First impression of the Copenhagen was modern, urban, full of youth. Our accommodation in hotel was in the heart of the city, very modern and functional. Just few minutes from famous canal Nyhavn.
Copenhagen is peculiar city because of few things: urban fashion, beautiful people and idea of free town Christiania. First thing you will realise about fashion is that everyone wearing scarfs, because of constantly windy weather. Copenhagen people adore riding bikes, scooters, and skates. Most of them walk regardless of the weather. That makes Copenhagen very lively with abundant of pedestrian arias. What else makes Copenhagen so peculiar? It’s the beauty of their ladies. I really do not remember to see any other European country with so many beautiful women. Tall, slim unique beauty, and of course, coats in pastel colours under which they wear fluttery dresses. Very decent and harmonious fashion stile.
Copenhagen is the city you can explore and get to know by walking. Unfortunately, it is the best way if you have enough time and you are not bothered by constant wind. One of unavoidable location in Copenhagen is Hans Christian Andersen’s house.
This museum will take you to the world of fairy tales, and it will refresh the memory of all characters from your favourite fairy tales: The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Nightingale, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Snow Queen, The Little Match Girl, and of course, The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid is rare literary character who got her statue. The bronze statue of Little Mermaid by Edvard Eriksen is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the angelinie promenade. The statue is one of the most popular location for tourist and it is icon of Copenhagen. Pity to say, in recent decades it has become a popular target for defacement by vandals and political activists.
Nyhavn, what in Danish means New Harbour, is 17-th century waterfront and one of the most famous districts in Copenhagen. It is great place for enjoying your favourite coffee flavour or lunch at some terrasse restaurant or just enjoy the sun. Colourful facade of townhouses and bars are recognizable symbol of Copenhagen. The canal harbours many historical wooden ships what also gave special charm to Nyhavn. At the end of the Nyhavn there is Memorial anchor, the monument commemorating Danish officers and sailors in service for the Navy, merchant fleet or Allied Forces, who lost their lives during World War II.
One of favourite tourist destination in Copenhagen is Freetown Christiania, in the past anarchistic hippy commune and today just sad shadow of idea of the free town. It is an international community and commune of about 900 residents, established in 1971 in a squatted military area. Since then it has been a source of controversy. Cannabis trade there was tolerated by authorities until 2004. Since then, relations between Christiania and Danish authorities have been strained. And finally, at the beginning of the 2010th, the situation has been “normalized” better said unnormalized and today Christiania is under Danish law. So, Christiania’s dream of becoming Denmark’s hippy paradise at the end, did not realised. Today the neighbourhood of Christiania and her hippy community is beset by problems of their identity and future. Intolerant local authority, police, and tourist disturbing everyday life. It was “a weed smoking Disneyland” and of course, by the time mass tourism arrived, Christiania become victim of her own success. With mass tourism rent prices started to grow and old hippie residents couldn’t afford it anymore. Some of them left the Christiania. Most of the old residents today say that tourism is killing Christiania, and that no one likes feeling like they are spectacle, like in a zoo. More about life in Christiania and about idea of that stile of living you can find in Per Smidl autobiographical novel about life in Christiania named Wagon 537 Christiania.
Today in Christiania you can find elegant restaurant and bars. There is huge open market with a lot hand made things, especially made from wood. Later that day, our cab driver told us a little bit more about Christiania during 80s when he was living there. He said the idea soon became commercial, and lost the soul of project because of rich people, solicitors, and doctors, were buying apartments in Christiania and that change her. That period probably was beginning of the end of liberation and freedom, peace, and love in Christiania. Today it is just mass tourism and a police patrols tree time a day what proves that the idea of a free town has failed.
One-day trip to Malmö
Once you are in Copenhagen it is shame not to visit Malmö. Easily accessible by the train that pass by the Öresund Bridge, combined railway and motorway bridge. It connects two countries and metropolitan areas. Where the bridge finishes, train continues through undersea tunnel. The Öresund bridge is important because it connects the road and rail networks of the Scandinavian Peninsula with those of Central and Western Europe. A data cable also makes the bridge the backbone of internet data transmission between central Europe and Sweden (and, prior to 2016 also Finland). We spend half day in Malmö, just to feel a bit of Sweden spirit. It was very cloudy and windy day. Once again. We spend it in main square and had a lovely lunch in local restaurant.
It is multicultural, modern and very liberal like any other English city. Here you can find numbers of great international restaurants. For lunch we chose the Argentinian restaurant and enjoyed delicious meat.
The first encounter with Rio took place, where else than, at the airport. I will probably never forget that feeling of heavy wet and hot air. That was my first encounter with the tropical climate. With our 10-month-old daughter in my arms, a mountain of suitcases and our traveller cat (who has crossed the hemisphere), husband and I headed for our five-month Brazilian adventure. As far as the climate is concerned, it is necessary to say that we needed several weeks of adaptation to such temperatures.
