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Another serendipitous travel-planning moment landed me in Copenhagen. I was looking for a mid-October European trip that would make the most of my limited time, and Delta delivered with an incredible miles deal on a direct flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. The route is discontinued for the winter, but I was able to squeeze into the last week. I was excited—it would be my first Scandinavian destination, and I had a feeling I would love it.
More importantly, I was looking for a relaxing, low-stakes destination where my fatigued mom brain wouldn't have to work too hard on planning or the day-to-day.
And Copenhagen blew it out of the park.
I landed just before noon local time. My first stop after passport control was the self-service 7-Eleven, where I grabbed a cup of hot coffee. I then headed for the Metro to take me into the city. Throughout my trip, I used the handy Rejsekort app to pay for public transportation, although there are also ticket machines at the Metro stations, including right at the airport. It’s a 20–30 minute ride into the city, and I caught some first glimpses of Copenhagen from the glass front of the driverless train before it dove underground.
Fredriksberg
My trip started in the Frederiksberg neighborhood, where I stayed at the small and cozy Hotel Sct. Thomas. I chose this area because I wanted somewhere where I could see more of local life while appreciating the historic architecture, with some peace and quiet away from the tourist crowds and nightlife. This turned out to be a wonderful home base: convenient yet peaceful and beautiful, and a great afternoon destination in its own right.
After checking in, I headed out for my 2 p.m. breakfast at Ipsen & Co, where I got my first (of MANY) Danish BMO.
BMO stands for bolle med ost, or bun with cheese, and it’s a Thing. If you don’t trust me, trust the New York Times on this one! It is, of course, delicious. But for me, it was also a little bit nostalgic, reminding me of the breakfasts I ate every day as a child in Ukraine. I don’t eat this way anymore, so these were a true treat throughout my stay.
Illuminating my trip priorities pretty well, my second stop was a small neighborhood thrift store, Lop Gun. I really wanted to pick up one of the many vintage table or pendant lights, but knew I would not want to bother trying to convert it to a 110 volt in the US, so I had to limit myself to some handpainted ceramic spice jars.
I walked to Frederiksberg Gardens to enjoy the palace and its manicured English gardens, as well as some people-watching. It was a leisurely, gloomy Saturday afternoon, and the park was full of local families visiting the zoo, joggers, and people drinking sparkling wine on the park benches.
The majority of shops close around 4–5 p.m. on Saturdays (and even earlier on Sundays), so I ended my early evening at Rascal wine bar. After a short pit stop at the grocery store, I walked back to my hotel.
