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Sunday 2 March 2008 The flight into Copenhagen was very bumpy due to strong winds. The offshore wind turbines (photo) hinted to us that strong winds were quite common there but it would be until we’d actually visited in Copenhagen that we would learn that the Danish winds are not only strong, they are constant and they are icy arctic winds... brrr!
Our plane bumped along, swayed from side to side in the gusts and finally - and unexpectedly - had a perfectly smooth landing at Copenhagen airport. Three cheers to the pilot... and the autopilot!
From the airport we caught a train to the city and then a bus to the apartment of Chris, our first ever couchsurfing host. It was early Sunday evening and the supermarkets don’t open early so Michael quickly dashed out to the local supermarket for dinner and breakfast supplies.
When Michael returned we caught a bus with Chris back towards the city fringe where we attended a couchsurfing meeting. This was a gathering for hosts and surfers in Copenhagen to meet and socialise. It was a lot of fun and there were many nice people that we met. The apartment of
the meeting host was a crazy place - it was decorated like a beach! The floor was piled with sand, there were deck chairs, a kiddy pool and even a water fountain!
Exhausted from our journey and an unexpected early morning wakeup, we didn’t stay very late and soon headed back to Chris’ to make a quick pasta dinner and hit the couch.
Monday 3 March 2008 In the morning we embarked on one of our famous self-guided walking tours of the city.
Our bus dropped us at the main train station with the Tivoli Gardens opposite. Unfortunately the Tivoli gardens were very, very closed (photo) for the winter and would not reopen until mid April.
Around the corner from the Tivoli Gardens we found the Circus building (photo). From looking at the posters hanging outside we found that circuses in Denmark are quite expensive because they are not ordinary circuses as we know circuses to be back home. Danish circuses are a bit raunchier and not really of our taste.
We gazed up at the city hall (photo), turned down various invitations for evening entertainment (photo) and strolled down Designer Street (photo) which
runs parallel south of Stroget, the main shopping street. Designer Street was interestingly packed with quirky design and home wares stores, alternative fashion stores and funky cafes. The street had loads of character.
At the end of Designer Street we came to one of Copenhagen’s famous canals (photo). But this section of canal was special because under the surface of the water were sculptures of the old folk tale, the Merman with Seven Sons (photo).
From the canal we joined up with Stroget (photo) and continued along it until we came upon the Guinness World Record Museum. Out the front we were greeted by a statue of the world’s tallest man (photo). Inside were exhibits about records that had been set throughout the world regarding sports - yes including scuba, natural phenomena, and even eating! There was an exhibit for the Danish royal family who are claimed to be the longest continuously reigning monarchs (photo). Michael played for a while in the simulator for the world’s fastest race car (photo) and then we hurried outside to meet up with Chris at the ice skating rink at Kongens Nytorv (photo). Unfortunately it had started to rain and the ice
rink had also been closed for end of season. We didn’t fancy travelling with broken limbs because of skating on slippery half-thawed ice so we let Chris continue to have fun skating by himself while we watched.
Hoping that the rain would stop, we walked with Chris along Nyhavn, aka New Harbour (photo), a small port for which Copenhagen is famous. The port is lined with lovely colourful Dutch style buildings, cafes and old sailing boats. The rain kept pouring down so after we stopped briefly when Barbara spotted an old house of Hans Christian Andersen (photo), we took temporary shelter at the State Theatre (photo). We peered through the rain to view the Opera House (photo) and then as the rain became heavier still, we rushed back up Nyhavn to dry off in a cafe and work out our plans for the rest of the day. If there is one thing more miserable than rain, it's icy wind combined with rain to freeze you when you’re soaked!
We all then walked back towards the city hall past the beautifully ornate Royal Theatre (photo) and up the back streets discovering quirky places like a cafe made from an
Not quite our idea of evening entertainment
...Scotty, if you're interested we can pass on the details?old tram carriage (photo). Outside the HC Andersen Museum (photo) we parted ways with Chris who went to pick up his kiddies from school and we took shelter from the rain inside the museum. It was a fantastic museum. It was a bit expensive but we had bought a combined ticket with the Guinness World Records Museum to save some dosh. Inside were wonderful exhibits about the life of HC Andersen and his stories. We recalled childhood memories of The Little Mermaid, The Match Girl, Thumbelina, The Tin Soldier, and The Emperor’s New Clothes (photos).
Out of curiosity we then visited the George Jensen Museum (photo). Before entering we peeked in the windows of the Royal Copenhagen building next door only to be disappointingly faced with a shop full of porcelain teacups and not a single scoop if ice cream anywhere! Inside the George Jensen Museum we had some interesting discussions with the curator of the museum, coincidently named Michael, about the history of George Jensen designs, the museum, Denmark, and the world in general.
It was starting to get late so we returned to Chris’ for the evening and met his two adorable children Christian and Lorena.
Lorena happily sampled our vegetable stir-fry and we were gobsmacked as we had never seen a child so enthusiastically devour vegetables before.
Tuesday 4 March 2008 It looked like it was going to be a beautiful sunny day so we caught the bus into the city with the intention of doing lots of outdoor things in the city.
