Team-BHP - Tale of 3 Cities: London, Budapest & Copenhagen
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It was that time of the year when a business trip to Europe calls. My itinerary consisted of 3 cities namely London, Budapest and Copenhagen. I have visited these cities a number of times before, but a travelogue on T-BHP was long pending and I decided this time it IS.

My itinerary was a hectic one, including transits at places I didn’t want to be in. The initial booking was in British Airways, but due to visa delays, was changed in the last minute to the tried and tested Lufthansa. The newer 747-8 looked bigger and better. Off I was from BIAL at approximately 0300 on 11th May 2013 for a 9 hour flight to Frankfurt (FRA). It was an un-eventful journey. I opted and got an aisle seat so that I could exercise my legs once in a while without poking my fellow passengers. The in-seat entertainment didn’t offer much that I hadn’t seen before.
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The weather in Frankfurt on that day was a bit chilly. Though temperature read a mild 10 degrees, the wind was biting cold and a bit of the morning mist was still hanging around. My connecting flight from Frankfurt to London was a good 8 hours away.
I decided to step out for a few pictures. Got a train from FRA to the city center, picked up a map and started clicking.
Frankfurt is a modern city and is the financial center for Germany. Its sky is dotted with sky scrapers and the locals are proud of the fact that it offers one of the best sky-lines in the world. Many international banks have their European headquarters in Frankfurt.
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Typical Western European skyline. A perfect blend of modern and historic architecture: -
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A Columbian guy who I got acquainted with along the way. He too was in between flights . We decided to do this together. :)
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Trams going about their business:-
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Soon, it was time to say good bye to my friend. Hopped onto the train back to the airport in time for the flight to London
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I arrived in London late in the day. But it was still bright. The light usually hangs on till about 2200.Booked a taxi from Heathrow to the hotel. What is striking about London is that you can gel-in very easily. There are people from every part of the world. One can almost hear your native tongue at every corner of a street. That’s what a world-city is all about.
On the way from the airport:-
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I decided to make best use of the Sunday and started my journey on foot. I decided to go to Kensington gardens first, walk round the park and back. It was a good few kilometers and was drizzling, but I wasn’t prepared on wasting the day in the hotel.
Kensington gardens is big, about 100 hectares and lies adjacent to Hyde park. It houses a number of features such as Kensington Palace itself, Serpentine Bridge, fountains, Albert Memorial, Statue of Peterpan and Diana Memorial.



One of the entrances to the park
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I decided to move on towards Buckingham palace. The sun had started to peek out of the clouds.


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Buckingham palace was crowded and it was difficult getting a strategic place for some snaps. I moved some of meters away from the crowd and started clicking.

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A super car procession at Trafalgar square:-

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London Eye, Big Ben and Tower Bridge:-
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London skyline from Thames:-
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Budapest was next.
Having been to Budapest a few times before, I was well aware of a few things that I should get myself prepared for:-Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. Its architecture and buildings speak volumes of the rich history and heritage. Like I said, you will have a beautiful experience once you are prepared for the points above. It is bisected by the River Danube which divides the city into Buda and Pest. Budapest is famous for its thermal baths and spas, but you shouldn’t venture into one unless you are very sure about it. There are many sleazy ones as well.
View from my hotel room:-
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Outside the hotel:-
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Every mode of transport lie beside each-other:-
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Budapest Parliament Building, straddling the Danube
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Next up was Copenhagen. I spend up-to a quarter of a year here every year, hence have got used to it. Copenhagen is a modern city. It is right up there when it comes to standard of living. Every bit of thought is used in planning and development of the city/country and it shows everywhere.
It should also be noted that all this comes at a price. Denmark is one of the countries which has the highest taxation rates in the world.

I will let the pictures do the talking:-


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A common sight
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A colleague invited us over to his house for dinner. It was a half-an-hour’s journey towards the northern end of Copenhagen. Was well worth the visit:-
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We visited Frederiksberg castle along the way.

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We were very hungry by that time. Luckily, the lady had already laid down the food and all we had to do was start gorging.
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The next weekend, we took a train to Malmo, Sweden. Malmo is connected to Copenhagen through an under-sea bridge.
Malmo is a relatively quieter and more scenic city(than Copenhagen). I hear from the locals that it’s the place one would want to wind down during the weekend with some beer after work in Copenhagen.

