If you are going from Copenhagen to Amsterdam and contemplating a rail journey, leave it till 2025. That is when there will be a direct trainline between Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Great news if you like choosing an alternative to flying between European cities.

Heck yeah.  Swimming clears the mind or lets you focus on your plot or characters with no interruptions. And if it is in a swimming pool like this one at the CPH hotel in Copenhagen... As you can see it is not your average hotel swimming hole. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't even realised there would be a swimming pool in the hotel - I love my swim - when I encountered this beauty on our trip to Copenhagen in September. We were there for only two nights so I only got to swim twice; we did want to see something of the gorgeous city as well. We have been back for two weeks and I still miss it and am completely resolved to start swimming again in Leeuwarden.

If you take a train in the Netherlands, say from The Hague in the southwest to Leeuwarden in the north of the country where I live, the good news is that there is a direct line. It takes more than two-and-a-half hours on this 160k track though, so you might need to visit the toilet on your train journey. Quick word of advice: don't.