Copenhagen

We decided to take advantage of the summer bank holiday and spent last week in Scandinavia. We started our trip in Copenhagen, Denmark. I must admit that I knew very little about Denmark so I came as a blank slate. 

We took a boat tour that originated in Nyhavn (New Harbor), a famous historic harbor dating back to the late 1600s. It was dug by Swedish war prisoners from the Dano-Swedish war that ended in 1660. Hans Christian Anderson lived in this area for over 18 years. 

Frederik's Church is located near the current residence of the royal family in Amalienborg Palace. The outside is much more impressive than the inside, though. We came back twice to see the inside because it was closed for a wedding on Saturday. I should have been satisfied just seeing the outside because it was not worth the second trip. 

Of course, we had to try a traditional Danish pastry. It was so delicious! The custard filling was incredible. I want to go back right now for another one. 

We had lunch both days at Pølse Kompagniet. Warren's (the one on the left) had a salt and pepper sausage, pickled cabbage, horseradish, pickles, and bacon. Mine (on the right) had a pork sausage, with mustard, ketchup, tartar sauce, onion, and cucumber salad. These were way fancier than hot dogs back home!

Rosenborg Castle was built in 1606 as a summer retreat for Christian IV. There were several really interesting rooms inside and the crown jewels are in the treasury in the basement. I really like the old Dutch style architecture they used for the exterior of the building. 

Børsen is the stock exchange building in Copenhagen built in the the 1600s. It was built in the old Dutch style and is most known for the spire with four dragon tails twined together. 

Dragons seemed to be a theme throughout the city, and I especially love the one on this street light.

The Little Mermaid statue is a Copenhagen icon and tourist attraction. It was first unveiled in 1913 and was commissioned by the son of the Carlsberg founder who was fascinated with a ballet based on Hans Christian Anderson's story of the same name.

Christiansborg Palace is the seat of the Danish Parliament and was the home to the royal family until 1794. We took a guided tour of the building and really enjoyed it. Neither of us knew very much about Scandinavian history so we were able to get a lot more out of our Scandinavian holiday by joining tours (most were free with the ticket purchase) .  

Christiansborg Palace burned down twice, once in 1794 and again in 1884. Efforts were made to reuse materials that were salvageable during the rebuild. The table in this grand dining room was made from boards of the staircase and the footrest underneath was made from the banister. 

We often heard King Christian IX and his wife, Queen Louise, referred to as the "parents-in-law of Europe" because each of their children married into powerful positions. Their children include King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (married to King Edward VII), King George I of Greece (he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly), Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (married to Tsar Alexander III), Thyra of Denmark (married to the Crown Prince of Hanover). Their grandchildren include King George V of the United Kingdom, Tsar Nicholas VII of Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway. The painting below was done during a family gathering at Fredensborg Palace and currently hangs inside Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. 

Copenhagen was a great city to explore with loads of beautiful buildings, great food, and delicious salty black licorice.