Scandinavia roadtrip: part 2, Copenhagen

First Carlsberg of the trip

As we crossed the bridge from Malmö, Sweden, into Denmark, we saw blue sky, blue water and white sail boats. The bridge was long, but before we knew it we were in Denmark...yet again, no indication that we actually entered another country, and it felt more like we were crossing the bridge up to the U.P.

Following our GPS passed lots of houses that Marius described as "typical Danish", but to me they just looked like "typical northern Europe": brick homes with steep roofs. There were tons of cyclists! A lot of people bike in Norway, but Copenhagen sets the bar really high. We came to the street with our hotel and parked in the street. As well as there being two other hotels, there were also two "gentlemen's clubs", and the street smelled like pee. At least the room was alright!

We went to the tourist information center around the corner and got a map for a walking tour of Copenhagen that "should only take like three hours". We hit all the highlights and I really enjoyed the walk! We did the first half because we meandered and maybe it takes "only like 3 hours" if you don't want to stop and look at other things along the walk. The first stop was the town hall and then lunch on a cozy corner bistro.

Our tables were in the road. A few cars made 3-point turns to get around us.

The next stop on our walking tour was the Old Stock Exchange

And then the famous Nyhavn, where it is customary to have a beer. You can buy one "to go" or sit at the restaurant. Dad tried a plate of pickled herring to go with his beer...I had the Carlsberg Nordic (aka non-alcoholic) since my training didn't recommend alcohol.

Time for a group picture

Our walking tour had us weave up along the water, past the palace where the Danish royalty reside and the Marble Church. And we ended at the citadel, home to the Little Mermaid statue. Dad's first reaction: "That's it?! What a rip off!"....

Yup, that's her.

 After a long day of walking around Copenhagen, we rested up for day two at the Carlsberg Brewery. We walked there from the hotel...it was probably about 1.5 miles, and we booked the guided tour. There was surprisingly a lot to see at the brewery about the history of the Carlsberg family and how much power they had over the city of Copenhagen. In a couple of years they will tear a lot of it down and turn it into a new neighborhood, so I was very glad we got to see it.

The Elephant Gate

The old copper pots.

Of course we couldn't forget about the second half of our walking tour! Poor Mom and Dad were taken along for my brutal, only-by-foot way of seeing Europe. So we went to the Round Tower to see the skyline of Copenhagen before enjoying dinner at the oldest restaurant in the city. The morning before we drove back to Oslo, we stopped by the small, but impressive, Rosenborg Castle.

Inside the Round Tower. Along the way there were little historical pit-stops, including the old privy.

Atop the Round Tower

Rosenborg Castle

The first (more impressive) crown. There was another for the next king, but this one
was waaayyyy fancier.

I think this will have to be a three part series. Our return to Oslo will be in the next post since this one was so long. Copenhagen was a great city. A good size for a long weekend, but we could have used another day to squeeze in a little more. But a weekend was just the right amount of time for the main highlights.