The devil is in the details

Wonderful Copenhagen

One of the best parts of last night was that I got a little taste of home: not only did we chat about Copenhagen and Denmark and what to see when I went sightseeing, but we also talked about other fun stuff. P. and J. and I talked quite a bit about shoes and shopping and home-type things. There is a shopping area in Copenhagen (more on that later) and P. recommended a Danish clothing store, Vero Moda and explained how I could shop tax free. It was a very dangerous conversation. :)

I had a little trouble sleeping last night, so I slept in until 9 and then got ready in my exceedingly small bathroom. I spent most of the day re-tracing the walking tour that I did with the boss on Tuesday, but I had a much better time since I was by myself and since I got to take more time and actually go into a lot of the places on the trip.

I started close to my hotel at Radhuspladsen, the City Hall Plaza. Radhuspladsen is a very nice, yet very commercial square. A street called Strøget comes off of the square. Strøget is a sort of a backbone of Copenhagen and is about a km long (actually it is five continuous pedestrianized streets, I think Strøget translates to either something like "the walking street" or "the shopping area".) The whole street is full of shops and cafes. I walked down Strøget and browsed in the shops (I decided to browse first and buy later once I knew all that was available since my hotel is quite close to Strøget.) I also took about eleventy billion pictures throughout the day, so you will eventually get to see all of it.

Part way down Strøget there is a square called Højbro Plads, which features Slotsholmen and Christianborg Slot. Slotsholmen is an area where Denmark's national government sits...the Superior Courts, Royal Reception Rooms, parliament and the prime minister are located there. Christianborg Slot houses many of those offices. However, Christianborg Slot is most interesting because it is the site of Absalon's fortress, Copenhagen's original fortress and sort of the founding site of Copenhagen in 1167. The ruins of Absalom's fortress as well as other castles (Copenhagen Castle) that were later built on the site are also there. I toured all of the ruins and the castle as well as the buildings in Slotsholmen itself for quite a while and enjoyed it very much.

I deviated a little from the book's walking tour after seeing Slotsholmen to see a sight that J. and P. had recommened very highly: Rundetarn (The Round Tower). Overall, Copenhagen is a pretty low city (as in it doesn't have many tall buildings) Rundetarn is one of the taller buildings in Copenhagen and it is possible to climb to the top to see views of the city. There was a lot of walking to get to the top, but the view was certainly worth it. I took tons of pictures from the top and then went back down to see Trinity Church which is attached to the tower. Both were wonderful things to see...I am glad that I got the tip to go there. While I was in that general vicinity I also walked over to Copenhagen University, though I didn't end up seeing much of it. I got a little lost getting back to Strøget and my walking tour, but I figured it out eventually.
After that, I continued down Strøget and saw more old buildings and squares.

At the end of Strøget, one gets to the canal district, specifically Nyhavn canal. I walked around Nyhavn (I might go back there tomorrow to take a boat tour) which is a really neat area along the canal with lots of cafes along the street. I am told that it looks like Amsterdam, but I wouldn't really know.

I continued my little tour from Nyhavn to Amaliehaven (Amalie Gardens) and Amalienborg Slot, the castle that the royal family actually lives in. The gardens are really beautiful and they look out over another canal. Across the canal is the Opera House, which is quite a nice view. I didn't get to see the changing of the guard at Amalienborg Slot today like I did on Tuesday, but I did tour the castle. I wasn't allowed to take pictures there, but I think that's okay. I am not sure that I could have properly captured the beauty and richness of the castle. It was an unbelieveable sight. I tend to like looking at the architecture and furniture the most, and both were spectacular at Amalienborg. I was particularly impressed by the way the rooms were set up (this was actually true of Kronborg yesterday as well)...it looked like the King had just left and would be back any minute. I could easily picture people living there.

Amalienborg is adjacent to Marmorkirken (The Marble Church). I actually thought that Marmorkirken was the main part of Amalienborg the first time that I saw it. Marmorkirken is an outstanding church and an amazing site as well. I was also not allowed to take pictures there, but believe me that it was unbelieveable!

From the Amalienborg area I walked to the Kongens Have area. Kongens Have is a landscaped garden that is gorgeous. It is sort of like Boston Common...an area where lots of people are outside on the lawns sitting and chatting and having fun. Next to the gardens is yet another castle, Rosenborg Slot. Rosenborg was where the royal family lived in the 17th and 18th centuries (before moving to Amalienborg) and it is now the royal treasury. Rosenborg is an amazingly beautiful castle on the outside and has all of the thrones and crowns on the inside. Again, no pictures from my tour of Rosenborg, but it was great. I think I need a throne and a crown. :)

After Rosenborg, I walked back towards my hotel. I browsed a little more in Strøget along the way and did a little shopping. I bought a nice amber necklace (amber being very popular here) and ended up back at Vero Moda, the store that P. recommended. I LOVE Vero Moda. I ended up buying a couple of tops there as well. I liked a coat too, (and it was on clearance!) but I decided against it. I still might go back. I'm getting a little worried about how I'm going to make everything fit back in my suitcase (and then there's the issue of how much I've spent...)

I've been chilling back at the hotel for a little bit (it's nice to sit down after all that walking!) and now I have to go and meet J. and P. to hang out. I have bits and pieces of more commentary, but I'll save that for later. Today was another great day!

posted by Immunegirl @ 11:00 AM