Category: Other Travels (Page 8 of 9)

Marrakech Morocco

July 13, 2015 / kristinewanders

This might be a long winded post. Sorry in advance! Marrakesh is a busy, bustling city with a population of nearly 1 million. Almost. It’s Morocco’s 4th largest city and it was the most important Imperial (historical) city. We spent 2 nights here at the beginning of our trip, and nearly a week at the end with an overnight break to the Atlas Mountains. The city itself is broken up into the new and old parts. The old part has the Medina and the majority of the historical buildings, the new part has lovely gardens and trendy upscale hotels. We stayed in the old town for most of our time. Moroccans speak Arabic or French typically. Some people speak English, but often not enough to communicate in great detail. Lucky for me I speak just enough Arabic to make people clap with excitement. Unfortunately they could understand my basic formal Arabic while I was left clueless trying to understand Moroccan Arabic. Sign language would become our language of choice.

The accommodations in Morocco are unlike anywhere I’ve ever stayed. There are many, many “riads” which are Moroccan houses or palaces with a garden, and most have a pool or a fountain. They are breathtaking. And surprisingly not too expensive. Like $50-60US for 2 people a night for a nice place. One of the things I loved in Morocco was that attention is paid to every detail. You will find yourself taking photos of light fixtures, and railings, and doors, and doorknobs. It’s a little absurd really. Can you imaging if you saw tourists in Canada taking photos of bathroom sinks, the lights, and your front door?? Well, that was basically how we were in Morocco. Everything is ridiculously ornate. Good luck not taking a photo of multiple peoples front doors!

Could you resist a photo?

A riad pool

A gorgeous riad

Another door photo…

We stayed at 3 different riads in Marrakech. The medina is pretty large and the alleys are quite confusing, and also poorly lit in some areas. Often to find the place initially you have to be led there. Unless you don’t mind wandering with your luggage in 100F heat. We spent our days exploring the many old buildings, shopping in the medina, eating delicious Moroccan tajines and sipping cold beer on rooftop bars. Most of our trip was during Ramadan and this did require some adjustment on our part. Not all places were open in the daytime to eat. Most shops were open during the day and then around 6pm most of them would close up so people could break-fast with their families. Alleyways would look very desolate as it was mostly only the tourists out wandering.

There is a lot to see in Marrakech, but I’ll just highlight my favourites for you. You should definitely check out Dar Si Said. It’s part museum part 19th century home, but the courtyard and garden area, and the upstairs rooms are spectacular. Bahia Palace is quite similar but with WAY more tourists, so Dar Si Said is the place to see. Maison Tiskiwin is a cool museum that showcases North African crafts and culture. It always surprises me how similar textile patterns around the world are. In this case Berber patterns look visually similar to patterns in Guatemala and similar still to patterns in Bhutan. Another museum that I especially liked was the Maison de la Photographie which houses a collection of old photos from the early to mid 19th century as well as showcasing new work. Well worth a visit. Ali ben Youssef Medersa was founded in the 14th century and was once the largest Koran school in North Africa. It is impressive, and you can tour the uppers floors where students would have lived. The last thing that I recommend is to head on over to New Town and check out the Jardin Majorelle otherwise known as the Yves Saint Laurent memorial gardens. They are amazing. Seriously. So colourful, with fountains and sitting areas. And since you’re already there you should check out the Berber Art Museum which talks of Berber history and culture as well as showcasing tradition jewelery and clothing.

Dar Si Said courtyard

Dar Si Said

Ali bin Youssef Medersa

Inside the Medersa

Jardin Majorelle

Beautiful colours

The Marrakech Medina takes up a 19km area and is full of old riads, shops, galleries and restaurants. All of the above places with the exception of the gardens are in the Medina. The main square called Djemaa El-Fna is a site to behold and not for the weak of heart. The action really gets going closer to sunset and into the evening. It’s full of pushy henna artists, snake charmers, monkey trainers, souvenier stalls, food stalls, and people dressed in traditional clothing. It’s a very happening place, but it’s difficult to walk around with out getting hassled. Regardless, it’s beautiful at sunset and there are cafes surrounding portions of the square to sit back and watch the entertainment unfold. I’ll write more about the numerous unpleasant experiences we had here in a later post.

