My Travels: Copenhagen, Denmark

My last bit on this particular trip. Let's see.... it's been more than 12 months now and by this leg of the trip, I've have enough and wasn't taking time to remember the journey itself. I never thought I would say this, but I was looking forward to home. No more cold summer months.

Arriving at Copenhagen
*dark skies once again*

But hey, check this out!!

The first Starbucks I've seen the entire trip!

I was so excited that I think I was staring at it and kept on nudging mum's elbow. I was like, "Look, Starbucks! Starbucks!!". Hahaha. Didn't get enough time to grab a steaming hot latte though. Poor me. What's more when I was made to spend the next 10 minutes standing in the freaking cold.

Outside the airport

I don't actually remember the events exactly, but I do think that as we landed in Copenhagen fairly late, we didn't actually managed to see the city itself. Not forgetting to mention that the tour company did book us to stay 75 MINUTES AWAY FROM THE CITY. *No, I was not impressed*.

Let's see... we weren't told of this blunder till we were about 3/4 through this journey. There was no pre-warning of such a situation, despite them knowing much earlier. I have to admit, although there was bits of this trip that I was unhappy about, this absolutely takes the cake.

So, the place we stayed was about 75 minutes away, in the farmland and I would say.. maybe a 2-3* hotel? The excuse given was that all the hotels in Copenhagen have been fully booked for a medical conference. I do understand the extend of a medical conference. But to have all the town's hotel fully booked up? Somehow, that just doesn't fit. It's not like Copenhagen is a tiny city. I think the tour company was just too tight to book us into a decent hotel.

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Anyway, next day...

City sights

The Christiansborg Palace

The palace is also the Danish Parliament seat. Built in 1167, the building has a single lane (I think), very thin arch that allows for the passage of vehicles that brings you to the back/centre of the palace.

Somewhere close to the Parliament is a garden that sits sort of 'behind' the big building, which gives you a view of the Royal Danish Library of Copenhagen. The newer libraries are more futuristic in my opinion, but this one (although I never entered it) looked like it was something from the past.

Copenhagen's Royal Danish Library

I love the two towers among the large windows. Although the fountain is probably not a part of the library, it certainly added a nice touch to it.

Statue in the garden
*Forgot who it was though*

The garden was also quite pretty indeed, despite the gloomy cold weather. There were plenty of colours, with blooming flowes and even some 'hanging trees'. We spent quite a fair bit of time here just snapping away.

From there, we then made our way back to the front of the building (or at least I think it's the front) where we got picked up by our tour bus. There was some sort of street exhibition that was happening at that time which must have been medical related. Or so I think.

With one of the street exhibits :)

And then, off to my favourite bit of Copenhagen,

Nyhavn!

First glimpse of Nyhavn as we drove past

We were let off about 150 metres away from here as it was impossible for the bus to get a park. Not that I really cared. As long as I could see my pretty colourful buildings along the canal again :).

Where we were let off
Still loving the buildings :)

Speaking of which... I think this was just opposite one of the major shopping centres in town, and also just opposite the road from a famous hotel that houses major celebrities.

Just like how most heritage sites beside a river/sea/canal, Nyhavn is lined up with bars and restaurang catering for both locals and tourist. It would be a great place to chill during warm summer months!

At the Nyhavn Pier

Unfortunately for me, there was no canal tours with this tour. But then again, I wasn't really expecting anything more from the tour. I was already so disappointed in it. *We did try to negotiate for a tour, since we were made to live so far away from town. But no, the excuse was, the tours don't run at those times. A whole lot of BS I think. They just didn't want to spend anymore money*

One of the canal tour boats

Departing
*bye bye boat :(*

The Great Memorial Anchor

Located at the end of Nyhavn, the large steel anchor was one of the highlights. Built in 1951, the anchor commerates Danish soldiers and officers whom had served during World War II.

Next stop : Amalienborg Palace, which is also known as the Winter Palace. Comprising of 4 large buildings surrounding an octogonal 'square' with a statue in the middle, the place was huge and impressive. There wasn't as much tourist as I thought there was going to be, and there was of course, the royal guards :).

Amalienborg Palace

Why 4 main buildings? Well, according to the guide, Amalienborg was initially built for 4 noble families in Denmark and hence the four different 'houses'. But when the big fires burnt down Christiansborg in the 18th century, the royal family was moved to Amalienborg and has since made it one of their palaces.

Royal Guards

I often wonder if the hat that they don is heavy, and if so, will they be compensated for neck injuries by workcover.... hhmm...

Between the palace and the harbour, is the Ameliahaven garden. One of the newer gardens in Copenhagen, it has a simple but gorgeous fountain and was a gift to the residents of Copenhagen.

In Ameliahaven

Right opposite the harbour, is the Copenhagen Opera House. Looking as modern as the one in Oslo!

The Sydney Opera House is still my favourite.
No competitions there!

