Copenhagen, Denmark
Trip Start
Apr 02, 2011
1
21
31
Trip End
May 15, 2011
Where I stayed
Tahitian Princess
Copenhagen, Capital Region, Denmark
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Again today we would be walking the City of Copenhagen. Due to the smaller Cruise Ship size of the Tahitian Princess, we were berthed close to town. It was just a 5 minute walk pass the Bear Statue to the Little Mermaid. We had been cautioned that the statue of the Little Mermaid was smaller than most people imagined before seeing the statue. But to me, it was not small; it was the actual size of a young woman. It was situated just off the walk and actually in the harbor itself. This may have been the most famous statue in the entire city. Like the second most famous statue in the city, it was not one that was in the center of a large square but just off the side of the walk. Unpretentious but still significant and both statues were tied to Hans Christian Anderson, a famous resident of the City of Copenhagen.
We continued pass the Little Mermaid; along the waterfront to the fortress area call the Sentinel. This was a medieval fortification with moats and ramparts to provide security for the city. Its strategic importance can be seen in the fact that when the city was occupied by the Nazis in WWII, it was the German Headquarters. Today it is still inhabited by the Danish Military and is an active post as well as tourist attraction. We walked into the area and up onto the green ramparts that overlooked the harbor, city, and surrounding moat. We were passed by a walking sentry for the compound as this still is an active military post. Old cannons periodically adorned the tops of the ramparts. Water birds were enjoying the now tranquil moat that surrounded the compound. In the middle of the compound was a series of red two story buildings that housed the various military units that occupied the fortress.
At the far edge of the fortress, were several notable sites for tourists and locals alike. The impressive fountain with water sprouting everywhere around the heroic figure of a woman pushing a plow pulled by raging bulls. Beside the fountain was the Old English Church that has sat on the edge of the moat for centuries. Beside the church was a small building of great importance to the Danish People. During WWII, the Danish Resistance tenaciously fought against the German Occupation. This was done at a great cost to the Danes. The building is a museum that shows the accomplishments of the Danish Underground Resistance Movement called the Frit Danmark. The museum was being visited this day by high school age children that were very intent and reverent of the cost of the resistance to the occupation of their country.
Just past the museum was a short street that leads to the Royal Palace. It was easy to find the correct street as on it far end was the large statue of Fredrik VI, seated on a gallant steed and facing toward the castle. The Castle Square is very large with the statue of Fredrik VI dominating the center of the square. Today the Queen was in residence as evident by the flying of her flag above the palace, similar to the flag meanings of Buckingham Palace in London. And like the British Monarchy, the Danish Monarchy is a constitutional Monarchy. Looking out thru one of the streets leaving the Square we could see the large domed Marble Church. Built of Marble and aged with centuries of loving use, it sits just off the Royal Palace as a place of worship and rest for citizens and travelers alike. We took the time to go in and sit there in quite appreciation for the simple beauty of the building and the reason for it existence.
But as always our time in port was short and we must continue along to other sights and sounds afforded by the city. So we continued on down to the Nyhavn area which is the site of the main canal of Copenhagen. The canal is lined with sailing ships and the city on the sides of the canal is lined with small cafes and outdoor dining areas. Toward the end of the canal was a large square full of small stands mostly selling food, but an occasional one would be selling tourist items.
We journeyed thru these small stands and across the square to the start of the Shroget. The Shroget is a walking street a little more than a half mile long; full of people and shops of clothing, theaters, small restaurants and even small stores like 7-11 stores. Window shopping and walking among the shoppers would bring us thru the Shroget and onto the City Hall Square. There on the side of the square stood the large and ornate Copenhagen City Hall. It was a massive square that was full of milling people shopping, going to the Tivoli Gardens, and like us touring the city. To one side of the city hall by Hans Christen Anderson Boulevard was a statue of a seated man in a top hap. We could see its importance by the fact that both of the knees of the seated man were polished bright from the numerous people that had climbed up to sit on his lap. It was the seated statue of Hans Christen Anderson. In Copenhagen it is considered good luck to climb upon the statue of Hans Christian Andersen. So in turn, we with six other tourists climbed up on the statue and smiled for the recording cameras.
Across from the City Hall was the Tivoli Gardens. It is like an 18th century Disneyland. In fact Walt Disney made several trips here to the Gardens while he was in the designing phase of Disneyland. Mixed with the old were newer rides similar to the ones at Great America. But we did not have long to linger as we were several miles from the ship and our time in port was coming to a close. So back toward the water of the Harbor we walked and turned at the waterside toward the waiting White Lady. We walked back to the ship alongside of the harbor; stopping periodically to take a picture of a view that we wanted to remember. As we passed the Little Mermaid, we could see the final steps to the White Lady.
We visited Copenhagen on a cool spring day in which the threat of rain was ever present. The country of Denmark is not part of the European Union. The country of Denmark is a very prosperous country with one of the highest standards of living in the world. But for Americans and Europeans, it is a very expensive country to visit as prices are twice or more what they are in the United States.
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Where is Harriet? Hunt
Today she is watching the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace. If you find her she will show you the guards.
Linda Ferguson on May 8, 2009
This one is pretty tricky. Everyone is in dark clothes. I think she is in the front middle of the picture to the right and behind the person in the red jacket. Harriet is dressed in black jacket and black hat. We were in Copenhagen a couple of years ago. The pictures bring back good memories of a nice trip.
Linda