The main square

Snake charmers. Gross.

We took a side trip to the Atlas Mountains during our time in Marrakech. The Atlas Mountains stretch across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Just over an hour away from Marrakech they make an easy day-trip or a quick retreat from the city. We booked one night at L’Oliveraie de Marigha and it was lovely. We relaxed poolside surrounded by gorgeous views. Since it was low-season we basically had the place to ourselves. Literally. There was only one other guest. The staff were great, and if I ever find myself back in Morocco I would stay here again for sure.

The Atlas Mountains

Relaxing poolside

So that’s the low-down on what to see and do in Marrakech. Next up….the Imperial city of Fez…..

Morocco

July 12, 2015 / kristinewanders

Flying into Morocco

Mid-June I spent 2 weeks exploring Morocco with my Yankee best mate. We spent a decent chunk of time in Marrakesh, as well as spending some time in Fez, Chefchaouen, and the Atlas Mountains. I’d long wanted to visit Morocco, as I’ve always loved anything vaguely resembling a Moroccan pattern, and the food, but I’m kinda at a loss for words to describe my feelings on it. The food was amazing, and it was a very beautiful and ornate country, but we had some of the worst run-ins I’ve ever had as a traveler. And that’s saying a lot as most of the countries I’ve traveled to are developing countries. In an attempt not to sound super shitty about our time there I’m going to break up my blog posts about each place we went, and leave all the dirty details for the last post. That way I can describe all the lovely positive things we saw and experiences we had, before I tell you of the numerous unpleasant, rude and offensive things that happened. I’ve got 2 versions of Morocco and first I’ll share the good one. Happy reading……

Bahrain Baby…..

July 10, 2015 / kristinewanders

So back in May some nurses, some engineers, and some embassy people took a little jaunt across the Saudi border to Bahrain. We were an international conglomerate consisting of Canucks, Kiwis, Aussies, and one cool Malay. If Dubai is the Vegas of the Middle East than Bahrain is it’s seedier cousin- kinda like the Reno of the Middle East. It’s a safe haven for Saudi expats and Saudi nationals wanting to embark on a weekend of debauchery. Personally, I had huge plans involving my favourite B’s- bacon and booze.

Bahrain is a teeny tiny island connected to Saudi by a causeway. Depending on traffic and border wait times it takes about 4-5hours to get to Manama (the main city.) The weekends get pretty insane what with everyone in Saudi trying to get out so it’s best to leave early in the day on Thursday and come back mid day on Saturday (Saudi weekends are Friday/Saturday) unless you love sitting in a hot car. Lucky for us we were riding in a vehicle with Diplomatic plates so we got to cross via the VIP crossing, which was super fast, and even had a tea boy to serve you tea to your car. I was oh, so tempted, but in 35C heat the last thing I wanted was hot tea. Now if he had cold beer that would’ve been an entirely different story!! Because it’s on the gulf it’s way humid compared to Saudi. The last time I was here I visited in late July, and I was that gross humid sticky every time I left the comfort of AC.

Camel crossing on the way to Bahrain….

Store staff were not thrilled about this….

So what’s there to do in Bahrain you might ask? Well I’ve already covered the essentials…..my old friends booze and bacon. But there’s also a really nice mall where you can try on clothes and go catch a movie (2 things I can’t do in Saudi Arabia.) There are bars and nightclubs. You can go to the beach, or boating, or jet skiing. There’s a fort which dates from the 6th century AD which I visited the last time I was here. We spent most of the weekend drinking some much needed beverages and we hit up a couple bars/clubs one of the nights. One of the places we went to was full of young American navy boys who I felt old enough to have birthed half of them. We also felt like me might have been the only women in the place who weren’t “working” if you get my drift so we peaced out pretty early. If you didn’t catch my drift, Bahrain is full of hookers. They are everywhere. I’m not one to judge, I’m merely stating my observation.

