Copenhagen - The Grand Tour

Rain had been forecast, but we awoke to sunny skies. As we would learn, weather is much more unpredictable here in Copenhagen than in LA or London. After a quick rinse in our tiny shower, we were on our way for day 2. As the weather looked to be good, we planned to do the Boat tour of Copenhagen.



We went down to breakfast, which was a very, very nice buffet spread. We had bacon, sausage, and eggs, but I made sure to save some room for a piece of pastry from Lagkagehuset, a bakery just a few blocks away. It turns out that they were recently voted the best bakery in Copenhagen, and they well deserve it. I could do some serious damage here.








This morning I had the Hazelnut Cinnamon Pastry. It was as amazing as I would have hoped. I definitely have my work cut out for me if I want to try to replicate these monsters.






Tony and I strolled down the quiet morning version of Stroget, which means Shopping Street in Danish, which is very busy later in the day. It is a beautiful area, built mostly in the 1800's it would appear, though occasionally, one will find buildings that are definitely from an earlier era.




We arrived at Nyhavn, which is Danish for New Harbor, and caught the 10:40 boat tour, which was just waiting for us. It was a beautiful warm sunny day (the best we saw while we were there), and it looked to be perfect boating weather as it wasn't windy.



The tour boat sailed out into the larger harbor and took in such wonderful sights as the new Opera House, which is waterside, and actually extends about 5 stories underground, or underwater. That must have been a challenge to build.






We went as far towards Sweden as the statue of the Little Mermaid. All the people on shore taking pictures of her made for quite a spectacle. In fact, she looked a little bored with all the attention.






We sailed past the building housing Noma, which recently had the honor of being named "Best Restaurant in the World". We can't afford to eat here, but I'm sure we will find something equally good.








It was a pleasant way to see the city and spend about 1.5 hours. It is as pretty a city from the water as from the land.







We arrived back at Nyhavn in time for lunch. We wandered around the city looking for one specific Hot Dog Cart that we'd read about called "Dop". They serve Gourmet Organic Hot Dogs.






The special that day was a Goat Hot Dog with Garlic Aioli sauce, Fried Onions and and Pickled Rose Pedals. It really was delicious and at $10 (after conversion), it was certainly the most expensive hot dog I've ever eaten.








But how often do you get the chance to eat a Goat Hot Dog in Copenhagen. . .








That afternoon, the moving Dop cart was located at the base of the Round Tower, which houses the world's oldest observatory. It is a really cool structure, but after the hot dog, we didn't feel like climbing all the stairs to the top.





Not far from the Round Tower is Rosenborg Castle. It was originally the summer palace for King Christian IV, and was situated outside of town. It is now part of a large urban park and is surrounded by the city. Of the castles we've visited, I could learn to live in this one. Charming. . .






It is still located on a manmade island surrounded by a moat. It is a beautiful manor house, and it is said to have been designed by Christian IV himself. It is here that he died.

The Royal Treasury is housed underneath the castle. There are some beautiful things to see in the castle including an ornate gold inlaid Colt flintlock pistol given to Fredrick VII by our own Abraham Lincoln.


We wandered around the lovely gardens enjoying the warm afternoon air. Many of the locals seemed to be doing the same. A beautiful final weekend of summer. I can only imagine that it must get much darker and colder here than it does in London over the winter months.



But for now, the wonderful roses dispel such thoughts. . .






Before we knew it, it was time for our afternoon coffee and pastry. We found the Holm Pastry booth, and grabbed a very nice danish. Sitting on the edge of a large fountain in a beautiful European square, we took in Copenhagen and wondered why there aren't more public spaces like this in the US.



The ones in Europe just feel so natural and organic in their creation and use - a pleasant and inviting way to pause and enjoy an afternoon.










At least I enjoyed it. . .







After a brief break at the hotel, it was time for dinner. We went back the same square that we had enjoyed the pastry earlier to a restaurant that served traditional Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs) and potato salad. We sat at a table enjoying the balmy evening weather.





And of course a Danish Carlsberg Beer.

Copenhagen - The Journey Begins

Tony and I have been trying to get to Copenhagen for a while. Finally, we are on our way. We got up very early - 3am, were picked up by a taxi at 3:45 (the bus we needed wasn't running this early) to make our way to Liverpool station to catch the 4:05 train to Stansted Airport. Liverpool Station is a really pretty station that is often overshadowed by the larger stations such as Paddington, St. Pancras and Victoria.

Unfortunately, we got to the station only to discover that the 4:05 train only runs on Monday and Friday, and not Monday thru Friday. I misunderstood the schedule. Turns out I wasn't the only one though, as there were a few others that arrived about a half hour before their train too. Tony was thankfully fairly pleasant about it.

