There you have it… all at once it’s Friday and our last full day in Copenhagen, Denmark 🇩🇰. Our first two days saw lots of “juggling”, trying to make best use of the narrow window of “open hours” for most Danish attractions (10:00-5:00). After some time Thursday evening we had a revised plan, and hoped to utilize Copenhagen Cards to support both attraction and transportation access. Saves a few bucks as well 👍. Thus our morning homework included mobile app / card purchase, a quick clean up, as well as contact with renter regarding check out procedure.
Metro navigation was easy peasy this morning, and in no time we were strolling the grounds of Christiansborg Slot, taking in this very “working” palace and government building that hosts the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court. We’ve visited several palaces this trip… the grounds on all being well kept and accessible to the public.
After a morning coffee and sweet we made our way to Copenhagen City Hall (Rådhus). Great little visit here… where we were able to view Jens’ World Clock, the huge main hall and do a “deeper dive” on a statue of Carl Jacobsen (Father of Carlsberg Beer). We noticed a swastika on his statue and feared the worst. The symbol has a complicated history in Europe, and hadn’t taken on the present connotation until the 1930’s. City Hall is also a popular “wedding ceremony” location and Janie got to ask lots of questions around that.
Post Rådhus Janie and I packed up and landed at the National Museum of Denmark. It’s a full on adventure, with Greek (huge collection) and Egyptian antiquities through to the flight suit of the first Danish Astronaut! Highlights from this museum included the “Danish Colonialism” realization, the intimate Viking presentation and our experience when considering the “leap” that occurred as Nordic peoples moved from a polytheistic perspective of many Gods to Christianity. We spent a full two hours absorbed in the blend of informative and interactive exhibits warehoused here.
I had isolated a street side eatery for another sampling of the unique, open faced sandwiches served in Denmark named Rådhus Smørrebrød. These babies were the real deal… we absolutely loved the product and price. Great to get away from the high tourist areas for eating! Janie selected four options and we split them in half in order to get a good sampling. Best $24 bucks we’ve spent in a while. Simply delicious 👍!
While in the area, we noted our Copenhagen Card covered Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli in fact is one of the world’s oldest amusement parks. We didn’t do any rides, but had lots of fun watching and exploring the grounds and gardens. Simply lush! Roller coasters, thrill rides, park food yummies and concert stages were placed in all corners. Interestingly, Tivoli is even said to have been the impetus for “Disney’s” themed parks in America.
Of note, we found Lakrids by Bülow. Licorice lovers may recognize the name, but one of my guilty pleasures is the taste of licorice. Danes absolutely love the candy, coming in a wide variety of confectionary offerings, and often in a salty version different from Canada. Upon departure from home I swore I’d isolate “Licorice Ice Cream” to taste while in Denmark! Well Ms Lumsden came out all smiles with licorice-flavored soft serve, syrup and even a couple of extra treats to try afterwards in exchange for an email sign-up! 😋
The Museum of Danish Resistance does a solid job of presenting the complexities of the ‘sides’ during WWII in Denmark. Using the personal stories of 4 actual Danes involved in the resistance (for different reasons and purposes) the exhibits chronicle the major events through their experiences until after the war. It allows visitors to discover how complicated life was in Denmark during WWII. Interestingly, It also makes direct connections to what we are seeing from some political factions in the news today.
Ripped out of the Monica & Evan playbook, we stole an attraction from their post-university itinerary in Denmark at Havnebadet Islands Brygge. In essence, this attraction is a set of pools that have been created on the water in the canal for locals to safely and comfortably enjoy play / swimming in the canal. We did the 20 minute trek to its locale and didn’t regret a second. Both Janie and I hopped in as the late PM weather changed from sun to rain and we enjoyed a quick splash about. Neither one of us were brave enough to tackle the diving platform, but we were both keen on dipping our toes in the Baltic… refreshing 🥶!
The Copenhagen Card gave us one last tourist excursion for the day, an hour canal tour with a guide reviewing the highlights from the waterside perspective. A very relaxing and enjoyable reminder of the great sights Copenhagen has offered us these past few days. Although much less personal than our Amsterdam experience, the Stromma Canal Tour was the perfect fit for a pair of weary travels ready for some fun facts and sit & get!
Post tour, we managed a bench to relax and enjoy an ale waterside and concern ourselves with the tour boat comings and goings. A brief rain had us reconsidering, and we snuck into The Dubliner (Irish Pub) for a cold one to wait out some showers (and catch a Denmark – 0 / Sweden – 1 Women’s World Cup Football match). Then home, via the grocery store, to prep for a Saturday commute to Stockholm! Loved every minute of our København stay and looking forward to the next stop ❤️.
Looks like a lovely dip in the Baltic! Love it!!
Someone diplomatic might refer to the experience as refreshing😂. These folks are definitely hardy and I think do whatever they can to be outdoors (make the best use of summer months). My guess is, however, that I swam in same water temps as a kid in Canso… so perhaps age is the real determinant 🫣!
So interesting…. not one wasted minute during your Copenhagen visit!
The “ open hours” didn’t seem to be much of a “set back”.
Busy making strawberry jam … sent a couple of jars home with JP this evening, Erin was attending meetings at StFX .
Nicely done with the jam 👍. Sounds as though you’re staying pretty busy yourself! Our stay in Copenhagen was full on… we ended up with a much more leisurely day Saturday in Stockholm to regroup and stay out of the rain! 🌧️ turned the halfway mark of this trip, but lots left to see. Chat soon…
Your ‘go to’ experiences keep popping up. Things like maximizing museums, using city cards, showcasing local foods and of course, football/soccer. Signs of seasoned travellers when I see you repeating key experiences!! Sounds like some amazing full days and once again, your blogging is helping me add a new spot on our travel list. Busy here wrapping up planning for August river cruise and pre-cruise on the French Riviera. Nice, Menton, Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Ventimiglia seem to be the focus for a couple of days of touring but every day I read a bit more, I make some changes. Three days is not enough for this area.
Firstly, best wishes with the tour planning… I remember you doing a river cruise from Budapest so I’m guessing you e got a real head start by understanding how those work ahead of time. I’m betting you’re close to have that dialled in. We do enjoy a good museum but we’re also trying out a couple of new things this time around… the bike / food ticket was awesome, purposeful foodie stops for “local favs” that we researched (from Swedish Meatballs to Paprika Chips), and an AI tour which was quite entertaining are new planning elements for us. Good to experiment! Always love how your comments keep me on my toes Mike! 😜