A JOURNEY ACROSS THE BALTIC SEA
An unexpected trip to DENMARK and ESTONIA leads to the discovery of new all-time favorite holiday destinations
Dumbfounded at the sight of both Copenhagen and Tallinn, Estonia, I was confident that I found some of my new personal favorite spots in Europe. Copenhagen, Denmark with its distinct and plentiful landmarks side by side, is the perfect place for travel as mostly everything can be reached by walking or biking around. Its landmarks include a centuries-old theme park, an iconic mermaid statue, several royal palaces, and a postcard-like canal. Tallinn, on the other hand, is as unique as it can possibly get. Tallinn’s Old Town pulls you into different eras of Estonia dating from its medieval years to its period under Russian sovereignty. With its preserved medieval houses, market squares, and Russian art and architecture, Tallinn boasts of a rich past and present. Altogether, my journey across the Baltic Sea was nothing short of amazing. So, please mark your calendars for a trip to Denmark and Estonia soon, fellow globetrotters!
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
On a cold and rainy morning, my parents and I started our trip in the capital city of Denmark by visiting the famous canal and entertainment district called Nyhavn. Despite the gloomy weather, the canal district was still buzzing with life as the narrow canal sits in between 17th-century bright multicolored townhouses, cafés, and bars. The canal itself was also full of energy as it accounted for floating restaurants and several tour boats. Like most tourists, I hopped on one of these tour boats too, which allowed me to basically see the whole city in about an hour on my first day. Besides the convenience of having the tour guide finish all the spots on your itinerary, a cruise along Nyhavn offers breathtaking views of Copenhagen’s landmarks. Honestly, I’d say it’s the best bang for your buck!
Following Nyhavn, we proceeded to the Amalienborg Palace where the current Danish royal family resides. The Danish royals have lived in this very palace since 1794, and it makes perfect sense why. The palace grounds hold a spectacle on its own as it creates an octagonal courtyard, with four identical palaces situated on the diagonal sides of the octagon. Meanwhile, on the bottom side is a straight path towards the beautiful green-domed Marble Church. And finally, on the top side of the octagon is the waterfront garden known as Amalie Garden, which has a direct view of The Copenhagen Opera House on the other side of the water. Hence, there is much to see within the impressive arrangement of the palace grounds alone.
However, the very first residence of the Danish royalty is actually the Christiansborg Palace. In contrast to Amalienborg, however, Christiansborg flaunts a more impressive interior design than its palace grounds. Inside, you’ll find multiple function rooms that each have their own original design. My personal favorite room had to be the Great Hall, which lavishly exhibited 1100 years of Danish history in 17 brightly colored tapestries. The tapestries’ modern style and almost-neon colors greatly contrasted with all the other renaissance-type rooms of the palace. Needless to say, the Great Hall truly lives up to its name.
As if two enchanting palaces weren’t enough, the
King’s Garden at the Rosenborg Castle still won a special place in my heart with its vast and romantic surroundings. However, my family and I might have loved the garden a little bit too much since we didn’t have enough time to visit the castle itself. So, plan your visit early on because the castle doors close before evening at either 4 or 5PM. Despite this, we still enjoyed the lovely stroll around the moat and rose garden surrounding the palace. If by any chance, you’re deciding on an engagement location, this is currently my top suggestion.
Asides from the palaces that make the city distinctly Copenhagen, another point of pride in this city is the author Hans Christian Andersen who earned his fame from writing fairytales such as The Little Mermaid. Because his
hometown maintains much pride for his beloved story, a statue of the little mermaid was sculpted and positioned on a rock by the sea. Although seemingly pedestrian at first due to its small stature, a closer look reveals how the sculpture actually beautifully depicts the mermaid’s transformation to its human form. Now, the statue has become a famous icon of Copenhagen, which is frequented by tourists from all over the world.
Our last, but definitely not the least, stop in Copenhagen is yet another defining landmark of the city, the Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli Gardens is recorded to be the second-oldest theme park in history coming second after the unpronounceable, Dyrehavsbakken, which is also in Denmark. Let me tell you now, this is not at all similar to the Disneyland and Universal Studios that you know from Los Angeles. Instead, entering the premises was sort of like starring in the film, ‘The Greatest Showman.’ It was antique, exotic, and enchanting all at once. A visit to Copenhagen is undoubtedly incomplete without a trip to the Tivoli Gardens.
TALLINN, ESTONIA
As we hopped off our taxi, we arrived on a cobblestone street that was several blocks away from our Airbnb in the middle of Old Town. Because my family and I have never learned to pack light, we begrudgingly pulled our luggage on the rocky road towards our home. After about ten minutes of struggling, we finally found our abode which to our surprise was just a few steps away from the Town
Hall Square. Though, what was more surprising was the apartment itself. Inside, we found out that the apartment building was constructed in the 14th century, and indeed it appeared so! Although the creaky wooden floors, red tapestries, and dim lights were a little too creepy for my liking, it all added to the unique and medieval experience we had in Tallinn.
After settling down, we walked past the Town Hall to grab some food for dinner. We found a local restaurant called Olde Hansa that seemed popular enough to entice us. Since we had zero expectations before coming into this restaurant, naturally, we were shocked. As we entered, a band was performing loud folk music atop what seemed like a manmade indoor balcony. The large room was only lit with candles, and the walls were draped with decorated tapestries. The band, waiters, and waitresses all spoke as if they were stuck in the medieval ages, and dressed in convincingly authentic Game of Thrones-y robes. To top things off, even the bathroom toilet (or should I say hole) was medieval! As for the food, we ordered their bestseller which was a trio of wild boar, elk, and bear. I’d be lying if I said this dish was my favorite, but then again, it was a fun experience overall. I highly recommend visiting this restaurant at least once during your trip.
After a good night’s rest, we visited the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky. If I had to choose my personal favorite spot in Tallinn, this would certainly be it! Especially because I have never been exposed to Russian art and architecture before, I was immediately drawn to the exotic facade of this cathedral. Mikhail Preobrazhenski, the respected architect of St. Petersburg, designed this building with the typical Russian Revival style when Estonia was under the Russian Empire in the 18th century. Apparently, the cathedral was deliberately built atop Toompea hill to show the Russians’ dominance over Estonian locals. Now, with that controversy forgotten over the years, what is left on this hill is simply a masterpiece. The multicolored cathedral is composed of
five onion-shaped domes in total, with four small domes in each corner of a square and one large dome in the center. I wish I could say more, but I am currently struggling to find the right words to justify this cathedral’s beauty. So, pretty please just pay it a visit!
On our last day in Tallinn, we took an Uber ride from Old Town to yet another exotic Russian edifice, the Kadriorg Palace. Being outside of Old Town, the palace was designed way differently from anything else we had seen earlier in this trip. The eye-catching design of the palace and its gardens emulate Roman baroque architecture with its surrounding hedges, flowerbeds, and fountains. From outside, the Kadriorg Palace’s bright orange walls and green roofs visibly stand out from all else in the remote area where it stood. Additionally, its garden is neatly manicured with orange and green geometric patterns on its flowerbeds and hedges. Originally a summer residence, it is now a monument for displaying exquisite Western European and Russian art. With this as my family’s final stop in Tallinn, my initial attraction to Russian art and architecture only grew into deep and pure admiration. Hence, whether it’s your first or last stop, add this hidden gem into your itineraries now.