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After a visit to the local museum, I set out to see what is referred to as the landmark of Malmo, the Turning Torso. It is the tallest building in Scandinavia. The building looks like its twisted 90 degrees from the bottom to top(or vice versa).
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Back at Copenhagen the next day, I was to prepare for a journey to Aahrus, the second largest city in Denmark in the island of Jutland. I hitched a ride with one of my colleagues who also had work there. We set out at approximately 0500 in the morning.
The Great belt is a strait of water which separates the islands of Zealand and Funen. The bridge which connects these 2 is called Great Belt Link, and it really is a sight.

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Interior of Colleague’s Ford S-Max. The heated seats really helped :D

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I was back in Copenhagen the next day. Having finished my work, said the goodbyes and started for Bangalore over the weekend.


More journeys await, as I am always hopeful of visiting more places in India and countries around the world. Till that, Good Bye.

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

Splendid Europe!!! The best and the most beautiful place on earth to be. I have been few time to Germany, Amsterdam and France. Every time i just get lost in the sheer beauty and magnificent natural advantage they have got.

Nice pics nevertheless. Thanks for sharing.

Nice crisp post.

Brings back some good memories of London and Aarhus. Yes, London is truely a world-city. It is very easy to feel at home and not miss your country when one is here very unlike Copenhagen on Aarhus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasanthn21 (Post 3135975)
Nice crisp post.

Brings back some good memories of London and Aarhus. Yes, London is truely a world-city. It is very easy to feel at home and not miss your country when one is here very unlike Copenhagen on Aarhus.

Right. In London, there aren't any second looks from anyone on the streets as you walk-by. However, things have greatly improved in the recent years in Denmark. There are lots of Indians and there is an active community building up.

Nice post. Like you, i also have to spend quite a lot of time in CPH due to work and believe that this time of the year is one of the better times, though July/August is the best. Personally I always prefer to stroll around the CPH central station and the Vesterport area on weekends as you feel you are among crowd compared to the lonely places of other zones.
I would also love to visit Stroget on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

But nice one, i must say.
Keep more of such coming.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitzoomer (Post 3136686)
Nice post. Like you, i also have to spend quite a lot of time in CPH due to work and believe that this time of the year is one of the better times, though July/August is the best. Personally I always prefer to stroll around the CPH central station and the Vesterport area on weekends as you feel you are among crowd compared to the lonely places of other zones.
I would also love to visit Stroget on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

But nice one, i must say.
Keep more of such coming.

Good to know. Yes, it starts getting better around May. I usually choose hotels in these areas as well. Stroget was really crowded this time and most of the town-hall area was covered up for some construction activity.
My next trip to Denmark is around August. If you are planning at the same time, let me know. Would be good to catch up in cph. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by aneezan (Post 3134958)
[*]Credit cards are not accepted everywhere, unlike Western European Countries. American Express in particular are a no-no.[*]Taxi Drivers will fleece at every opportunity[*]English is reserved for very few. In-fact don't be surprised that the front office assistant and manager at your 5 star hotel don't understand English[*]Indian Rupee is 4 times more value than the Hungarian Forint

I am currently in Budapest for 3 weeks on a work assignment. I was here previously for around 10 days in April and visited most of the places back then.

What you have listed above is mostly correct. One must learn basic Hungarian words like thank you, hello, etc. and then the local soften up. The younger crowd is more helpful as they speak and understand English. The older generation does not speak or understand English and hence appear to be unhelpful. I am staying at the Hilton and shocked that the staff lacks basic service manners such as smiling and greeting guests. I wonder why they are so "cold" and this is not just hotel staff, even some restaurant staff or supermarket staff is like this.

Any idea where I can get decent Indian breakfast? I'm sick of the food here already, esp in the mornings. There are a few Indian restaurants that open for lunch and dinner and are highly rated. Will check them out soon.

On payment options, thankfully, most places now accept credit cards and multicurrency forex cards.

I only used the taxi for airport transfers to and from the hotel and they charged by the meter which was consistent with my last visit in April.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aneezan (Post 3134958)
Budapest is famous for its thermal baths and spas, but you shouldn’t venture into one unless you are very sure about it. There are many sleazy ones as well.

Could you please elaborate? All of my Hungarian colleagues are urging me to go to a bath but I'm undecided as yet.


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