Advertisement
Published: July 17th 2022
Edit Blog Post
A long awaited vacation to the cool Nordics was up on the cards and in the midst of a precocious Dallas summer we flew to London to catch a connecting flight to Copenhagen. It was 2 years since the pandemic and 2 weeks since Biden declared ease in flying restrictions but there was no ease transiting London Heathrow! Difficult staff at Security check and paranoid BA policies on carry on baggage made Americans the
cool dudes by comparison! Denmark welcomed us with showers and a cool drizzle. There was a chill in the air and it was time to pull out the jackets! We took the metro from the airport towards our Airbnb on Stroget, the Champs-Elysee of Copenhagen and one of the world’s first ‘all pedestrian and biker only street' -- home to top brand stores of the fashion industry. Strategically located within walking distance to many tourist attractions, all we needed now was the Copenhagen card and our happy feet. On the way we stopped at Cafe Vivaldi for lunch and for a cuppa cappacinno at Coffee Collective - the food was good, the coffee great but the ambience smoker friendly 😞
This was the best time of
the year to be in this latitude of the hemisphere. An early sunrise gave us a head start to our sightseeing plans. The city was rich in history with monuments aplenty. We started out at Denmark’s first museum dedicated to sculptor genius Bertel Thorvaldsen who lived most of his life outside the country only to return to his motherland and donate all his art work to the state of Denmark. Next up was Christianborg Slot(palace) built by Denmark’s most famous king, Christian IV. Majestic and regal, the castle now hosts the country’s Parliament House, its three crown architecture symbolizing the union of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The present castle was rebuilt in 1928 after fires ravaged it in 1794 and 1884. While rebuilding, workmen discovered ruins dating back to 1167. Presently the ruins are open to tourists and can be viewed in the basement of the palace.
We stepped out on a Monday morning to Rosenberg palace gardens, also known as King’s Gardens. Tree lined pathways, beautiful landscapes and manicured gardens greeted our eye, a gazebo surrounded by climbing roses made a great backdrop for portrait photos. The day was beautiful, flowers in full bloom, the sun, low in
the sky made for picture perfect weather. The Rosenberg palace however was closed on Monday’s and we had to come again the next day to complete the tour. We learned that construction of the castle began in 1606 and was completed in 1624, this is where Christian IV breathed his last after a naval battle between Denmark and Sweden. The castle is full of memorabilia/regalia, its upper floors replete with collections of porcelain and glass, large beautiful tapestry adorn its walls, artwork and ornate furniture resplendent in grandiose. At one end of the hall are the King’s and Queen’s thrones guarded by three silver lions. The vaulted basement level displays the treasury and the King’s crowns- there are two crowns embellished with diamonds, sapphires and garnets. Also on display are the baptismal set with its accessories still used to this day by all royal children. Sadly the castle was used as a royal residence only until 1710, and was used twice thereafter during emergencies: in 1794 when Christianborg slot burned down and in 1801 during the British attack on Copenhagen. Today, the primary residence of the reigning monarch, Queen Margrethe II is the Amalienborg castle.
There is so much
to see in Copenhagen, the tall spiral spire shaped building called the Stock exchange where traders from Amsterdam exchanged their wares with the Danes; was given a miss.
We did go up the Rundetaarn, the Round Tower; a 209 m long cobblestone ramp way built by King Christian IV with its famous observatory (Tyco Brahe’s school of thought) at the very top. Half way up the spiral ramp was the Library Hall with its collection of books and antiquities. And on a level below was the Trinity Church. The Rundetaarn also had two privies (toilets) designed, one at the top, reserved for the astronomers and another for the Library users- it paid to be an intellectual! The Round tower offered visitors a panoramic view of the city and some good gluteal muscle exercise!
We also checked out Tivoli Amusement Park founded in 1843, known to be an inspiration to Disneyland with its roller coaster rides and game arcades. It’s here that Hans Christian Andersen got his inspiration for his fairy tales. He’s been honored by a statue of his with his head turned in the direction of Tivoli.
We had seen quite a bit of Copenhagen but
there was more in store — the National Museum of Denmark now hosted the antiquities formerly kept in the Round Tower’s Library Hall — well exhibited and grouped into the stone, Bronze and Iron Age. The third floor hosted the Vikings exhibit and mummies exhibit.
In the midst of all the monumental visits ( visiting monuments 😉) we did have our share of culinary delights, smorgasbord which typically are open faced sandwiches with herrings or other meats or vegetables. We had different types of traditional Danish bread: a darker rye and a lighter bread with poppy seeds, pumpkins seeds and (look this up). We also visited the food market a couple of times — trying out local coffee, getting fresh fruit sold by local farmer vendors, and having delicious Danish salads and pizzas. These fresh food markets were an indoor farmers market of sorts — with vendors selling flowers, nuts, vegetables, deserts, seafood, and everything under the sun. There is a lovely place to sit inside and out, with a quintessential Copenhagen view of the city unbridled with tourists. While we were here we sat next to a lonely old Danish man who turned out to be quite talkative
about his love for San Francisco “hippie” culture and his distaste yet appreciation of American consumerism as it kept his hometown thriving.
A visit to Copenhagen is incomplete without a stop at Nyhavn ( pronounced NewHoun) Brightly painted townhouses by the pier, make for picture perfect photo ops. Originally a sailor’s hub, Nyhavn is now home to restaurants and bars and live music events within its townhouses. Interestingly, to much of an artist’s delight, the original facade has remained unchanged. As we walked towards the ticket booth for the tour boat ride, I couldn’t help but notice how it blended in with the Nyhavn clique with its copper painted roof matching the roofs of the townhouses . The boat ride down the canal was an hour long and many historical buildings were visible from the boat, such as the old Stock exchange, Christianborg slot and Thorvaldsen's museum - our tour operator pointed out to us the royal yatch ‘Dannebrog’ used by the Danish royals to sail to foreign lands. As the boat meandered it’s way through the canal and under bridges we were asked to be seated lest we hurt our intellectual assets - our heads! We were however
poured down upon by rain and despite the rain coats provided on deck, our shoes and socks were drenched in the Danish rain. Our tour guide was the last man standing, pointing out to us the new modern architectural buildings that now dot the harbor-front such as Copenhagen’s Opera House, the ‘Black Damond’ which is a new modern waterfront extension of the old Royal Danish Library building. From the boat we could also see the ‘Little Mermaid’ her forlorn self perched on a rock near the shore looking askance - I would learn much later that she had her own share of real world problems too!
We took the metro to Marmokirken Street station to get to Kastellet, one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe. It’s pentagon shaped layout with a surrounding moat was impressive to say the least. The area is still used by the military yet it’s utmost peaceful and serene, this was a great place to go for a stroll to get the pedometer kicking. We also had access to the Little Mermaid, up close and personal at one of the Pentagon corners
The Dane’s have it all - they have the culture,
the history, the legacy, the heritage, and the good sense to preserve it. With an eye for design, they’ve set an example for other countries to follow - a phenomenal effort by a small country to prove that sustainability is a viable alternative. The environmentalist in me was happy, this was a good place to be - all you needed here were your happy feet
#copenhagen
#christianborg
#rosenborg
#Littlemermaid
Advertisement
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.044s; cc: 14; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0341s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Denmark
That looks delicious. We recently travelled on our first post-COVID overseas trip too (from Australia), so I understand your enthusiasm :)