Pops' Travel Guide, Copenhagen Day 2

On this day we had an early evening flight to Prague so we had most of the day to show Ryan more of Copenhagen. We started the day with a tour of Rosenborg Castle and the Danish Crown Jewels. The tour of the castle and the crown jewels are worth seeing. After that it was time for a beer and we found a really nice outdoor spot in the middle of a square. That still gave us enough time to meet David for lunch by his work. For lunch we ended up going to a deli for sandwiches and beer which we took to a bench along one of the canals. The Danes know how to relax. The sun was out and it felt good to sit there watching the tour boats go by. David only had an hour for lunch and time went by too fast. After saying our goodbyes it was off to see more of Copenhagen.

This time we were the ones on the tour boats in the canals. We walked over to Nyhavn and bought tickets for a tour. If you want to see a lot of Copenhagen without walking then the canal tours are the way to go. Along the tour you will see "The Little Mermaid", "Our Saviour Church (which we walked to the top of), The Royal Yacht, many government building, the Navy yard, and the many neighborhoods  along the canal. This is a must tour if you are in Copenhagen.

After the tour was more beer and a stop at a hot dog wagon. Kevin's favorite is the French Hot Dog. It is a bun with the end cut off and hollowed out to fit the hot dog. They will put mustard, ketchup, etc inside the bun and then insert the dog. It is very tasty.

What we missed but I have seen many times before were the lakes, Kronenborg Castle, and inside Tivoli.

I have a picture of the bicycles in Copenhagen which is one of the most bike friendly cities in the world.

If the weather was warmer we could have gone to one of the many beaches around Copenhagen. Instead we walked around enjoying the sites until it was time to go to the airport. A quick train ride from the city center to the airport and we were ready to head off to Prague.

Pops' Travel Guide, Copenhagen

After visiting the relatives in Holeby we had time to see Copenhagen and to see my cousin David and his girlfriend Stine. In all of Europe, Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities. For one thing, there is a lot of water from the canals and lakes and the sea. Also, there is a lot of history with castles and palaces, museums, government buildings and churches. When the weather is nice I like to grab a beer and a hot dog from one of the hot dog wagons and relax. There are plenty of places to do that. The Danes appreciate the weather when the sun is out and enjoying the outdoors is a must.

On this day we went on a walking tour of the city. Starting from our hotel near Tivoli we headed toward Nyhavn, the royal palace and then along the waterfront to one of my favorite fountains of a Norse God on a chariot in water (The Gefion Fountain).

David wanted to meet at a restaurant called Almanak "The Standard" for lunch which is in the former Custom House. The Almanak is owned by the same owner of Noma which is ranked as the #1 restaurant in the world. The Almanak is noted for it's open faced Danish sandwiches and sits along the waterfront. We sat outside and enjoyed two open faced sandwiches each with beer. We were also able to catch up with David on what's been going on in his life. After lunch we headed over to Christiania, also know as Freetown, an old army base taken over by hippies and has it's own society and legalized marijuana. Then later the Our Savior Church which has a steeple with stairs on the outside of the steeple and a great view of the city. Later we went to Davids condo which is fairly new with a view of the water and Copenhagen. We picked up Stine and headed to a restaurant (Cocks and Cows) that specializes in hamburgers. I think the owner wanted it to be Americanized so the menu had some interesting items. One of note was a hamburger with salsa, guacamole, jalapeno peppers and cheddar cheese called "The Illegal". When we pointed out that we didn't think we could get away with calling a burger with Mexican ingredients "The Illegal" in the states David had no idea what the name meant. After we explained it to him he got a good laugh. They also had "The Governator" and "The Juicy Lucy" as well as steaks, chicken and ribs. Their link is below if you want to check it out on your next trip.

We then went to a nice bar in a converted apartment not far from the restaurant. After having drinks for about an hour David and Stine left for home and we left in search of another bar. Tuesday nights are slow in Copenhagen but we found an Irish Pub called "The Dubliner" along the walking street and settled in there. After more Guinness and the fact that the bar closed on us we left for the hotel. I have always felt safe walking in Copenhagen, even late at night. It was after 2am, the streets were fairly empty, but it was a good walk.

