Copenhagen

June 24 -

Today was a whirlwind tour day in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. For most of our shipmates today was the end of their cruise. Only 62 of us stayed on for the next 14 days. It was gray and not particularly cold when we disembarked to meet our guide Ivan Naurholm.  During the course of the day we had a mixture of sunshine and rain, heavy at times.

Since we only had 6 hours ashore, we wanted to get more of an overview of the place.  Ivan was very knowledgeable and told us more about the history of the places we saw than I could really absorb.  Our first stop was the statue of the Little Mermaid.  She is a bronze statue seated on a rock by the waterside of one of the city’s promenades.  She has been the object of many attacks of vandalism.  She’s been decapitated at least a couple of times and as recently as three weeks ago was splashed with paint.  It’s truly sad that people feel compelled to deface iconic things like the Mermaid.

From the Mermaid we drove to the Kastellet, in English the Citadel; it is one of the best-preserved star fortresses in northern Europe. Within the walls and moat are a number of army buildings, a church, and a windmill. It was at one time part of a series of ramparts and forts which ringed the city.  The church was in a very baroque style and had a really interesting feature.  The prison  is attached to the church and there are eyeholes so prisoners could follow along with and hear the church services.  On one of the ramparts behind and above the church is a windmill which still works.  It was placed there to grind grain into flour.  If the city was under siege, the inhabitants would have a way to get flour for bread.  It is still used for that purpose ceremonially once a year.

 

The chapel is the yellow building and the prison is the red one behind. You can just see the top of the windmill behind.

Our next stop was Amalienborg Palace and Frederik’s Church.  This palace is unlike any we’ve seen before.  It’s actually a set of four large manor houses built around a square.  The houses were originally built for four noble families, but after a series of fires and other events the buildings were bought by the royal family. The Queen lives in one, the Crown Prince in another, and other members of the royal family in the others.  In the center of the octagonal square is a large equestrian statue of Frederick V.  Each day that the Queen is in residence, there is a ceremonial changing of the guard complete with marching band.  Unfortunately today was not one of those days.  Instead we saw a very small ceremony.

The church adjacent to the palace is the Frederik’s Church, also known as the Marble Church.  The building was originally supposed to be built entirely of marble, but due to many factors it was eventually completed using limestone.  The dome is the largest one in Scandinavia.  The church is a Lutheran one, since that is the principal religion of Denmark.

 

Looking up at the dome of the Marble Church

From Amalienborg we went to the Nyhavn Canal.  This is the place that is probably the most  photographed in Copenhagen. The canal is bordered by brightly painted 17^th and 18^th century houses.  Along the banks are cafes and bars.  The rain had stopped while we were there and it was clearly the place to be on a Saturday in June. After a short walk to get a glimpse of the place we were off again, this time out of the city.  Along the way we passed the Old Stock Exchange, the Børsen, one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen.  Built during the first half of the 17^th century the building is in the Dutch Renaissance style and is decorated with a number of dragons.  Dragons symbolize power and it is interesting that during WWII structures around it were bombed but the Børsen was not damaged at all.

Nyhavn Canal

We drove to the small village of  Dragør.  This is an old fishing community.  Along the narrow winding streets are small cottages, some of which have thatched roofs.  There are still some fishermen working from the little harbor; in fact, we saw one boat which had just come in and which was selling fish to some people right off the boat.  One of the interesting things about this place is that it was from here that the Danes smuggled many Danish Jews to safety in Sweden which is not far across the water.

 

A village scene

Next Ivan took as to modern Copenhagen.  The Danes are very environmentally conscious and this new section is being built with that in mind.  The buildings incorporate lots of glass and green energy things.  One building actually had a bike ramp that zigzagged its way up to the top floors of the building so that residents can ride their bikes right to the door of their apartment.  The community was interesting to see, but I’m not sure it would be easy for those of us used to single family home neighborhoods to adapt to that style of living.

A modern apartment building

Another one

Back in old Copenhagen we drove through the oldest streets with some buildings dating back to the 15^th century.  We stopped for a walk through the square by the Parliament Building.  Finally we visited the artillery museum.  It was very interesting to see the evolution from  very old cannons to modern weaponry. Some of the really old pieces had intricate castings of coats of arms on them. 

 

Intricate design on an old cannon

By the time we finished at the museum it was time to head back to the ship.  Because this was the beginning of a cruise for most of the passengers there was another muster drill which we all had to attend.  When they say it’s mandatory, they really mean it!  We sailed at 5 PM and headed to our next port, Flåm, Norway.  The captain told us that once we rounded the Danish mainland and headed out to the North Sea the wind would pick up and the seas would increase.  He didn’t lie!  We’re rocking and rolling.