We were visiting Copenhagen as a prelude to a Baltic Sea Cruise. Copenhagen is not only the capital but also the most populous city of Denmark. The city's origin dates back to a fishing village that was established in the 10th century by the Vikings. It became the capital city of Denmark in the 15th century. The city is mostly flat land with a series of canals located around the very popular harbor area in Nyhavn. There are a number of Royal palaces in and around the city center as well as several castles, all of which are worth visiting. The picture at the beginning of this post is the National Opera house of Denmark. It sits on the other side of the grand canal from the Amalienborg castle which is the official residence of Denmarks Royal Family. We found Copenhaven to be a very walkable city and many people ride bicycles. In fact many of the roads have a designated bicycle lane next to the side walks. It took me a little while to get used to not walking in the bicycle lane as the locals are quite physically fit and ride very fast. The European way to take your baby for a bike ride A make shift parking lot for bikes Our experiences with locals was amazing. We must have looked like lost tourists as there were a number of instances where someone just came up to us on the street and very politely asked if they could help us find where we wanted to go. And by the way they all spoke English, absolutely perfect English, better than we Americans speak our own language sometimes. I found in Copenhagen and that the local people were some of the most friendly people I've ever met during my travels. And one other thing I feel I must mention. The wifi in Copenhagen was the absolute fastest I've ever experienced and it was available all over the city. There were many hot spots and also wifi was available and free on all forms of public transportation. This is one of the benefits of their extremely high income tax rate. They have completely redone and modernized their infrastructure. One of the many restaurants we saw in Tivoli Gardens After taking the train from the airport once we arrived to the stop near our hotel we walked through the famous Tivoli Gardens as it was the most direct route to the hotel. After a quick lunch, which by the way a very nice young man unloading a truck where we were walking and overheard us trying to figure out a place to eat very politely directed us to a near by sandwich shop, we headed to see the Rosenborg Slot to view the Crown Jewels. Built in 1606 it was a summer residence of the Royal Family. Now it houses the Royal Crown Jewels. The Rosenborg Slot Various images from The Rosenborg Slot After finishing our tour of the Rosenborg Slot we walked through some of their gardens before heading towards the Rundetaarn which is a huge round tower located in the city center area. We walked through this open air market on the way to the Round Tower The Rundetaarn or Round Tower The Rundetaard was built in the 17th century by King Christian IV and is located in the center of the city. It was used as an astrological observatory and today is a very popular attraction as it provides wonderful views of Copenhagen. The beautiful views of the city from the top of the tower After winding our way back down the tower we walked through the beautiful streets heading towards the canals to take a boat tour. Walking around Copenhagen Several images during our Canal boat tour The happy couple enjoying the beautiful waterfront area called Nyhavn The colorful Dutch style houses that line the historic Nyhavn Canal are probably the most recognizable and also most photographed attractions in Copenhagen. The Canal was built in the late 17th century by King Christian V to link the harbor area with the center of the city. There are many bars, cafes and restaurant all along the canals for everyone to enjoy. This is where we boarded the boat for the Canal tour. Our boat tour took us into the main channel More sights we observed on our Canal boat tour After our Canal tour ended we had dinner at one of the open air cafes such as the one above to the right. Later that evening we decided to check out the Ice Bar that just happened to be located right next to our hotel. It was a unique experience as we were given parkas' and mittens to wear. The bar was made of ice and even the glasses were made of blocks of ice with a large hole drilled into it to pour the drinks into. The Ice Bar was a very hot spot, no pun intended We began the next morning visiting the Frederiksborg Slot or Castle. We took a train to Hillerod which is north of Copenhagen to go to the Castle. Frederiksborg was built early in the 17th century by the Danish King Christian IV. It was a residence for the Royal family. The castle was badly damaged by a fire in 1859 and was restored by the J.C. Jacobsen Brewery and is currently under the Carlsberg Foundation. After an agreement between Carlsberg and the Royal family the castle's renovation and upkeep is funded by the Carlsberg Brewery Foundation and has become Denmark's Museum of National History. The Royal family can no longer use the castle as a residence. The museum contains some of Denmark's most important paintings and decorative art works from 1500 until the present. The architectural style of the castle is of the Danish Renaissance period. Frederiksborg Castle from just beyond the lake Various images from inside the Frederiksborg Castle The back of Frederiksborg Castle and the lake After taking the train back to Copenhagen we headed over to the Kronborg Castle. The castle was built around 1425 AD. King Frederick II transformed it in the late 1500's into one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. Its actually located in Elsinore at the narrowest port of the Oresund. The Army was able to control what ships could sail through the sound making sure they paid tribute to the King. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark and set the play at Kronborg. Although fictional the play made Kronborg famous world wide. The Castle became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. The Kronborg Castle Images in and around the Castle Standing inside the Guardhouse The commanding view from the rampart by the Castle The Little Mermaid's Brother statue As we were walking back to the train station we passed this statue called the Little Mermaid's Brother. Once we were back to Copenhagen we went right to the Tivoli Gardens. Dating back to 1843 Tivoli Gardens is the second oldest amusement park that is still in operation in the world. The park has many rides, games, restaurants and hosts concerts and music fairs. Various images inside the Tivoli Gardens Our final full day in Copenhagen remained quite busy. After breakfast our first site was the Vor Frue Kirk or the Church of our Lady. This is Copenhagen's Cathedral and was designed in the Neoclassical style. Inside the sculpture of Christ and the 12 Apostles are by the great sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Crown Prince Frederick and Mary Donaldson were married here in 2004. Images from the Cathedral Holmens Kirke the Royal Chapel and Navel Church was originally an anchor forge until it was converted to a Lutheran Church in 1619. Many of Denmark's Naval hero's were buried here including Admiral Niels Juel who defeated the Swedish fleet in the Battle of Koge in 1677. There is a ship hanging from the ceiling and an anchor outside. There is also a beautiful 17th century carved oak altarpiece. Images from the Holmens Kirke We moved on to the Marmorkirken or The Marble Church. The Dome of the church was inspired by St Peter's in Rome and measures 30 meters in diameter and can be seen from all over Copenhagen. It's made of solid marble from Norway. The construction of the church began in 1749 but was not completed until the 19th century. Images from the Marble Church The Marble Church from a distance At this point we decided we wanted to take a break and did another Canal boat tour. This tour took us through a number of residential neighborhoods. Our boat went through a number of underpasses where the size of the opening vs the size of the boat made it seem like a crap shoot if the boat would make it through or not unscathed. We also passed an area where there was an annual sand sculptor festival which the city claims is one of the largest such events in Northern Europe. The sculptures were not only huge but also quite impressive. Images on our Canal Boat tour We moved on after the Canal Boat tour to the Vor Frelsers Kirke or the Church of Our Saviour. It is a very unusual design in that the top of the tower of the Church is the shape of a helix with an outside winding staircase. Construction of the church began in the late 17th century. Various features of the church were added over the next 70 years and the helical spire was finally completed in 1752. The helical spiral staircase The view from the top From here we headed over to the Amalienborg Palace which is the official winter residence of the Royal Family. It is located between the city center and the harbor. The building consists of four identical palace facades built around an Octagonal courtyard. There is an equestrian statue of Frederick V in the middle of the courtyard. The interior is decorated in the late Baroque style. Amalienborg became the residence of the Danish Royal family after the Christiansborg Palace was severely damaged by a fire in 1794. The Royal Guard are always on duty whether the Royal Family is in residence or not. Two of the four identical Buildings of the Palace The Royal Guards patrolling their posts Frederick V in the Octagonal Courtyard A Royal Sitting Room and a Royal Library on display in the museum We decided we wanted to see the Churchill Park which is a public park located by a 17th century fortress known as the Kastellet. The fortress is pentagon shaped and with its elevated ramparts occupied a commanding position overlooking the grand canal that splits Copenhagen down the middle. Scenes walking through the park We kept walking past the park to come to one of the most famous statues in Copenhagen, The Little Mermaid. The bronze statue was a present to the city in 1913 from Carl Jacobsen of the Carlsberg Breweries. The Little Mermaid is a popular character from Hans Christian Anderson and is known as the symbol of Copenhagen. The happy couple with the Little Mermaid We got up and had breakfast on the day we were to embark on our Cruise ship for our Scandinavian cruise. We had some time before leaving for the port so we went to see the Christiansborg Palace. It houses the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's office and the Danish Supreme Court. The Christiansborg Palace From here we moved on to see the City Hall. The building has details of Nordic mythology through out. It is the center of political power in Copenhagen. The City Hall of Copenhagen Bishop Absalon the founder of Copenhagen in 1167 AD is memorialized on the front of City Hall Inside of City Hall The huge clock tower at City Hall Sharing thoughts with Hans Christian Andersen To the Danish people, Hans Christian Andersen is a combination of Shakespeare, Goethe and Dickens all rolled into one. The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling are only a few of his famous stories. Today the themes are still as relevant as ever. We had a whirlwind 3 plus days in Copenhagen. We found Copenhagen to be a very warm and welcoming city. We made our way by taxi to the port to embark our Cruise ship.
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