Merci France, move over to Denmark. Its Copenhagen calling. Having just polished off a sumptuous french a la carte, we headed to the Charles De Gaulle airport and boarded the Air France flight to Copenhagen at 5.30 p.m. Reaching Kastrup airport at 7.10 p.m. after adjusting my watch an hour forward, we took a cab (a short pointer on cabs are later on in this note) and then checked in into our abode Hotel Phoenix (at Bredgade). Thereafter we took the Metro from Kongens Nytorv to Forum Station to go to Amits (my cousin) hostel at Streunseegade. We met Amit who had come over to Denmark for a couple of days. To commence our spending pattern that had remained quite under control, I had converted £70 into 700 DKK (Danish Kroner) at Kastrup airport.

My travels in Europe have now made me confident about exploring new cities. Most western European cities are tourist-friendly and once you pick up a map (information booklet) from the airport or hotel/hostel, you can navigate through the city quite easily. This is because most places are well signposted, all streets have names, and there is a high degree of consistency and a unifying theme in the design and plan of each city.

The weather on my first day in Denmark was frosty and windy quite miserable, to put it bluntly. We braved it, however, to walk around the desolate city and admire its open landscapes and beauty that was so bounteous. We walked to the Amalienborg Palace, which we were content to admire from outside. It is the home of the present Queen Margrethe II and her Royal Family. Amalienborg is a Rococo palace with four mansions and a beautiful cobbled square at its centre. The square was huge, but being as unpopulated and actionless as it was this afternoon, there was almost a sad sense of irony to the occasion. We spent some time at the harbour waterfront which has exciting modern architecture, notably the new Opera Copenhagen building overlooking Amalienborg royal palace and a bevy of glass palaces, office complexes and residential blocks. We then walked to the Langelinie area to see the statue of the Little Mermaid, perhaps the city's most famous landmark. Since 1913, the most photographed lady of Denmark has been sitting gracefully on her stone reminding the Copenhageners of H C Andersen's sad but beautiful fairytale of romantic love. It is a small and beautiful bronze statue, but nothing more to the untrained intellect (like mine in this case).

From names of streets to references in tourist brochures and maps, the fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen was there everywhere and he clearly is one man Denmark is proud of. The most famous Danish ever is unfortunately a mythical figure (Shakespeares) Hamlet. I did not find anything relating to him in Copenhagen, though I know that the Kronborg Castle, the legendary castle of Hamlet, lies in Helsingør in Denmark.

We then took the Metro to go to Field's at Ørestad, which is Scandinavia's biggest shopping centre. The size of the shopping centre was much smaller compared to Singapores malls so I was not all too excited about it. Prices in Denmark on average seem to be slightly higher than France, so shopping was never going to be on my agenda. This visit left us with no doubt of the connections between Lego and Denmark as Lego toys were in generous display. The Lego company was founded in Denmark. Legoland in Billund (outside Copenhagen), which we could not visit, is one of Denmarks most visited attractions, built with more than 45 million Lego bricks. We then had pizzas, as it was the only reliable vegetarian dish we were confident of finding. It was quite filling, and prepared us for a long evening stroll in the Inner City. The Inner City is the oldest part of Copenhagen. Actually, for hundreds of years, this was Copenhagen; a small Capital surrounded by fortifications. Today the city has become the "Inner City" and is now surrounded by neighbourhoods. It is one of the least populated areas of the city, but still home to The Parliament, The Queen's Palace, The National Museum, The Royal Theatre and The Cathedral of Copenhagen. It is also a very busy shopping area. We strolled down the lively Strøget, which is the world's longest pedestrian (walking) street at 1.6 km, in the centre of the Old Town. Its squares, side streets and street entertainers were not buzzing with activity and the sense of 'Friday night' seemed missing so this was clearly not the place where the young Copenhageners go out to party. In trying to find the pulse of Scandinavian nightlife, I am inclined to think that I missed the vein. Strøget meaning "The Streak" runs right through the heart of Copenhagen from Kongens Nytorv to Town Hall Square and along its length the sound of street performers fills the air. That is something I like about the city, and expect to hear more of, tomorrow.

Copenhagen in autumn and wintertime can be very cold and wet, and if visiting for the first time your impression of the city might be that it seems somewhat quiet. Many visitors expect to find Denmark covered by snow all through the winter, but this is merely a myth! Wintertime in Denmark is more wet than white and when snow does occasionally hit the country, it takes everybody by surprise and public transport slows down severely. From October through to March in several of the larger squares you will find artificial skating rinks where for a small fee you can hire a pair of ice skates. As the weather gets colder life moves indoors, away from the streets and into the coffee bars, cafés etc. In Denmark candles are almost synonymous with "hygge" pronounced "hooga" meaning cosiness and comfort and a first time visitor may be struck by the huge number of candles burning everywhere, not just in public places but in private homes as well. Indeed, when I reached my hotel in the night I saw at least two dozen candles in a space of less than 200 square feet.

The Metro in Copenhagen is the best I have seen in Europe clean, classy and comfortable. The Copenhagen Metro is the fastest metropolitan rail link in Europe. Having been recently completed, it is one of the worlds most modern and advanced transport networks. All trains had electronic indicators, all stations were similarly designed with escalators in use everywhere, and structurally glazed prisms bring natural light into the concourses while giving views of the external world. The trains have a single, long compartment and make little noise while running. As Copenhagen is not a sprawling metropolis of the stature of some other European cities, the strain on its resources is considerably lower and hence its advances accentuated. None of the panels in the trains have sharp corners or dirt-collecting gaps, and since all the seats are wall-mounted, the floor is free of support legs. This makes it easier to clean. Call points are located at all six door vestibules where the control room can be contacted by pressing a button. The call points can be used in emergencies. There were no manually operated ticket counters at the stations only selfservice kiosks (everyone is expected to know to use them). The trains are fully automatic and require no drivers. They are monitored from a Control and Maintenance Centre. There are surveillance cameras installed in the trains and at the stations. A fully automated control system has many advantages. With automated operation long trains can be split up into many short trains with more frequent departures. In addition to shorter waiting times, the system makes it possible to catch up on delays. There are the Metro Stewards on trains, who inspect tickets, provide information and service and create an overall secure atmosphere on the train. I am now a self-confessed fan of the driverless Italian-designed state-of-the-art underground Metro railway system of Copenhagen.

Like the stations in London, there were no dustbins (for security reasons) in the stations, and yet it was totally clean again showing the level of sophistication in the society. This is something that has amazed me at London Paddington station, one of the central stations in London. There are numerous food-stalls etc. but no dust-bins (There is however, a cleaner who roams around with a dustbin). Yet, the station is very clean, as most people are careful enough to carry their junk with them or in their bags to dispose of them later.

While travelling in the Metro and roaming in the city, I noticed that the percentage of locals here is very high and quite clearly there is no cosmopolitan and multi-cultural flavour to the city, which can sometimes be unnerving for a tourist. I also noticed that most taxis in the city were Mercedes models something we found fascinating!

One of the things I like to do when I am in a new city is allow the city to talk to me. I just walk the streets of the city and see the vibes I get. This is subjective, unscientific and inconclusive, but most first impressions are formed this way. It is not as if there is no underlying rationale to the emotional response thus derived it is just that I have not consciously identified the factors creating those vibes. I have chosen to let those ideas wander about in the subconscious and give me the final result. For instance, architecture. I do not have enough knowledge to explain the niceties of the subject or even classify various buildings into various periods or types of architecture. Yet, I do like some buildings more than others. It is just pure appeal to the senses, without having anything to do with verdicts experts have pronounced on the subject. Of course, this appeal is not coming from nowhere inasmuch as it is a reflection of the values I hold dear but on a subject like architecture, as I have said above, it is not something I have consciously identified.

Copenhagen was good, but some nerve seemed to be missing (perhaps because this is not summer time). It was the nerve of ebullience. There was no magnet attracting me to the city, and while I had no cause not to like the city I wouldnt go as far as to think of it as the best thing since sliced bread! My advice to prospective tourists would definitely be to visit the city in summer. I have not even skimmed the surface of the city, and I did find the atmosphere to be quite relaxing and fresh. I don't therefore see this tribute (in a brochure) to the city as unfitting: "Dating back to the mid12th century, Copenhagen Chapmens' (Merchants') Haven København in Danish, Hafnia in Latin population 1.5 million may lack the buzz of major metropolises like London, Paris, Berlin and Rome but it compensates for this with its provincial charm, elegance and relaxed atmosphere. Its public transport system functions, its downtown pedestrian precincts, lack of major traffic problems and belching pollution and low crime rate make the city safe a joy for the visitor. Not too big, not too small, just the right size, Copenhagen enjoys the benefits of being Denmark's capital city and therefore on the international circuit and a major provincial conurbation at the same time packed with an abundance of history, castles, museums and sights and vibrant with culture all easily accessible..."

Now that we had had a taste of Copenhagen, capital of the worlds oldest kingdom and Scandinavias largest city, we took the opportunity to visit the third largest city in Sweden Malmö. Malmö is the beautiful city across the Sound, rich on history, cultural (night) life, great shopping areas as well as bargain prices. And it's only a half-hour train ride away, passing through the Øresund Fixed Link an 8 km road-rail (the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe), tunnel-bridge connecting Copenhagen and its international airport with Malmö in south Sweden. I gather that instead of calling the bridge "Øresundsbroen" in Danish and "Öresundsbron" in Swedish, a compromise was made and the bridge was baptized "Øresundsbron" as the official name, although the Swedish spelling remains common in everyday usage in Sweden, and the Danish in Denmark.

Scandinavia greeted us with much better weather. Walking to Central Station to take the train to Malmö, we found the city to be alive and kicking. The festive mood was visible from the numerous banners, Xmas trees, lightings and decorations as the city was setting itself up for Christmas. My Rough guide to 50 great European experiences lists Copenhagen Christmas Festival as one of them, urging the reader to enjoy the full traditional Danish experience at Tivoli gardens (in November and December). Tonight we would see why!

The agenda was to explore Malmö and then head back into Tivoli Gardens in the evening, one of the worlds oldest amusement parks, right in the centre of Copenhagen. We bought our train tickets using my credit card in the self-service kiosk, and took a state-of-the-art train to Malmö. We converted some Danish kroner (1 krone is divided into 100 øre) to Swedish kronor (1 krona is divided into 100 öre), and started strolling the streets of Sweden. I noticed that the 1 krone coins of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (the bus driver from airport had duped me with some Norwegian coins) have holes in the centre. I have never seen such coins before, so I found it a bit curious.

Malmö is a lively place with a quaint old town. Founded in the 13th century, it offers a wealth of parks, gardens, restaurants and a beautiful beach. City sights include the main town squares, Malmöhus Castle and St Petri Church. We had only a few hours in Malmö. We strolled around the city centre and walked through its town squares and up to the Malmöhus castle. Stortorget is the citys largest and most important square, with the many major banks having their offices there, as well as the town hall, some restaurants and other dignified institutions. Lilla Torg is the citys most beautiful square. It has been the citys main site for trading activities since the 16th century and it is still the centre of life today, with an eclectic but charming mix of 16th century houses, hip sushi joints, cobbled streets and fancy first class restaurants. We then walked further and saw the Turning Torso, the tallest building in Scandinavia at 190m, which was finished in 2005. This spectacular apartment building in the western Harbour consists of nine cubes with a total of 54 stories, with a 90° twist from base to top. We joked on what it would be like to live there and the thought that seemed to prevail was how cut off from India and our world we would be. It simply brought into focus the idea that while there may be many mighty mansions that may appeal to you, a humbler house can often fit in better as a home because it is not just the bricks that shape a dwelling, it is everything surrounding the bricks as well. We walked further to Malmöhus Castle, the citys massive ancient fortress (oldest remaining fortress from the 16^th century, which still preserves the remains of Erik of Pomeranias fortress from 1434), surrounded by beautiful canals and parks.

We then headed towards Tivoli. Christmas had already begun at Copenhagens celebrated Tivoli gardens. Tivoli is always evolving without abandoning its original charm or traditions. Georg Carstensen said in 1844, "Tivoli will never, so to speak, be finished," a sentiment echoed just over a century later when Walt Disney said of his own Tivoli-inspired theme park, "Disneyland will never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world." Tivoli offers rides, restaurants, and entertainment along with beautiful scenery.

Again, Tivoli was extremely crowded and I was surprised at it. Tivoli at Christmas plays a key role in the traditional Danish Nowell with the gardens laid out with some 60 village stalls selling gifts and goodies, Christmas decorations, sweeties, food and drink. In 38 restaurants, youll be able to sample traditional Danish Yuletide fare including typical Danish cold table lunches complete with open-faced sandwiches, beer and schnapps, and pork, crackling and red cabbage Xmas dinners with rice pudding for dessert. It was not going to be our cup of tea or, more appropriately, our plate of food!

In the large tent at the centre of Tivoli was the charming hamlet of Niseekøbing (Goblinsville) complete with over 100 mechanical pixies. It was very well set up and no efforts had been spared.

We took a stroll through the illuminated park with its 115,000 twinkling lights and forests of spruce and Christmas trees to Tivoli Lake. Spectacular lighting, elaborate decorations, live animals and mechanised figures dominate Yule in Tivolis village-style Xmas setting with over 20 entertainments in operation along with shooting galleries, merry-go-round, goblins train and Chinese Lantern.

