Out and About in Copenhagen – with the Queen!

Wednesday, September 21

This was the last day of our trip and we tried use it to taste as much of Copenhagen as we could.  We began by taking the Metro to the Christianshavn district and walking a few blocks along a canal to the neighborhood of Christiania, or as its residents proclaim, “Freetown Christiania.”  This “autonomous” enclave was established in 1971a group of hippies who took over abandoned military barracks, established their own regulations and began decades of clashes with local authorities; a few years ago, they came to an uneasy truce, though flare-ups persist.  A couple of weeks ago, the police cleared out “Pusher Street” when it became the scene of difficulties involving hard drugs.  We saw a quartet of police while we were walking around this morning.  Christiania looks pretty much as you’d expect for a place with its history; graffiti everywhere, workshops, cheap eateries, music venues and homemade houses.

We caught a water bus with the intention of taking it one stop across the canal, but it was so pleasant to chug past the city on a gloriously sunny day, that we just stayed on to the end of the line and then headed back.  Copenhagen is undergoing a building boom, with construction cranes a frequent sight.  There is a great emphasis on design and architecture here, and it’s quite lovely to see innovative new buildings taking their places alongside the palaces, churches, and towers that mark the city’s history.
While I was admiring an example of Danish design in a pedestrian walkway and playground on one side of the boat, Tom was watching a water rescue involving several emergency vehicles and a swimming first responder on the other.  Interestingly, Tom is pretty sure that the object of the rescue effort was a dog – and I missed it all!

We disembarked at the Royal Library, whose new addition (attached to the old red brick original) is known as the Black Diamond.  When we crossed the canal to see it from the pedestrian (and bike, of course) Circle Bridge and the reason for the nickname is obvious.  The black glass surfaces of the library reflect the sun sparkling on the canal; it was mesmerizing!  

It’s probably worth mentioning here that Copenhagen seems to have lots of squares, green spaces, benches and other spots that make taking a moment out to rest and enjoy the passing scene easy.  A small thing, perhaps, but indicative of what seems to us like a pretty impressive quality of life here on many levels…

We took the Metro back to our local station as we wanted to visit Copenhagen’s new food hall, Torvehallerene, which is near our apartment.  This is very likely the most orderly, clean-lined, “pretty” market we’ve seen in all our travels – it’s that Scandinavian design emphasis, again!  Everything -- flowers, fruits and veggies, teas, liquor, meat, deli, and fish – is displayed with care and precision.  We had the traditional Danish open face sandwiches – smorrebrod – on dark rye for lunch at the market. With many versions to choose from, we picked fried fish fillet and lox, each with their own toppings and garnishes, and they were great.

After lunch, we took a very short bus ride to Tivoli Gardens, the world’s second oldest amusement park.  It’s in the heart of the city, flanked by City Hall, a major art museum, and the central train station and it’s strange to see the brightly colored towers of the rides and hear the screams of their terrified thrill-seekers from the city streets.  We wandered around for a bit, taking in the gardens, open air stages, ponds, restaurants, rides and arcade games, somewhat surprised by the number of kids there on a Wednesday afternoon.  But our biggest surprise came as we were sitting on a shady bench watching the passing scene.  I looked up, and saw an older lady walking along and, while wondering what old ladies do at Tivoli, I realized that I’d seen this particular “old lady” in photos and portraits as we visited Danish palaces.  Three days ago, I’d never have recognized her, but today I knew it was Queen Margrethe II.  Then, I noticed that she was “loosely accompanied” by four younger men in suits and earpieces, but it was all so low key that most of the people nearby never even noticed her.  It was especially fun to watch the reactions of those who did, though – lots of double-takes, elbowing of companions, and turning around to walk behind her.  Interestingly enough, not one person tried to approach her, bother her, ask for a selfie, or invade her personal space; I’m sure her four gentlemen friends would have had something to say then!

After leaving Tivoli, we went to the museum on the next block, the Carlsberg Glyptotek.  The museum has a fantastic Winter Garden, an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman sculpture and many French Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces.  It was built around the collection of Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg Breweries and is yet another example of the generosity of the family’s foundation to the city.  While the museum and its holdings are impressive, the developer of its map and floor plan leave much to be desired. This is a circumstance we’ve noticed at several sites in Denmark, so much so that we’ve begun to wonder if it’s a sign of a national weakness, or indicative of some skill deficiency on our part!

We ended the afternoon with a walk along the busy pedestrian shopping street, the Stroget, and a one-stop Metro ride back to our apartment and our suitcases, ready to be packed.  


This trip has been a wonderful introduction to the Norse countries.  Norway, Iceland, and Denmark share much in common, especially their commitment to strong national social welfare programs, supported by very high taxes and citizenry that seems more than willing to pay them.  Geographically, the three countries are very different – Norway’s mountains and fjords, Iceland’s treeless, volcanic terrain, and Denmark’s flat, multi-island configuration.  We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to see some amazing sites, be confused by three different unintelligible languages, and saved repeatedly by the English fluency of everyone, everywhere we went; that makes for easy travel, indeed.

It’s time to come off the road, and we’ll be flying home tomorrow. Thanks for traveling along on our adventure; we’ll see you next time!