While walking around the station, I found a neat little statue of some kids. Evidently a bunch of children fleeing the holocaust on the mainland were ferried over to England to foster parent who met them here at Liverpool station.

Before long, our train arrived, and we took off for Stansted. It was an easy journey from London to Copenhagen. We arrived in Copenhagen to a strangely deserted terminal. It was a little creepy.




However, the wonderful Danish Modern design of the terminal made for a clear and easy transport to the baggage handling area. There we were greeted by luggage carts that could have been something right out of the Arne Jacobsen (famous Danish designer) catalog. One funny tradition that we saw in the airport was the proliferation of Hot Dog stands. Evidently, it is tradition for Danes to eat a Polser (hot dog) immediately after returning from abroad. It was only 10 in the morning at this point, and we weren't ready for a Hot Dog.



We made our way downstairs to the easily accessible train station that would takes us to the center of town. Very, very convenient. If only LAX had something like this. . .





Fifteen minutes later, we were emerging into downtown Copenhagen. It is a beautiful city that was spared most of the devastation ravaged on London. The tall clock tower stands proud on the skyline chiming out the time every fifteen minutes from 8am - 12 midnight. As our hotel was only a block away from it, we had to wonder about the intelligence of this decision. . .




We were staying at the Hotel 27, which was an easy walk from the train station, and a very nice modern boutique hotel. It was very European with very small efficient rooms, yet a very nice full (organic) breakfast.



We went for lunch at a cute little Danish restaurant known for serving smørbrød, very traditional open faced sandwiches. I had a pate with bacon and pickled beet smørbrød.



From there, we took off to explore the town center. The largest palace is Christiansborg. It no longer serves as home to the King, but is where the parliament assembles. It is a grand building with beautiful grounds.



Next to the palace is the Kings Library. Once the library of royalty, it has been expanded on the seaward-side and is now a beautiful modern public library.



It is an amazing merging of the old and the new and nice that the modern side of the library is not visible from the traditional gardens of the old. It was an interesting experience to enter the modern library, but while walking through it, to find oneself back in the older classic rooms. Very well done.





We walked along the seawall, and admired the beautiful town. It was a cool overcast afternoon, but the town was still lovely.







We wandered over to Neuhavn, the heart of the old shipping industry. It is now a pleasant public space with many outdoor restaurants.








It is here that famous author Hans Christian Andersen lived while writing the beloved Copenhagen classic, "The Little Mermaid".



We found Tony his customary vacation afternoon Ice Cream. The Danes are very big Ice Cream eaters, and ice cream shops are very common.





I, however, had my eye on Danish Pastry. It wasn't long before we came across a shop, and I tried my first real Danish Snegl. Snegl means snail, and refers to the rolled appearance of the danish. There are many, many types. The most common that you see here are the Cinnamon Snegl, Direktor (chocolate topped) Snegl, and Apple Snegl.



They are all delicious. And believer me, I tried as many as I possibly could over the four days that we were there. My favorite proved to be the traditional Cinnamon Snegl.



Sometimes the simplest is still the best - A classic. I can't wait to try making them when I get home.





Tony and I stopped in at the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain store. I always remember my grandmother having their Christmas plates. It was fun to see the flagship store from where they all came.










Inside, there is a demonstration of how the porcelain is glazed with the Royal Copenhagen blue color.






They even showed the new 2011 Christmas plate under construction.



Tony and I have collected plates from many of the various countries we've visited that are known for their ceramics. It seemed only natural to add a Royal Copenhagen plate to our collection.



From the store, we continued up the Strøget, the worlds longest pedestrian shopping street, past several other Danish Pastry shops that I logged into my mind for the next day.



We ultimately arrived at the Town Hall - a massive building that certainly shows the importance that Copenhagen has in regards to shipping and trading.












Copenhagen is still home to the headquarters for Maersk, the worlds largest container shipping company.




And directly across the street from City Hall is the Palace Hotel, which was built around the turn of the century, and was a marvel in Danish Art Neuveau architecture. Sadly, it has been remodeled several times over the years, and all that remains of the original design is the exterior and a few paintings showing many of the original designs for the interior and its fixtures.






That evening, we decided to have an early dinner and retire after a very, very long and busy day. We grabbed a beer from a local microbrewery called Nørrebro Bryghus at a sidewalk cafe, then went to a fun restaurant called "Tight". It is run by an Aussie and a Frenchman. They have a signature burger that was amazing. However, we had a rude awakening when I started to do the conversion Danish Kroner to American Dollars. Our beers each cost $10, and the burger cost $20. Guess the dollar just doesn't go as far as it used to. . .

With a full belly (and an empty wallet), we headed off to sleep. . .