Wooden boat at the harbour

From there, we took the coach to the famous Gefion Fountain. Frankly, it wasn't that far and I reckon we could have walked there. If it was warm...

The Gefion Fountain

The Gefion Fountain was donated by Carlsberg in the early 1900s. The fountain is really quite magnificient in it's own way with the Norse Goddess, Gefjun and her oxens. The story tells of the Swedish King who promised the goddess an area that she could plow in one night, and the four oxens were actually her four sons which she turned them into oxens to aid in the plowing. And the land that she ploughed out of earth was made into an island - Zealand Island of Denmark. And the hole that she left, is now Lake Malaren.

Right next to the fountain is also another landmark, the St Alban's Church. It is the only Anglican church is Denmark, and is also known as the English Church.

St Alban's Church

And we also managed to sight the royal family's official yacht.. boat.. whatever you call it. It's huge and fancy.. and inviting. It was pretty!

The Royal Yacht

And then we moved on to another famous figure in Denmark. My favourite character of all times. One that I can watch over and over again. One that I searched high and low for a DVD and my best friend got me a laser disc. One that the videotape that I killed because I watched it over and over again. The character is......

ARIEL!!!! :D

The whole place was ssssoooo packed that it wasn't funny. Not a tiny bit. And it wasn't like there was a platform that you could have stood at to take a photo....Try managing your way on a few stones. Fine.. I'm exagerrating. But you get what I mean.... but anyway, I did manage to get a photo with her so, all's good :).

But poor Ariel's been abused many times in the past. Apparently one limb was amputated at some point, and she was even decapitated a few times! That poor girl!! Anyway, last I heard was that she was going to travel to China but I have no idea when and where to.

Next stop : Kronborg Castle.

Kronborg Castle aka Hamlet Castle

Built in the 15th century, the Kronborg castle was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. It is located in Helsingor which was immortalized to Elsingor by William Shakespeare with Hamlet. It was actually quite far from the city as I remember travelling for quite a while to get there. And no, I wasn't impressed. Not with the castle, but with the tour. If you go to a place and stood outside to take a few photos, it does not equal to having visited the place. *sigh*. Yes.. once again I was made to take photos from the outside and no we did not enter the building grounds.

Only went in as far to take a photo of this 'portrait'.

I have no idea who that person is suppose to represent, so I would appreciate any feedback. Was too busy trying not to get soaked under the rain. It was absolutely unrelenting that day!

And off we went again on the coach, this time to yet another castle, but an official royal family castle which is still in use. What impressed me about this castle was it's location. It wasn't out in town or on it's own in a big piece of land.. it was actually located among other smaller buildings and maybe some residential areas? It probably wasn't but it certainly felt that way. It was as if you were in a little town and oh, look at that mansion when it was actually a castle. In a way, I think it's good coz it actually brings on how 'close' the royals are to the people.

At the Fredensborg

The palace is a summer and autumn retreat for the royal family, and is also the most used residence of the royal family as they also often hold functions here. What I found different about the palaces in Denmark was that there is the lack of fences and gates.. which I found to be really nice.

Fredensborg Castle
*Not crowded at all due to the rain*

I can't remember what happened after that, if we went back to the hotel or we went right on to the next stop.... does seem to be quite packed if we have.. but oh well.

I had a bit more fun at the next place that we went to visit, The Frederiksborg Palace.

Built in the 1600s, this palace was officially the residence of King Christian the IV, and is located in the middle of Palace Lake. It is now The Museum of Natural History.

Surprisingly, this time we were granted entry into the place. Woohoo!!! :D. My highlight of the day.

Times and fares for those who intend to visit

We spent about slightly more than an hour in the place, with a personalized tour guide which was really nice. It meant no more eavesdropping and someone specifically answering all my/our questions :).

The first room that we entered was a display of clothes. The beautiful olden-day fashion of clothes. Really pretty and really multi-layered! It must take ages to put them on! Some of the dresses that is on display, is actually a replica of the real piece from the olden days because you can spot them in the pictures around the museum.

My favourite pair :)

There was lots to see and read about in the museum, but being on time restriction we were mainly showed the important pieces so I'll let most of the pictures do the talking.. coz I obviously can't remember much anymore.

Symbols

I especially love this piece. I can't remember which royalty exactly that uses this one, but I really love the design and colours.

My favourite place in the Museum is the Palace Church, which is also serves as a local church in the modern day. The organ was magnificient and the designs on the walls and ceilings.. God, they were just so beautiful!

South end of the Church

What is famous in thie church is it's Compenius Organ. Built in 1610, the organ was installed in the church in 1617, when the church was consecrated. The organ has 1,001 pipes which are from rare kinds of wood and is decorated in silver, ebony and ivory.

The Compenius Organ

The North side of the Church

If one has the time, apparently there is a renaissance style concert that is held here on every Thursday afternoon. Not sure about the specific hours though.

