Exploring Copenhagen
My trip to Copenhagen and Stockholm - Day Two
I had a nice lie in to start the day as Tivoli gardens, Copenhagen’s answer to Blackpool (sort of) only opened at 1100.
It was an on foot/public transport day, leaving the car at the hotel.
I used google maps navigation to get me to the metro station, which was only 10 minutes away.
When I got to the metro station, I spent 5 minutes trying to scan my debit card, thinking their contactless system would be like the Manchester Metrolink, where you just swipe your bank card. It wasn’t. In the end, I downloaded an app to pay for my fare.
That wasn’t the end of my confusion. Google maps was being very unhelpful, first it navigated me to a different line than what it suggested, then it wouldn’t tell me which direction train I needed to get when it realised where I was.
The trains themselves were great, very clean, frequent and gated so you couldn’t fall into the track. They were driverless. I walked to Tivoli gardens rather than do what google suggested and go to a different station for one stop.
There was a big queue outside, but I wasn’t sure if it was for the lego shop or Tivoli Gardens itself, so I decided to save time by purchasing a ticket on the Tivoli app. It was a fateful mistake.
That morning I debated whether to wear my hoodie or my coat. I was on a boat ride later and figured it could get cold so opted for the hoodie.
I took a very small shoulder bag with me, with essentials like wallet, phone cameras and battery pack. My hoodie doesn’t have zip pockets, my coat does.
At some point in the five minutes I was distracted and had my wallet in my pocket rather than in the anti-theft bag, someone pickpocketed me.
I wasn’t aware when it happened, but I realised within minutes when I reached for my wallet to pay for a ride in the theme park.
I’m very good at losing things, I checked every pocket, every hidden compartment in the bag, it was gone. I immediately froze every single card. That’s when I realised there was a purchase I hadn’t made from a 7/11 store just 5 minutes after I paid for park entrance. It was a horrible feeling, but it was a small amount and my actions prevented further loss.
I went to the customer service, they pointed me in the direction of the police station in the metro station. I spent half an hour reporting everything. The police took my evidence and details and gave me a report.
I felt stupid and violated as I had specifically brought the bag with me to stop pick pockets, but they were quick.
I didn’t let it ruin the day though. I had lost my wallet, driving license, cards but there was no cash or anything else. I still had my passport. I still had the ability to generate a new contactless card. I was even able to reverse the transaction.
The irony was that the 7/11 was in the same metro station, right in front of the police. I checked the bins, as they likely discarded it nearby, but I couldn’t see it.
I went back into the park, I went on a “galleon” ride, clinging on to my phone and bag with vigour. I then went on a wooden rollercoaster. I haven’t been on a coaster since my early 20s. It felt good to fit in it and I enjoyed it so much, I did it again. The second tome the operator didn’t let me pay, I think the card machine was more of a faff for them than it was worth. You could either buy a ride pass wristband, buy tickets for rides on the app or use cards. It wasn’t worth the cost of the wristband unless you were doing more than 3 rides, and, to be honest, there aren’t a lot of rides. Many are for young kids.
I tried a traditional danish hotdog, then made my way out of the park for a boat tour. My boat tour was moved 30 minutes later, with a different start point, but that suited me. It was a 1 hour 45 minute trip from newhavyn, a tourist hotspot with pretty coloured buildings. I picked up some souvenir magnets, as usual, enjoyed the nice relaxing boat trip then had an ice cream before heading back to Tivoli Gardens to find food.
It’s a very busy weekend in Copenhagen due to a bank holiday called Ascension Day. There is a free concert in the gardens. It is very expensive. I wanted to try some traditional Danish food, open sandwiches on rye bread are the thing here but bread isn’t good for me anymore, especially if it’s dense.
I’m also not a fan of fish, they eat a lot of herring and salmon. I tried a roast pork sandwich with pickled cabbage and cucumber and left the bun. The pork was very nice.
I don’t know why, but I saw a 4x 20cl beer tasting thing and thought I’d give it a go. I’m not really a drinker anymore, I probably managed the equivalent of 1 drink. I guess it was more because I could. Some people do end up transferring addictions from food to alcohol after weight loss surgery, but it just doesn’t interest me enough to do it.
Will shortly be trying to navigate the metro again to get back to the hotel. I was planning on walking it, but Gemini says it’s not a good idea, with no lighting in areas. I’ve already walked nine miles today. Tomorrow is the long drive to Stockholm, so early start.
Hopefully no more dramas tomorrow!
Sometimes in life, things go wrong. I could have panicked about my wallet, I could have let it ruin the rest of the day but there’s no point worrying about things you can’t control. It’s already happened, nothing I can do, may as well just enjoy my day!