Bahrain waterfront

Bahrain Fort

The other thing we did was go to a boozy brunch at the Crowne Plaza. The food wasn’t quite as good as the brunch we had at Feast in Dubai, but it made up for that in after brunch entertainment. After brunch there is a dance party complete with DJ and disco lights in the room next door. It was awesome. People were super day drunk and falling all over the place which made for amazing people watching. It was highly entertaining. Lucky for our group we were also day drunk, but being the experienced drinkers that we are, we weren’t falling all over the place. Yet. Just kidding Pops, I kept it relatively classy!!

So that pretty much sums up a weekend in Bahrain. It’s a nice quick weekend away. If driving there doesn’t sound so great it’s a little over an hour flight. Safe travels…..

Overcoming Fear…..

June 27, 2015 / kristinewanders

I have a completely irrational fear of the water. I blame the movie Jaws. And one time when we were house boating as a kid and I was swimming in a lake with my mom and she said “Imagine if something grabbed your foot.” Thanks a lot mom. That’s the type of thing that keeps a kid awake at night. This fear is so irrational that I’m uncomfortable even in the deep end of a pool. Especially if I’m alone. Because my mind thinks there might be a shark lurking. Yes, even in a pool. I warned you this was an irrational fear.

I’m even more skiddish in the ocean. Don’t get me wrong. I can swim, but I would never go into the ocean alone. Like ever. But if I’m with someone I trust I will, but not very deep. One of the long standing things on my lengthy list of things to do before I die, was to try scuba diving. Here, you’re probably saying to yourself….didn’t she say she’s afraid of water?? Yes I am, but I’m a firm believer of walking head first into my fears. Which is why when I was in the Maldives in April, I signed up for a beginners scuba diving class.

I signed up the day before the class. And immediately that voice in my head was like you’re going to die. Or be eaten by a shark. I started to have sign-up remorse. The following morning before the class that same voice was trying to talk me out of it. You don’t have to go. You don’t feel well. And the voice was right- I didn’t feel well, but I knew it was just anxiety. So to the class I went. It didn’t help that the dive instructors took great pleasure in playing off my fears by making jokes like…..Do you know what happens if you see a shark. You die. Not. Funny. FYI. So the class started off with the group of us watching a video. There were 6 students and the 2 dive instructors. So we watch the video. And I’m like this isn’t too bad. And then we don the dive gear. And that wasn’t so bad. It’s heavy and throws your balance off, but we were still on land so everything was ok.

SHARK……

Regular Fish…

Then we entered with water. And did a quick lesson in the shallow water. It was difficult to remember to breathe only thru your mouth. My mask kept leaking which didn’t help my anxiety and I was having a hard time clearing it. Luckily, one of the dive instructors (probably realizing I was the weakest link) was at my side. We had to show a couple skills before going into the deeper water. This included clearing your mask, and how to get your regulator back if you lost it. So then we moved into deeper water. I’m not even sure how I made it to this point except that it took so much effort remembering to breathe with the regulator that I didn’t have time to be scared of the water or to be looking around to see if Jaws was coming. Every time I went down my mask would start to leak, which would cause me to panic and I would make the signal for I’m going up like a mad woman. And the dive instructor would come up with me, and give me a pep talk and we would go back down. Then my mask would leak, I would panic, and back up we would go. We got down to about 5ft. And I lasted for about a minute at that depth. And then that was enough for me. I felt bad getting all the attention from the dive instructor. And my leaking mask wasn’t helping the situation. But I got further than I thought I would. My travel mate said she didn’t even expect me to get into the water. But I did. And to be honest, I’d like to try it again. Without a leaking mask. And with an instructor who’s only responsibility is me. I’m not saying I will love it, but I would definitely like to give it another try. I’m even making plans to in August, when I’m in Sharm el Sheikh Egypt for a long weekend. So scuba diving I will see you again very soon….

