
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| Netherlands |
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| Amsterdam |
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| Amsterdam |
