Tips

Copenhagen Street Food

For a complete cultural food experience in Denmark, head over to Papirøen Copenhagen Street Food. From the outside, it looks like an abandoned warehouse, but inside it is food truck heaven with cuisines from all over the world! Since living in Copenhagen, we have gone several times in warmer and cooler weather; and while both are great there is a very large outdoor seating area on the canal with exquisite views of the the Royal Residences, Royal Library, and the Opera House that is best enjoyed in warm sunshine! These outdoor areas can also be utilized during colder temperatures, but definitely stay near the heat lamps! There is also plenty of seating indoors as well. The photo above is taken from the outdoor seating area at Papirøen Street Food–how beautiful?!

Once inside, you’ll snake around all the different rows of food trucks until you find one you like! To name a few, there is Mexican, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Brazilian, American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Danish, and even vegetarian options! The prices range from 80-120DKK. In addition to food, there are trucks serving coffee, cocktails, beers on tap, and desserts!

Our personal favorites include the Brazilian churrasco and the Chinese crispy duck, and of course- Oreo Cheesecake!

Also, it’s a popular place to go during happy hour, with a live DJ and music pumping through the whole building. It’s definitely a locals place to go, but shouldn’t be missed by tourists visiting Copenhagen!

 

Cocktail bar
Vendor serving fish options
Our favorite Brazilian place!
Beer at the bar
This cute little cow hangs illuminated at the front of the building
Coffee bar
Oreo cheesecake on the canal
The view on the canal, there is much more not pictured!
Crispy duck and a draught beer
Brazilian churrasco and a mojito
Korean vendor
Danish smorrebrod
Copenhagen BBQ, not the same as Carolina BBQ!
Cheesecakes!

 

 

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What to do at Buckingham Palace

Going inside and taking the guided tour is obvious, but there are other things you can do on the grounds of the Buckingham Palace, see photos and captions below for some insiders tips!

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Us in front of the caption for an obligatory couples’ shot 😉 Notice the flag is flying high, which means the resident is home (aka the Queen!)

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Another photo from the front of the palace

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No photos are allowed inside, but once you exit you will see The Garden Cafe. Take a moment, have a tea and cake and relax overlooking the perfectly manicured grounds.

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Once you leave The Garden Cafe, don’t exit the grounds, walk around the gardens on a self-guided tour and take in the beauty of the palace and its surroundings.

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The exit

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And, before you leave, take a moment and buy a single serving of Windsor Castle ice cream. Have a seat on a bench and enjoy, whats the hurry when your surrounded by such beautiful nature?!

How to Score a Cheap Tuscan Wine Tour-On a Whim!

Everyone knows when you go to Tuscany, you drink wine and lots of it! Read below to find out how to get the best wine tasting, straight from the locals! Follow our lead and you’ll experience the best one, guaranteed 😉

Usually, wine tours and tastings are booked in advance and can range anywhere from €40 to €150 per person, depending on the included services. We, however, decided to take the impromptu route and book one the day-of, while hoping for the best. We thought it would be cool to check out the vineyard that produces the wine we were planning to serve at our wedding, so we called up a Frescobaldi vineyard nearby, Castello di Nipozzano.

We got incredibly lucky! We were told that on Saturday they don’t have tours, but we were more than welcome to stop by the shop and purchase and/or taste any open bottles they might have available! So, we hopped in our rental car and drove 20 minutes to the winery and were blown away with what happened next.

We walked in and were shocked to find the store COMPLETELY EMPTY! I mean, it was a Saturday after all so we thought it would be packed! We introduced ourselves and were told to sit down; next thing we know we were served with wine glasses, then the bottles started coming!

Over the next 2 hours, we chatted with our “guide” and tasted 9 different wines, from the cheapest to most expensive and learned all about the production and differences of the wines. It had turned into a full-on tasting (she even apologized for not having any hors-d’oeuvres available, which we of course were not expecting!)

We ended up leaving with 4 bottles for the remainder of our trip, and even sent 6 bottles back to America!! It was still daylight, so once we left, we walked off the buzz and explored the grounds which is home to a castle as well. It was a perfect evening and was SO much more than we ever thought we would experience!

Moral of the story, Italians love their wine and are proud to share it, so even something as simple as picking out wine from the shop turns into an experience where you are shown the delicious wines. The best part- it cost us $0, if you don’t include the wine we purchased!!!! 😉

OH, and we also found our wedding wine 🙂 Prego!

Be sure to check out the gallery below…And if you’re looking for other things to do in Italy, read this info about Rome.

A Roman Must-See: The Colosseum & The Forum in Photos

Italy. Wow. Where to begin? Well, we can start with Rome… it’s full of things to do and see, but at the top must be the Roman Forum and Colosseum. For obvious historical reasons, but also because of the beauty and grandeur these sites exhibit. It costs €24 (approx. $27.60 for us when we visited!) and you get admission to both places. Not to mention, they are beside one another so the convenience is amazing! Check out the below pics, then just pick which one you want to tour first 😉

The Colosseum….

The Forum…

A Guide to More Places in Denmark

We’ve told you about Mons Klint and also our new home and things to do in previous posts, so I’ll add to these and tell you a little about Roskilde, Denmark! A short train ride from Copenhagen is the town of Roskilde, most famous for its UNESCO-listed gothic cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum. The Viking Ship Museum was probably our favorite, as it features five 11th-century viking ships that were excavated and pieced back together with great care, they now are on display at this museum.

In addition, Roskilde also has pedestrian-friendly streets filled with great shopping and restaurants to complete this charming little town’s look!

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View of the cathedral…

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Read This Before You Book a Budget Airline!

I once found a flight from Copenhagen to London for $16. Yes, $16. “How?” You might ask. Easy; Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz Air to name a few, are airlines that can get customers to and from various places in Europe for very low costs, it almost seems surreal.

So, what’s the catch? Well, as an American, our version, if that, of “budget airlines” might be Southwest, as it usually is a great value. No cost for bags, relatively spacious seats, comfortable flights, the only restriction is the amount of airports it flies into, and it’s mainly domestic. But, otherwise a very great value for the price paid.

In Europe, totally different story. We bought most of our tickets to and from various cities before we moved to Copenhagen, under the impression that we were getting a great value for all of the flights we were booking! All of our friends who had been to Europe and done the same thing told us it was unbeatable, so we didn’t think twice.

A few things to note about European budget airlines:

  • Prices can be anywhere from $50-$250 roundtrip depending on time, dates, locations, etc.
  • Boarding processes are very different, it is a free-for-all system, so if you want overhead space to put bags in, make sure you are in the front of the boarding line. There are no boarding groups
  • You can pay for speedy boarding, however but you basically are just in the front of the line, you do not get any extra time on the plane to put your items away
  • Some airlines (like EasyJet) limit the number of carry-ons, personal bags, etc. to just one. So make sure you read all the rules on your ticket before you board, they will catch you!
  • They are VERY strict on carry-on size. We once had to and witnessed one flight attendant make each person put their carry-on in the bag measure box. If it didn’t fit by an inch or two, she made people check them
  • The planes are very packed, a lot of people book these cheap flights
  • In addition, seats are not as spacious as most planes (I am an average sized woman and my knees almost touch the seat in front of me)
  • Oh yeah, and often, the seats do NOT recline…
  • There are no complimentary drinks or refreshments–yep you guessed it, not even water
  • The boarding process and safety instructions are very monotone and streamline
  • You often board within 15 minutes of the incoming flight deboarding, and you usually leave a little after your departure time

All in all, budget airlines really are a “you get what you pay for” service. If you are going on a quick flight (<1 hour) these small inconveniences aren’t so bad, but flights longer than that like from Copenhagen to Croatia should probably be weighed with a pro and con list of comfort vs. price…Everyone has a different preference!

What are your thoughts on European budget airlines?

Buza I & Buza II – A Dubrovnik Must-Do

Nestled IN the cliffs of Dubrovnik are two restaurants/cocktail bars, Buza I and Buza II, it only makes sense to make 2 of them, one just isn’t enough. You would never be able to see these from the Old Town, so thank us later 😉

Basically, these little cocktail bars are places where you can sit with a cold drink in tow while having an unobstructed view of the Adriatic… and even make some friends with fellow travelers! It’s pretty hidden away so you have to finagle your way through the Old Town Streets, but once you find the sign “Cold Drinks” (with the appropriate arrow)…. JACKPOT, paradise awaits!

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Oh yeah, and people actually jump from these cliffs, so it’s something everyone watches from the Buza bars!!

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Our Trip to Loch Ness – Do You Believe in Nessie?!

Although we didn’t see Nessie 😦 we did find an adorable little village where we had lunch that is right off the loch (which is beautiful by the way!) Loch Ness is the perfect day trip, the loch itself is beautiful and large and the backroads to its location provide beautiful views! Definitely recommend you take the road trip with your travel buddies or Significant Other whether you believe in Nessie or not! Who knows, maybe you’ll be the lucky person and see her 😉

Pics from the loch…

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And the little village…

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You’re Never Too Old for a Zoo :)

The photos say it all….

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Lemur mid-air jump!

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Up Close Lemur..

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TARANTULA

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He touched the SNAKE…

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Making Friends 😉

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Photos taken at Skansen Open Air Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

Saving Money in Stockholm!

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Sightseeing in Europe is really fun, educational, but often pricey. Every city features its own “Pass” or “Card” that you can purchase at the airport, or any tourism center, and it basically grants you access to X attractions for X price.

When deciding on whether to purchase a Card for the city you are in, you need to do a little research. Check out online before you go, where the Card allows you access and what kind of access it allows you. Also, you need to plan realistically what you are interested in visiting, what is feasible in the time you are there, and pricing out those options versus the price of the ticket you are purchasing. Most of the Cards grant you public transportation access, but not always, so be sure to read the small details!

For the Record, Stockholm is definitely a city to purchase their Card! We purchased a 72 hour card for 895SEK (approx. $110USD) per person. Sounds pricey, but once we got there, we didn’t spend another dollar on any attraction, and all of our bus and metro transportation as paid for which definitely made travel much easier! Read more about the Stockholm Card pricing here.

See a few photos of our adventures below:

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Just for fun, we documented the price of each attraction we visited as if we had to pay it. We wanted to see how far our money went! See our findings below:

Attraction Price(SEK) per person
Royal Palace 150
Royal Treasury 150
Armory 100
Nobel Museum 100
Vasamusseet 130
Spirit Museum 100
Drottingholm 120
Aquarium 120
Skansen Open Air Museum 130
Canal Tour 185
City Hall 130
Coronation Cathedral 40
TOTAL PRICE 1415

Overall, we saved 520SEK, approximately $65USD each, AND this is not including the amount we would have paid for transportation, which we estimated to be about $60USD for both of us. All in all, we saved about $95USD per person, we were thrilled!!

Now, if you’re going to visit Stockholm and want to use the Stockholm Card, visit before December 31, 2015–after this day the card will be discontinued–I guess it was discovered what a great deal it was!! Ha 🙂

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