Calm Seas……

June 14, 2015 / kristinewanders

There was an afternoon that I spent on the back balcony of our bungalow in the Maldives where the sea was perfectly calm. Where it was difficult to ascertain where the sea ended and the sky started. Where boats on the horizon appeared to be floating in the sky instead of sailing on the sea. The only thing that appeared to be moving were the fish jumping. They would momentarily break the otherwise calm surface. It felt, for that portion of the afternoon at least, as though time were standing still…..

On another note, I’m off to Morocco for the next 2 weeks. I can’t wait to eat some delicious food, catch up with my dear Yankee friend, and take about a million photos!!

The Maldives

June 9, 2015 / kristinewanders

At the end of April I spent 6 blissful nights in the Maldives. The Maldives are an archipelago of some 1190 islands in the Indian Ocean spread out over 90 000sq km. It is the lowest country in the world with an average elevation of 1.5m which has major implications with global warming and the rising of sea level. 80 % of the country actually lies less than 1m above sea level. Some reports state that these islands could disappear in the next 50 years resulting in the displacement of any entire country. The Maldives is a Muslim country that prior to converting practiced Buddhism. Given it’s natural beauty it’s no surprise that tourism is it’s main economy.

We flew into Colombo Sri Lanka, and then took a 90 min flight to the capital city of Male. From here we took a 20min seaplane flight to Veligandu Island Resort which was to be our home for 5 nights. The Maldives are synonymous with luxury travel. Most accommodations in the Maldives requires a seaplane or speedboat transfer to reach your resort. Often this adds on hundreds of dollars to the price of the hotel, which trust me is anything but cheap. I traveled with my kiwi sidekick and we booked 3 nights in a water bungalow with an all inclusive option and then 2 nights in a beach bungalow. There ended up being an issue with our original booking so we were upgraded to a water bungalow with a jacuzzi for the entire time. Too bad we weren’t on our honeymoon cause this place was super duper romantic, and obviously bursting at the seems with couples in love. So here we were 2 single gals just wanting to get our relax and drink on.

The bungalow we stayed in was gorgeous. We had a balcony with a couple lounge chairs and stairs that led into the water. We had a fully stocked mini bar, and all you could drink at the 2 bars on the resort. This was my first experience with an all-inclusive resort, and while it’s really not my thing I fully embraced all it had to offer. Champagne for breakfast? Yes, please. Mam, you want drinks at the pool? Yes. Please. More wine? Yes. The answer is always going to be yes. So I spent my time split between laying by the pool, swimming in the pool, or relaxing on our back balcony. We begrudgingly did all the romantic couple things like having dinner overlooking the beach by candle light, or taking a sunset dolphin cruise. To be completely honest it was such a beautiful vacation, but being around couples 24/7 took it’s toll. I’d like to say I rose above it, but sometimes I wanted to just yell at them to “get a room” and secretly took pleasure when some of them got irritated with each other. I’m not especially proud of this, but it’s just how I felt after spending 5 days on other people’s honeymoons.

We saw some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed, and cherished the calm evening sound of the Indian Ocean brushing against our bungalow. We took a boat excursion to a local village and wandered in the alleyways listening to children recite the alphabet. We saw pods of dolphins doing acrobatics and playing with our boat. The water was so blue I’ll forever think of that colour blue as Maldivian Blue. We had some much needed down time, and I was able to reflect on where I’ve been, and where I hope I’m heading. I attempted to overcome my fear of water, and surprised myself (more on this in an upcoming post.)

Our last night in the Maldives was spent at a budget hotel on the same island as the international airport. It’s a quick 10 min ferry ride to the jam packed island capital of Male. This section of the Maldives is in a conservative Muslim area so alcohol is not allowed, and it’s recommended to dress a little more conservatively. It was nice to spend a night with the locals. There are a ton of budget hotels here, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here for more than a night or 2 as you have to take a speedboat to the western beaches if one wants to swim in the sea in what we consider a normal swimsuit. We didn’t get to explore the capital city of Male, which I would’ve like to have done had we more time. Pictures of the city show that literally ever square foot of it is taken up, and would’ve been interesting to explore. So that’s the Maldives. It’s so very worth seeing. But go with your lover, and not your best mate as you might be like me, and find all that newlywed gushy love a tad bit nauseating…..

