LisbonJet's Logbook
by TriStar500.net Site
AVIATION & TRAVEL

21 December 2012

Malmö - my first time in Sweden

It's really easy to go from Copenhagen to Malmö. Since I already knew Copenhagen very well, Malmö was the right place to visit next.

At Copenhagen's Central Station, you just have to catch the train which goes through the Öresund bridge and tunnel. It's a short hop and you have plenty of trains every hour, 24 hours per day.

Unfortunately this time the weather didn't help: foggy and rainy.

The first thing we looked for in Malmö was the Turning Torso skyscraper, the tallest in Sweden. Due to the fog, I believe I could only see half of the building...

Turning Torso

Being situated in a peripheral area, after seeing the Turning Torso, we walked towards the heart of the city.

Nice modern building...



Something went wrong or is it just a strange form of art?!



Nice reflection...


Keep on walking...


Some signs of recent snow in this park...


And finally we reached Lilla Torg - a very beautiful square with some houses built in the 14th century...


... and a very curious modern "table" lamp in the middle of it!



Old houses

Telephone cabin

 Christmas lights in the streets...




And after the Lilla Torg (little square), now the Stortorget (big square).



Malmö City Hall

And a final glimpse at Malmö before going back to Copenhagen.


After this short visit, one thing is for sure: I shall return here!

Merry Christmas to everybody :)

05 November 2012

Copenhagen and the Round Tower

I have seen almost everything of my interest in Copenhagen, in 2011. But it's always one of our nicest layovers so I don't mind repeating it again and again. In fact, I used my bid points to have this flight in my roster. I must confess: I love Nordic cities!

This time, a friend came with me and it was really a nice day at Copenhagen in good company. The weather forecast predicted a cold and rainy day. Fortunately, only the first part was true.

We woke up early, took our breakfast at the hotel and started our long walk until the Mermaid's spot. I already showed pictures of her in a previous post.

Then we visited the Kastellet, a fortress nearby.

Inside the Kastellet

As we spent most of the time in the morning walking and seeing some shops before reaching the Mermaid, after leaving the Kastellet it was already lunch time! We chose a very nice restaurant in the very famous Nyhavn canal.

After lunch, our next goal was to visit the Round Tower, one of the few things left for me to do in Copenhagen. Again, while walking, we stopped in a Mall (Magasin du Nord) and I found myself playing with Lego after so many years... :)

Not for my age!?

I think I should consider a visit to the Legoland in Billund!

-o0o-
The Round Tower

So here we go. Round Tower (Rundetaarn) was built in 1642 (year of conclusion) and is part of the Trinitatis complex, which also includes a church and a library. The purpose of the Round Tower was to be an astronomical observatory. In fact, it's the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. Beside that purpose, being 35 meters high, it gives you an astonishing view of Copenhagen's skyline!

Reaching the Round Tower

Round Tower - Rundetårn

The tickets are Kr. 25.00 each. First you have to climb a spiral ramp of 209 meters in lenght which corresponds to 7½ turns inside the tower before you reach the top. It's not that hard to climb it...

The Church

The spiral ramp

Your deserved reward are these magnificent views...






Øresund Bridge - connects Copenhagen and Malmö

The Dannish flag



If you see the larger picture, an aircraft is climbling away!



Nice terrace!



So it was time to leave the Round Tower...

Spiral staircase

Church's roof

Walking down Strøget, Copenhagen's longest shopping street (and also the world's largest and oldest pedestrian street)...

Strøget

The Tivoli, one year later, once more getting prepared for the Halloween...

Tivoli entrance

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel

-o0o-
Central Station

As some of you might know, trains were also one of my childhood's passion. So why not visit the central station?

Facade

Station's clock


Railway


København H


Wow trains and boobs! Such a PrimaDonna

We explored that area around the central station a little bit more and came up with the following:

Scandic - the first hotel where I stayed in Copenhagen!

I swear I couldn't even remember exactly where it was located... Is it 2008 so far away?

And now... the aviation theme, of course!

AirFrance & KLM...

And perhaps the two best brands in the world together: TAP Portugal + 7-Eleven! ahahaha :)



So helpful and handy those convenience stores!

-o0o-
Saint George's Lake
(Sankt Jørgens Sø)

Ending our stroll in Copenhagen we approached the Scandic Hotel and found a nice place to sit and take a breath before returning to our hotel. I also didn't remember this lake at all! Incredible! In fact, Scandic is much better located than our current hotel but the rooms were not so nice - and perhaps that is the only thing I can remember...

Scandic Hotel

The lake

Swimming ducks across the lake

Nice fountain...


Then, completely exhausted, and with another early morning next day, we had to return to our hotel.

Lots of bycicles everywhere!

At the hotel, we ended the day with a great dinner at the Thai restaurant "The Blue Elephant".

Next morning, at Kastrup Airport, it was time to leave Copenhagen carried by the wings of the best airline in the world...


... which is not SAS! Sorry :)