view from our room:
our room is the right hand set of large windows, third floor:
along Nyhavn canal:
After lunch we set off to get an overview of the city with a canal boat tour. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water and the tour was a great way to get oriented with the city.
Amalienborg palace, residence of the Danish royal family:
Christianshavn, neighborhood modeled after Amsterdam:
The Black Diamond (the new addition to the Royal Library):
After our canal tour we went over to Christianshavn to visit the Vorfrelserskirke (Our Savior's Church) and climb the tower. The church tower is one of the main landmarks in Copenhagen and has great views of the city.
views of the Oresund "the sound":
After visiting the church, we strolled over to Christiania. Christiania is an autonomous neighborhood established by squatters in 1971. They call themselves a "free state" and are not governed by the town of Copenhagen. Although marijuana is illegal in Denmark, it can be sold and smoked within Chrisitiania. It is basically a large commune in the middle of a big city.
After a walk through Christiania, we strolled along the canals, bought some of the local beer, Tuborg, and sat along the water for a drink before heading off to dinner. We ate at Kanalen, a Michelin starred restaurant right on the canal in Christianshavn. It was upscale Danish and everything was delicious and beautifully prepared. We tried some really unique dishes, such as scallop chips and lobster foam.
Kanalen restaurant:
The next morning we woke to sunny skies and rented some bikes from a place right across the street from our hotel. We rode our bikes to a delicious bakery, Lagkagehuset, for some breakfast and then headed over to the Copenhagen Radhus (city hall.) We had a guided tour of the beautiful building, finished in 1905, that houses the municipal council and mayor's office.
City Hall:
Copenhagen coat of arms:
City Hall:
After our tour, we biked over to Rosenborg castle in an attempt to catch the guards before they began their march over to the Amalienborg palace for the changing of the guard, but we lost track of time in the gardens and missed them. So, we biked quickly over to Amalienborg and got there just before they arrived. The beginning of the changing was pretty standard but then a smaller group of guards marched over to each 8 doors around the palace courtyard and has a small changing ritual at each one. The palace courtyard is not fenced off as it is in London so you can get right up close to the guards, which is pretty neat.
Rosenborg castle:
changing of the guard at Amalienborg palace:
From Amalienborg, we rode our bikes along the water up to the Little Mermaid statue. The Little Mermaid statue was a gift to the city of Copenhagen from Carl Jacobsen (of the Carlsberg beer family) because he was a fan of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
Taking advantage of having the bikes, we decided to explore some of the neighborhoods outside the center of the city. We rode over through the Norrebro and Osterbro areas, which are more residential and family oriented. We ate lunch at an adorable spot right along the Sortedams So canal, then rode along the water back towards Rosenborg castle. This time we went in to check it out. Rosenborg was built as a summer residence in 1606. It was used until 1710 and then later used to store family heirlooms. The rooms are rather simple but it does contain many royal "knick-knacks," ornate desks, dressers, and clocks.
After going back to the hotel for a quick nap, we headed back out for a stroll along the Stroget, Copenhagen's pedestrianized shopping street, towards Tivoli gardens. Tivoli is basically an amusement park/mini Las Vegas set right in the middle of the city. They have rides, tons of retaurants, carnival food, a Taj Mahal replica, outdoor theaters and stages. We arrived just before a performance of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" (Hans Christian Andersen of course) at the pantomime theater. After the show we took a ride on the roller coaster, my first time on a roller coaster in probably 12 years and Dan and I's first roller coaster ride together! We then popped into a restaurant for some dinner before catching the illumination show over the Tivoli lake. It was a really fun night, such a great place to have right in the center of a major city.
sitting on Hans Christian Andersen's lap:
pantomime theater:
Sunday we woke up to cold, drizzly weather, the perfect day to tour some palaces and museums. We started with the Christiansborg palace. The current palace, which was finished in 1928 after the first two burnt down, was the royal residence before it was moved to Amalienborg. Now, it houses the Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office, and hosts many diplomatic and royal events/receptions. It is a beautiful palace with tons of detail put into every room.
Royal Stables:
After a walk around the Royal Library and the Old Stock Exchange, we grabbed some lunch and then made our way over to the National Museum just as it started to rain. The National Museum had an interesting exhibit on early vikings and lots of information on prehistoric Scandinavia. Once we had our fill of Danish history, we went back to the hotel to re-group before our last dinner in Copenhagen at a delicious Italian restaurant right on the Kongens Nytorv square.
Royal Library:
Stock Exchange:
The next morning we took the train across the sound to Sweden. We picked up a rental car in Malmo and drove on to Ystad. Ystad is an adorable town on the southern tip of Sweden. We took a short stroll around town and then popped into a cafe for some goulash soup, the perfect lunch on a chilly rainy day.
After Ystad we drove on to Ales Stenar. Ales Stenar is basically "Swedish Stonehenge." It is a megalithic monument, large stones in the shape of a ship dating from about 1400 years ago. We were the only people up there and could just wander around among the stones. The views out over the Baltic Sea were beautiful.
After checking out Ales Stenar, we drove out to one more small fishing town, Simrishamn. Simrishamn was, in my opinion, the cutest town we visited. A cute harbour, adorable colorful little houses, and a pretty church. We picked up a self walking tour guide at the information center and followed that around town.
We then headed back to Malmo to check out the town and spend the night. We took a walk around the main square and over to the Malmohus castle. The castle wasn't much to look at but it was the first castle I've been to where the moat was still completely in tact, and the park surrounding the castle was gorgeous. We had dinner in the basement of the Malmo City Hall, a really great space with good food. In fact, because Dan and Dad had their steaks cooked incorrectly, we got free dessert and yummy dessert wine! The next morning we took a train back to Copenhagen for our flight back to London. We had a great time and it was fun to spend time with Mom & Dad. We will definitely be back to Scandinavia.
Malmo Radhus (city hall):
Malmohus castle:
