Copenhagen

We tackled the heart of Europe by car to reach Copenhagen and then continue on to Stockholm. The capital of Denmark is on the island of Zealand and we reached it by ferry from Puttgarden in northern Germany: the crossing lasts about 45 minutes and the ferry, I must say, offers every comfort and Nordic efficiency shines through in everything. Arriving in Denmark we head north, towards Copenhagen, crossing the Danish landscape which, to be honest, is a bit boring: there are large flat fields, a few little houses here and there and the only note of colour, if we can call it that, is given by the old windmills (few, to be honest) and those of the latest generation (far more numerous) The drive lasts a few hours, then we arrive in the city: our hotel is in the centre, fairly close to Tivoli, and we find it quite easily.

After settling in with the suitcases, we go out for a first taste of the city: it is certainly a pleasant city, where there is traffic but it seems more orderly than ours and where it is nice to stroll, if it weren't for that icy wind that reminds us we are quite far north. Copenhagen is a pretty city and the two days we stopped were necessary to see it all: there are no particular tourist attractions, but it is still nice to wander around the centre, cross the squares and pause to admire a glimpse here and there. The things that absolutely must be seen, in my view, are: the mythical Little Mermaid, who is in an area a bit far from the centre but easily reachable on foot and whom everyone had described to me as disappointing because she is very small: maybe it was because we set off expecting to find ourselves in front of a tiny statue, but in the end I found her cute.

She sits on a rock and has her face turned towards the sea and is certainly worth photographing and maybe being photographed at her feet...which we didn't manage, since the queue of people waiting to be photographed was really long...and it made us lose the desire a bit. One of the most characteristic views is certainly the harbour of Nyhavn, with the typical little houses all brightly coloured, one next to the other, which from fishermen's houses have been transformed into venues with outdoor tables, and where in the evening there is a decent nightlife. We also spent half a day at Tivoli, the famous amusement park, and it seemed nice to us, great for children, but in fact not so unmissable: let's say that if you want to relax and have fun, then it is certainly a stop to include in the tour of the city.

In our wandering around the city we also visited, but only from the outside, the royal palace, with the characteristic guards outside in long black hats and blue and red uniforms. After the two days we left the capital of Denmark to head for Sweden, across the bridge that connects the two nations