Copenhagen

Clearly I don't do a good job with frequent updates.  But I'm going to take a break from the regular talk about Bergen because this weekend, I'm in COPENHAGEN!

Day One

To get the cheapest airfare from Bergen to Copenhagen, I had to catch a flight at 6:45 am.  Which meant waking up at 4 and walking to the bus stop while it was drizzling.  Clearly Bergen was upset that I was leaving for the weekend.  But I wouldn't let the weather get me down because I was pretty exciting to go on this trip.  Plus, the bus to the airport was crowded and I had to stand (which I didn't think was a big deal since it was a quick 15 minute ride), which apparently means I didn't have to buy a ticket!  I'll stand every day of the week if it means I can save a few (or 50!) kroner.

After landing in Copenhagen, the first thing I noticed was all of the bikes!  There were bikes EVERYWHERE!  And all of the streets seem to have a bike lane and sometimes there are even streetlights specifically for bikers.  Compared to hilly Bergen, Copenhagen is incredibly flat, which probably helps explain why so many people bike.  I like this about the city.

 Just a few of the bikes that I've seen so far.

Before leaving for Copenhagen, a family friend suggested that I hit up a cafe called La Glace.  She said they had the best hot chocolate ever.  So the very first thing I did once I landed (aside from being amazed at all the bikes), was search for the cafe.  It took a while and a few wrong turns, but eventually I found it!  Realizing I needed Danish kroner since they didn't take US credit cards, I hit up an ATM and then finally got to enjoy the hot chocolate!  Definitely a great way to start my trip.

 Hot chocolate and a yummy pastry from La Glace.

After filling my belly, I still had a few hours to go before I could check into my hotel.  At the airport I had purchased a Copenhagen Card (which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting), which got me free admission to many of the city's museums and attractions, including the zoo!  I have always loved checking out the animals (assuming they have large enough enclosures) and this one certainly did not disappoint.

 Hippos at the Copenhagen Zoo.  I probably sent too much time watching these guys, but they were pretty interesting.  I liked their ears!

The bears were also pretty entertaining.  They kept climbing up the tree trunk in their enclosure!

After the zoo, I walked back to the main downtown area and it was time to check into my hotel.  I'd like to say thanks to the strip club across the street (and the one next door) for keeping my hotel fairly cheap.

 Too bad my room is on the inside of the hotel so I can watch people as they go in and out.

My room is nice and cozy.  It's small (as I expected it to be), but the bed is comfortable.  Plus I feel very European since my bed just has a comforter and no top sheet.  How fancy!

 Yay for a big bed!  My bed at Fantoft is only a twin, so this was a treat.

After dropping things off at my hotel, I wanted to do a little sight-seeing.  First I went to the Rundetarn, or the Round Tower.  It's right in the really touristy part of town, so it was super easy to find.  You can walk all the way up to the top and stand on the roof to get a good look around the city.

The Round Tower from the street.

And a view from up top!

To finish off my first day in Copenhagen, I decided to go to Tivoli, which is the world's second oldest amusement park.  I wasn't looking to go on any of the rides or to eat at any of the restaurants, but I thought it would be fun to walk around for a bit.

The gate of Tivoli.

One of the first things I came upon was the Peacock Stage, which is where they have pantomime shows.  I only watched about half of one, but it seems to be about the relationship between a young girl and her forbidden lover.  And lots of silly pranks, of course.

The theater.  The peacocks tail opened up to reveal to stage.

Some of the performers.

The best part of the show was definitely the peacock that randomly walked by!  I guess they're free to roam around Tivoli.  His squawk sounded awfully like the bird Kevin from the movie Up.

PEACOCK!

Though it was only 7:30 at night, I was exhausted.  Waking up at 4am definitely took it's tole on me.  I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep, but first I noticed the lights had been turned on at Tivoli.  They were pretty cool looking!

Lighting the path.

Day Two

The plan of attack for my second day was to hit up a lot of museums.  It wasn't supposed to be great weather, so I figured I should spend the day inside.  First up was the art museum.  It was a beautiful building, but I've got to say that I've never been that interested in art.  I was probably only inside for about thirty minutes.  My mom would be proud by how little time I spent there.  My dad would be appalled.  

The art museum.

One of the works of art in the modern art half of the museum.  I thought it looked pretty cool.

Next up was Rosenberg Castle.  Standing in one of the parks downtown, this is probably one of the easier castles to visit if you're in Copenhagen.  Some of the other ones are a bus ride away, but this was within walking distance.  The castle houses the Royal Collection, which includes things as varied as past kind's desks to their thrones to their crowns.

View from outside.

In the mirrored room.  The only proof I have that I was in Copenhagen.

Thrones.

Crowns!

Continuing with the royal theme, I next visited Amalienborg Palace.  Here there are four identical buildings surrounding a courtyard (and a statue of someone on a horse.  The Danish love to portray their important people on horses).  I believe the queen currently lives in one of these buildings.  One of them has been turned into a museum.  I probably wouldn't recommend visiting this particular museum because it mainly had dresses that the queen has worn to royal events.  Not exactly my cup to tea.  But the buildings are beautiful!  I'm really impressed with all the gorgeous architecture in Copenhagen.  All the buildings have so much history behind them.  Most of the photos that I've taken are just buildings that I think look really nice since nothing in the United States even comes close to this level of history and grandeur.

One of the four mansions at Amalienborg Palace.  Do note the beautiful blue sky.

A view of another of the buildings, this time also showing the king on his horse statue and in the background the dome of Frederick's Church.  Now the sky is cloudy and depressing.  This photo was taken probably thirty minutes after the first one.  It was such a windy day and the clouds were flying by, which made the weather pretty unpredictable.  Cloudy one minute, then sunshine, then rain.  Just make up your mind!

After I got my fill of royal artifacts, I was wandering around the waterfront and stumbled upon a sand sculpture contest!  Some of them had really great designs and all were impressive.  The sand castles I make at the beach are pretty basic and underwhelming compared to these! 

A Greek themed sand castle.

I think this one was based off Copenhagen landmarks.

Man with bunny ears?

Finally to finish my long day of exploring Copenhagen, I took a harbor cruise.  It might not have been perfect weather, but it was nice to see so much of the city in a short period of time.  Plus it gave me a chance to relax since I had been walking for the previous six hours or so.  I also realized that I take really terrible photos.  Below is the only one I'm willing to share.

View of the Nyhavn from the water.

Alright, that about wraps up my first two days in Copenhagen.  Today looks like it's beautiful and sunny, so I'm going to head out and do some more adventuring!  I'll be sure to write a second update detailing my remaining time in this great city.