Frederiksborg Castle, Louisiana Museum and Special Friends

Tuesday, September 20 

This morning, we took a regional train to Hillerod, about 40 miles north of Copenhagen to visit Frederiksborg Castle, which now houses the Museum of National History.  With its manicured formal gardens and situation in the middle of a small lake, the massive castle has something of the feel of a French chateau.  The royal family has not resided there in three centuries and its ornate chapel is no longer the coronation venue, though it is still used as a parish church. The rest of the castle is chock full of artwork and furnishings that the eras presided over by all those Christians and Frederiks mentioned in previous posts.  We followed an audio guide that was mercifully selective (or we’d be there until Christmas!) and enjoyed wandering from room to room on our own.  

The morning was beautiful and we were able to stroll around the lake for good views of the castle and gardens before heading to back to the train station to take a local train a bit farther north to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.  The museum’s extensive sculpture garden is beautifully landscaped and set on the Oresund Sound, with views of Sweden across the water.  The exhibits inside demanded a greater understanding (and appreciation) of modern art than we possess, but we did our best.

The real treat of the day was our rendezvous with the son of our dear childhood friend Gretchen.  Luc O’Connor, his beautiful wife Papatya and their two darling daughters, Sylvia and Ramona met us at the museum café and we had a wonderful dinner together.  We last saw Luc when he was about three years old; somehow, he doesn’t remember that! Nevertheless, we had a great time spilling the beans about some of the youthful escapades of his mother and her siblings.  Luc drove us back into Copenhagen and came in for a nightcap, so we could continue our conversation; in addition to dishing about family secrets, we were especially interested to hear Luc’s perspectives on the huge differences between Scandinavian and American social systems, political life, and general wellbeing. 

This was a memorable evening, and an unquestioned highlight of this trip!

Copenhagen

Monday, September 19 

This morning, we walked about 15 minutes to the City Hall and had a chance to look around the building, which is lovely both inside and out.  After buying a Copenhagen Card, which will give us access to many attractions and public transport until our departure Thursday morning, we had a chance to take in an exhibit of calligraphy by a Buddhist master in the large atrium, as well as the elaborate astronomical clock.  The fastest gear in the clock completes a revolution every 10 seconds, the slowest – every 25,753 years!!

During the last several years, we’ve routinely looked for free (tip-based) walking tours when we’ve been in cities we’re unfamiliar with.  They’re generally given by young people who, whether natives or enthusiastic “adoptees” of the city, are pleased to introduce it to visitors.  The tour groups are usually multinational, the common language always English.  Today, we had a distinctly American English presentation, as our guide, Victoria, is here (to stay) from Charlotte, NC! As the clock tower bell tolled 10:00, we were off on a three-hour jaunt that gave us a taste of Copenhagen’s center.  

Since its founding by Bishop (and conversion-by-threat-of-death evangelist!) Absalon in the 12^th century, through its establishment at the nation’s capital in the 15^th, heyday as the seat of a Scandinavian empire, and eventual political decline in the 19^th, Copenhagen was home to more Kings Frederick and Christian than we could keep track of.  The city was also repeatedly ravaged by fires and consequently, most of the palaces and other buildings we saw have had several incarnations.

Christiansborg Palace, once a royal residence, is now an impressive Parliament Building.  Along with other government buildings, it’s situated on an island that has been the center of power in Denmark since Absalon built the first castle there.  

The city as benefitted greatly from the philanthropy of the Carlsberg Brewery, which was founded here in the 19^th century.  We saw several of the public works funded by Carlsberg, and learned some of its historical lore, including stories of the founding family’s interest in and support of science; Nobel prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr was rewarded with a home adjacent to the brewery, complete with a special pipeline so he never had to make a beer run!

Copenhagen also reveres its literary giants and we were interested to see the theater where
Hans Christian Andersen tried to make his mark as ballet dancer, actor, and boy soprano (which he did, momentarily), before turning to writing. The home he chose after he finally made it big was on the top floor of a swank hotel overlooking the theater where it all began.

We especially enjoyed seeing the canal in the Nyhavn district.  Once a disreputable district distinguished by the amusements on offer to visiting sailors, it’s now chock full of brightly painted restaurants and cafes, with great views of the wooden boats moored quay-side.

The tour ended at the current residence of the royal family, Amalienborg Palace, which is actually four palaces encircling a large cobblestoned square, flanked by the green copper dome of the Marble Church and a lovely canal-side park.  

Just across the canal, is the new Opera House, a gift of the Maersk Foundation.  In recognition of the foundation’s roots in the world’s largest shipping company, the design of the building evokes the bow of a ship, with its roof extending over the canal.  Each year, there’s a “cliff” diving contest from the roof into the canal!

After lunch in the park, we visited the museum located in one of the Amaliensborg palace buildings (which helped us sort out a few of the Christians and Fredericks!) then the Marble Church.
At that point, we answered the call of the canals (and the chance to sit down for an hour or so) and took a boat tour.  It was a sunny afternoon and it was nice to have a duck’s-eye-view of the city.

A few noteworthy (to us) notes –

Bicycles are THE way to travel here; more that 50% of Copenhagen workers commute by bike, and they are a force to reckon with -- and be aware of, especially when crossing the street.

As elsewhere in Scandinavia, taxes are high (35 to 68%) and so are social services for all.  Healthcare and education are free, minimum wage is high, and there’s even a stipend for college students’ living expenses.  In addition, there’s two years of financial support while graduates look for jobs after finishing school.  The birthrate is low, and there are incentives awarded for having babies, and also for EU immigrants to relocate here.  The government has recognized that it needs to increase the tax base to maintain the current level of services.

And, with that, we’ll call it a day.