Day 11, 23 June 2014 - Copenhagen - 10.10 am arrival on overnight train, Bag dropped and into action - Visit to Christianborg Slot (Palace/Castle - including Royal reception rooms, the ruins beneath and the stables), Cruise on Copenhagen's Canals. Shower after 32 hours of grubbiness - Bliss!

I once said that you can either travel or write about it - there is sometimes just not time to do both. It's been like that recently. Surprise, surprise, I was a bit tired after the last day in Amsterdam and then 15 hours on the overnight train (though the sleeper was pretty good). I met some new people and we shared a bottle of Israeli wine lugged in a back pack all the way from the Golan Heights. Arrived on time at 10.10 am Monday, ditched my bag and immediately got into it - onto a bus to Christianborg Palace. This castle/palace is on the aptly named Castle Island, right in the centre of town (front of castle is pictured today). It's actually the seventh castle type dwelling to exist on the site since 1167 when Bishop Absalon decided a castle would be perfect to fortify his realm. Now what with constant upgrading, destruction in wars and two catastrophic fires (this is officially Christianborg Palace #3), this place has seen some changes over 850 odd years. And it seems like they've all be documented - phew! Checked out the State Reception Rooms which contained many items rescued from the last fire in the late 1800s. This version of Christianborg was started back in 1907 and finished a few years later - so it feels much newer than I'd expected - but still decorated to the nth degree in utter luxury - it's now the home to the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court - and the Queen borrows the rooms occasionally for state functions. One of the minor problems of travelling alone is not having anyone to say oooh/aaah to. This place was so amazing I was reduced to saying it out loud to myself. Might have contributed to it being 99% empty - I hit a sweet spot between coach loads and I can only compare it to how visiting Versailles would feel after hours. Having accomplished the State Reception Rooms it was back over the road to join the 12.15 pm Canal Tour of Copenhagen. You could be forgiven for thinking enough with the canals after 8 days in Amsterdam, but it proved to be a great way to get my bearings and see a lot of the major sites from the water - the old Navy area, the hippie town of Christiana, the Royal Library, the Opera House, the old Stock Exchange, Christianborg Palace from the canal, Amalienborg Palace and the Marble Church, Christianshavn, houseboats, colourful Nyhavn, Our Saviour's church with the external staircase and of course, the wee lassie with fishtail sitting on a rock - Copenhagen's famous Little Mermaid statue. Well I saw the back of her - the front was an array of tourists snapping away. After the cruise it was a well deserved (and awesome) wok lunch and then I travelled 850 years back in time. I headed under Christianborg to see the ruins of the original structures - Bishop Absalon's castle and the first Copenhagen Castle. Amazingly preserved. One of the tiny pieces of small history on show was a tile (a new-fangled building method in Denmark in 1167 - they picked it up from Italy). It looked like a clay tile and when it was being made a cat run over it and left it's mark in history (see today's photos). Can only imagine and angry tile maker jumping up and down and carrying on and a cat sitting in a corner, licking wet cement off it's paws. After the ruins I headed into the back yard and strolled around the royal stables - the horses are on their summer holidays unfortunately, but there were some interesting exhibits - including a stuffed horse - that won a man a bet, but then dropped dead (losing the ultimate race). I took a stroll around Radhauspladsen (Town Hall Square) and then strolled back to my digs via the front gate of Tivoli Gardens - one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe (and on the list for Wednesday). Finally checked in, I delighted in some extra space - still has shared facilities, but my room at Nebo has almost twice as much space as the eagle's nest in Amsterdam. Most important of all was the comfy bed - which I immediately put to good use - Copenhagen Day 1? Done.