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The weather here in Copenhagen, which remains chilly and breezy, continues to be a thorn in our sides. Yesterday morning the temperature was a frigid 39 degrees when we awakened, and barely crept up to the 50-degree-mark by late in the afternoon. The sun plays hide-and-go-seek most of the time, and a few occasional light showers seem to come out of nowhere, making traveling by foot quite a challenge for three warm-blooded Floridians. So we stayed put most of the day, venturing out only for lunch, and then for a brief visit to the Church of Our Savior a block down the street from our apartment.
This unique church, the upper portion of which is visible from our rear windows, is a baroque church most famous for its helix spire with an external winding staircase that can be climbed to the top, offering excellent views over central Copenhagen. The black and golden spire reaches a height of 90 meters, while the external staircase turns four times counterclockwise around it. There are 400 steps to the top of the spire, the last 150 being outside. [NOTE: Cindy has vowed to climb the 400 stairs before she leaves later this week, but
Winter Garden
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museumwe're trying to talk her out of it. Stay tuned.]
Today we decided to battle whatever weather came our way, so we boarded the bus that would deposit us close to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("Ny" means "new" in Danish; 'Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root glyphein, to carve; and theke = storing place) is an art museum with a collection built around the personal holdings of Carl Jacobsen (1842–1914), the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries.
As indicated by the name, the focal point of the museum is antique sculpture from the ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, including Egypt, Rome and Greece, as well as more modern sculptures such as a collection of Auguste Rodin's works. However, the museum is equally noted for its collection of paintings that includes an extensive collection of French impressionists and Post-impressionists, as well as Danish Golden Age paintings.
We arrived just as the museum was opening at 11:00 AM, and soon discovered that admission was free today, so we paid only a nominal amount for access to a temporary exhibition of sculpture, including some works by Rodin. The interior of the museum complex includes a domed Winter Garden,
complete with a small pond, statuary, palm trees and lush vegetation. From this focal point, several different wings and floors are accessible, with themed galleries displaying thousands of years of artifacts from around the world.
We concentrated primarily on the Egyptian and Roman collections, but after lunch visited the upper floor where a number of Impressionist-era paintings by such notables as Van Vogh, Monet, Manet and Renoir are on display. All in all, we were quite impressed with this museum, and spent more time roaming around than we had planned. So it was not until 2 PM that we made our way a few blocks from the museum toward the City Hall Square.
City Hall Square (Danish: Rådhuspladsen) is a public square in the center of Copenhagen, located in front of the magnificent Copenhagen City Hall. Its large size, its central location and its affiliation with the city hall make it a popular venue for a variety of events, celebrations and demonstrations. An impressive statue honoring Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), perhaps Denmark's most beloved native son, sits adjacent to city hall. His fairy tales, e.g., "The Little Mermaid", "The Emperor 's New Clothes", "The Ugly Duckling"
, etc.) and
Hans Christian Andersen statue
Located adjacent to City Hall. other writings have become known and loved around the world.
We left the City Hall Square via the Strøget, a pedestrianized, car-free shopping street. This popular tourist attraction in the center of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe (at about 3/4 of a mile in length). Located at the center of the old city of Copenhagen, it has long been one of the most high-profile streets in the city.
When the Strøget was pedestrianized in 1962, it marked the beginning of a major change in the approach of Copenhagen to urban life, placing a much greater emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle access to the city (at the expense of cars).
The main street is bound on the west by City Hall Square, and on the east by Kongens Nytorv ("The King's New Square"), another large square at the other end. But the Strøget area is actually a collection of streets that spread out from this central thoroughfare. Many of the city's most famous and expensive stores are located along the strip, as well as some of the most well-known luxury brand chain stores in the world, such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier,
etc. But it is also crammed with a multitude of souvenir shops and fast food outlets that give sections of the Strøget a decidedly tacky appearance.
It took us almost an hour, including several rest stops, before we reached the King's New Square, marking the end of the Strøget. At this point, the Nyhavn canal is not far from the square, and we briefly considered continuing on to a cafe there for drinks. But given the chill in the air, and the prospect of rain, the consensus of the group was to call it a day and head home via the metro.
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Jeni
non-member comment
Did the winter garden make you feel at home? The Garden was beautiful. I think you should collecting Roman heads and display them in one of your rooms just like that. Great photos! And Cindy, climb those stairs if you want! ?