After a 3 hour drive to Harwich, our boarding of the ship (Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas) was practically effortless. We really don't touch our luggage too much, so I absolutely love that. Of course I'm still dead tired and I feel a nasty little cold coming on. After sailing 1.5 days, I assumed I had enough sleep a couple more days, we docked in Copenhagen, Denmark.

God Dag!

This area could be described as the most beautiful in Copenhagen, and stretches from Esplanaden to Lystbådehavnen, the pier of Langelinie and Frihavnen. If you walk along the outer harbour of Copenhagen, you will be able to enjoy a breath of fresh air from Øresund. You will also pass Churchillparken with its English church, Frihedsmuseet (a landmark to World War II), the Gefion Fountain, the statues of Frederik IX and Princess Marie, Langeliniepavillionen restaurant, the Little Mermaid, and the Mylius-Erichsen Monument (to the people who died during the Greenland expedition 1906-07). Last but not least, is Frihavnen, with its warships and huge cruise liners, and recently a new housing and business district. From Langelinie you can see over to Holmen, where the yacht of the Royal Danish family, Dannebrog, usually lies anchored. After all my day spent out in Copenhagen, I missed seeing the Little Mermaid.

To my amazement, there were Hop ON Hop Off buses awaiting our arrival. I didn't know these were available here. I didn't want to use all of my Danish Kroner and the tour guides accepted U.S. Dollars, so I paid my $30 for the day.

I hopped off near Frederick's Church (The Marble Church). Frederikskirken is the high point of Frederiksstaden, a part of Copenhagen that includes the royal palace of Amalienborg, and Amaliehaven (the Royal Gardens). The style of this church is Baroque. Architect Nicolai Eigtved began construction of the building in 1749, but he died and the church was not finished until 1892. It is built with primarily marble, and most people call it "Marmorkirken", the 'Marble Church'. With its enormous and beautiful copper dome, inspired by the Church of Saint Peter in Rome, it is part of the Copenhagen skyline. The church was recently restored and cleaned of smog stains, and now it stands beautifully - bright and shimmering in the sun. A visit to the interior is also a great experience.Services were being held, so there was no touring allowed in the church until later. I thought it quite nice that many parishoners rode bikes to and from church and not all were dressed up. For a few moments, I thought about what the parishoners were thinking about us. "These ghetto tourists." We were all sitting on the steps, some blocking the parishoners paths to walk, me bending over tying my tennis shoes.

After taking pictures of this absolutely gorgeous church, I walked over to the Amalienborg.

Built by Frederik V to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the House of Oldenborg, Amalienborg consists of four palaces built around a square. These are Moltkes Palace (Christian VII's palace), Schackske Palace (Christians IX's palace and residence of Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik), Levetzaus Palace (Christian VIII's palace and residence of Crown Prince Frederik) and Brockdorfske Palace (Frederik VIII's palace). Architect Niels Eigtved was heavily influenced by the rococo style. Of the four palaces, Moltkes Palace is considered the most outstanding. When Christiansborg burned down in 1794, the royal family moved to Amalienborg, since then it has been their official residence. The square is dominated by Saly's equestrian statue of Frederik V (1723-1766) which, together with the palace buildings, forms a breathtaking architectural ensemble. Lovers of the royal family flock to the square once a year to celebrate Queen Margrethe's birthday.

I was there too early to catch the changing of the guard, but I did catch two guards marching near their posts. There was an Asian lady who tried to get a picture with one of them, when the guard marched towards the corner, but her photographer would always, turn another way. That was funny to watch, because she tried at least 3 times. I watched that fiasco, until it I was tired of looking at them. I headed over to a fountain (don't know the name of it), took a few photos. Then I headed over to the water to take a few shots of the Oresund. There were hundreds of Jellyfish (Man of War , whatever, you want to call them), in the water. All different sizes and colors. Got a few shots, but they weren't the best. I left there and tried to follow my map, but was turned completely around. I ended up at St. Alban's Angelican Church. This was not on my tour, but was still a cute little church. The parishoners rode bikes here also. Next to the Church was Gefion Fountain.

The Gefion Fountain is in Churchillparken, at the end of Amaliegade. From the fountain, you have a magnificent view down to the square at Amalienborg. The sculpture is situated next to the lovely natural area of Kastellet. The huge, dynamic sculpture, revealed in 1908, was created by Anders Bundgård. In this sculpture it is Gefion, the energetic Norse goddess, who swings her whip over her sons. The backs of the oxen swell under the strain and water sprays up from behind the wheels and the plough. The water coming out of the nostrils of the oxen emphasises the dramatic action and the power and strength the oxen put into their work. The official name is 'Gefion'.

According to an ancient legend, Gefion was the goddess who ploughed the island of Zealand out of Sweden. The Swedish king Gylfe offered the goddess Gefion as much land as she was capable of ploughing within one day and one night.

