First, some apologies. I intended to write this as day-by-day account of our visit to Copenhagen and our Baltic cruise, but time ran away from me, as well as inspiration. Instead we have this somewhat dry account of the trip, written almost six months after coming back. Not even sure how much of it is true anymore, but as my friends know, I am not one to let the truth get in the way of a good story. But I'll try and do better next time.So, after successfully obtaining our cOPENhagen cards, Katrina and I found ourselves in our hotel room in Copenhagen, conveniently located between the train station and what used to be the meat district but now is the red-light district (I guess that makes it still the meat district). Unpacked, showered and hydrated, we were ready to take on Copenhagen. We had three whole days to explore the city, with many things to see and do, and many places we visited more than once. Here's what we did, in no particular order, and my impressions.
Stroeget
The Stroeget is Copenhagen's answer to Vienna's Kaertnerstrasse, a pedestrian-only street lined with stores, filled with tourists and peppered with street artists. We entered the Stroeget from the city hall side, and I have to admit I was a little discouraged by my first encounter with it: the three stores at the entrance were, shall we say, distinctly American.
It got better once inside and I soon found myself enjoying the crowds, the sights and the noises. They had all kinds of stores, from hole-in-the-wall eateries to designer stores and everything in between. I even found one of those spas where they have fish nibble away at your dead skin! Always thought that was a Japanese thing, but apparently I was wrong. Oh, and several stores had the following sign, which I hope means sale and not what I think it means:
One of the good things about the Stroeget is that if you go in from the city hall end and come out the other end, you will find yourself really close to...
It got better once inside and I soon found myself enjoying the crowds, the sights and the noises. They had all kinds of stores, from hole-in-the-wall eateries to designer stores and everything in between. I even found one of those spas where they have fish nibble away at your dead skin! Always thought that was a Japanese thing, but apparently I was wrong. Oh, and several stores had the following sign, which I hope means sale and not what I think it means:
One of the good things about the Stroeget is that if you go in from the city hall end and come out the other end, you will find yourself really close to...
Nyhavn
The New Harbor is, apparently, a redeveloped area. Close to warehouses, it used to have seedy bars catering to sailors, but now has expensive bars catering to tourists. Being a tourist, I felt it was my duty to go there, find a bar and consume the traditional Danish beverage, beer.
Now, Katrina and I had been debating for quite a while the merits of Carlsberg and Tuborg beers. She vehemently defended Carlsberg as the ancestral beverage of her family and I, never having tried either, unhesitatingly expounded on the superiority of Tuborg. At Nyhavn we finally put it to the test, ordering one of each so I could decide. I also decided to take a poll of the locals, which actually means I asked our waiter which beer he liked best. I am happy to report that, according to my research, the Danish people agree with me: Tuborg is the better beer.
We went back to Nyhavn one more time, to celebrate the arrival of our cruise partners. More beer was consumed, but this time we chose the bar based on proximity to the desired street artist, in this case a violin player performing Solveig's Song from Grieg's Peer Gynt, one of my favorite classical pieces. With this kind of entertainment, we had to stop there, enjoy the view and raise our beers in celebration before heading for dinner at...
Tivoli
It's hard to describe Tivoli. It's a park, in the sense that it has nice gardens, and paths among them; it's an amusement park, in the sense that it has rides, including merry-go-rounds and roller coasters; it's a mall, in the sense that it has stores and many, many, many restaurants. Most importantly, it is a wonderfully entertaining place, our last stop each and every day before returning to the hotel to sleep.
Our first time there we had one and one goal only, to find the restaurant that sold organic fish and chips. And find it we did, tucked somewhere in the Chinese sector, under a big red dragon. I was more a kiosk than an actual restaurant, but they had the fish, they had the chips and they tasted good.
We went for a boat ride, in a little lake they have. Katrina was always impressed by the honor system involved in riding these little boats: you take your boat out into the lake, and wander around until your number lights up on a message board, at which point you have to take your boat back. Not many places can have this system work.
Inspired by my friend Ken I decided the boat ride was the perfect opportunity to try and be artistic with my photography. So I set the camera on its tripod, selected an exposure of several seconds and spun the boat around as fast as it would go. If you do that, you get blurry yellow pictures.
Wandering around the park with our friends looking for a place to have dinner, I was unable to convince them to go eat on the pirate ship at the lake. Not even the mention that they served knaesende kakerlakker was enough to sway them. It's a pity, because I was curious as to what a knaesende kakerlakker could possibly be. Not enough to look it up, though, so it will remain a mystery until I go back.
In one corner they had a nice big lawn where kids were running about, balancing on top of these big wooden wheels and trying to roll them like loggers. It seemed like a lot of fun and the, shall we say, "kids" in our group could not resist the temptation to give it a try. In the blink of an eye Katrina and Ken were on top of their wheels, trying to drive them around. Despite some fears, no body parts were broken, sprained or dislodged.
