Denmark – Mermaid’s little den

Ursula has lost the battle and Little Mermaid has won!
We are in Copenhagen visiting the iconic Little Mermaid resting on the Baltic Sea. Our room was shaped in a triangle, as Scandinavia has the most creative architectural designs. Danes are the creators of Lego. Remember, a triangle is stronger than a square. Though Denmark may have creative and strange architecture, they never compromise in quality.
Get used to salty licorice with cold milk… jk. Apparently Danes love salty licorice and cold milk, but do not worry, they have a lot more food options than just that. Food should not be a problem for anyone visiting Copenhagen. It is the most cosmopolitan city in Scandinavia.
Feel like an actor in a romantic movie, as you make a scenic run by the colorful pentagonal shaped houses. Denmark’s Copenhagen has the most scenic sight of colorful pentagonal houses lined up in a column.

Our road trip to Scandinavia originated from Frankfurt where we rented our car. Our first stop was the Rhine Valley. From Rhine Valley we headed to Berlin. What an amazing city! Especially for a world war history buff like me.But that post is for another day. As we left Berlin , we were all set to start our Scandinavian road trip. Our first country – Denmark.

♿️ Wheelchair Accessible Tips ♿️

• If you need a wheelchair, rent it in advance
  • Rent A Wheelchair
  • Copenhagen SV
  • Thad Jones Vej 12 4th left side
  • Phone: +45 29 26 10 08
  email: admin@lejenkoerestol.dk
• Call Hotels when you are making the reservation to ensure that they are accessible.
• Handicapvenlig in danish means Handicap Friendly
  Ikke Handicapvenlig in danish means Not Handicap Friendly

Copenhagen in 2 days

Day 1

We took the ferry from Rostock to Gedser. Make sure to book the ferry ahead of time because there is a lot of commuter traffic and you may not get the tickets to ferry in your car.  Scandlines is the major company that runs the ferries on this route. Once you drive into the belly of the Ferry, where you park your car, it is advisable to get out and reach the deck before the Ferry starts moving.  We made the mistake of staying too long in the car. It was dark and scary. And later, when we were trying to go to the top deck, the ferry was moving very hard. It was not a very pleasant experience. Once you are in the top deck, the Ferry ride was quite nice. There are restaurants and lot of viewing areas. While it was a novel ride for us, most people were commuters. They quickly settled themselves either for a quick nap or a quick bite. My dad avoids eating anything in a Ferry as he gets sea sick and tends to throw up. Disembarking the ferry in Gedser was almost as simple as driving out of a Garage. 

The Drive to Copenhagen from Gedser is beautiful and you get to experience the beautiful Danish countryside.  The Lush green fields on both sides of the road with a few Danish style buildings  and bridges showing up occasionally. Our hotel Bella Sky was about 150 km from Gedser and took us about 2 hrs to reach. Bella sky is a fully  ♿ wheelchair accessible hotel and if you call in early they will even help you get a room that is close to everything. I strongly recommend that you call in before especially if you have accessibility issues. Once you enter the hotel you get to experience the amazing Scandinavian designs. The furniture, the foyer, the staircase you name it.  Another thing I noticed with the Danes. English is spoken by all. In other words, an english speaking visitor will feel perfectly at home in Denmark. By the time we settled into our room, even though it was broad daylight outside, it was actually dinner time. We decided to call it a day it was already dinner time but it was broad daylight outside. We decided to call it a day as we wanted to be fully rested before we set out to explore Copenhagen.

♿️ Wheelchair Accessibility ♿️

• Scandlines Ferries have spare wheelchair on board. Let the official/crew know if you need them at the time of boarding.
• Hotel Bella Sky has spare wheelchair that can be requested at the time of check-in.

Day 2

After a very hearty Danish Breakfast, we headed to the Amalienborg Palace. This is a beautiful palace that is a must see in Copenhagen. Denmarks Royal family still resides inside the palace. Parking can be tricky but accessible parking is available. Bus stops right in front of the Palace entrance.  If you reach by noon , you will also be able to check out the change of guard as it happens at 12 noon. However, do not get close to the guards. They are not like the human statues that you see in Buckingham Palace. They will literally shoo you, if you get too close.  You also get a fantastic view of the Opera house from the Palace entrance. 

From the Palace we headed to the Tivoli Gardens. If you are into amusement parks then this is a good place to check out. This is one of the oldest amusement park in the world. Most of the rides are not very wheelchair accessible. People are available to help though. At night Tivoli Gardens looks spectacular with thousands of colored lights. The park can be enjoyed by simply watching the beautiful displays. Walt Disney was inspired by this park.

♿️ Wheelchair Accessibility ♿️

• Tivoli Garden being one of the oldest amusement parks is not very accessible. However here is a good link that details the accessibility options at Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli Garden Accessibility Link

We then headed to check out the famous Little Mermaid.  Little Mermaid is a very famous landmark in Denmark and everyone must see it if you visit Copenhagen more for history than anything else.  The site is partially wheelchair accessible. To see the mermaid, you will have to park at a certain angle so you can view it. There is a small walk-on an uneven surface to get close to the Little Mermaid.

Our final stop of the day was Nyhavn or the “New Harbour”. Nyhavn is the most happening place in Copenhagen. It is overlooking the Canal and has many restaurants lined up on one side of the canal. The other side of the canal has rows of the famous colorful Danish Houses. You can also take a boat ride on the canal. The Boat ride is not very accessible though. Accessible parking is available on one side and if you are an adventurous driver like my dad, you can actually drive to the restaurant side of the canal and park in one of the side streets.

♿️ Wheelchair Accessibility ♿️

• If you are thinking of a boat ride in the canal at Nyhavn, you will need additional help since that area is not very accessible.
• Most of the accessible parking at Nyhavn are on the same side as the colorful buildings.
• Restaurant Fyrtojet is accessible and also has elevator to reach the second floor.

It was a busy day but a very entertaining and memorable one. Tired and exhausted, all I could do when I headed back to the hotel was wish GODNAT!

Day 3

Another beautiful day and breakfast at Bella Sky. After the sumptuous breakfast, we checked out from Bella Sky and headed to Roskilde and surrounding areas. Roskilde is about 30 minutes drive from Copenhagen. It is a small town with beautiful red brick houses.  Even though it was summer, it had gotten very cold. We stopped at a local mall to buy some warm clothes. Soon after we took a quick lunch and started our drive to Oslo, Norway.