I Am A Celebrity!: Copenhagen

Copenhagen Harbor - Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THIS WAS one of the stops I was most looking forward to, particularly after my internet research. There were a few things that attracted me. First, it is a relatively small, very walkable city. Second, the main part of the city is bordered by a large canal along its entire length mixed with a series of small canals. In my experience, that is a configuration that provides for a lot of interesting, and often colorful architecture along the waterfronts, as well as the potential for nice reflections. There are also many small food and drink establishments, and spectacular architecture, including palaces, towers, and municipal buildings. We were not disappointed!

Copenhagen Harbor, Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

DENMARK IS geographically made up of a peninsula (extending from the German border into the North Sea), and two adjoining islands to the east, separating the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. Copenhagen is on the eastern coast of the easternmost island, just under 10 miles across the water from Sweden. In fact, Denmark (near Copenhagen) is connected to Malmo, Sweden by a bridge. Further north up the waterway that separates the two countries, the narrowest point is only about 2 3/4 miles. It can easily be seen why these Nordic countries are so water - centric, and why the Vikings and their explorations played such a large role in history.

Copenhagen Port - Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

Always get the name of the cruise port before you leave it. It is likely in many cities that there will be more than one of them

WE HAD scheduled a walking tour of the city, with our new friends Mike and Elaine. Our meeting spot was in the city center, and we were unsure of how "walkable" it was to get there, so we found a taxi stand just outside of the pier where we are docked. In my previous post, I mentioned a "learning" experience on the "overnight" stop in Stockholm. I guess this trip had more than one learning experience. Today, we had another one. As I have mentioned before, these Nordic cities are all pretty much waterborne. As such, most of them have multiple "ports," where ships of all kinds (including, but limited to Cruise Ships) dock. We didn't really give that much thought, and none of the 4 of us - all experienced cruisers - got the name of our particular port. Later in the day, when we grabbed a taxi back to the ship, we had a bit of a scare. Our driver, who did not speak much English, asked us "which port?" Oops. Fortunately, after some fumbling, he figured it out and got us back timely. What did we learn? Always get the name of the port before you leave it. It is likely in many cities that there will be more than one of them.

Copenhagen Public Library
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

OUR MEETING point was on the street in front of the Copenhagen library. From there, we could see that there were many old buildings. Our guide walked us, first, just around the corner, to Copenhagen University. Founded in 1479, with a current student body of over 30,000, the university is one of the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries. The Copenhagen campus consists of several classic old buildings and wings. We were fortunate to have a nice sunny day for our tour.

Copenhagen University
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

WE WALKED from there to the Christiansborg Slot (palace). The palace today houses the Danish seat of government, including the parliament, Prime Minister's office and Danish Supreme Courts. In addition, the Danish Royal Monarchy has its stables housed there, and makes use of reception rooms. It is an imposing complex of mainly Baroque Revival style architecture. We did not go inside, but did walk around the grounds, seeing the stables, and a nice garden area that is often used by the employees and dignitaries.

Christiansborg Slot (palace) - Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

FROM THE palace, we walked to an area that I had "keyed" for: Nyhavn. It is probably the most "iconic" (and surely most photographed) site in Copenhagen. People who know me well know I am kind of drawn to these spots, wanting to make my own (if done before) shots of these places. At one time, this was Copenhagen's busiest port, welcoming ships (and sailors) and goods from all over the world. As the opening photos illustrate, though the port has moved well out of the canal and into bigger waters, it is still a serious working port. The Nyhavn Canal was dug by hand in order to accept the larger ships (tiny by comparison to today's cargo and cruise ships). It was also a rough place, where sailors looked for food, drink, and what one reference euphemistically referred to as "ladies of pleasure." But it was also a place where some residents of Copenhagen lived, including the famous author, Hans Christian Andersen, during the period when he penned some of his most famous fairy tales. The canal is lined with colorful buildings, and the canal itself provides nice reflections. It did not disappoint that day.

Nyhavn - Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

JUST AROUND the corner from Nyhavn is large waterside theatre, and an open outdoor area with vendors and tables. We stopped for a snack and a drink there, and to relax and spend a few minutes getting to know our guide. From there, there is a very good view of the popular Copenhagen Opera House, and some modern architecture structures across the canal.

Copenhagen Opera House
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

UNFORTATELY, COPENHAGEN was one of our shorter days, and we did not have time for more, but our guide told us about a nice boat tour along the canal that went back in behind the structures across from us, and into a more residential area with nice homes and views. Next trip.

"High Rise" Apartments - Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

AFTER OUR short break, we walked just a bit further up the street to Amelianborg, the Danish Queen's Winter Residence. The remarkable complex is a large, hexagon-shaped courtyard, with a massive monument in the center, and 4, matching, but imposing residences (palaces) placed around the perimeter. One is - of course - the Queen's Residence. The others were for various purposes, including as a guest residence, or for children of the Queen.

THERE IS a very nice fountain marking the entrance to the Amelianborg courtyard, and immediately behind us (and opposite the fountain), across the canal is the Opera House. The green dome at the back of the courtyard is Frederiks Kirche (church).

WE FINISHED our tour in a large, commercial square just up the block from the Christiansborg Palace. We planned to return there where we had learned that there was an elevator most of the way up to the tall observation tower of the palace. But before we did, we spent just a few minutes walking around this very "ritzy" shopping area. One thing that made an impression on me, was something from my (distant) past. As a younger man, I wore Royal Copenhagen cologne. I still have a bottle in my closet. It was kind of a sweet fragrance and in later years, at least one person told me it was kind of an "old man's fragrance." I haven't worn it since. 😓 But seeing the "Flagship Store" in downtown Copenhagen intrigued me, so I did some research. The company was founded in 1175 in Copenhagen to produce porcelain china. The signature blue colored china was actually originally imported from China, and the style copied by Europeans, including the Danish. They did not begin making and selling their cologne until the 1970s. Probably more than you wanted to know about Royal Copenhagen. 😶

BEFORE HEADING back to the ship, we did find and ascend the tower, for some pretty great views of the city of Copenhagen, including a "long view" of our Celebrity Apex Cruise Ship.

THIS WAS (always sadly) our last stop of the cruise. There was, we felt, more of Copenhagen that we left on the table and all 4 of us agreed that this was a city we could come back to and spend more time in. We would end our cruise back in Amsterdam the following day and each head our separate ways home. But this would not be the end of cruising with Mike and Elaine. We booked a Caribbean Cruise with them for the following February. Stay tuned for our continuing adventures. But first, we would be heading back for the Mediterranean in just a short month, and then to South Africa in January 2023. Stay tuned!

I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Copenhagen

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