Travel Writing
Anna has written travel pieces for Pixillion, Sawday, Lodestar Anthology, and Curio Magazine. Below are a few examples of her work.
SAWDAYS - PROPERTY WRITE-UPS (U.K, SPAIN, FRANCE)
Sawdays is an award-winning, Bristol-based travel company whose mission is to make the world a richer place to explore, by seeking out and celebrating special places to stay and eat.
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PIXILLION | COPENHAGEN CITY GUIDE
A mini-guide to Copenhagen: world class design capital, epicentre of New Nordic Cuisine and once home to the master storyteller Hans Christian Andersen; Copenhagen is the perfect blend of old-town fairytale and modern minimal.
A client project led to us filming in Copenhagen, where we shot footage as part of a larger film linked to an event there. When we weren’t working we maximised every minute downtime to make the most out of our visit. We walked over 20k a day and celebrated Remco’s birthday in style.
It’s easy to see why Danes are ranked the happiest people on earth. Beautiful buildings, lots of water, parks, friendly people and bikes everywhere - it’s hard not to fall in love with Copenhagen. Just make sure you don’t mistake the stylishly camouflaged cycle paths for pavements.
The Danish word ‘hygge’ the perfect word to describe the city. ‘Hygge’ roughly translates as: ‘The absence of anything annoying or emotionally overwhelming; simple pleasures from gentle soothing things.’ Here’s our mini guide to the best places to experience hygge in Copenhagen.
Café Atelier September
This Kinfolk-esque café serving natural food and artisan coffee, used to be an antiques shop and you can still see vintage details everywhere. The big windows let in a lot of light and the café is in a great location next to Kongens Nytorv metro station. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. On the recommendation of the smiling gold-glittered girl behind the counter, we tried the zucchini jam granola with matcha and basil, which turned out to be one of the best breakfasts. Trust us, it has to be tried to be understood. Atelier September lives up to Copenhagen’s reputation as an experimental foodie destination and the presentation of the dishes are works of art in themselves.
Website: http://atelierseptember.dk/
Grød
With a mission statement to ‘redefine the concept of porridge’ this café certainly does that. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus vary between anything from classic oatmeal to Indian lentil porridge, to Asian rice porridge with chicken, coriander and peanuts! Like everything in Copenhagen, dishes are thoughtful and as aesthetically pleasing as gastronomically. For breakfast, we recommend a bowl of warming oat porridge with homemade dulce de leche (caramel sauce), fresh apple & roasted almonds. Grab a table outside in the sunshine and fuel up for a day of exploring.
Website: http://groed.com/
Jægersborggade
The home of Grød, Jægersborggade is one of the hippest streets in Copenhagen and has a youthful, grassroots vibe, full of organic delis, vintage clothes shops, ceramics and jewellery designers. Here you’ll find the discreetly fronted Michelin-starred restaurant Relæ, the best coffee around at The Coffee Collective (which has it’s own post below) and the only caramel cookery in Copenhagen, Karamelleriet. If you’re not too full from Grød try a chocolate scone from Meyers Bakery or head to Ro Chokolade or Manfreds wine bar. The nonprofit café Retro is also worth a mention, uniquely and charmingly decorated with large comfortable sofas, homely fireplace and retro wallpaper, everyone working here is a volunteer and all profits go to charity.
The Coffee Collective
This place certainly deserves it’s own paragraph. Famous internationally and led by World Barista Champion and twice national champion Klaus Thomsen, the Coffee Collective is the place for caffeine in Copenhagen. Known for high-quality beans and a direct trade model which bypasses intermediaries to deal with farmers; the Coffee Collective is great for an ethical pick-me-up between sightseeing. There are three cafes in the city, but the one in Frederiksberg was our favourite, which also doubles up as the company's’ HQ and main roastery. It’s in a beautiful old industrial building with wide doors, plenty of windows, and an open-plan bar that feels like someone’s kitchen. Here you can watch the owners roasting and packaging and we loved details such as the table cactuses and the vintage aprons worn by the friendly baristas, who were more than happy to talk us through the different blends on the menu.