After that, we continued on on our visit of the castle, but honestly, nothing leaves a better impression than the church. That probably explains why I was lost at some point coz I was left behind in the church! LOL

See what I mean? The same dress!! :)

The Royal Bed

In my opinion, the bed looks a bit wee too small for 2 person. But that's the original size. Apparently, they weren't very big people. Anyhow, still too small for me. But what I liked about it was the carvings and the design on the bed. All very fine and pretty. Except that the mattress looked like it was made from rock.

Bye bye Fredeirksborg Castle

Off we went to yet another world famous spot, one that I am sure many would know. One that I have often heard about when I was still studying in the UK. Tivoli Gardens *grins*.

Tivoli Garden

Built in 1800s and opened in 1843, the garden is the second oldest amusement park in Europe and the most visited in Scandinavia. Not that I can't understand why. While it wasn't that big a place, the garden is different from all the other amusement parks that I've been to. Not that I've been to that many.. But have a look at the pictures that you might understand why.

Pantomime Theatre

The famous theatre is an open theatre which can occupy up to 1200 people. Unfortunately for me, there was no show while I was there. What I liked about the theatre was, while it was not your gigantic monumental theatre, it was enough to catch your eye that you would walk to it to take a close look. And I found it quite odd to have such strong chinese influence architecture for a traditional Italian show. Nevertheless, one pretty sight.

The one that was gigantic and huge and magnificient.. take a look below :)

Who could walk past this??

The fantasy castle.. I think it mainly consists of restaurants. Can't really remember. But man, isn't it just a gorgeous sight. Love the creamy pastel colours with the delicate looking towers and the pond in front.. just beautiful!

Near the dragon boats

The Asian bits of the Garden is located towards the end if you walk towards the left after entering the garden. Japanese and Chinese influences. Really quite pretty with the boats and lanterns and giant chinese and japanese calligraphies.

Too bad it was already pretty dark when we got there, hence the lack of good lighted photos.. Not that it really mattered anyway. It was still drizzling at that time :(. Guess mother nature wasn't that happy with me on those couple of days.

Loving the lights :)

We had an unpleasant moment here, when one of our tour member's purse was pickpocketed. We were all in Planet Hollywood which is located just outside Tivoli Gardens when she discovered it. Guess it must have happened in Tivoli when she was busy taking photos. We were warned by the tour guide that because we look Chinese/Asian, we are assumed to be Japanese by the locals and hence to be very rich, therefore target of pickpocketers. No doubt there.. coz another member has his camera stolen the next day. That's 3 pickpocketing incident in this one single trip! How unlucky!! There wasn't a lack of warning about pickpocketer, but the least expected of all the whole trip would be Copenhagen. Oh well... guess that's why peple say you can't be too cautious, can you?

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We started pretty late the next day because there wasn't really much to do as the only tourist site that we were going to visit was the Carlsberg factory. Not that I minded. Free beers :D.

Arriving at Carlsberg factory

It was surprising to me, as I didn't know that Carlsberg originated from Denmark. But then again, I am not a big fan of alcoholic drinks :P. Wasn't sure if the brewery was part of the original itinerary, as obviously we were making demands from the previous days about how unsatisfied we were with the hotel's location that this might have been arranged to appease us.

But anyway... I had fun here! So that's all that matters really :).

There wasn't that much of a factory/brewery feel to it I have to say.. mainly just heaps of bottles and pictures and animations. Basically all about the history of Carlsberg. Actually.. maybe it was a museum instead.

Check out the variety of Carlsberg available!!

There is a total of 16384 bottles on display, making it the world's largest beer bottle collection :).

And more.....

And more and more and more!!!! :)

Some of the displays

There was a 'story' that I found interesting. Quote:

"Icelandic saga narrator Snorri Sturluson mentions the Swedish VIking Fjolne, who drinks himself into a stupor on a visit to Lejre near Roskilde and drowns by falling into a vat of mead. THe Vikings drank not only mead, which is made from honey, but also large quantities of beer. Nordic mythology and legends tell of violent happenings and violent drinking customs. Beer was drunk during everyday life and at festive events. It was also drunk in death - in Valhalla the gods awaited vanquished warriors with drinking horns brimming with beer."

Okay... surely if drinks causes violent happenings and violent drinking customs, and death in someone who drank enough alcohol and then falls into alcohol and drowns..Surely one would not drink as much anymore. Oh well, my personal opinion anyway.

Drinking horns perhaps?

We ended the tour with 2 glasses of beer each. Since mum was with me, that meant that we could have a try of 4 different types of beers :).

Our humble selection :)

Carlsberg Visitor Centre
*Yes, I found out that it was a visitor centre in
the end.. not a museum, or brewery :)*

By the end of this visit, our tour of tourist sights have officially ended and we were driven back into the city for some shopping. For some reason, branded goods are always cheaper in Europe so we obviously went to get some :)! But actually, if anyone's going on the same trip as me, things are actually cheaper in Norway than it is in Denmark. so don't wait till the end of the trip to get them if you want to save up!

And we were off to some lunch :). Local cafes, here we come!