Copenhagen - Day 2

Our first full day started with brunch at a cafe called Kalaset across the street from our hotel. The food was different but good. Even Cody made do despite his pickiness which is always amplified in another country. 

My only food picture from the trip. I promise.

We spent the rest of the day walking the streets and exploring more of the city. I made a concerted effort during this portion of our trip to avoid planning every minute of everyday. Since Copenhagen was literally decided upon according to the cheapest airfare available in connection with Iceland, I had spent much less time dictating what to do.

After brunch, we found Rosenborg Castle within the city. I like castles (who doesn't?) so we spent an hour or so exploring the grounds and the interior. There was lots of history associated with the castle, but I'm not going to bore you with the details. 

There was a moat that we thought was really cool. Then we noticed it didn't go all the way around the castle. I don't know about that. 

These two pictures explain how historically minded Cody and I are and the reason why we generally stray from historical sites while on vacation. 

At night on our second day in Copenhagen we spent a few hours at Tivoli, the world's oldest amusement park. Tivoli was fun, although a bit lacking compared to my extensive time spent in Disney World. There were a lot of Christmas decorations and a lights and laser show set to Christmas music. There was hot chocolate and roller coasters and outrageously priced fair food. It was fun for a couple hours.

We finished our day with a few hours spent back at our brunch restaurant from earlier in the day. I think it must have been the irresistible atmosphere of Kalaset that sucked Cody and I into its sunken door on Saturday night. While I was researching Copenhagen and Denmark, I often came across the Danish word "hygge" which is loosely translated to "cozy." Apparently, Danish people strongly believe in physical spaces that convey a welcome, warm atmosphere in which anyone feels welcome. They in fact believe in the importance of "hygge" so much that they manage to explain this concept on every travel show or article ever created. Our hotel even had a "hygge hour" rather than happy hour every evening. Danes are all about coziness and our Saturday night in Copenhagen was proof of this. 

Kalaset on this particular evening had steamy windows and a DJ playing old school American hip hop (think . We got lost in a corner of the restaurant with all kinds of languages flying around us and two for one drink specials that created a collection of hours that we didn't anticipate experiencing. Cody and I laughed and talked and drank in (literally and figuratively) one of those unforeseen perfect nights that wrap you up in its soft arms for a few hours that felt really easy. We finally staggered back to our hotel early in the morning. Pink-cheeked and giggly, we didn't know at the time that this evening of fun would result in a stone-cold sober New Year's Eve celebration only a few nights later. Needless to say, Cody and I are not cut out for late night shenanigans any longer...or maybe we never were.