Here are some URL's of places we went to:

The Standard

Cocks and Cows

Best Bars in Copenhagen

One more partial day in Copenhagen and then we leave for Prague.

Pops' Travel Guide, Apple Hill California

With fall in the air it's time to consider a trip to Apple Hill in Northern California. Apple Hill is located east of Sacramento on highway 50. The weather in October is perfect in Northern California and the orchards all offer delicious apples and baked items. Some even have arts and crafts, and rides for the children. We have made it a tradition and go every year.

If you have time also check out some of the wineries in the area. Most have free tasting.

Take highway 50 from Sacramento to Placerville, about 45 minutes. Once in Placerville there are many posted exits to Apple Hill. You can exit as high up as Camino. At the first orchard get a free map and all the orchards will be marked.

Later in the year go up again as they also have Christmas Tree Farms.

Pops' Travel Guide, Visiting Family in Denmark

After the F1 race in Monza we drove to the airport for a flight up to Copenhagen. It was a fairly short flight and in no time we were in Copenhagen. We stayed at the CabInn in downtown Copenhagen just behind Tivoli. It is very easy to get downtown from the airport by a clean and quick train ride. The train station is just across the street from Tivoli and we were able to walk to the hotel. The CabInn is a no frills hotel but since it was me and My son and his friend it was fine. The central location in Copenhagen made more sense and we only used the room to sleep and in most days there wasn't much of that. The first night we got to the hotel around 11 pm and with the free WiFi and Dish Anywhere we were able to watch our 49ers live on my tablet. That and a bottle of scotch and a few snacks made a perfect ending to the day. We started the day watching the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and finish the day watching the Niner game in our room in Copenhagen. What a Day!

We woke up the next day and picked up a rental car for the day so we could drive the one and half hours to see the family in Holeby, Denmark. Hertz has a location in Copenhagen center that we were able to walk to. We left early so we could stop at Frederiksborg Slot (Castle) in Hilerod, Denmark. The palace was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV and sits on the edge of a lake. It is the largest Renaissance Palace in Scandinavia. We toured the palace and also the grounds around the palace including the beautiful gardens. Denmark has a lot of castles and palaces and this one is a must see.

After seeing the palace we continued on to Holeby which is on the island of Lolland in southern Denmark. From Lolland you can take a ferry to Germany and be there in about 45 minutes. We found out from our relatives that Denmark is starting construction of a tunnel from Lolland to Germany. With the new tunnel you will be able to drive from Norway to the European mainland without going on a ferry. Not only will it benefit travelers but it will be a huge benefit to truckers.

I always look forward to seeing my Danish relatives. They are really down to earth and make us feel welcome. I'm amazed how much the family grows every time we see them. Kevin and Ryan ended up going to a local soccer field to kick a soccer ball around with the younger children. Danish meals are really close to what we eat at home. A typical meal will be a beef or pork roast, potatoes, and vegetables.Don't worry about not getting enough to eat, you always get your fill.We had to drive back to Copenhagen after dinner so no alcohol for me but Kevin and Ryan got to  partake in the tradition of stopping eating when someone says skoal and lifting your drink as a toast.

It was so nice to see them and I hated to leave. In Copenhagen I have my cousin David and we would see him the next day.

Pops' Travel Guide, Milan

We didn't spend a lot of time in Milan since we came primarily for the race so I might not be giving it justice. My first impression of Milan was that of a large industrial city. On the night of qualifying we had time to enter the city center. The drive in didn't do much to change my impression but as we got closer to the city center things improved a lot. We parked our car in what is called the justice area and started to walk. We started seeing little cafes and restaurants with monuments along the way. When we arrived in the area of the Cathedral  things really opened up and we found a large piazza with abundant shopping, eating and history.

The Cathedral is enormous and built in the Gothic style and took nearly six centuries to complete. We arrived too late to tour the inside which I regret. The Cathedral is in the middle of a huge piazza and around the piazza you will find many shopping malls, smaller shops and places to eat and drink. It was a pleasant night so the outside eating areas were full and we had to eat inside. However, eating side meant that we were able to watch them cook the food in the wood burning ovens.