Already during our first ride in Rio, towards our home at the Barra Hotel in the neighbourhood of Barra da Tijuca, known as Brazilian L.A., we could feel the exceptional atmosphere of the city that never sleeps. The taxi driver immediately told us about favelas, poor and dangerous quarters, which are the recognisable symbol of Rio. Favelas are neighbourhoods with the houses of the poorest citizens of Rio. These houses are sometimes only made of stacked bricks, they don’t have any windows but curtains or covers instead. People here live in difficult conditions. There is a very large number of people in a small area, and this favours the development of crime. Favelas are known sites of drug crime and the worst forms of prostitution. Several times I drove in a taxi on the edge of the two favelas because the taxi driver wanted to shorten the trip claiming that this was not dangerous. That is a picture of a bunch of barefoot and skinny children running in dusty streets, obese women and stern looks of men sitting in some workshops permanently stuck in my memory. They live their lives and don’t like to be seen as an attraction. Unfortunately, tourism has in this case also crossed the border of humanity. Today you can order tourist routes to some more peaceful favelas. But let’s leave the favelas and head to the ocean.
Swimming in the ocean is a big challenge, especially for people who do not live here, because the waves are very powerful and can roll over an adult person. 
During some days it is forbidden to go swimming because of the power of waves and currents. I was thrilled by the ocean noise with which I met for the first time in my life. These were such powerful blows that could even wake me up during those quiet mornings. Morning along the Atlantic in Rio had a special charm. Through the misty veil loomed the city and the ocean retreated at low leaving behind broken shells, driftwood and the occasional obligatory flip-flops. Speaking of flip-flops, it’s something that Cariocas wear as soon as they can walk. Interestingly, Brazilians produce high quality and cheap flip-flops. Nothing else is worth putting on because of the sand. Flip-flops are the most practical and easiest to clean when leaving the beach.
I would also mention a nutritional specificity of the resident of Rio. They eat a lot of meat, so there are numerous restaurants called the churrascaria in which the most diverse types of meat are served. These are family restaurants that are visited by large Brazilian families with a dozen or more members. The waiters circulate around the guest tables with huge plates of meat and cut what you choose. The popularity and attendance of these huge restaurants is also witnessed by the fact that for instance on Sunday you need to wait for a free table. But Cariocas have solved this problem by designing a room where families can sit and wait for the table.
Rio is crawling with tourists, especially at top locations such as Copacabana, the statue of Christ the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf. Christ the Redeemer Statue is located on Corcovado Hill and you can get to it by a combi-taxi. The ride takes about 20 minutes through a tropical forest where monkeys, parrots and unusual vegetation can be seen. As far as plants are concerned, it is interesting that, for example, a flower bird of paradise (strelitzia), which is sold expensively in Europe, is growing in Brazil in the wild, usually near the road. Christ the Redeemer Statue is truly an impressive work, it is 39.6 meters tall and weighs 700 tones. It’s so high that if you stand at its foot during a foggy day you will not see the tip.
Besides, it is a place where monkeys and exotic birds can be seen. During the first days of my stay in Rio I was surprised by great black birds that crossed the sky and looked like pterodactyls. Later, I learned that it was a tesoura᷃o bird from family of seagulls. There is another bird called grande kiskadee, which is very specific to Rio and has a related anecdote. Namely, cariocas use them in bringing up children. They tell their children that they have to be careful how they behave because they are always seen by the bird, because the bird sings the melody bemteevee which in Portuguese means “I’ve seen you”. Among other attractions in Rio de Janeiro you should not miss a visit to the Botanical Garden and the Lage Park. 
It is a special experience to climb to the highest peak of the Tijuca mountain, at the so-called Pico da Tijuca, which is 1021 meters high. There we experienced one beautiful and exciting event. Last few dozen meters of ascent were very steep stairs carved in the stone. After we examined it and determined it is safe to climb with a baby, we climbed it and let our daughter walk last 30 meters. When we reached the peak, people who were resting there on the view of our daughter walking to the top exploded in enthusiasm, cheering and applauding to our daughter “climbing achievement”. Walking through the jungle and exotic tropical vegetation, climbing to the top of the mountain in the company of playful monkeys and enthusiastic welcome on the top is one of the kind and highly memorable experience. From the top there is a beautiful view of the city and only the sounds of the jungle can be heard: screeching of monkeys, buzzing of insects, singing of birds and parrots. When we left the top, we changed our trail a bit and came across a beautiful waterfall. Here we met a number of friendly, mostly young people who offered us help since we were carrying a baby in a sling.
There are also street performers, lively talks with fishermen and joy at every turn. It is also worth highlighting the musical spirit of this people. One of the most popular Brazilian dances is the samba. There is also the so-called “Samba whistle”, Portuguese “samba apito”, which is traditionally made of coconut palm trees and is one of the souvenirs without which you don’t leave Rio de Janeiro. 
The life spirit and the rhythm of Rio may best be represented by “Escadaria Selarón”, one of the attractions of Rio. These are 250 stairs that were refurbished by Chilean artist Jorge Selarón in honor of the inhabitants of Rio. He covered them with ceramic tiles from around the world. The colorful and happy Selarón steps represent the spirit of the people living there.
Although at the time we stayed in Rio, the “Zika” virus that was carried by mosquitoes appeared, we did not get too excited about it because we avoided river lanes and parks with stagnant water. Our entire family was vaccinated against yellow fever, although Rio is not in the red zone for yellow fever, but we listened to a doctor’s recommendation in Dublin.