The Crown of Copenhagen

We called a cab from the train station to take us to Admiral Hotel, an old world building, formerly a granary warehouse for unloading ships from the sea, dating back to 1787, located on the harbor.

Up close, these canons at the front entrance look like they came directly from the Vasa in Stockholm.

Giant timbers seemed to stand as trees in the foyer, the halls, and also our room at the Admiral Hotel.

I never bumped my head coming and going from my laptop at the desk in the corner at the left.

A patio door opened up to the harbor.

We were on the fourth floor which gave us a view of yachts, the modern opera house, and sand castles.

It was 9:30 p.m. and we hadn’t had a decent supper so we took an elevator downstairs to the Salt Bar and Restaurant.  We were very happy with the hotel recommendation of our neighbor back home.

That’s my plate — “white asparagus, butter poached, and crudite with terragon emulsion, a quail egg, and salted pork tenderloin.”  It was pretty fabulous.  We sat outside, where an electric heater in the canopy of the table umbrella kept us warm.

The next morning we went on a walking tour.  Throughout our Nordic journey, we’ve seen colorful buildings like this, beginning in Bergen.  Actually, we’ve seen them throughout various parts of Europe.

The sand castles were part of a show that we saw from our window and later up-close.

This is the first time we’ve seen those tall colorful buildings lining both sides of a canal.

We saw unusual water fountains on our self-guided tour of Copenhagen.

And men on horseback and steeples on buildings that were not churches.

This one was a church, however; and it was the Cathedral of Copenhagen, also called the Church of Our Lady.  From 1445 to 1648 the Church of Our  Lady was used for the monarch’s crowning ceremonies.

We also found Tivoli and waited in line to buy tickets that morning.  Tickets didn’t go on sale till10 a.m.

Tivoli included fountains and flowers and it was really quite pretty.

A replica of the Taj Majal — there were restaurants on the ground level — was attractive with or without a perspective with the flowers.  We suspected nightlights would give another perspective of the place.

In some ways, Tivoli reminded us of Valleyfair in Shakopee only I think these rides were worse.  When it started raining, people still went on the rides.  Even when it was wet, it was still warm.  Mothers and grandmothers came with rain gear for strollers and carriages that kept the babies and kids dry inside.

We bought train tickets later that afternoon for a half hour ride to Roskilde to see the Danish Cathedral where all the royalty is buried.  It was phenomenal inside and outside.

The Cathedral at Roskilde was interesting in many ways.  We couldn’t believe the ornate settings and coffins throughout the church in the various rooms.  Many royalty were also buried underground.

I wanted Jenny to see these church pews since she’s been looking for a church pew for her entry room in her home at Tioga, ND.  No, these were not for sale.

The ornate pulpit was something else.

We walked several flights of stairs to the second, third, and fourth floors where dozens and maybe hundreds of other caskets and burials of Danish royalty were displayed.  Seeing the Cathedral at Roskilde was totally worthwhile, giving us an appreciation of the Danish people and their history.

We caught a train back to Copenhagen and walked back to the Admiral Hotel, continually amazed at the hundreds of people who ride bikes in this city — like in Amsterdam.

We recalled that in Amsterdam, parking lots for bikes were bigger than parking lots for cars.

That evening we strolled Nyhavn Street, trying to decide at which of the dozens of sidewalk restaurants we should eat.  We walked at least a couple of blocks, and back, and finally picked one that was serving bowls of steamed clams.  The clams were plentiful and perfect.  We learned this stretch of cafes was called “The Longest Bar in the World.”  The street runs parallel to the harbor and we watched yachts come in for the evening to dock and eat.  Some of them spent the night in place.

Determined to see as much of Copenhagen as we could in our allotted time, we bought tickets for the “Hop On, Hop Off” bus, but we just hopped on and hardly ever hopped off.  We enjoyed hearing the recorded messages (which came in different languages) that told us about what we were seeing.

We were told that this is where the Queen and her assistants sit out of the sun, and in privacy, as they wait for their yacht to pick them up in the harbor.

This water fountain is all about a mythical young girl driving a team of bulls across the land.

One of our hop offs was at the Rosenborg Treasury, where all the royal jewels and precious gifts and china and other gilded items are safely kept under lock and key. 

We were required to check all of our bags, backpacks, and cameras in a locker.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside the Treasury.

We were surprised to see The Little Mermaid sitting by herself on a rock.  We had forgotten all about this little seawoman made popular in a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen.

We read that The Little Mermaid is the most photographed sculpture in all of Denmark.

This is the backside of the Admiral Hotel.  The Salt Bar & Restaurant is at ground level behind the yachts.

We had walked across the harbor to see up close the elaborate sand sculptures (21 of them) on exhibit.  They can remain intact for up to three months in the Danish summer weather, which includes rain.  The sand artists came from four continents for the show.

That night, at the recommendation of a neighbor in Victoria back home (Bent Lyder), we had dinner at the Skindbuksen, located down a narrow street in Copenhagen.  This used to be a gathering place for carriage drivers; after they delivered important passengers, they spent the afternoon drinking beer here.  My fried liver and onions were outstanding.  We stopped at a nearby ice cream shop for dessert.

The next morning — it was Wednesday, July 18th — we packed our suitcases, and did some sightseeing immediately next to our hotel.  This is the plaza of the Royal Residence, where Danish royalty live.

The Royal Residence encompasses a large square plaza where there are royal guards at all the entrances.

The guards walk back and forth and keep an eye on things, including us.

This fountain, which is next to the Royal Gardens, is also next to the Royal Yacht, which was parked right outside our window at the Admiral Hotel. 

We were told that Royalty often have their social gatherings in the Royal Gardens, which are walled off.

The mast on that one yacht in the background says “Danish Crown.”  The large building on the right is our hotel.  That’s as close as we got to royalty — except for Tyinholmen where royalty stayed.

Some of the workers on the Royal Yacht clowned around for us.  Goodbye, Copenhagen.

The domed building in back of Allan (above) is The Marble Church which is under a total renovation by the Evangelical Lutheran Church.  Marble is a sedimentary rock, formed under pressure, and can come to deteriorate and crumble.  It’s different than igneous rock which was formed under heat, like from molten lava … according to Allan, who took geology classes when he was studying to be an engineer.

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