Gefion received help only from four oxen. She had transformed her four sons into immensely powerful oxen and had them plough so deeply in the ground that they raised the land and pulled it into the sea. This is how the island of Zealand was created.

The lake Vännern in Sweden approximately resembles the shape of Zealand, proving that there must be some truth in the story!

This is another beautiful Fountain. I walked around this area and over to the pier again. I saw 2 golden domed cottage-like structures. These are where the Royal Family sit to await their water transportation. I then walked and walked and walked until I ended up at Kongens Nytorv. This was the beginning of the "Stroget/Georg Jensen." The big pedestrian shopping street. Buses, trams, cars and bicycles were banned in 1964 to allow for the thousands of shoppers, that walk down this open air market. The 'cheap' end is at Rådhuspladsen, with simple bars and burger joints, but things get more expensive further down with stores like Gucci and Birger Christensen. Some come here to shop, others just to see and be seen. Walking down Strøget is always an experience; Denmark's national poet, Klaus Rifbjerg, summed it up in a song titled Imagine Walking Down Strøget Dressed In Your Light Blue Pyjamas. First things first, though. Had to buy my souvenirs. Of course, you always head to the most crowded store there is. Bought my goodies (everything is terribly expensive) and headed down on a recommended chocolate shoppe, only to be disappointed. They were closed. Next stop, the Round Tower.

Built in 1637-1642, the Round Tower was originally an observatory connected to Trinitatis Church, but is now one of Copenhagen's best-known landmarks. King Christian IV's monogram is displayed on the building, as is a beautiful lattice designed by Kasper Fincke. Tower visitors can see a mysterious inscription by Christian IV. The top of the tower offers fantastic views over the city's rooftops.

Bought my ticket and climbed the winding ramp which seemed neverending. This walk was a huge challenge. Made my way up to what I thought was the top, only to find that I still had to climb a very narrow winding staircase. But the circular view of Copenhagen was spectacular. On my way down, I stopped to use the bathroom and was happy that I'd packed my toilet paper, as there was none.

Rådhuspladsen is at the heart of Copenhagen. Here, you find the Town Hall, and the house of Politiken, where neon signs provide the passers-by with news from all over the world. Also the Palace Hotel, the Bus Terminal, outdoor restaurants, newspaper stands and the famous Danish pølsevogne (hot-dog stands) are all here. Rådhuspladsen is an important social meeting-point, and a place for magnificent views of the Tivoli fireworks. Rådhuspladsen was originally built in the shape of a shell; the model was the big square in the Italian town of Sienna. I left there and got lost again, but found a Hop On Hop Off Bus Stop. Thank goodness because I was tired of walking in circles. Boarded and addressed my postcards.

I hopped off at Tivoli. Founded in 1843, Tivoli is located where the once-fortified city's ramparts used to be, and the park's on-site lake is a remnant of the city's moat. Children of all ages visit year 'round for the old-world carnival-style atmosphere and the exciting attractions. Test your mettle on a number of extreme thrill rides (including "The Demon" and "The Spinning Top"). Tamer rides and activities are in abundance as well. Young ones will not want to miss the grand carousel or the aquarium. Older folk tend to congregate in and around Tivoli's nearly 40 bars and restaurants, some of which are tres gourmet and may date as far back as 1843. World-class live entertainment is always provided, and the festivities get kicked into high gear during the Christmas season. I took a few photos around here as I was not in the mood for an amusement park.

I turned around only to find "Boomtown" (internet cafe) right behind me. I had planned on going there but couldn't find it. I ducked in there about an hour. Then waited for my bus and headed back to the ship. The bus arrived and I was on my way. There jsut wasn't enough time to see everything I wanted to see.

On the way back to the ship. the Hop On Hop Off bus goes to the end of this strip where all tour buses line up. I had started out this way, so I knew what was about to happen. There was an older British couple in the seats in front of me. The bus was approaching a very low bridge. It actually comes very close to it, so that the driver can back up and turn around, so passengers can exit to the right. Evidently the couple were unaware of this turn. The wife threw her hands up and let out a little shout (not loud though). The husband seemed a little startled too. I tole them, "the bus is going to turn around." The husband was like, "I didn't know if he could see where he was going." I laughed. The wife turned around and said, "your laugh is wicked." I'm thinking it was awful or too loud and apologized. The wife said, "no, it's quite lovely." I thanked her. So all of you who think my laugh is too loud, it's actually "WICKED."

This night after dinner, Ellen and I talked until about 5 or 6 the next morning. We both hadn't realized we'd been talking that long. 5 or 6 hours straight. From one subject to the next, but it was really nice. Thank goodness for Sea Days. Had I had to get offhte ship, I don't know if I could have done anything tomorrow.

Farvel Copenhagen!