This morning found us leaving the ship early and dropping our luggage off at the hotel and we were off to explore Copenhagen. We had 2 full days here and we had to squeeze in as much as we could.
We first headed downtown to go to the Church of Our Lady. The church was first built in 1187 but burned down in 1314 and completely built which was finished in 1388. Lightning hit the church in 1573 and again in 1585 causing damage each time and resulted in the fires and the roof caving in, and rebuilt again in 1609. In 1728 the church, along with 30% of the entire city was destroyed in a 4 day long fire and rebuilt again in 1738. In 1807 the church was destroyed during the Napoleonic War where it burned completely down. Again. The church was rebuilt again and completed in 1829.
The famous sculptor artist Bertel Thorvaldsen was commissioned to decorate the interior with marble statues of Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles, said to be the most lifelike representations.
It was an amazing experience to see the statues and in the bright and simple church, with Christ and the 12 Apostles.
We then went on a 2 hour walking tour around downtown Copenhagen
This was pretty funny - a store had backpacks, T-shirts, stickers, bags and magnets of this - because you know, Denmark owns Greenland
Carrying on with what we saw in the other places we visited, the sweet Danish shops were everywhere and they did not disappoint!
The cinnamon rolls at every city we visited, were just amazing....melted in your mouth....and I had so many of them
We passed several carts in the plazas sold the "Copenhagen Dog", which we tried...We got the loaded one with bacon, special sauce/relish, crispy onions, and some other things and some other things....they were messy, but oh so good!
Here's Mike about to dig in!!!!
Copenhagen is a beautiful place..as was every city we went to on this trip!
As in the other countries we visited, Copenhagen has a lot of bikes....and very few are locked up. There is inherent trust in all the countries we went to. People even leave their sleeping babies in car seats and strollers outside instead of bringing them into a store or restaurant where they might wake up.
Our walking tour took us to a central plaza near Amalienborg Palace where a changing of the guards takes place every day. But our guide didn't take us to the palace grounds just yet. We were in the middle of a plaza surrounded by streets. He then told us to line up along the curb. We saw nothing but traffic going all around us. He said, just wait, 3 more minutes. Suddenly, the police and guards stopped traffic and this happened
We were so close we could have fist-bumped them!
Sometimes they march with a full marching band, and other times just the guards, as it was here. If members of the Royal Family are in town, it's the full marching band.
VIDEO:
We went to a food market for lunch, full of fresh food and other freshly made tasty items
Again, some of the many bikes around, none with locks
Our next stop was Rosenborg Castle, right in the heart of downtown Copenhagen. The castle was built as a summer home for royalty in 1606 by King Christian IV. It's now a museum containing some of Denmark's greatest cultural treasures.
The castle is all original interiors and contains the exact artifacts, some over 400 years old, including the King's room, Knights Hall which contains original coronation thrones and 3 silver lions guarding it
Original wine from the surrounding gardens - they still drink this wine from 1615 during special occasions
Denmark's crown jewels are here too. They have sound alarms in this room, so you have to be quiet. They have a worker that sits in the room at a control panel telling everyone to be quiet if it gets too loud
The grounds and gardens are beautiful, not a weed in sight
They have guards walking around the castle continuously, and even have a small changing of the guard that we happened to see. This place is extremely heavily guarded, you don't want to goof off here
The next day, we headed out early to go to Frederiksborg Castle, about an hour away by train. The castle was built in 1560 by King Frederik II. His son, Christian IV, who later became the King, demolished most of his fathers castle and rebuilt his own in 1600.
Like Rosenborg Castle, Frederiksborg Castle has original interiors and artifacts dating back to 1275.
The subway trains have no drivers, and you can sit in the front and see the tunnels
VIDEO:
'Slot' means castle in Danish
VIDEOS:
The castle has a royal church onsite which the King had built
As we saw in Rosenborg castle, this castle had HUGE hand made tapestries depicting battles that were won by the kingdom
A still functioning astrology clock
In the afternoon, we headed back to downtown Copenhagen, specifically in Nyhavn (New Harbor) along the 17th century waterfront and took a canal boat ride
There were some pretty close bridges we went under
We passed the Royal Yacht and was built in 1931. It still is the official residence of the King and his family when they are on official visits to other places on when they go on summer cruises. Navy personnel are on it 24/7 guarding and maintaining it
The streets where packed! It was so busy!
We tried the Copenhagen Dog again, yummy!
Of course, more danish desserts...yum yum!
The next morning, it was time to go home
It was Shelley's birthday, and on both our flights, she had a special note in her seat!
Our meals were pretty substantial
Even crispy fries as a snack!! Very interesting, but they were very crispy and good!
Total steps in Copenhagen: Day 1 - 16,242 - about 7.62 miles Day 2 - 17,102 - about 7.69 miles
This was a fantastic trip! We loved every day and loved having some travel buddies with us so experience it with!
We really didn't know what to expect from these countries, and didn't know much about them. After learning the history and struggles they all went through, it makes us appreciate them even more...and appreciate the country that we live in and the freedoms we have.
We were extremely lucky with the weather too! Normally, one would expect rain on most days this time of year, and very cool weather. We only needed light jackets for most of the mornings, and we used an umbrella one time, for 15 minutes!
If you get the opportunity to visit any of the Baltic countries, DO IT!
.jpg)