Website: http://coffeecollective.dk/
Copenhagen Street Food
For something a little different head to Paper Island where you can find Copenhagen’s first and only street food market. A large warehouse contains this collection of healthy food trucks which serve everything, from vegetarian Colombian food to spicy Mexican tacos to colourful Moroccan flatbreads. Sip on artisan coffee or stick a straw into one of their cocktail bowls. With great music and wonderful smells, there is festival-feel to this foodie heaven. It’s all so delicious that the only hard part is making your mind up! Sit on the benches inside or head out to the swings and deck chairs and watch the sun go down over the city’s waterfront. We need one of these in Bristol.
Website: http://copenhagenstreetfood.dk/
Nyhavn
The city originated as a harbour and whilst this old part of the harbour is a bit of a tourist trap it’s pretty enough to be worth visiting. Go early to avoid the crowds and snap some pictures of the colourful houses along the canal. There are some great, quieter places to eat and relax just a short walk away. The Union Kitchen, located in Store Strandstræde, is a good choice for delicious, affordable food and fresh juices. The décor is in-keeping with the old town feel of the area, with 1930s newspaper cut outs, heavy iron chairs, wooden tables and retro lamps. For something a little more upmarket, we’d recommend the fantastic Madklubben, a Copenhagen chain of nine otherwise very different restaurants in and around the city. There is nothing mad about this choice, restaurants are unpretentious and relaxed, and the food is high quality for reasonable prices… Copenhagen reasonable anyway! Ten minutes from Nyhavn you’ll find Madklubben Bistro-de-Luxe, which is their Danish and French bistro. For dessert, hit the streets and grab a pistachio ice cream from one of the many stalls and take an evening stroll around town while the crowds have moved on.
Website: http://www.theunionkitchen.dk/
Website: www.madklubben.dk/bistro-de-luxe/
Christiania
This autonomous ‘free town’ within Copenhagen was founded by squatters and artists as a social experiment. After several clashes with the government it’s still a hippie commune with it’s own currency and even has its own flag. The houses are covered in colourful street art and the area is full of live music and vibrant characters parading through it. There’s a distinctive aroma to Christiania where cannabis is openly sold and tolerated. It’s still technically illegal though, so photos aren’t allowed, but you’ll find tourists and residents relaxing along the river enjoying souvenirs from the aptly nicknamed ‘Pusher Street’.
Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens are the perfect place to go for a stroll on a sunny day. Unlike most things in Copenhagen, these gardens are free (hurray!) so take a walk around the lake or climb the spiral staircases in one of its fairytale greenhouses and walk amongst sweltering canopies. There are all sorts of plants from a spectrum of grass varieties to beautiful flowers to Venus flytraps tucked away behind glass. There is even a herbarium here. The garden is part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark and serves both a research, educational and recreational purpose. You’ll find locals picnicking between the bushes and sunbathing next to the lake.
There are lots of other great parks in Copenhagen. We’d also recommend Freseriksberg Have which contains a Chinese summer house, a temple and a spring cave and where you can rent a rowboat. Kongens Have (The Kings Garden) is another great green space full of flower beds and sculptures. And Assistens Kirkegård, a cemetery near Jægersborggade, boasts tree-lined paths and decorated headstones. The perfect place to get lost on an afternoon and a more than suitable burial site for the fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Architecture
As a world class design capital, architecture is what Copenhagen is famous for. You just have to look out of the train window on the way from the airport to Central Station to see some amazing buildings. From apartment blocks shaped like ski-slopes, to ones which looks like Jenga-sculptures, there is nothing dull about Copenhagen suburbia. The Bella Sky Hotel stands out against the skyline, with two 76.5m zig-zagged towers connected by a bridge and stunning views from the top floor skybar.
It’s not all about new design though, and some of the most interesting parts of ‘Indre By’ (the central heart of Copenhagen) are the old Renaissance palaces like Frederiksborg Palace or the baroque buildings like the Round Tower. The city is sometimes referred to as ‘the City of Spires’ and you can certainly see why. Check out the ‘dragon spire’ on the former stock exchange, which is made out the intertwined tails of four stone dragons. Or climb the Baroque spire of the Church of Our Saviour, which with its helter-skelter-like external stairway, looks like it came straight out of Dr Seuss. These spires blend with the newer, more modern building springing up over the city and the best of old and new sit side-by-side in perfect hygge harmony.