Since we were at the race we missed seeing a lot including the inside of the Cathedral and also Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" which is in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie. That means that I'll have to come back on my next trip to visit the relatives. Also, Milan is a great place to get some shopping in as it is a fashion center. 

I will definitely make a return trip.  

Pops' Travel Guide, Monza

I want to focus this post on Monza and F1. The main purpose of our Father/son Eurotrip was the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. My son and I are planning on attending a different F1 race every year. I had already attended the Grand Prix in Monaco and the older circuits were at the top of our list. Monza has a lot of F1 history, the track has been changed and made safer but you can still see the banked turns and even walk the old track at times.

Monza is located in a park with a camp ground and lots of green space. Because of it's location there is not a lot of parking near the track. I was a little worried about how we would get to and from the track but after the first day there for qualifying I found out I didn't have to worry. The Italians have been doing this for a long time and logistically they have their act together. We had a rental car and once we entered Monza there were lots of signs directing us to parking lots at many different locations. When you pay for parking you also get tickets for the shuttle buses. At each parking location there are buses lined up ready to take you to the track. As each bus fills up it departs and the ride to the drop off zone is at most 10 minutes. From the drop off zone you have about a half our walk through the park to the track entrance. After the race you walk back to where you were dropped off and you will find buses lined up to take you back to your car. I would say it took about 45 minutes to get between our car and our seats. It was pretty stress free and because the parking is away from the track the traffic is light and you are on your way in no time.

If you haven't been to a F1 race you will surprised to hear that there are actually 3 races so each day is a full day of racing. At Monza we saw GP2 and GP3 besides the main F1 race. We watched qualifying and the race. Qualifying was awesome but the first time the cars flew by us at full speed it really got your adrenaline going. The engines are smaller, 6 cylinders compared to 8 last year and the sound isn't the same but they go just as fast. We sat just past the start/finish line and on the longest straight away and the cars were flying. Monza is one of the fastest tracks in the season and the race is also the shortest in time. We saw a relatively incident free race and the weather was perfect.

There is nothing like F1 racing. I hate watching cars going around in a circle. The mandatory two tire requirements and no refueling adds a lot to the suspense as there is a lot of strategy involved in choosing what tires to use and when.

I would highly recommend going to a F1 race. The F1 season has races around the world and in some of the most beautiful cities in the world. Why not package a race with a destination you have always wanted to go to.

Pops' Travel Guide, Finale Ligure and Monza

We stayed the night in Bardino Vechio and the next day we checked out and started for Milan, Monza and F1 qualifying. Since this was Ryan's first time in Italy I wanted him to see something special so we headed down the hill to Finale Ligure. Finale Ligure is on the Mediterranean Coast just down the hill from Bardino. It is also a few kilometers from Pietra Ligure.  Both coastal cities attract a lot of tourists in the summer. Most are attracted to the sandy beaches and resorts. In Finale Ligure you will find Finalborgo which is a borough of Finale Ligure and is a walled in medieval city.

One of my favorite things to do when I visit the relatives is to go to the piazza in Finalborgo and order a coffee and something to eat and look at the beautiful architecture. I took Ryan and Kevin there and also took Ryan to the beautiful church at the piazza. One interesting thing is that there is a sundial on the wall of the piazza instead of a clock. The pictures will speak for themselves.

The drive along the coast is beautiful. It seems like you are always in a tunnel or on a bridge with some incredible views of the sea and coast. We arrived in Monza in time for qualifying. One thing to note about F1 is that there are multiple races on Sunday. Because of that there are multiple qualifying and practice sessions on Friday and Saturday. Your ticket gets you into all sessions so you can make a full day at the circuit. I will talk about the race and the Monza circuit in detail in my next post.

After the qualifying session we checked into a hotel about a half hour outside of Milan. Antico Borgo La Muratella is tucked away in the countryside outside of Milan and if you want to relax outside of the city then I would highly recommend it.

My next post will focus on the race and circuit, how to get around and our experiences.