We spent the entire day in Copenhagen, Denmark today. We took the train across the water from Malmo, Sweden. It was a good choice as we found out later the toll on the bridge between the two countries is about $45 each way, plus high priced parking in the city. We paid a fraction of that for the train tickets. I love how the public transportation systems work in Europe because the central station in Copenhagen was right in the heart of the city and we just walked to everything, although owning a bike would be smart (as most people do) because it’s so flat. There were far more bikes in the city than cars and some of the bicycles were tricycles in reverse with two front wheels and one back wheel. Between the front wheels was a type of carriage for babies and small children. Interesting design.
The water between Sweden and Denmark had massive amounts of giant windmills generating electricity from the never ending breeze that blows along that stretch. We saw on the news this morning that Malmo, Sweden is considered the #4 most “green” city in the world (Portland, Oregon is #2). The news didn’t say anything about the windmills, it seemed they were most impressed with the way the city heats its homes – by burning wood waste. Hard to believe the destruction of trees is a “green” thing, but I’m not making the rules.
Copenhagen was alive with massive amounts of tourists from all over the world. There were bands playing at practically every intersection, cafes lined the sidewalks and surprisingly, people drinking beer everywhere we looked. I guess they don’t have open container laws. It seems like people come to Copenhagen just to sit (or walk around) and drink beer. The main harbor was jam packed with people listening to jazz music, while another square was full of people drinking beer listening to a Christian band. Copenhagen is a vibrant place, that’s for sure. The buildings are colorful, massive and full of rich detail. I loved looking at the trim around the windows, the balcony designs, door handles, stair railings… all the details were a work of art in themselves. Very rich architecture, but then the Danes have been in the forefront of design for many years, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
I haven’t been in Copenhagen since 1983 and there were a few familiar sights I remember well that still looked the same, but the biggest surprise was the changes to the harbor near the Little Mermaid statue. On my first visit, all I knew to see was the Little Mermaid – a brass sculpture made about a hundred years ago in honor of the story with the same name by one of Denmark’s most famous authors – Hans Christian Anderson. I was so shocked back then that the sculpture was so small, since all the photos of it made me think it was some massive thing like the Statue of Liberty or something, but it was just a small life-sized sculpture sitting out on a rock just off shore. I remember walking along the shoreline which, back then, was a lot like Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. I could have easily passed the Mermaid without knowing it was there. But today, all roads lead to the Mermaid. The whole waterfront has been redone and the cruise ships even park right next to it. It would be hard to miss, so it was interesting for me to see what 26 years can do to a place.
We spent the whole day walking around the city – first to tour the Royal Castle – where the Queen of Denmark entertains dignitaries (like us - tee hee) and then on to the National Museum to see all the incredible artifacts discovered from the Viking age. We ate a late lunch along the most famous restaurant row in the city (Nyhavn - see photo) – right next to a canal full of boats and people and street musicians. We were entertained by people-watching while we dined, and surprised that every single customer in the restaurant was speaking American English. So much for the recession - Copenhagen is a very expensive city to visit.
The forecasted rain for today never arrived so I was all the more grateful that the forecast got me out of sleeping in a tent. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds off and on all day so it was perfect for walking around as we never got too hot or too cold. Kaleb even held up well, but then again, it was a new country and a whole new selection of popcicle and candy flavors awaited us. Unfortunately, our best idea of a cultural experience revolves around sugar.
The water between Sweden and Denmark had massive amounts of giant windmills generating electricity from the never ending breeze that blows along that stretch. We saw on the news this morning that Malmo, Sweden is considered the #4 most “green” city in the world (Portland, Oregon is #2). The news didn’t say anything about the windmills, it seemed they were most impressed with the way the city heats its homes – by burning wood waste. Hard to believe the destruction of trees is a “green” thing, but I’m not making the rules.
Copenhagen was alive with massive amounts of tourists from all over the world. There were bands playing at practically every intersection, cafes lined the sidewalks and surprisingly, people drinking beer everywhere we looked. I guess they don’t have open container laws. It seems like people come to Copenhagen just to sit (or walk around) and drink beer. The main harbor was jam packed with people listening to jazz music, while another square was full of people drinking beer listening to a Christian band. Copenhagen is a vibrant place, that’s for sure. The buildings are colorful, massive and full of rich detail. I loved looking at the trim around the windows, the balcony designs, door handles, stair railings… all the details were a work of art in themselves. Very rich architecture, but then the Danes have been in the forefront of design for many years, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
I haven’t been in Copenhagen since 1983 and there were a few familiar sights I remember well that still looked the same, but the biggest surprise was the changes to the harbor near the Little Mermaid statue. On my first visit, all I knew to see was the Little Mermaid – a brass sculpture made about a hundred years ago in honor of the story with the same name by one of Denmark’s most famous authors – Hans Christian Anderson. I was so shocked back then that the sculpture was so small, since all the photos of it made me think it was some massive thing like the Statue of Liberty or something, but it was just a small life-sized sculpture sitting out on a rock just off shore. I remember walking along the shoreline which, back then, was a lot like Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. I could have easily passed the Mermaid without knowing it was there. But today, all roads lead to the Mermaid. The whole waterfront has been redone and the cruise ships even park right next to it. It would be hard to miss, so it was interesting for me to see what 26 years can do to a place.
We spent the whole day walking around the city – first to tour the Royal Castle – where the Queen of Denmark entertains dignitaries (like us - tee hee) and then on to the National Museum to see all the incredible artifacts discovered from the Viking age. We ate a late lunch along the most famous restaurant row in the city (Nyhavn - see photo) – right next to a canal full of boats and people and street musicians. We were entertained by people-watching while we dined, and surprised that every single customer in the restaurant was speaking American English. So much for the recession - Copenhagen is a very expensive city to visit.
The forecasted rain for today never arrived so I was all the more grateful that the forecast got me out of sleeping in a tent. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds off and on all day so it was perfect for walking around as we never got too hot or too cold. Kaleb even held up well, but then again, it was a new country and a whole new selection of popcicle and candy flavors awaited us. Unfortunately, our best idea of a cultural experience revolves around sugar.
