A day of towers, trials and terminal sprints

The morning began in the most civilised way possible: breakfast in the hotel.  We took our time over orange juice, water and ginger shots, and a good choice of breakfast, fully aware that the day ahead would be anything but leisurely. After checking out, we left our bags at reception – with the aim of squeezing a few more hours of exploring out of this lovely city.

We passed Rundetaarn, Copenhagen’s 17th-century round tower. Built by King Christian IV as an astronomical observatory, it’s famous for its spiralling ramp — no stairs, just a smooth slope wide enough for horses to climb. Scholars once studied the stars here, and it’s still Europe’s oldest functioning observatory. We didn’t go up this time, just admired it from the street and promised ourselves we’d save the climb for another visit.

From there, we walked along the shopping street area of Strøget towards Istedgade, Copenhagen’s infamous red-light district. Wig shops and strip clubs, drunks and substance use in plain daylight painted a different picture of Copenhagen and we didn’t stay around there for long.

From there, we passed the city court building, its facade bearing the words “Med lov skal man land bygge”—which translates to “With law shall the land be built.” A reminder, carved in stone, that rules are meant to hold societies together—even when some of the streets not far away tell a different story.

Next, we stopped at Taarnet — not a lofty tower as the name might suggest, but a small booth serving drinks and snacks under some parasols. A cold Carlsberg and a bit of chill time was more than enough to quench our thirst.

Lunch at Bistro Boheme was a highlight:

• Starter: crab dressed with dill and lime mayonnaise, paired with avocado cream, pickled tomatoes, capers, cress, cashew nuts, red grapefruit, and cucumber in white balsamic vinegar.

• Main: delicate beef carpaccio topped with truffle and lemon mayonnaise, rucola, and creamy Efterglød cheese.

After this culinary stop, we strolled back to the hotel, collected our bags, and waited for our Bolt taxi to the airport, feeling smugly on schedule. That didn’t last.

Check-in was smooth, but the flight was delayed leaving Copenhagen. We worked out that we had only 45 minutes for our connection at Amsterdam. Disembarking at Amsterdam took forever—we were herded onto a bus to gate A while my phone lit up with a message: Gate D26 closing shortly. Of course it was at the other end of the airport.

Passport control was chaos, packed with frantic travellers on tight connections. We teamed up with another couple on our flight and made a pact: whoever reaches the gate first, beg them to hold it!

Finally, we cleared the e-gates, a quick stamp on the passport, and then came the sprint—D26 felt like it was in a different country. We tore through the terminal, bags bouncing, hearts pounding, only to find… boarding hadn’t even started. Classic. In the end we had the best part of an hour sitting on the plane, at least I could catch my breath before the final leg of our journey home.

What began with a leisurely breakfast and calm ended with adrenaline and airport sweat. But that’s travel for you—in this case, part gourmet, part chaos, part cardio.