Europe 2013 - Part 1 Getting to Copenhagen, Denmark

On Christmas Day, there was a one-day sale from Air Berlin: Los Angeles to Dusseldorf for $430 Round Trip.  I booked this immediately and went on an interesting adventure for a week.  I ended up only staying for 3 nights in Dusseldorf, and purchased another flight from Dusseldorf to Amsterdam (direct for $200) and ended up staying for there for 3 nights.

I arrived at LAX a little early.  So, after checking into my flight, I decided to spend some time in an airport lounge.  I went to the Korean Airlines lounge with my Priority Pass membership.  I only have this membership since I got the American Express Platinum card :)

As you can see, they had an awesome in-flight entertainment line up. (Blogger.com doesn't have any sarcastic smileys)

Dusseldorf, Germany - Airport Parking

It's a giraffe!

I'm not sure how you're supposed to ride the metro in Germany, 

but I'm definitely not going to ride it that way!

More lounge access!

I picked this up on the way home.  It was okay, but too overpriced for my taste.

Airport vending machine

Smoking lounge

Copenhagen Airport

Yes, still at the airport.

They even have an H&M.  This place is more mall than airport.

From the airport, we took the train (metro) to the hostel.  Purchasing the tickets was confusing since I didn't know what zone our stop was.  Tickets are sold according to zones.  Also, tickets could only be purchased with either cash or credit cards.  The problem with the credit cards is that they have to be the "chip-and-pin" credit cards.  Basically, they have to be a credit card with a special chip (visible on the front of the card) and can only be used with a pin code.  I did not have this.  Luckily, you can go to the ticket counter at the airport to purchase tickets with an American credit card.  Watch out for those foreign transaction fees!

Generator Hostel!

Someone messed up this frame...or their trying to be hip.

This was a really cool hostel.  Hotels are pretty damn expensive in Denmark.  Actually, everything is expensive.  This is the most expensive place I've even been.  The average cost of beer at a bar is $11USD.  No joke.  I drank a lot too.  I was a little concerned about the prices, but after a few beers I decided to worry about it later.


Anyway, I decided to stay at Generator Hostel while I was at Denmark.  It had amazing reviews and looked very clean.  I booked a 2bd private room with one of my friends.

Tip:
Slickdeals.net had a coupon code for 20% off ANY booking at Hotels.com.  Look for deals before you book!  Luckily, Generator Hostel was available through there!



Why I like Hostels
Hostels are normally pretty fun.  Many like minded travelers gathering to explore the same city as you.  These places are normally a great source for information for the city.  You can find out from  people what to do, where to eat, and the best places to go for drinks in town.  It's great place to start a trip.  When booking, I mainly look for the highest rated places.  From there I look for their services.  I really like airport shuttle service if they give you a good deal.  As far as the facility amenities go, my two must haves are a bar and a pool table.  I just like drinking and playing pool, no matter where I am in the world.