For the second installment of City Scene, I have decided to re-visit Copenhagen, Denmark. It was from Copenhagen that we departed for our 35th wedding anniversary cruise. We had a wonderful time cruising the Northern European ports on the Baltic Sea, but it all began with an overnight stay in Copenhagen.
After a lengthy flight delay in Kansas City, we frantically ran from gate to gate for our connection in Newark. Once we caught our breath and settled in, the flight across the Atlantic was uneventful – thank goodness! We transferred from the airport to the heart of the city where we, along with good friends who were also celebrating their 35th anniversary, checked in at the historic Palace Hotel.
The hotel, a city landmark in Town Square, is right next to Tivoli and within walking distance of art, culture and museums. We had purchased tickets from home for the Hop On-Hop Off bus tour, so after 30 minutes to rest and freshen up, we made it to Stop One at the designated time – quite an accomplishment, I must say! Unfortunately, it was so crowded and confusing that we thought it best to compose ourselves over lunch. We found a quiet pub across the street from Tivoli Gardens, had a nice beer & burger, then tried the Hop On-Hop Off again. Success!
From Tivoli Square we traveled to Rosenborg Castle, the National Gallery & Botanical Garden, and the Langelinie Pier for a photo stop at the Little Mermaid statue. The Edvard Eriksen sculpture was inspired by the short story by Denmark’s favorite son: Hans Christian Andersen. It is supposedly the most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen, so we took a picture of her like all good tourists do!
We “hopped” back on the bus and passed Fortress Kastellet, the Resistance Museum, and St. Albans Church on our way to the next photo stop at Gefion Fountain. From there it was on to Amalienborg Royal Palace, a place we would have explored further if we’d had more time; then to Nyhavn, or the “New Harbor” area, where picturesque houses along the river bank are over 300 years old.
One of the things we noticed about Copenhagen was the large number of bicycles in the city. It is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. Nearly 70% of Copenhagen’s residents cycle throughout the year, so the city’s bicycle paths are extensive and well used. Cycle lanes are not shared with cars or pedestrians, and often have their own traffic light which gives cyclists a couple of seconds lead, allowing them time to accelerate.
Back on the Hop On-Hop Off, traffic was heavy and slow near Tivoli Park, but eventually we returned to the Palace Hotel for a brief rest. We met up with our friends again for dinner as a light rain began to fall. Lucky for us the Stroget, a cute cobblestone, pedestrian-only thoroughfare with numerous restaurants and shops was just around the corner from the hotel. We ducked into the first little pub we came to, which turned out to be a wonderful choice. I had the Danish Sailors Stew, or Labskovs, a traditional dish originating on ships back in the 1700’s. It hit the spot on a cool, damp evening! The rain had stopped after dinner, so we continued our walk down the Stroget. A little souvenir shopping, some sightseeing, a stop at the pastry shop; then we found our way back to the hotel and wearily put ourselves to bed! It had been a long day!
We awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and after a great breakfast at the hotel, were excited to start the day! We had the rest of the morning to further explore Copenhagen before cruise embarkation, so we walked a short distance to the canal area where Christiansborg Palace and Ruins are located. Once there, the buildings were impressive enough to coax us into taking the tour and I’m so glad we did.
The palace was the fifth building to be located on the site. The first one was Bishop Absalon Castle built there in 1167. In 1369, the Copenhagen Castle was located there and was the seat of the royal family of Denmark for more than 350 years. The first Palace was built on the site in the 1700’s, but it – and the second Palace (built in 1828) – both burnt to the ground. We saw the remains of these former buildings when we toured the ruins beneath the Palace. Rebuilt in 1928, the current Christiansborg Palace is home to the Parliament, the Prime Minister, and the Supreme Court and is used by the Queen for formal receptions.
We had just enough time for a few more pictures at New Harbor and to buy one more scrumptious Danish pastry… then we transferred to the docks to board the ship! As we sailed away, we said goodbye to the colorful, captivating “City Scene” in Copenhagen!
An anniversary trip I am sure you will never forget. Such a beautiful city!
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Nope, never! We saw such marvelous places!
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Keep sharing, stay motivated…
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I will! Thanks for the encouragement!
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Reading this is almost like being there. Oh wait, I was.
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… and I’m so glad you were! You’re too funny!
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You must have had a wonderful time. Gorgeous photos.
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We really did! Thanks so much.
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Beautiful city! Thanks for the tour
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My pleasure! It was a friendly, colorful city!
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I have never been but now I feel almost as though I have …. your guided tour and wonderful photographs really evoke what I know is a very relaxed and lovely place. I’ll get there one day and now I will know what I actually want to see! And feel the Hygge of course 😉
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…and we’ll know what to see if and when we ever go back. Yes, with all that Copenhagen has to offer, hygge definitely abounds! Thanks for the comment.
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Oh! This is wonderful! My husband is of Danish heritage, his grandfather was Danish speaking immigrant who lived in Solvang CA. Anyway, Denmark is on our bucket list and will be the next big trip we take!! I cannot wait to read the rest of your posts about your entire trip – such a lovely description and will be so helpful!
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It’s always fun to visit the home of your ancestors. I hope you can make the trip before too long – you will love it! Our cruise took us to Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Berlin (from Warnemunde) and Lubeck (from Kiel).
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Yes… I hope so too. What cruise line did you take? That has always looked interesting to us.
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Holland America – it was awesome!
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Beautiful place. We were there a few years back. Thanks for bringing back the memories.
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My pleasure! We’d love to go back someday and see what we missed.
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The colors of the buildings caught my attention, but all your places are lovely. Thanks for sharing.
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It’s the colorful buildings that come to mind whenever I think about Copenhagen! Thanks for commenting.
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Gorgeous photographs – Copenhagen is one of my favourite cities in the world. Did you get a chance to walk around Kastellet?
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No, we didn’t. It was a fairly short visit, so we’ll have lots to see and do when we go back. Thanks for your comments – I appreciate it!
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Thank you so much for the tour of Copenhagen! Beautiful photos of this lovely city. 🙂
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It was fun to look back on the photos from there – brought back such pleasant memories.
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Lovely photos and write-up once again Madam..!! Great to see that you traveled extensively in Copenhagen.
I visited it last year, but kept my focus outside Copenhagen, in Roskilde and Helsingborg (Sweden).. I liked Copenhagen, but it was quite crowded.
Thank you for sharing Madam.. 😊
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My pleasure! You travel often as well, it seems! Hopefully, we will all be able to travel again before too much longer. There is a big, beautiful world to see!
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