Our time in Copenhagen feels very short so we tried to jam several things in today. The long daylight hours make it easy. The sunrise is about 4:30am and sunset clocks out at 9:50pm with dusk a full hour later. We started with a quick breakfast at the local coffee shop (not at 4:30 – at 9) and then a pleasant walk through town to the Christenborg Palace for our 10am entry ticket.
Yesterday’s Rosenborg palace stopped being actively used in the mid 1800s whereas the palace we went to today was built in 1167, rebuilt after a fire in 1794, and rebuilt again after a fire in 1884. Completed in 1928, this version is still used today for state dinners and official activities. All three branches of Denmark’s government operate from here – Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister. Denmark is the only county in the world where that’s the case.
If they’ve added sprinklers we couldn’t see any but we did see the Great Hall where gorgeous tapestries, completed in 2000, hang to display the history of Denmark and the royal family. I don’t recall seeing tapestries less than 100 years old so seeing new vibrant ones depicting old and modern events was really interesting.
We saw the Royal Banquet room which isn’t big enough to hold the Banquets anymore – so the table gets covered and used as a staging area to plate meals that go to the Great Hall.
We saw room after room complete with marble embellishments and incorporating pieces that had been saved from various fires – including the Royal Thrones shown in the far room below.
It’s strange being in a more modern ‘in use’ palace – much less dust and much less left to the imagination since everything is in good shape.
We also had access to tour the copper kitchen which is filled on every surface with gigantic copper cookware. It was so cool we forgot to take our own photos so I borrowed the museum’s. While cool and huge, it isn’t sufficient to cook meals for 400 guests so food is cooked at a different Palace’s Royal Kitchen, brought over in vans and then reheated and plated for service. We saw a very cool video walking us through the process – even getting some cool tips on cooking for a crowd that would work at home.
Adventure #2 was at the Amalienborg Palace where the Royal family does reside ( at least part-time). Here we watched the changing of the guard with the most notable aspects being how close the crowds can get to the action and how young all the soldiers looked.
Our lunch stop doubled as another Adventure – in the historic neighborhood of Nyhavn. This canal area was established in the 1670s as a gateway from the sea to the old inner city. We went mainly for a quick gawk at the old colorful buildings that seem to be in every photo of Copenhagen. We were not disappointed. The buildings looked great and the street was lined with little cafes, many of which had lovely flower baskets in full bloom.
Our last adventure of the day was the longest even though it started at 4pm. We went to Tivoli Gardens, which opened in 1843 and is the second oldest Amusement park in the world.
It is smack in the middle of Copenhagen so not very big, but they make great use of the space. They have 25 rides and probably at least that many restaurants and cafes. It is full of gardens and as our visit entered twilight time, thousands of lights added another layer of beauty to the experience.
Unlike most amusement parks in the States, this one has a small entry fee and then a separate cost if you want to ride rides which creates a very different vibe for Tivoli. Lots of people are just enjoying the gardens and a meal or a drink with no need to rush around standing in lines for a roller coaster.
One of the most unexpected things we saw was a fish (‘fisk’ in Danish) in the tiny Tivoli Aquarium. According to google it was a Humphead Wrasse – but it sure looked like it had a human face. What a strange sight to see.
We had a lovely evening and left the park around 9pm – still not staying out as late as the sun.
5 Adventures Together 