Tivoli carried the message of a city in festivity and celebration. It was the right note to bid farewell to the halcyon city that is Copenhagen.

Sweden, Norway and Denmark are among the most prosperous nations of the world, with one of the highest standards of living. I was amazed at the technology that was in use, especially at the stations and trains. Vending machines in trains, lights under escalators in stations, button-operated toilet doors in trains, names, routes and timings of trains outside stations, meticulously detailed road markings (e.g. the marking of an adult holding hands with a child on a very lonely pavement which could not have possibly made any difference to anybody on earth), auto lock for trolleys in supermarkets levelled escalators, time of arrival being displayed in electronic indicators within trains, reservation lights above the seats (which will flash if a seat is reserved) and so on. Even the ride tickets at Tivoli were to be purchased from vending machines! That level of sophistication is something I have not come across even in UK.

Almost everyone in Copenhagen speaks English, so language was not a problem at all (it was a problem in Germany and France). For shopping aficionados, it may be worth noting that tax-free shopping is only available to non-EU citizens. Denmark's value added tax (VAT) is 25%, but can be reclaimed by non-EU visitors if at least DKK 300 is spent in a single shop. A similar concept exists in Switzerland and many other countries.

Broad roads and wide open spaces are a feature of Copenhagen. Roads are of a very high standard and clearly marked with route numbers and directions. There are lots of cycle lanes as well. Though Copenhagen is a very old city, you often feel as if the city was recently built. In moviedom, London and Paris are established and beautiful heroines, but Copenhagen is the newcomer extremely gorgeous, but not as frequently looked at.

Some of the major attractions we could not check out in Copenhagen are Carlsberg Brewery (the history of Carlsberg Beer, including a visit to their stables, an insight to beerbrewing and a few tasters afterwards) I have already had the Heineken experience in Amsterdam Christianbørg Castle  (not very keen on it anyway), Statens Museum for Kunst or State Museum of Fine Arts (Denmark's national gallery and main museum of art) and the Round Tower Købmagergade (if you climb 209 metres of endlessly spiralling staircase twists to the top of Rundetarn, you will be rewarded with panoramic views of the medieval city). Once a year, a unicycle race is held in the tower that might have been something worth watching. Copenhagen is a much richer city than it might first appear. Besides its share of museums, castles and historical buildings that a purist might expect of an old city, it offers opportunities for waterside fund: splashing in the sea, beach volleyball, windsurfing, water skiing, diving, fishing and sailing in addition to its new harbour boats and canal tours. It is an excellent city for cycling cycle paths, cosy nooks, harbour promenades and house facades. The City Bike (Bycyklen) is a free bike service, which works by the same principle as a supermarket trolley. You take out a City Bike by inserting a 20 Kroner coin at one of the 110 racks scattered about in central Copenhagen. The deposit is returned when the City Bike is returned to any rack. The City Bike may be used in the inner-city area only.

Coming from an Indian background, I am so far detached from Scandinavian history that Pomeranian only denotes a breed of small long-haired dogs to me. But having visited Denmark and Sweden, albeit only for a couple of days, I find it slightly more interesting to read about Eric of Pomerania, Erik af Pommern, Erik VII (Danish title), Erik av Pommern (Erik III) (Norwegian title) or Erik av Pommern (Eric XIII) (Swedish title), who was adopted by Margaret I of Denmark and became the hereditary king of Norway (1389-1442), elected king of Denmark (1412-1439), and of Sweden and the Kalmar Union (1396-1439) perhaps because this story now has a more personal touch to it. Indeed, most things in life warrant our attention only if we sense ourselves as having at least a tenuous link with them. Travelling is one way to create such links and it adds dimensions to ones personality. It gives you a flavour of the world in a very personalised way and opens up your mind to receive ideas and knowledge that were previously blocked because of the absence of the link. It is the best way to educate yourself in the ways of the world.

My trip to Scandinavia has added fuel to my desire to travel. To travel is to live...the immortal words of one of the greatest writers of our times, as true now as they were 150 years ago. Copenhagen won Hans Christian Andersens heart, and it is truly a town worth loving claims a booklet. And another one says that Scandinavia is for many a land as mysterious as the exotic East, beckoning the curious with its deep evergreen forest and deep cool waters, the quiet strength and resilience of its Viking natives and the beautiful yet lively cities dotted about the breathtaking landscape.