Our Airbnb flat here is easy to find and close to everything we need by either walking or bus. So far we have enjoyed Airbnb much more than hoteling it.
Back into Central Station for Tourist Info and to book a Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour.
From the bus, we can see the Bicycle Snake, an engineering feat with a beautiful design that transports cyclists up and over a bridge and away from pedestrians. Its 7 meters high & extends out over the water.
We do lots of Hopping Off so the day passes quickly. Most of our time is spent strolling the Latin Quarter, but we also take in the Church of Our Saviour & the Little Mermaid statue.
The Latin Quarter is buzzing with energy. There are only 7 main streets here but with all the shops, cafes and clubs, its easy to get lost. The area is very gay friendly with a couple of famous clubs sporting the rainbow.
The serpentine spire of the Church of Our Saviour becomes a landmark helping to orientate us in the city. We pass on climbing the 400 steps to the top and spend our time admiring the inside:
Beautiful organ with gold leaf and intricate decorative wood carving:
The pulpit:
The baptismal font:
The Little Mermaid bronze statue by the waterside at Langelinie is based on a fairy tale by one of my favourite children's authors, the Dane - Hans Christian Anderson.
Late afternoon finds us at Tivoli Gardens as we want to be sure to be there when its dark and all the lights are on...and there are many eateries to choose from for dinner.
Tivoli seems so vibrant and lush, it's hard to believe its been here since 1843. It's bursting with tourists and locals alike.
The gardens are beautiful.
Since eating dinner, it seems wise to avoid rides.
We enjoy the classic pantomime show of old Cassander, his beautiful daughter Columbine, the servant Pierrot, Harlequin who loves Columbine and Columbine's stodgy suitor in an outdoor theatre. Humour, music and fine performances keep this play moving along.
Random photos from Tivoli, the midway and rides:
Figures from Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales:
Quite the ride this one:
Beautiful lights in trees:
Funhouse mirrors along a path. Fun to watch everyone's reactions to their images!!
The Citadel is one of the best-preserved star fortresses in northern Europe. Construction was started in 1626.
The grounds are lovely for strolling.
The Commander's house:
The windmill built in 1847:
Barracks for soldiers:
The Swedish church nearby is closed but we admire its exterior:
We head to Christiana for an afternoon of strolling in the sun and people-watching. I could have lived here in the '60s! A woman doing tours is my age and a resident. We skip the tour.
From the visit Copenhagen website, a description of free-town where we spent the afternoon:
Freetown Christiania is a green and car-free neighbourhood in Copenhagen, best known for its autonomous inhabitants’ different way of life. It was established in 1971 by a group of hippies who occupied some abandoned military barracks on the site and developed their own set of society rules, completely independent of the Danish government.
For your own safety, visitors are advised not to film nor photograph in Christiania, especially not in the area in and around Pusher Street, mainly due to the hash dealing, which is illegal in Denmark.
So I manage some photos of street art and a few homes.
I have blisters on my feet and my arthritic knees ache from all the walking on cobblestones. A friend's FB post about a beach day inspires me to do a search and sure enough, Amager beach is a 25-minute walk away. This is the first really warm day of the trip ... Perfect.
Before beach time...the laundromat. Here we watch construction debris being hauled away 1 bag at a time. Perhaps there is no room for dumpsters on the street. The process seems like a make-work project. One can only imagine the poor construction worker hauling the debris one pail at a time to the bags on the street.
From Wikipedia about the beach: It is located on the island of Amager and includes an artificial island and offers a total of 4.6 km (2.9 mi) of beaches.[1][2] From the beach, the Middelgrunden wind farm can be seen on the horizon. The area is used for, runners, swimmers and kayakers, among many others. From a small headland, it is possible to go diving. There is also an area for outdoor fitness training. A grassy area at the southern end of the park, known as femøren (which translates to the Nickel), is often used for open-air rock concerts in summer. There are also many Danish skaters, who skate there.
Drinks, including beer, food and ice cream can be purchased on the beach.
There's a whole nature section with children's programming.
Too soon and it's our last day here. We squeeze in the changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace, the very touristy Nyhaven and the Glyptoteket museum:
We know that no royals are in the palace as no bands are accompanying the guards. A particular band plays for each royal. Here there are 4 palaces. One each for the king, queen & prince and one for guests.
In the background we can see the Marble Church which is closed today:
Today is also the first day of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
We are enjoying a beer on the waterfront when a bunch of families with kids start joining us. Yes, a jazz performance for the little ones is about to start. Its dance theatre with music and some kids get a chance to be on stage.
Nyhaven along the canal is picture perfect and crowded with street-side eateries and crowds of people.
This colourful exterior, on closer inspection, is a wall stuffed with life jackets.
We decide to order Danish style on our last day, so it's a herring platter for Paul and fishcakes for me. There are bread, a sauce and a couple of pieces of fish each - no veg...minimalist eating.
Refuelled, we head off to the Glyptotek museum...Carlsberg's donation to the arts.
The building itself is gorgeous. Some ceiling & floor photos:
Greek and Roman marble carvings
From ancient times - the details are beautiful to see up close.
There's a section on Egypt:
Then the section on the French impressionists. To see up close how these masters layered colour is wonderful.
Our month in the Scandinavian countries has come to an end. Each has its own charms and we barely scratched the surface.
Copenhagen does have a special vibe. People smile and stop to help with directions.
It's one of the greenest cities in the world. The harbour water is so clean you can swim in it.
Pedestrians & cyclists are on equal footing with cars ... each with their own lanes to travel in. The many public spaces that are so people-friendly are a treat. Everyone seems relaxed and happy. The Danes regularly compete with the Norwegians about which country has the happiest people in the world.
We appreciate whether young or old; or dressed for work or play the Danes are simply more stylish than North Americans...and how even the most basic tool has form as well as a function...and how new and very modern architecture fits in so well beside historic buildings.
Here is a bicycle that we've seen put to many uses: transporting people (dad pushing mom, 2 kids & a bag of groceries) and cargo. Sure cheaper than a car!
And here is a typical parking lot.
We agree, we
Bye for now
Random photos:
The following posts will be shorter 😁.
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