THE MOST WONDERFUL FAIRY TALE

To start the festive season off in fine spirits, I recently had the pleasure of a short city break in Copenhagen. Flying out from Manchester on a dismal grey day, I had the misfortune to have one of the most stomach turning take off's I have ever experienced, as the plane cut through several layers of bad air and turbulence. However, minutes later, we were above the low clouds and in full sun, for the brief hop across the North Sea. Just over an hour later, we were in Copenhagen's vast airport and then a brief train ride later, in a luxurious hotel right next to the train station. A short walk across the main square was Tivoli Gardens, one of Europe's oldest theme parks, which had begun its yuletide celebrations on the day we had arrived. Not being a fan of theme parks, I was a little apprehensive, but as the trip was a birthday gift for a family member and my 18 month old grandson was with us, it was the ideal place to visit. After a little queuing and almost being run over by one of the ubiquitous cyclists, we were through the gate and immediately immersed in a panoply of coloured lights and waves of sound and wonderful smells. Tivoli is built with living trees amongst the buildings and attractions, so there was a canopy of leaves over the narrow avenues, strung with lights and decorative lanterns and overhead, a rollercoaster ran to the accompaniment of screams from the riders.

Besides rides and fairground stalls, there were gift shops, bars, food stores and all manner of lights and decorations to fascinate and spellbind the children and adults alike.

I had taken both my new Achromat lens and the trusty Helios 50 and put both to good use, along with my iphone with its special effect apps. I had been keen to try out the Aquarelle Waterhouse stop in the Achromat, so it was ideally suited to the busy, lighted backgrounds. The star shaped apertures made every point of light flouresce as a similarly star shaped bokeh, creating a very abstract image.

The standard stops proved superbly effective with architectural and landscape shots, giving beautifully rendered detail and strong colours. The pastel shaded houses along the harbour really came to life in the early morning light on the Saturday, our only full day.

Christmas markets lined the streets and plaza's, with a wonderful scent of burning wood from braziers and the aroma of baking pastries and cooking food.

Many small boats were tied up along the harbour, both serving the tourist trips and as working fishing boats.

Back in the city itself, the architecture was an amazing mix of ancient and modern, with golden statuary rubbing shoulders with chrome and glass.

The older sections of the city were small cramped streets with medieval housing, jostling together for space.

In other areas, ultra modern scandinavian aesthetic held sway with sweeping curved walls and towers, sitting comfortably against the ancient crennelations.

Unfortunately, a day was not nearly enough to take in all the city had to offer, but we made the most of the time we had and enjoyed a wonderfully magical time in both Tivoli Gardens and in the welcoming city itself. Definitely somewhere I would like to revisit again.