Copenhagen – July 2017

So I wanted to start today’s post by returning to yesterday evening when I decided to take a stroll around Copenhagen on my own to get a real feel of the accessibility. As I said a few times during interviews, I enjoy taking walks on my own as its a completely different feel as opposed to when I’m with various PAs. I also wanted to see how Danish people would interact with me without anyone to assist even though I only know two words of their language!

I began my wander going down to the waterfront where the Copenhagen mall is situated and journeyed through some of the surrounding housing areas. It is surprising how many houses and apartments had step free access but I guess that is Scandinavian design! I continued by a desire to find out whether the metro network was accessible. I didn’t actually find the proper metro rather the suburban one. I don’t know if all the stations have been elevated either but this one had so I went down to have a go. Talking of Danish people, I was approached by a few as I was attempting to push the lift button. Although I didn’t have a clue what they were saying, I gathered that they were asking to help, why can’t Londoners be like that when I’m using the underground?? From what I gather after watching the train for a while, there is a designated disabled with a massive logo representing it, however there is a step up into it! Maybe it’s better at other stations or they have ramps but who knows.

After checking out the hotel this afternoon, we headed down to Copenhagen main train station to catch a train out to the airport. After our successful trip to Malmo on Wednesday, I thought it would be a simple process getting super bunny on and and off and it was apart from I decided to get on the wrong train (heading to the depot) and it wasn’t until one of the dispatches came running and signalled for me to get off that I realised! The train from the main train station to the airport is probably the cheapest and efficient option as it takes you to beneath terminal 3.

The he usual airport process went surprisingly according to plan and, for once, security talked to me like an actual human being and not some child. Although our flight was delayed by half an hour, we were escorted into the scissor lift early for some unknown reason and then sat on the airfield for half an hour waiting for the plane to come in, rather odd!

After a rather windy touch down, we had returned to good old Bristol for exactly a month (we will be in the air this time next month!) before we head to China to visit Beijing, Xian (to visit the terracota warriors) and Shanghai.

Folow ow us from the 28th (which is coincidentally my birthday!) 🙂

As you know, I don’t stick to any plans that I have made and as such today we caught the hop on and hop off bus for a tour around Copenhagen. The concierge informed us that some of the buses were not wheel chair accessible and would have to ring ahead to check the bus. To make life easier, we just decided to take my manual wheel chair and it was a good job too!!

Luckly, the bus we caught was accessible, however they didn’t have any tie down straps available (it must be a requirement on Danish buses) and as such the driver didn’t like the idea of me staying in the wheel chair although my PA sat in it instead. The tour took us around various land marks such as The little mermaid which you couldn’t see from the bus but hey! The main issue arose when we were told to get off the bus and get on older one to continue the tour. The bus was not accessible at all so it was a good job that we were able to carry my manual wheel chair on board and fold it up other we would have been stuck for 40 minutes!

We have just come back from the Copenhagen mall were we discovered an ice parlour which meant I got fat haha! We have nothing else planned for the rest of the afternoon apart from going to the pool yet again before we flight back to good old Bristol tomorrow.

Oh and I thought you might like to know that the sushi we had for dinner yesterday in the hotel cost over £150!!

So what has happened since we last spoke about 12 hours ago?

Well, like we planned we set out after breakfast with the vision of visiting Tovoli Gardens. Which is situated roughly in the centre of Copenhagen (sort of). On the way, I was able to get a feel of the accessibility of the city in general. As I had imagined, being in Scandinavia it is still a high standard with dropped curbs everywhere and wheelchairs being taken into account most places that you go.

After finding our way through various crowds, we reached the majestic entrance to Tovoli Gardens (however you pronounce it). It has now become a favourite place as I got free entry!

I don’t really know what to make of the place, I guess you could call it part theme park/part something else, however, one of my PA’s has visited the Christmas markets and said it was amazing so perhaps I should go back at Christmas. Some off the theme park theming was glamorous…

Oh and we found the toilets…

We also found this amazing café which sells truffles and tea which me and my PA’s found highly sensational “#best treat ever” according to the PA who is writing this (Hi).

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at the main train station in Copenhagen to find out how the Danish train system works in regards to booking assistance. It seems that they have a similar method to the UK in that you have to ring up 24 hours before, however, when we asked how the Swedish system works (as Malmö is in Sweedon). They do not know which is rather strange seeing as it’s only an hours train journey over the bridge!! Anyway we are opting for the safer option in taking the manual wheelchair tomorrow to avoid as many complications as possible (basically my PA’s pushing and carrying me all day haha).

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the pool before heading up to the sky bar after tea to have some civilised whiskey whilse admiring the cityscape of Copenhagen…

As I said the plan for tomorrow is to catch the train to Malmö to go exploring and, visiting the turning torso ( which is a skyscraper) amongst other things.

well I was going to begin by saying hello in Czech but now we are in Copenhagen so hej! Basically we arrived at the airport on Sunday in the knowledge that the flight was going to be delayed by a couple of hours, however as we were eating dinner the flight became canceled and the next flight to Prague from Bristol is on Friday.

After a evening of looking around different places to go around Eurpoe, I decided to go with Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. We had a more successful trip to bristol airport, as usual we got talked down to by assistance simply because we didn’t check in….One day they will get the message!! The flight was surprisingly quick being one hour forty five minutes arriving at the marvellous terminal three at Copenhagen airport…

We requested a wheelchair accessable taxi, you would expect a standard taxi that  has a ramp or a lift but not in this case. It seems that the only accessable taxisthat were at the airport was a sprinter van…the ones that you would book if you wanted to travel in style! It wasn’t so stylish when I found out that it had cost me about £58 for a ten minute journey! Definitely getting the train back on Friday!

For the price of the hotel, the rooms aren’t that special at the Tivoli Hotel, it see,s that they have put the effort into decorating the hotel but not the actual rooms, however I guess it could be worse…

The plan for today is just to go for a walk around, perhaps visiting Tivoli Gardens plus the TRAIN STATION to find out what we need t do in order to get the train across to Malmo in Sweden tomorrow which is only about a hour train journey…Hopefully!!