Sunrise….

June 4, 2015 / kristinewanders

Sometimes a sunrise is particularly amazing. Where it looks like an artist’s brush has painted hues of colour on the adjacent clouds. Or, where the sun breaking thru the clouds gives the impression of molten lava bubbling below the clouds surface. Yellow and orange turning into red. With coral hues softening into pale orange and yellow. This one took place 37000ft above the southern tip of India, on route to Sri Lanka. I awoke to see the light coming over the horizon and then watched it for some time completely mesmerized. Awestruck by the beauty of it. Momentarily forgetting my deep rooted fear of flying to concentrate on a single. Beautiful. Sunrise.

Dubai

May 27, 2015 / kristinewanders

Last month I spent 2 nights in Dubai prior to traveling to the Maldives, and 3 nights there on my way back to Riyadh. Dubai is awesome. To be fair, most places feel awesome after being confined in Saudi after any length of time, but I suspect had I visited from somewhere else I would’ve still loved it. Dubai is a booming city, with construction taking place everywhere you look. It is consumerism at it’s best and worst. It is completely man-made, there is nothing natural about it. Those are probably it’s biggest faults. Compared to Saudi it’s a taste of freedom. There is alcohol and bars to visit. Women can, and do drive. There are movie theatres, and women can try on clothing when shopping. What a revelation! And here’s the best part for all you Canadians out there…….there are Tim Horton’s all over the place. Literally everywhere, and it’s exactly the same as back home. In fact, that may be my favourite thing about being in Dubai was that it felt so dang familiar to me. It was like a trip back to Canada and the US all rolled into one. So many of my favourite shops and restaurants, places that we just don’t have in Riyadh.

Dubai waterfront

Well played Tim Hortons…

I’m not a huge shopper. In fact, normally when it comes to shopping I’m a get in and get out kinda gal. Usually after about an hour at the mall my eyes glaze over and I’m eying up the exits. You can imagine my surprise then that we spent the vast majority of our time at Dubai Mall. Mostly shopping. I know. We also saw a couple movies, and paid extra to watch Furious 7, VIP style. What’s VIP style you might ask? Well basically you get a reclining lazyboy chair with a blanket and a pillow and a waitress comes to you and takes your order. It’s pretty awesome. But don’t get too excited- booze are not available at the movies. Dubai I think you should look into this.

Besides being delighted by Dubai Mall we did the obligatory touristy things like having High Tea at the Burj Al Arab in the Jumeirah area. It was pricey, but lovely. Don’t make the same mistake as we did- arrive early as that’s your best change for getting a window seat with the best views. We were a little tardy, so missed out on this. By pricey, I mean it will cost you 620UAE ($170US). Yep I know it’s a little absurd. But I feel like it’s a you only live once kinda thing so we went. The service as you would expect was impeccable. Ours started out with stuffed dates and a strawberry pastry paired with a glass of Brut Champagne. This was followed by a tray of teeny tiny sandwiches, followed by a towering tray of pastries. It was very nice. The best part is that you get unlimited non-alcoholic drinks. Bottled water, soda, fresh fruit juices, any type of coffee, and a huge assortment of tea. The mint and the rose bud tea were my favourites. Then there is the view. The High Tea is held in the Skyview Bar on the top floor of the Burj. You have views of the Dubai skyline, as well as the Atlantis and The Palms, and the beach area below. It wasn’t a very clear day the afternoon we were there, but it was still impressive. High Tea is from 4pm-6pm, so you get to see the sunset. After tea we wandered around the over-the-top lobby of the Burj and took the obligatory tourist photos.

