Denmark Part II: Thursday and Friday

Wednesday night, Molly and I managed to get a much more significant amount of sleep and so we were actually prepared for the day ahead. Thursday, the major event planned for our day was visiting the Carlsberg beer factory. Carlsberg is a Danish beer that we can't get back in the US, hence why most of you will not recognize the name. It's actually pretty good, although not my favorite. Anyway, the point is, they have a touristy factory that we decided to go to.

It took us awhile to get there, as the train to our stop wasn't running, so we had to figure out the bus system (keep in mind that everything is in Danish and neither Molly nor myself speaks Danish or German, which would have helped a little bit). We eventually made it to the town and proceeded to wander around a really creepy parking lot and then walk down a random street before finally finding Carlsberg Ave. or whatever it was called. I have decided that Denmark only wants dedicated tourists, who are willing to be lost for awhile in order to find the places they're going to. Once we made it onto Carlsberg Ave and were within a few meters, signs started appearing everywhere and it was really easy to find. We also found gorgeous archways, such as this one.

Since you can't really read it, the sign above the arches says Carlsberg. So, we went on our tour, which was self-guided, and towards the end when the tour took us out into a random garden, we discovered, much to our delight, that the factory has a replica of the Little Mermaid statue!!!! We got to see it! Well, sort of. You know what I mean. And honestly, that replica was close enough for us.

We also got free beer included with our tour, so we decided to try the new Christmas beer, which was really pretty good. I'm also kind of a sucker for holiday-themed alcohol, so I'll probably end up getting it again sometime. Anyway, that pretty much concludes our trip to Carlsberg. We then ended up getting hopelessly lost in Copenhagen, trying to find Rosenborg Palace, which houses the crown jewels (notice the theme of us being lost). We did manage to find a 7-11! Apparently they're really big in Denmark. Who would've guessed? So, we got slurpees and then managed to find the palace. Unfortunately, it had closed at 2PM. Seriously. Things close sooooo early in Copenhagen. It was so bizarre.

We ended up getting some food and eating carrot cake cupcakes in an adorable little bakery and were about ready to call it a night, when we decided to check on the hours at Tivoli Gardens. The plan had been to go the next night, once all the Christmas things had started. We probably weren't going to ride the rides, as it was 75 dkk to get in at all and another 250 dkk to ride the rides. To get the approximate US prices, divide by 5. So, basically, that was crazy expensive and we weren't willing to pay it. We were just going to go in and see the Christmas-y things. However, when we went into the ticket office to find the hours, the lady told us that they had a special deal going on that night. 150 dkk and you could do EVERYTHING. Yes, rides too. The full Christmas event wasn't up yet, but the decorations were up and basically all we were missing was Santa and the elves who would be wandering around, which neither one of us really cared about.

Of course, we took advantage of the deal and went in. It was amazing. Unfortunately, I have no pictures as it was dark and my camera doesn't do well in the dark. Plus, we only had 2 hours to do everything we wanted. The first thing we did was go on the swing ride, which is my favorite ride at any amusement park. This ride, though, was way cooler. Instead of just swinging you around barely off the ground, they lifted you in the air to what was basically the highest point in the city (to be fair, it's a very short city) and swung you around up there. It was terrifying, exhilarating, beautiful, and awe-inspiring all at once. Molly then went on a rollercoaster that I chickened out of (I hate going upside down) while I shopped. We then went on a Hans Christian Anderson ride and wandered through what we termed Creepy Christmas Land, which was Christmas-themed animatronics. It was so funny!

On Friday, we finally made it to Rosenborg castle and the crown jewels, which unfortunately, I was not allowed to take photos of. But it was fantastic. So many sparkly things! As you can imagine, I was pretty much in heaven there :). We also found Christiana, which is basically a hippie town that was sent up just outside of Copenhagen. That was one of the top things on Molly's list. It was pretty cool, although I did feel a little out of place. Most of you who know me are well aware that I am no hippie. We also wandered around Copenhagen and saw the outside of a lot of buildings, like the Round Tower and the church where Hans Christian Anderson is buried.Oh, and here's a pretty picture of the canals for you! P.S. If you want more photos, they're all up on my facebook page :)

Friday night, Molly and I went out to a club, and it is there that we will pick up with Part III.

Yeah, I know, total teaser. Sorry about that lol :P

With all my love,
Emily