Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen
Jolly old queen of the sea ...

Hints and highlights from our time here.

Getting around
The transport system is inexpensive and easy to use, but we stuck to walking. You see so much more this way. We probably covered an average of 15 kilometres a day, so that helped counteract the bread and beer. The city is full of bikes and we quickly learnt to be careful not to walk in the designated bike lanes. Unlike Asia where you find mum, dad, three kids, a bed and some chickens all on one bike, here you cycle alone or have a big wooden box at the front of the bike to hold spouse and child. Everyone seems very respectful on the road and pedestrians never jaywalk.

We did do the obligatory canal cruise, and while it was lovely to view the city from another angle, the commentary left a lot to be desired. Because it was given in three different languages, it was rushed with very brief information. I knew more about the sights from my bit of research than from what the guide told us.

There is a lot of Metro construction work going on at the moment and unfortunately the city landscape is marred because of this, especially many of the large open squares which I am sure will look most lovely after the work is completed.

The People
Danes are a very erect people. They stand tall, walk tall, ride their bikes sitting tall. They look healthy and glowing, perhaps from all that exercise of riding bikes. They are mostly long and lean, blonde and tan, especially now as summer is well underway. Everyone, from babies to senior citizens, is a deep nut brown from the tips of their toenails to the base of their hairline. Perhaps with so much winter they feel the urge to suck every last ray out of the sun while they have the chance. Not sure what the rate of skin cancer is here, but the sun seems to have added a few wrinkles to many a face.

In general, the locals seem rather cool and aloof, though they do respond cheerfully enough when approached. I guess most Australians have a bit of Crocodile Dundee in them and just feel you should smile readily and say hello to everyone.

Food
As we all know, one of the best ways to get to know a country is through our stomachs. Rather more expensive than at home, never-the-less, one must eat. We mostly ate street food, especially from markets which seem to pop up everywhere. A Danish pastry and coffee for breakfast always went down well (the cinnabuns are to die for) and one of their yummy sandwiches for lunch or dinner was always very filling. The ice-cream is also rather delicious, but our best buy was a kilo of fresh blueberries for $5, a real bargain compared to what we pay at home. The beer is great (after all, it is the home of the famous Carlsberg). Luckily for us it was very expensive, otherwise we might have indulged more.

Sights
We loved strolling through the cobble stone streets, the lush public parks, and along the waterfront paths. The buildings are so different to home and I cannot think of a better word for them other than to say they are so very Danish, the older style buildings happily co-existing with modern Danish architecture of sleek lines and angles and metal and glass. The area of Nynhavn is particularly colourful with the old houses that line the canal. The earliest house dates from 1671 and the street has long been famous for its sailor bars, restaurants and night life. One of the things I found most interesting was that Hans Christian Andersen lived here for many years in three different houses and wrote some of his most loved stories here. Another highlight of this spot is that we lunched here with Mykel, a past pupil we taught in Dominica many years ago.

We enjoyed seeing the statue of the Little Mermaid, but the areas surrounding her position were even more interesting. We walked through Kastellet (the citadel), one of the best preserved fortresses in Europe. Built in the 17th century, it sits on a large star shaped piece of land surrounded by water, and houses the oldest in-use barracks in Europe. It is an oasis of green with a lovely windmill, old cannons and a running track for fitness enthusiasts.

Museums
There are many interesting museums here, but with limited time you have to pick and choose. We chose to be thrifty and visited a couple of free ones. We hit the jackpot because they were exceptional.

At the National Museum we travelled through Denmark's history from 12,500 BC when the first hunters immigrated (although some 2.5 million old stone fashioned tools from Botswana were also on display) to the Viking Age (800 to 1050 AD). We skipped a few thousand years as how brains were about to explode with all that interesting knowledge and moved on to the years of WW II. Here we were moved to tears through a special exhibit, "The White Buses", which tells the story of how ordinary people achieved extraordinary things by rescuing 17,500 prisoners from Nazi concentration camps between December 1944 and the end of the war in 1945.

The Black Diamond - Denmark's Royal Library - holds such treasures as Gutenburg's Bible and the diaries of Hans Christian Andersen. Not only are the contents of the building exciting, but the building itself is quite something. The polished black granite exterior sparkles with the reflection of the canal water, and hence its name.

Palaces, Gardens and Towers
Palaces abound and we seemed to run into one at every turn. For almost 600 years Copenhagen has been the seat of Danish monarchs belonging to a royal house that goes back more than 1,000 years in history. (And now our Mary is a part of this history.) What struck us was the casualness and openness of these places to the public. You could stroll just about anywhere through palace gardens and grounds, picnic on the grass if you want, with none of the heavy security of certain other countries. While the guards on duty at Amalienborg, where the royal family resides, were at attention, alert and dressed in hats similar to England's Grenadier Guards, the guards on duty at Rosenborg Castle, where the Crown Jewels reside, seemed especially casual. They were in army clothes, looked around while at attention, chatted happily to tourists, and seemed very relaxed. Well, relaxed until someone tried to stand in their guard house for a photo. Then they yelled, so I guess they were alert the whole time.

As well as these two palaces, we also visited the Christiansborg Palace in the heart of the city on Castle Island. It houses the Danish parliament, the Prime Minister's office, the Supreme Court and reception rooms for the Danish monarchy. It also has the highest tower in the city and we were able to ascend it (for free) for some rather spectacular views of Copenhagen.

The loveliest thing about all these palaces is the beautiful gardens around them. The King's Garden at Rosenborg Castle is particularly attractive with lush rose gardens, extensive green lawns and trees, sculptures, etc.

Summing up
Five days has been a good length of time to see all the main sights and to scratch a little below the surface of the city. We were blessed by warm weather and blue skies, though there is always a cool wind that can suddenly whip in from the water and surprise you. No wonder they have so many wind turbines here. (So much power was produced by Denmark’s wind farms one day last month that the country was able to meet its domestic electricity demand and export power to Norway, Germany and Sweden. How about that, Tony Abbott?)

Suffice to say we have thoroughly enjoyed our short stay here in wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, jolly old queen of the sea.