Epic Honeymoon - Day 50 - Copenhagen

Den Lille Havfrue.

One of the main attractions of Copenhagen is of course the culture and history. As a child, I grew up with some of the poems of Hans Christian Andersen, as most kids do. As an adult, in the last few years, I have got right into the TV series of Vikings, so that’s seeing the history of this part of the world from a completely different angle! After returning from this epic adventure, I also watched a Danish drama on Netflix called The Rain, so it was cool to spot a few landmarks in that which I’d seen with my own eyes in this fabulous city.

The following day, we ventured, on our morning exploratory stroll, slightly further west and came down Hans Christian Andresen Boulevard, which led us past Tivoli Park and straight to the Rådhuspladsen, or City Hall Square. We looked into visiting the former before we got here, but didn’t fancy spending a whole day at an amusement park when there were things to see!

Entrance to Tivoli Gardens.

Rådhuspladsen.

Weaving a different route towards Nyhavn, and then further on, passing Sankt Annæ Plads – a gorgeous avenue with a tree-lined park down the middle – and Frederik’s Church, a marvel of Danish architecture and the largest domed church in all of Scandinavia.

Sankt Annæ Plads.

Frederik's Church.

But our destination of this very long walk was further still, and as we rounded the star-shaped military island of Kastellet, we arrived to cast eyes upon Den Lille Havfrue: The Little Mermaid.

The moat surrounding Kastellet.

St. Alban's Church.

Gefionspringvandet: a 1908 fountain depicting Norse goddess Gefion.

Another view of Kastellet.

And little, she certainly is! Much like our little peeing friend back in Brussels, any photos you have seen of The Little Mermaid statue, sitting calmly out here on the main inlet to Copenhagen’s harbour (if you can call it as such), have likely given you an incorrect impression of her size! But nevertheless, she’s just one of those things you should see when you visit Copenhagen. The backdrop leaves a little to be desired, though, with various factories and buildings of Refshaleøen making for a bit of an industrial intrusion. But it is what it is!

Ariel sits upon her rock.

I don't recall Ariel having a swan friend.

She's only about 5m behind us, so you can see she's indeed quite little!

We made our way back to town via Amaliegade which took us straight to Amalienborg, the Queen’s winter residence. And we could tell we were in a ritzier part of town with some of the cars parked along the street! The orange Lamborghini even had a parking ticket worth about AU$100 – but when your car is worth several thousand times that amount, who cares about a chump change parking ticket??!

Some cozy seats to beat the Autumn chill.

Oh, so here's where I parked...!

As it turned out, our timing for arriving at Amalienborg was perfect, as we were treated to a changing of the Danish Royal Guard. I’ve never personally witnessed the changing at Buckingham Palace, but I think it is similar. The guards themselves do have a similar demeanour, which is fair – they are officially royal protectors, even if it’s not quite as literal as it once was. I motioned politely to enquire if Avy could have a photo next to one; he obliged, noting that she must be on the opposite side to his gun, and that should could not be too close.

Not too close now.

Amalienborg Palace.

Amalienborg Palace.

Changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace.

Tennnnn... hut! Or whatever the Danish equivalent is...

Some tourists were in their way, and the lead guard shouted "MOVE!"

Continuing back into the city, we strolled down Strøget again, doing a bit of window shopping. I took delight in finding a book of “Find Holger”; I was a MASSIVE fan of “Where’s Wally” as a kid, so to find him in a different country, complete with a local-specific name gave me a good chuckle!

And here's where I parked my backup car.

Fancy a quick coffee?

A delightful Autumn scene.

Walking back past Nyhavn.

Culturally adjusted Wally!

On our wanders yesterday, we had passed a fancy cake shop called Konditori La Glace, situated down Skoubogade, just off Strøget. It’s quite the hotspot, presumably with a lot of tourists, so we joined the line and waited our turn for a fancy afternoon tea. It was not particularly pricey, given the grandeur in the window, so I’d definitely recommend stopping in for a tasty slice of cake!

Lining up for Konditori La Glace.

Some fancy cakes in the window.

This ain't your average cake shop.

Looks delicious!

A wonderful afternoon tea.

After stopping off in our hotel for the free happy hour drinks, we set out for dinner; Asian food cravings had set in again! After a quick search on Google Maps, we found a place called Chin Chin, about 15 minutes’ walk across the bridge just behind our hotel. A light drizzle made us hurry along, but we got there. It’s a small place, but we were lucky to snag a seat in the back corner and tuck into what turned out to be some pretty tasty dinner, and a nice end to day 50.

The Danish love their bikes!

Unnamed sculpture at the west side of Dronning Louises Bro.

A little Thai curry to warm the cockles.

We tangle with the Swedish border on Day 51!