So good food, good fun and just a pleasant place to hang out in. When I go back to Copenhagen I will definitely go back there.
It's hard to describe Tivoli. It's a park, in the sense that it has nice gardens, and paths among them; it's an amusement park, in the sense that it has rides, including merry-go-rounds and roller coasters; it's a mall, in the sense that it has stores and many, many, many restaurants. Most importantly, it is a wonderfully entertaining place, our last stop each and every day before returning to the hotel to sleep.
Our first time there we had one and one goal only, to find the restaurant that sold organic fish and chips. And find it we did, tucked somewhere in the Chinese sector, under a big red dragon. I was more a kiosk than an actual restaurant, but they had the fish, they had the chips and they tasted good.
We went for a boat ride, in a little lake they have. Katrina was always impressed by the honor system involved in riding these little boats: you take your boat out into the lake, and wander around until your number lights up on a message board, at which point you have to take your boat back. Not many places can have this system work.
Inspired by my friend Ken I decided the boat ride was the perfect opportunity to try and be artistic with my photography. So I set the camera on its tripod, selected an exposure of several seconds and spun the boat around as fast as it would go. If you do that, you get blurry yellow pictures.
Wandering around the park with our friends looking for a place to have dinner, I was unable to convince them to go eat on the pirate ship at the lake. Not even the mention that they served knaesende kakerlakker was enough to sway them. It's a pity, because I was curious as to what a knaesende kakerlakker could possibly be. Not enough to look it up, though, so it will remain a mystery until I go back.
In one corner they had a nice big lawn where kids were running about, balancing on top of these big wooden wheels and trying to roll them like loggers. It seemed like a lot of fun and the, shall we say, "kids" in our group could not resist the temptation to give it a try. In the blink of an eye Katrina and Ken were on top of their wheels, trying to drive them around. Despite some fears, no body parts were broken, sprained or dislodged.
So good food, good fun and just a pleasant place to hang out in. When I go back to Copenhagen I will definitely go back there.
Walking Tour
Katrina arranged for us to meet Hans Christian Andersen, a.k.a. Richard from New Jersey, who took us on a walking tour of Copenhagen, telling us all about its geography, history and the current state of the country. The walk itself and the sites were nice, but not remarkable, covering the Latin Quarter, some churches, a synagogue, the university (which had a bust of Niels Bohr) and more. The information imparted, however, was well worth the price of the tour: it was interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining, though his defense of the socialist welfare system makes me wonder if Republicans would last more than half an hour on the tour before quitting in disgust. It was actually fun how H.C.A. would stop passer-bys to corroborate the points he was making. For example, after talking about government-financed education he stopped and asked her to tell us whether her government stipend was enough to live on.
Conveniently, the tour ended right by the...
Conveniently, the tour ended right by the...
Round Tower
There is this unwritten rule that requires I climb towers in Europe. It doesn't matter what city we are visiting, it doesn't matter how tall the tower is, it doesn't matter how many steps there are to the top, it doesn't matter how uncomfortable the climb is, it doesn't matter how the rickety railing always freaks me out, I have to climb it. And at the end of the walking tour there was a tower. More specifically, there was the Round Tower.
The Round Tower was built by Christian IV, who liked climbing towers even less than I do. He believed that if you have to climb a tower, you might as well do it in comfort and style. So, instead of the cramped space, instead of the never-ending stairs, instead of the rickety railing, there was a wide gently slopping ramp that could accommodate Christian's carriage and horses. Not having a carriage or horses handy, I had to walk up, but it was a pleasure.
And I got rewarded with this view.
Canal Boat Tour
We took a canal boat tour, a one hour ride taking us through different parts of the town, all the way up to the Little Mermaid statue and back. We got into the boat, looked around, got out of the boat and it was one hour later. I am glad the ticket price was covered by the cOPENhagen card.
National Museum
We visited the National Museum on a rainy morning, and it was good to be inside. The cOPENhagen card was no use here, since admittance to the museum is free, but we did not not let that deter us. We went inside and had a wonderful time looking at exhibits dating from prehistoric times all the way to the Dark Ages (there actually might have been more, but that's where we stopped).
What I remember most is their special exhibit on the vikings. They had a viking boat in there somewhere, or at least significant parts of one. We eventually found it and there's one thing I have to say, those boats were big! Not big as in the size of a bus, more like big as in the size of three buses placed bumper to bumper!
We visited the National Museum on a rainy morning, and it was good to be inside. The cOPENhagen card was no use here, since admittance to the museum is free, but we did not not let that deter us. We went inside and had a wonderful time looking at exhibits dating from prehistoric times all the way to the Dark Ages (there actually might have been more, but that's where we stopped).
What I remember most is their special exhibit on the vikings. They had a viking boat in there somewhere, or at least significant parts of one. We eventually found it and there's one thing I have to say, those boats were big! Not big as in the size of a bus, more like big as in the size of three buses placed bumper to bumper!
