København

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written a travel post, but I suppose that is because the only planes I took in 2014 were to/from school. I spent my time after graduation either job hunting or working. I see it as a serious growing period, as well as a time to save for the incredibly enriching travel year that 2015 has turned out to be.

I have just recently returned home to Miami after a 3.5 month internship in Milan at the World Expo. During this internship, I had the opportunity to visit five new countries and even experience traveling completely by myself once. To start off, I am going to write about Copenhagen, the first city I visited and the one that is still my favorite.

Denmark was a country I had thought about, but did not have ahead of places like Austria or Israel. When I booked this trip, I was actually looking into visiting Budapest with my friend and colleague Brittany. But because prices had increased exponentially from the time we decided to take a trip to when we finally sat down to book flights, we needed a Plan B. Knowing we did not want to waste any more "vacation" days in Milan, we looked on Google flights and found that Copenhagen was not only more affordable, but a place I was now very curious about. Essentially, I had a "why not?" moment. So, four days before the flight was set to depart, we purchased two round-trip tickets for a 2-day trip to Denmark's capital.

Day 1: June 15.

We set out on RyanAir to Copenhagen that afternoon with high levels of adrenaline and anticipation. One never knows what to expect when flying RyanAir, but being frequent flyers of this airline from our individual study abroad experiences, we did the several check-ins required and boarded our plane. In about two hours, we were flying over the crystal blue waters of Denmark and landing in Copenhagen before dark. With an easy to navigate train/metro system, we caught the train toward our hostel's neighborhood Nørreboro and after asking for directions and being guided by the NICEST people on the planet, we found our hostel, set our things down and began exploring.

We decided to wander around the streets of our neighborhood because of its eclectic reputation. It did not take long for us to see its artsy and urban personality. We went from acquaintances with the neighborhood to dear friends after sitting down at a coffee shop called Kaffehusset and drinking hot chocolate and chai tea lattes. The evening was cooler than what we were used to in Milan, so we really enjoyed the warm embrace these hot beverages provided for us.

Day 2: June 16.
This was our only full day in Copenhagen, so we had an early start and began walking. We considered renting bikes to see the city the way a native would, but after seeing how easily one could reach every point of the central city by foot, we made a mental note to get a bike the next time we visited the city -- because there will definitely be a next time.

After having breakfast and coffee, we felt sufficiently fueled for the day's adventure. Copenhagen does not disappoint in offering healthy options to those who are more conscious of what they are putting into their bodies. I was blessed enough to even sit down at a place with gluten free options. Though pricey (something we would soon discover was the case everywhere. God bless economically rich nations), we ate well, healthy and the service was phenomenal. Something else we learned quickly was that Danish hospitality was not restricted to service jobs, but the every day person was 10x nicer than the nicest person you have ever met in United States. 

After breakfast, we crossed the bridge over to the central city and began exploring. The only thing we knew we definitely wanted to see what the Nyhavn port, so we decided to see the sights on our way there. As one might expect, we were awestruck by the beautiful architecture, the amicable people and the cool weather. Does it actually get any better than that? 

It did not take long before we made it to the port and let me tell you, it's much more beautiful in person than any photo gives it credit for. The colors are vibrant, the restaurants are charming and even the old, rusting boats have more character than anything I have seen before. We spent a good amount of time admiring, taking photos and being much colder than we expected to be. I tightened my scarf, closed my jacket and wondered if it was actually June. But even with that, this Miami girl would move there in a heartbeat.

The day continued to go well. We searched high and low for the Jewish Museum, but sadly found it only minutes before closing. But with that search, we spotted even more beautiful buildings, appetizing restaurants, cafes and monuments. In front of the museum was a beautiful garden and we soaked up the warm sun on bright green grass, sitting next to vibrant pink and purple flowers. The garden, which we learned were royal (nbd), were another splendid accident.

We ended the night, once again, at Kaffehusset. This time we both had hot chocolate (it came with white chocolate chips!) and shared a raspberry cheesecake. Needless to say, this trip was a perfect reintroduction to my summer of European travels. I dream of returning and strangely enough, its harsh winters aren't a turn-off. Yes, the connection was that undeniable.

Day 3: June 17.
This day was just a traveling day because our flight time was 9:30 in the morning, but even our stroll to the station to catch the metro was enjoyable. 

The trip to the airport via metro is another incredible part of Copenhagen that should be mentioned. It took us a mere 20 minutes to get to our terminal from the Nørreboro stop and vice versa. There's nothing more frustrating than finding it difficult to get into the city center after flying for a few hours. It was not this easy on every trip, but like I said, Copenhagen is near perfection. 

My next trip was a solo one. Completely solo. I have been on airplanes by myself plenty of times, but I am always off to meet someone or do something with a group of people on the other end. Never before have I set out to explore a new city completely on my own. It was something I have always been curious about and thankfully, Prague was a safe and enjoyable place to explore by myself.

More photos of Copenhagen: