The stuff of fairy tales

The luxury hotel called the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel was picked by my travel agent who thought I would absolutely dig its Danish design and he was not far wrong. A tad too expensive, I was completely bowled over by the friendly and eager staff of this magnificent five star hotel. Having arrived in the afternoon I had a quick light lunch and stepped out into the Tivoli Gardens practically next to the luxury hotel.

This original Disneyland spread out over 80,000 square kilometers has some lovely rides, exciting watering holes and some really crazy thrills. I particularly enjoyed the live band that started around late evening.

The next day I headed out towards the waterfront at Christianhavn and took a stroll around the Townhall before stopping by at a bar to sip some beer and gelato. I was particularly enraptured by the quaint little houses dotting the canal at Nyhavn.

While in Copenhagen it was difficult to stay away from the Hans Christian-inspired ‘Little Mermaid’ perched elegantly over a rock in Langelinie which is not too far from the city center. I, personally, wasn’t too taken up with the little lady.

I was far more impressed with the parks and the harborside views. I also loved the Amalienborg Palace although public access to the gorgeous Australian Princess Mary is sadly denied. I was in time, though, to witness the official changing of guards- a pretty impressive sight.

Copenhagen, I was pleased to notice, has a near-flawless transport system and an infrastructure in ship-shape condition. It is also quite a safe city to be in as I discovered while checking into The Dubliner, a jolly Irish pub rocking with cheerful music. Not being a sporty person I found myself, nevertheless, captivated by a football game between France and England.

I was sorry when the ‘fairy-tale’ vacation ended.