The bus ride into the city is quite interesting. We entertained ourselves looking at quirky shops and sculptures along the side of the road (photo).
Once in the city, we strolled down HC Andersen Boulevard, marked by his statue (photo), and then to the ferry wharf.
The ferries were strange-looking (photo) and their docking method reminded us of the bumboats in Singapore. We cruised along the harbour observing the quirky architecture along the waterfront (photo) and Michael drooled at the naval boats docked by the sides (photos).
After a short ride, we docked at Christanshavn on the east bank of the harbour and strolled south through a relatively new industrial district towards the infamous Christiania (photo). Not quite sure how to get inside, we strolled along the perimeter wall which was covered in interesting murals (photos).
We knew we were on the right track as we spotted some Christiania bikes (photo) which are the standard mode of transport in Christiania. We soon found the front gate (photo) and managed to take a couple of photos inside (photo) before we spotted the ‘NO PHOTOS’ signs posted everywhere. The reason for these signs was quite clear. Christiania was intended to be an experimental settlement exploring the possibility of maintaining an environmentally sustainable existence. Instead of being a model for a hopeful future, things went downhill and Christiania is now a haven for drug traders. We had a quick look around, were very unimpressed and felt quite uncomfortable so we made a quick exit (photo), admiring the Utopian inspired murals as we departed (photo).
We continued our stroll through south through Christianshavn which was actually a very nice district with the exclusion of Christiania. We admired the twisted spire of the Vol Frelsers Kirke (photo) from the outside as the church was closed for renovations. We wandered along the old canals (photo) and admired the quaint old buildings (photo).
When we arrived at the ferry dock we noticed a storm brewing over the city (photo). It was
quite cool with the icy winds increasing in intensity so we found an appropriate sign to shelter by (photo) while we waited for the ferry. It was quite a long wait and we hoped the ferry would arrive soon because the storm was drawing nearer (photo). Finally the ferry arrived and only moments after we boarded, the sky opened up and it hailed and then snowed (photos). We stood on the deck of the boat enjoying every minute of it.
We travelled north along the harbour until we reached the last stop. From there we walked through the nice parklands heading further north towards the famous statue of The Little Mermaid. Michael squeezed in between the hoards of tourists to get his photo taken with the legend herself (photo). As Barbara took the photo she noticed a strange cloud formation in the background. We stood for quite some time watching as the cloud formation developed and started dropping what looked like a spout towards the ground (photo). It dropped lower and lower and then, much to our relief, it disappeared.
Continuing to gamble with the weather we wandered further north looking for the ‘new little mermaid’ (photo). Michael
was first to spot her next to a dock along the side of some waterfront apartments. She is intended to be an abstract of the original.
We decided to end our exciting day in the city with a beer - or two - or more. What better place than the Carlsberg Brewery?! So we caught a boat back to the city and then a bus to the Carlsberg Brewery and Museum (photo). At the museum we saw some vintage delivery vehicles (photos), the beer bottle collection that currently contains 17,303 bottles and even included a few familiar labels (photo), and we met some of the Carlsberg horses that still do traditional delivery runs around the city (photo). On the top floor of the museum is the beer tasting centre. This includes a sample area where they show you how the ingredients in beer can smell and taste like lots of different things like honey, chocolate, and coffee. Then at the bar we sampled some Jacobsen and Tuborg brews (photo). As we drank, we entertained ourselves with the humorous quotes printed on the walls of the bar (photos). Before we knew it, our glasses were empty (photo) and Michael was
feeling very jolly (photo) so we headed back outside the bus stop where we found a very rude-sounding billboard (photo) and caught the bus back to Chris’.
We cooked a lovely carbonara pasta with some cheap white wine from the supermarket and then watched out the window as snow fell from some of the same storm system we had experienced earlier in the day. The snow fell quite steadily and heavily and soon everything outside was covered in a nice blanket of fresh white snow (photos).
Wednesday 5 March 2008 In the morning, Chris was very kind to show us around his neighbourhood and tell us about it and about Copenhagen. He also showed us to the train station as an alternative mode of transport to the city. The trains were new and comfortable.
Once in the city we visited the National Museum which was fascinating and had excellent exhibitions - we got to learn about Vikings, in English this time! There were many medieval artefacts and Viking weapons and armour (photos). One of Michael’s favourites was the medieval clock (photo) which amused him for quite some time. Barbara was intrigued by the ‘magic pot’ (photo)
and the medieval clothing (photo). There were artefacts from modern history such as posters advertising migration to Australia (photo) and trashy sex-industry icons (photo).
All throughout Copenhagen we had constantly been spotting small fast food trailers stalls (photo) which appeared to be selling hot dogs and the like. We felt like we couldn’t possibly visit the city without trying one so for lunch we decided to abandon all things nutritious and go for it. Within moments we were regretting our decision. As we approached the stall we could smell smoke as the woman inside had been smoking like a chimney. She didn’t even put down her cigarette to make the hot dogs. This is probably the reason she dropped the knife on the ground. Of course she just picked it up and continued cutting the bun, dropped the tongs, picked them up, wiped her nose on her sleeve, continued making the hot dog..... this was definitely going to be a test of our immune system. Strangely enough, the resulting product was absolutely delicious! (photo) We weren’t even ill afterwards.
