Day six: travel day from Copenhagen to Lubeck

My train to Hamburg was due to leave at 12:05 so I had a bit of time to kill. Check out time at the WakeUp Copenhagen is 11:00. I bet they love slapping on a surcharge even if you went over by a minute.

I generally don’t go for the hotel breakfast unless it’s included so I researched for nearby cafes. There were two within walking distance - Origin Coffee and a place called Rug Bakery. The latter is within Villa Copenhagen on Tietgensgade close to the station. As I had time to kill I went to Rug Bakery for breakfast. Although chilly the weather was quite sunny and dry. It’s a shame we couldn’t have had this weather yesterday.

Rug Cafe inside Villa Copenhagen

Rug is a pleasant place with good coffee - the setting feels quite formal as it’s in a posh hotel. I had a tasty cinnamon bun with the coffee before going for my last wander around Copenhagen. It was quite early so very few shops were open. It seems that 10am is the norm with even cafes opening at 10am. Obviously not trying to catch the people who are on their way to work.

Pastry at Rug

After several days in the city I found it easy to orientate myself and know where I was going so I could cover a lot of ground taking in old favourites like the Round Tower and the edge of the Tivoli Gardens. As I have said before, the centre is very walkable.

Dragon statue that used to be part of the Dragon fountain in front of the Copenhagen City Hall

Dragon Fountain

Tivoli Gardens entrance

Copenhagen City Hall

I gave myself enough time to get back to check out and then went for my second cup of coffee of the day at Origin Coffee. This shop is on Bernstorffsgade so close to the station. Finally it was time to say goodbye to Copenhagen and Denmark. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the city and would love to return some time in the future.

Origin coffee

To get from Copenhagen to Lubeck, I had to travel to Hamburg first and then change trains. I have been booking seats on trains that have been identified as busy which I would recommend especially if you have a lot of luggage. Makes for a stress free experience when you know that you have a seat. Also, the display on the platform shows you where your carriage will stop which is particularly useful when it’s a very long train. The change over was pretty straightforward although the platform was different from the one I expected. It is always worth checking and double-checking. Whereas Copenhagen to Hamburg is 4 hours, Lubeck is a short journey of 45 minutes. Most of the people on the train looked like commuters going home after a days’s work. At Lubeck the walk to the apartment was easy. With GPS things are so much easier although I do tend to work out my route beforehand anyway to get a sense of a place. Also, the entrance to the city is marked by an impressive gateway called the Holstenor Gate.

The Holstenor Gate

Side view of the Holstenor Gate

After a bit of faff with keys, I got in and was faced with some rather steep and narrow steps to the first floor. I guessed then that the word mitten must mean middle as it was the one sandwiched between two apartments. It’s a tiny little studio, very basic compared to the luxurious Hellerup accommodation. It’s fine for two nights but wouldn’t be good for a longer period.

I’d bought some salad at Copenhagen station 7/11 so ate that before going out to explore. The whole town at 7:30pm was deadsville with hardly anyone about. I wasn’t sure if it was be because of the cold or what. I walked around a bit to get my bearings, bought a few bits from a supermarket and then went back to rest. It’s amazing how tiring train travel is despite the fact that you are just sitting down for a lot of the time.