We spent a night out at a roof-top hookah bar called iKandy at the Shangri-La Hotel. It was far too trendy for us, so we took the party somewhere more our style and went to the Irish Village for the later part of an evening. The Irish Village is relaxed with tons of outdoor seating. Well worth the visit. The best thing we did though, was go to Friday brunch at Feast. It’s Dubai’s newest brunch place so be sure to make reservations if you go! It’s at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, and offers 3 different brunch options depending on if you want alcohol, and what type of alcohol you want. Naturally, we opted for the Moet champagne package which included any of the alcohol they serve and as much of it as you can consume. It will set you back 495UAE ($135US) and trust me, this is the first brunch I’ve ever been to that I feel I got my money’s worth. Service was on-point. We quickly informed our servers that we lived in Saudi Arabia and that based on that fact our glasses should never be empty. We normally had at least 3 glasses of some sort of alcohol topped up for our sipping pleasure. Now I know what you’re thinking……mixing alcohol is a recipe for disaster. And, you’d be dead right. But at the time, this was of little concern to me. The food is amazing. Fresh oysters. Fresh sushi station. Some lamb thingy that comes with23 types of garnishes. To be honest that’s all I remember trying, and there was a ton of other stations where they cooked everything up in front of you. They also paired wine with whatever food you were trying. I was basically in a food and wine heaven. I was also the most day-drunk I have been in recent history, and any plans for doing anything else that day were thwarted by the worst hangover I can remember in recent history. You win some, you lose some…..

So that’s Dubai. I have no doubt that I will return, in fact am already planning to do so in July. It’s such a lovely weekend break from Saudi, and feels like a little bit of normalcy. And obviously, I have unfinished business with Friday brunch at Feast, although hopefully this time I will learn from last time and go with the more food/less drink game plan!!! Next up………The Maldives………

Syria

May 22, 2015 / kristinewanders

Syria. Since March 2011 Syria has been making headlines. One would literally have to live under a rock to not be aware of the civil war which has been going on for over 4 years. Leaving at least 220 000 people killed. Some reports estimate that this number is in fact over the 300 000 mark. For my friends and family back home in Canada, that’s like the population of the city of Kelowna being wiped out. Twice.

I traveled in Syria in the fall of 2010- months before the civil war would make travel completely inadvisable, and change the face of that country forever. I feel fortunate to have seen the country, and meet its people before it made the headlines. I went with my dear American friend, and to date the land-border crossing from Jordan into Syria has been the funniest and most bizarre border crossing I’ve experienced. Basically we drew crowds everywhere we went, as people (mostly men) would cross the street and crowd around, everyone throwing in their thoughts as we tried to negotiate a taxi for the crossing, all the while clapping and applauding every time I attempted to speak Arabic. We spent 4 days in the city of Damascus and did a couple day trips to historical sites during our time there. I found the people to be kind and friendly. We had only one tense moment at the border where a man saw my friend’s passport and yelled “American” in a not-so positive tone, from then on we told everyone we were both Canadian, and never had any other safety issues. In fact we traveled via public bus, and had people go out of there way to give us directions, feed us, and generally make sure we enjoyed their country.

Damascus

Public Bus

So why am I writing this now? In the last week or so CNN and the BBC have almost on a daily basis had stories about the ancient city of Palmyra and reports that the entire site will likely be bulldozed as ISIS nears the site. As of Wednesday they have reportedly taken control of the site. Why does this matter? Why is this site significant? Why does this destruction matter?

On the most basic level this is the destruction of culture. Pure and simple. They are taking away the history of these places, and replacing it with a very grim future. In addition to the destruction of ancient sites in Syria, ISIS has destroyed a number of culturally significant sites in Iraq as well. The ancient site of Palmyra lies almost in the center of the country about 200km from Damascus. It dates from the Neolithic period, and was established in the 1st and 2nd century. It had major significance a caravan center on the trading route connecting Persia with the east. It is believed to be one of the best preserved historical sites in the Middle East, and became a UNESCO site in 1980. Today many of its statues have been removed in the hopes of preservation, but as you will see from my photos the site is extremely large, as are the many columns and remaining ruins, and therefore impossible to protect them.