Next stop was the Round Tower (photo) built in 1642 as an observatory. At its base is also a
beautiful chapel (photo). We walked around and around the ramp that spirals up the inside of the tower (photo), past the medieval toilets claimed to be used by HC Andersen himself (photo) and up to the top where we enjoyed lovely views of the city which was still partially covered in snow from the prior day (photo). On the way down Michael had fun playing with the musical chimes that line the interior of the tower (photo).
Once again walking down the shopping street we spotted some aptly named boots (photo) for sale in a shoe store on our way to visit Amaliehaven which is the official residence of the royal family. We watched amusingly as the royal guards grunted at tourists that came too close to the doors (photo) and we viewed from the outside the special ‘scaffold wing’ of the palace (photo). Family portraits were of course adorning the walls inside (photo).
Directly across from the royal residence is the Frederiks Kirke (photo) also known as the Marble Church because it is completely made from marble. The interior is beautiful and the dome is quite spectacular (photo) although it wasn’t open when we were there.
Back outside we braved the Copenhagen peak traffic - being a million bicycles buzzing around the city (photo) - to return to Chris’ to enjoy a roast dinner (photo) with him and his kids, his friend Sherry and her daughter Shelly. It was a lovely evening and a pleasure to meet more locals.
Thursday 6 March 2008 In the morning we set out to go shopping for clothes for the work we planned on doing in the UK. This work ended up not happening because Michael’s visa status meant no employer would touch him with a barge-pole. However, the shopping was fantastic. Barbara bought a lovely suit at a quarter of Australian prices which she will be sending home for later use. Barbara is in love with shopping in Denmark. The prices are cheap, the quality is high, the sizing is generous and the styles are trendy without being trashy.
We took a mid-shopping stop so that Michael could satisfy his tapeworms with some traditional roasted nuts from a street vendor (photo). Later we enjoyed pizza for lunch before shopping for Cognac for Michael’s friend Euston who would be welcoming us to London in a couple of
days.
After an exhausting day of shopping we returned to Chris’ where we cooked chocolate pudding for after dinner. It went down quite nicely.
Friday 7 March 2008 It was to be our last full day in Copenhagen so we set out early to squeeze in everything that we wanted to do before leaving.
We started at the City Hall (photo) which we had seen many times from the outside but had not yet discovered any more about it. We found the tourist entrance around the side which took us into a small courtyard garden in the centre of which was the most adorable bear fountain (photo). After some searching we found the entrance to the building which took us past the main hall (photo) which was adorned with all things Danish. In the front room we found what we had been looking for - the Astronomical Clock (photo) designed by Jens Olsen in 1928 which took until 1955 to complete. Michael was very fond of this toy and spent quite some time awing over it.
Outside we stopped for Flodeboller (photo), delicious balls of marshmallow and biscuit covered in chocolate...mmm. Fortunately for Barbara they
were too sweet for Michael.
Next we headed through the morning traffic (photo) to the Christansborg Palace (photo). Underneath the palace are the ruins of Absalon’s palace from 1167AD (photo) and the successive Copenhagen Slot which both predate the FIFTH Christiansborg Palace which currently stands on the site. The story behind the number of palaces built is something of a mix of the story of the Great Fire of London and the Three Little Pigs. Eventually the architects learned not to build the palace out of wood as this would stop the baker’s stove fires getting out of control through the walls of the palace - it took them a few goes to work it out but in the interim they may have discovered the early concepts of central heating (photo).
We concluded our day in the city, ironically, at the Danish Design Centre. After learning about some of the Danes’ early design attempts at the palace we were curious to learn why they are so famous for their more modern design works. The exhibition displays Danish designs such as the folding bicycle (photo), the folding chair (photo) and our favourite Lego House (photo). Also on display were
the winning designs for the UN Climate Change Conference which is to be held in Copenhagen in 2009 (photo). The winning design was stated that it would require redesign before use...hmmm.
That night we were off to Sherry’s house for a fantastic curry dinner with the whole troop (photo). Dinner was washed down with special Danish Easter brew (photo) and delicious chocolate mousse for dessert (photo).
Saturday 8 March 2008 We started late in the morning and after receiving more UK job rejections for Michael we decided it would be a holidaying holiday only not a working holiday.
The rest of the morning was spent fooling around with Chris and the kids (photo) before packing. Lorena wasn’t too enthused about us leaving (photo) and we would miss them too - it had been a lovely week with everyone in Copenhagen. Michael spent some time teaching Chris and Christian about caring for their pet fish and we ate Apple Danish for morning tea - we could not leave the country without doing so!
In the afternoon we caught a bus to the city and a train to the airport. We finally spotted the signs on the
train that tell people which carriages are ‘silent’ carriages (photo). We weren’t surprised that we hadn’t noticed them on the way into Copenhagen - they just look like a man picking his nose! We had been told off severely on out journey into the city.
It was only a short flight to London with EasyJet but we enjoyed some leftover Apple Danish on the way...
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