COPENHAGEN, DAYS 2 AND 3

G'day my dear readers.  Hope you are doing well.

Once again, my Scandinavian narrative has been put on hold but this time for a very good reason.  My husband's auntie, who lives in Melbourne, was turning 90 and the whole family together with her multitude of friends were invited to celebrate such a milestone.  There was no way that we would miss it.  Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city after Sydney (where we live).  Both cities are very different for a number of reasons and although we hands down know that Sydney is the best, we like going to Melbourne and there is always something new to do.  This time, it was a visit to National Gallery of Victoria to the Cartier exhibition.  It was absolutely stunning, over 400 pieces some of them worn by royalty and Hollywood stars, were put on display together with design drawing, sketches and photographs showcasing the craftsmanship, imagination and some eye blinding jewelry.  If you haven't seen it and it is coming your way, don't miss it.

And now I would like to tell you about the rest of our stay in Copenhagen. 

On our second morning, after having yet another delicious breakfast full of yummy food and scrumptious Danish pastries, our group went on a guided walking tour of the centrally located Rosenborg Castle. a Renaissance-era royal residence with 400 years of history behind its walls and its beautifully landscaped gardens.

It was Christian IV's, the legendary king of Denmark and Norway whose reign of 59 years was the longest in Danish history, favourite little castle, idyllically located in the centre of Copenhagen.

Once we passed the gates and said "Hi" to Guards, we stepped inside and found ourselves in the King's Hall, a magnificent centrepiece of the castle.  It was originally designed as a ballroom before becoming a royal reception room.

Following our guide, we arrived in the Throne Room that was styled with famous silver lions and stunning tapestries.

Each hall is so lavishly decorated, the ceilings, supported by marble columns, are richly covered in plaster and oil paintings with biblical scenes depicted on them. the walls richly covered in silk embroidered tapestries, paintings and gilded mirrors.

Our last stop was to the Treasury where we viewed the golden Crown of King Christian IV.  

Once outside, we had a couple of hours of free time at our disposal. I was thinking of doing some shopping but first we wanted to stop somewhere for lunch.  When in Denmark, you must try a smørrebrød, the open-face sandwich also called "butter bread" Danes are famed for.  It didn't take us that long to find a Parisian-style café called l'Alsace with the lovely outdoor garden filled with wrought-iron furniture.  It was not exactly your typical Danish place but the menu, although showing French classics, was largely adapted to the local cuisine.  And most importantly, my open sandwich of goat cheese served on top of the crusty bread and placed on a bed of fresh salad, was delicious.

 

After lunch, we reconvened at a pre-agreed meeting point near Memorial Anchor placed at the base of  Nuhvn canal commemorating the civilian sailors who lost their lives during WWII.  From there it was a short stroll where an open-air tour boat was waiting to take us on a ride along the canals to get a different perspective of Copenhagen.   

The weather was lovely, quite warm and sunny, it was nice to be out.  The sound of water lapping against the hull of the boat, with the fresh air and sunrays on our face, we were having a good time.

We sailed past so many different structures, some of them only visible from the waterside like this big public sauna.

On returning to the harbour, we said goodbye to the boat captain and tour guide and were left on our own.  I thought it is time to do a little shopping.  It was middle of September (autumn in Europe, spring in OZ) and I knew that by this time the summer sales would be over but I just wanted to have a look if I could buy some summer sandals.  Luckily, Magazin Du Nord was just around the corner, so I quickly walked there and as I stepped inside, the first thing I saw was a shoe department where I, believe it or not, did find a pair of tan leather sandals with a substantially reduced price tag and bought them 👍.

There were many options to spend the evening but we chose the most obvious, a visit to Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park.  We couldn't go there during our previous visit due to the bad weather besides the tickets for the entrance were paid by our tour company, Nordic Visitor so it seemed like the most logical choice.

 

Tivoli Gardens is not your typical amusement park with rides and fast food chains everywhere you go.  It is an iconic feature of Copenhagen and people want to tick it off their "To do" list. It was built in the 19th century and the antique roller coaster is still there.  There are quite a few decent restaurants with reasonable prices and we had our dinner at one of them.

We wandered around the park for a while and then found our way back to the hotel.

The following day, around midday, we were leaving Copenhagen but still had a couple of hours of free time at our despoal.  And since I am a huge fan of Danish design whether it is furniture, home decor or jewelry, I wanted to visit Designmuseum Danmark.  I am also a proud owner of those classic wooden animals created by another famous Danish designer, Kay Bojensen, including the most famous wooden monkey with movable arms which became a piece of iconic Danish art.  Isn't it adorable?

Luckily for us, the museum was in the walking distance from our hotel so without any further ado, we set our feet towards it.  As I always say:  "You need to be lucky to be in the right place in the right time", as it happened at the time of our visit, there was an exhibition "A Life in Design" in museum celebrating the legacy of renowned Danish architect and industrial designer Knud Holscher as a part 3daysofdesign.

