We spent our first full day touring the old town of Copenhagen. There's a wonderful pedestrian mall that passes by many of the important squares. It is lined with both large chains (think Gucci on the high end and H&M on the lower side) and local stores and restaurants. You'll find your typical fountains dedicated to long ago kings and your not so typical ones of a mother and son, water squirting from her breasts and also his penis. Oh, those wild and crazy Danes.
Hans Christian Andersen is a big name around here as he's a native son that's made it big. There's HC Anderson Boulevard, a displaced American tour guide that dresses like him and gives free tours, and several statutes of him. The symbol of Copehagen, The Little Mermaid, is one of his most famous (and stolen, thanks to Disney) stories.
They are also into their royalty. They currently are ruled by a Queen that is by all accounts well loved. We took an hour to visit the castle of Rosenborg where the crown jewels are housed. The castle offered a glimpse into royal life and the jewels were stunning. Many other castles are here for the viewing including the one from Hamlet, but one was enough for our very short stay.
Day two found us focusing on another ancient people - The Vikings. We caught a morning train to Roskilde, home of the Viking Museum. This very cute little Danish town was once the capital of Denmark. The Cathedral, located in the town square, houses the remains of the Danish royalty. They lived in luxury and died in luxury! The crypts are made of marble, gold and silver. We ran across a family making a pilgrimage to the Viking Bluetooth's grave in complete period garb. The parents looked like they were having the time of their lives with tourists snapping pictures and the local press interviewing them. The kids, however, looked like they wondered how they had been born into a family of crazy people, looking to make a quick escape if possible.
The Viking Museum is built around 5 Viking ships recovered from the floor of the local channel where they were sunk to prevent intruders from coming into port. While none of the vessels were found intact, you can get a good idea of what they looked like. They also had workshops scattered throughout the museum where craftsman recreated long gone trades ala Silver Dollar City. All quite interesting on a beautiful, sunny day.
Our final stop after arriving back in Copenhagen was a visit to Tivoli Gardens. This is one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe having been built in 1843. During the day, it's a fantasyland type park with characters from Hans Christian Andersen filling in for Disney and at night, an adult entertainment venue. What struck me was the low key way the Danes approach their leisure. No long lines or harried families trying to ride every ride and eat every food on a stick. Families lounged in the beautifully maintained gardens with not a care in the world. Refreshing!
I know you've stuck with me through my boring vacation retelling just to find out if I had an encounter with the 'mean' bikers in the title. The answer is no, but we were close to being run down several times. These are Hell's Angels with pedals. They are everywhere ( with a 180% tax on cars it's easy to see why) and they are serious about their bike lanes. They also don't find a need to invest in bike clothing or helmets. This is transportation not entertainment for them. And yes, they have a problem with texting and driving.
Next: The Food Capital of the World
Hans Christian Andersen is a big name around here as he's a native son that's made it big. There's HC Anderson Boulevard, a displaced American tour guide that dresses like him and gives free tours, and several statutes of him. The symbol of Copehagen, The Little Mermaid, is one of his most famous (and stolen, thanks to Disney) stories.
They are also into their royalty. They currently are ruled by a Queen that is by all accounts well loved. We took an hour to visit the castle of Rosenborg where the crown jewels are housed. The castle offered a glimpse into royal life and the jewels were stunning. Many other castles are here for the viewing including the one from Hamlet, but one was enough for our very short stay.
Day two found us focusing on another ancient people - The Vikings. We caught a morning train to Roskilde, home of the Viking Museum. This very cute little Danish town was once the capital of Denmark. The Cathedral, located in the town square, houses the remains of the Danish royalty. They lived in luxury and died in luxury! The crypts are made of marble, gold and silver. We ran across a family making a pilgrimage to the Viking Bluetooth's grave in complete period garb. The parents looked like they were having the time of their lives with tourists snapping pictures and the local press interviewing them. The kids, however, looked like they wondered how they had been born into a family of crazy people, looking to make a quick escape if possible.
The Viking Museum is built around 5 Viking ships recovered from the floor of the local channel where they were sunk to prevent intruders from coming into port. While none of the vessels were found intact, you can get a good idea of what they looked like. They also had workshops scattered throughout the museum where craftsman recreated long gone trades ala Silver Dollar City. All quite interesting on a beautiful, sunny day.
Our final stop after arriving back in Copenhagen was a visit to Tivoli Gardens. This is one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe having been built in 1843. During the day, it's a fantasyland type park with characters from Hans Christian Andersen filling in for Disney and at night, an adult entertainment venue. What struck me was the low key way the Danes approach their leisure. No long lines or harried families trying to ride every ride and eat every food on a stick. Families lounged in the beautifully maintained gardens with not a care in the world. Refreshing!
I know you've stuck with me through my boring vacation retelling just to find out if I had an encounter with the 'mean' bikers in the title. The answer is no, but we were close to being run down several times. These are Hell's Angels with pedals. They are everywhere ( with a 180% tax on cars it's easy to see why) and they are serious about their bike lanes. They also don't find a need to invest in bike clothing or helmets. This is transportation not entertainment for them. And yes, they have a problem with texting and driving.
Next: The Food Capital of the World
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