This post is not meant to take light away from the death toll related to the Syrian civil war in anyway. And I’m not pretending to be any sort of expert on Middle Eastern conflict. I’m just shedding light on a place that in the following weeks may cease to exist. May be obliterated. Destroyed at the hands of people who wish to erase the culture of people who share different beliefs than they do. This post is meant to make you realize that if you put off traveling and seeing the world, the places of significance may cease to exist. Be it civil war, or an earthquake, or global warming. The earth is forever changing, and if you wait too long the only thing that may be left are photos on the internet, and memories in the heart of those who visited before you…

Copenhagen, how I Love thee…..

May 20, 2015 / kristinewanders

Where to start. I loved Copenhagen. Like seriously loved it, would move there in a second if I could find work there, kinda love. I spent 2 nights here, and most of that time was spend dreaming of what my life would be like if I lived there. Copenhagen had all the things I love about a big city- it was energetic, and clean, and cultured. It’s a very walkable city and as it’s built on the water. The waterways naturally add to its character.

Our hotel was situated a short walk from Nyhavn which is a super touristy row of colourful townhouses which house many bars and cafes along a waterway that’s full of large ships. To say it’s picturesque would be an understatement. We took a canal tour from here which sailed along the waterfront and down a couple of nearby canals. The architecture here is fascinating- it’s part modern meets 18th century factory buildings all rolled into one. We spent some time wandering near the Parliament- unfortunately the day we were there, there was some type of Islamic protest, so we steered clear. We walked to Christianshavn a nearby neighbourhood and climbed to the top of the spiral staircase at the Church of our Saviour. It had spectacular views of Copenhagen, but is definitely not for the faint of heart. There are 400 stairs to the top, the last 150 being a winding bunch outside. If you’re afraid of heights, just take it slow. If I was able to force myself up then I have no doubt that you can do it to.

We spend an afternoon on a true urban adventure to find the Carlsberg factory. I’m pretty sure I’ve never gotten so lost as we did on this brewery hunt. First off, there is a museum in Copenhagen called the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Don’t let the name fool you. This is NOT the Carlsberg factory. Nor is it any where near it. And if you happen to mistakenly go there, do not believe anyone who tells you that the factory is a 20 min walk from there. It is walkable, but only it you plan to walk all bloody day. Also if you think you’re a bit of a genious and hop on a local bus, and you ask the bus driver if this bus goes near the factory and he says yes, and 2 stops later he tells you that you’ve arrived, he quite likely is lying. If you ask 5 locals for directions and they all point in different ways, things are not looking up. So you will likely follow the most credible person, and after walking in the direction instructed you may or may not see a Carlsberg flag on an adjacent building. You may or may not high-five the people you are with, because by now you are really overdue for a cold beer. You might find yourself approaching said building, only to discover, that no, this is not the Carslberg factory, and that many, many buildings in the area have a Carlsberg flags. Crap. So ask directions again. Wander some more, and now you may or may not find yourself in an area with many Carlsberg flags, so things start to look up. And there are directions signs with the inscription “Visit Carlsberg” and as if to mock you, these signs are literally pointing in directions that you can’t go to because of construction. By now you will want to scream. Because its getting close to 4pm and they close at 5pm. So you may or may not find yourself climbing up a steep dirt embankment next to a skateboard park (coincidentally these skateboarders were drinking Carlsberg beer) and finally, finally, arriving at the factory. At 4:10pm. When the last tour was at 4pm. So then you may or may not tell a sob story to someone who works there, who at least gives you a coupon for a free beer. And you may or may not sit there sipping your free beer all the while trying to figure out how the hell you will get home. Or you may just decide to take a taxi directly there. That’s what I would do if I were you.

So there you have it. An eventful 2 days in Copenhagen. A city I have no doubt I will meet again. Likely sooner than later!! Happy travels…