I was so happy being amongst so many beautiful objects, to have a seat in an Arnie Jacobson chair and get inspired by the creativity flowing through the space, it was the best way to end up our Copenhagen sojourn.  

In a couple of hours we were about to board the ferry and sail off to our next stop - Norway.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo

COPENHAGEN, DAY 1

Hello my dear readers, hope you are all well

After spending two days full of excursions and sightseeing in the Swedish capital, it was time to  say good-bye to Oslo and travel to our next stop - Copenhagen, Denmark's capital.  We took a short walk to the Stockholm Central Station where we caught a train to Malmö, the third-largest city in Sweden, situated on the southern point of the country.  After travelling through this part of Sweden for about 4 hours that were spent by watching the tranquil scenery from the big train windows or, reading or munching on some snacks, we disembarked and loaded onto the bus crossing the Oresund Bridge that spans over Oresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark.

On arrival in Copenhagen we checked in to the historic Admiral hotel, situated on a beautiful quayside with proximity to the major city's attractions.  We had lovely, spacious room with the windows overlooking the waterfront and from which we watched people who stayed in the hotel and were taking a plunge in the cold water.  I assume it was, as it was late August and the outside temperature didn't rise past 18C.

We first visited Copenhagen in back in 2010 arriving from Japan and hungry for big portions of food which would mainly consist of a big bowl of roasted potatoes and a humongous steak.  You would hardly see any potato dishes outside McDonalds where a Big Mac and a bag of French fries would set you back $30 AUS. As for steaks, you can only find them in the fancy restaurants that are a part of the big hotel chain, the biggest would weight 90gr!!!! and would cost you more then $100 AUS.  I am talking 15 years ago.  Don't get me wrong, Japan is a fascinating country, but when it comes to food, if you don't like miso soup for breakfast and don't eat sushi and not a fan of other Japanese food, you either have to be prepared to pay big bucks for European food or go hungry.  But I digress.

As for Copenhagen, they know how to feed a hungry punter.  We stayed there for three days and had a lovely time.  We even scored a lunch at famous Noma restaurant, thanks to a last minute cancellation.  To this day, we still talk about that meal. It was an amazing experience. As a matter of fact, there is a detailed post on my blog about our lunch at Noma. Pity, it was closed down. So for us being back in Copenhagen 15 years later was like walking down memory lane.

After dropping our bags, we went downstairs to join our group on a walking tour to learn more about the history and culture of the Danish capital.

Again, as in Stockholm, the city is crisscrossed by the waterways and canals that makes walking around it very pleasurable and quite exciting.  When you are on a bridge, you have such a broad view of your surroundings and get a clearer perspective and understanding of a city's layout.

There was on thing thought that I wasn't very happy about - a number of untamed bicycles on the streets.  You have to be on alert when they are approaching the traffic lights as they are coming from every which way and not always obeying the traffic lights.

The last time I saw so many bikes on the roads was when we visited Amsterdam in 2010, right after Copenhagen.  But these days their number is quadrupled and with it came the danger of being hit by one of them.

What I love about Copenhagen is the modern architecture blends harmoniously with the historical building and famous landmarks.

During our walking tour we came across a magnificent statue of Bishop Absalon who is historically credited as the founder of Copenhagen in XII century.

The other statue that caught my yes that takes centre stage in City Hall Square and is called The Lure Players that shares its space with swanky Scandic Palace Hotel.

When we came to the another public square called Axeltorf, we saw an sculpture installation of nine bronze amphoras called Zodiac where each amphora represents a planet in our Solar System.

We kept on walking along more gems of the city.  

This St Alban's Church designed in the  Gothic Revival, is the only one Anglican church in the country.

We stopped to have a closer look at Frederik's Church, popularly known as the Marble Church for its Rococo architecture and it has the largest dome in Scandinavia.

Our last historical stop for the day was to see an impressive equestrian statue of King Frederick V in Amalienborg Square and Amalienborg Palace (the home of Royal Family) in the distance.

Visitors are not permitted inside the Palace but we managed to glimpse the tradition of the Changing of the Guards that takes place every day at 12pm.

Our tour ended at well known Nyhavn harbour, central canal port easily recognised by the  colourful narrow houses lined along both sides of the canal and the multitude of boats, masts and sails constantly bobbing on the its surface.

It was in one of those houses in the restaurant called Heering where our group dined together at the end of the day.

By the time we finished our desserts (chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream which was simply divine) and were back on the street, the sun had gone and the evening was settling in over the city.  

Our itinerary for Day 2 was as busy as it was for Day 1, so my husband and I both agreed that if we want to keep going, we'd better find the way to our hotel and have a good nights rest.  And with that, we bade farewell to our fellow travelers and were gone.

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Until then,

Anna

xoxoxo