Little Mermaid
We had been warned she was going to be small, we were prepared for her being small, so it was not a disappointment. Our first sighting of the mermaid was from the boat tour, a little too far to really enjoy it. My second sighting was when I walked there from NyHavn where I had to fight my way among throngs of tourists in order to see her. So I sat on a rock and just watched the crowds, enjoying their interaction with the statue, amazed by parent who would put their three-year olds on top of it and step back to take a picture.
They have more impressive statues in the city. As a matter of fact, I found the one I liked the most on the way to the Little Mermaid. Right by St. Alban's church is Gefion Fountain, on top of which we find Gefion herself, with her sons in the form of oxen. Apparently Gefion needed a chunk of Sweden in order to build Seeland, the island on which Copenhagen is located, and thought that changing her sons into cattto help her plow the land was the best way to accomplish that. The hole she left behind in Sweden, the story says, is now lake Maelaren.
Amalienborg Square and Museum
This is the square where the queen lives, at least in winter. Four identical building make up the corners of the square, one the residence of the queen, another one of her marathon-running son and prince, a third one a museum of the royal residences. The fourth building is there, I guess, because having three identical buildings would just be silly.
The museum was worth the hour or so it takes to visit, and they did accept my cOPENhagen card. You walk from room to room, each room recreating the personal office of one of their kings. It's fun to go from room to room in chronological order, seeing styles change and things become more and more modern.
We had been warned she was going to be small, we were prepared for her being small, so it was not a disappointment. Our first sighting of the mermaid was from the boat tour, a little too far to really enjoy it. My second sighting was when I walked there from NyHavn where I had to fight my way among throngs of tourists in order to see her. So I sat on a rock and just watched the crowds, enjoying their interaction with the statue, amazed by parent who would put their three-year olds on top of it and step back to take a picture.
They have more impressive statues in the city. As a matter of fact, I found the one I liked the most on the way to the Little Mermaid. Right by St. Alban's church is Gefion Fountain, on top of which we find Gefion herself, with her sons in the form of oxen. Apparently Gefion needed a chunk of Sweden in order to build Seeland, the island on which Copenhagen is located, and thought that changing her sons into cattto help her plow the land was the best way to accomplish that. The hole she left behind in Sweden, the story says, is now lake Maelaren.
Amalienborg Square and Museum
This is the square where the queen lives, at least in winter. Four identical building make up the corners of the square, one the residence of the queen, another one of her marathon-running son and prince, a third one a museum of the royal residences. The fourth building is there, I guess, because having three identical buildings would just be silly.
The museum was worth the hour or so it takes to visit, and they did accept my cOPENhagen card. You walk from room to room, each room recreating the personal office of one of their kings. It's fun to go from room to room in chronological order, seeing styles change and things become more and more modern.
Rosenborg Castle and Gardens
Rosenborg Castle was built as a summer residence by Christian IV, he of Round Tower fame. Apparently the man liked having things built to accomodate his tastes. In this case he had his architects include a room covered in mirrors in which he met his many mistresses. He was wise enough to add a secret entrance / exit to the room, so that the women could leave unseen, should it be necessary.
The castle was also home to the treasury, where I went to take a look at the crown jewels. And they had a lot of jewels: some beautiful scepters, extravagant necklaces and crowns covered in gold and jewels, but my favorite was this small ring one of the kings made for his unfaithful wife (not that he was a saint either): the band consisted of a hand holding a penis, a not so subtle message from the king to his wife, indicating he knew what she was doing.
Rosenborg Castle was built as a summer residence by Christian IV, he of Round Tower fame. Apparently the man liked having things built to accomodate his tastes. In this case he had his architects include a room covered in mirrors in which he met his many mistresses. He was wise enough to add a secret entrance / exit to the room, so that the women could leave unseen, should it be necessary.
The castle was also home to the treasury, where I went to take a look at the crown jewels. And they had a lot of jewels: some beautiful scepters, extravagant necklaces and crowns covered in gold and jewels, but my favorite was this small ring one of the kings made for his unfaithful wife (not that he was a saint either): the band consisted of a hand holding a penis, a not so subtle message from the king to his wife, indicating he knew what she was doing.
Church of our Savior
On the edge of Christiania, the Bohemian district of Copenhagen, there is a church. This church has a tower, so I had to go climb it. No wide, horse-friendly path this time, just narrow windy stairs with an interesting twist: close to the top, the stairs are outside, surrounding the tower's spire.
That was enough to stop me. For the first time ever, I didn't make it to the absolute top. The outside steps were too much for me, and I stopped at the little platform where they started. But I was rewarded with this view:
And this was it for Copenhagen. A bicycle-friendly town, a walking town, a town with many interesting things to see and do. Given a chance, I will definitely go there again.
