Danes ARE Great
So I realize I'm a bit tardy in posting pictures of my Copenhagen trip, but I finally got around to putting up a few, below. It really was a great time. Friday it rained all day, but I still walked around and saw some great sites. The castle that serves as their seat of government, their absolutely amazing national library, more gorgeous blue-eyed blondes, that sort of thing.
Saturday morning I got up and walked to the train station. On the way I stopped at a little sidewalk cafe and got some toast and coffee for breakfast. It was around 9:30 or so when a group of 8 or so Danish men and women came over, sat down, and all ordered a pint of beer. For breakfast. I love this place. Took the train up to Helsingor, the city on the narrowest part of the strait seperating Denmark and Sweden. Saw the town, but more importantly, toured Kronenberg Slot, the coolest castle I've seen yet in Europe. It used to be the "tollbooth to the Baltic" because they'd levy a fee from any ships going through the strait (Denmark has a very remarkable history...) and they'd fire on anyone who didn't pay (the strait is narrow enough, although apparently Admiral Lord Nelson managed to make it past in 1801 to attack Copenhagen). Also, it's the location upon which the castle in Hamlet is based ("Helsingor" = "Elsinore" in English, although I have to say, I didn't find a single thing rotten in the state of Denmark).
Got back to Copenhagen (or "C-town" as I like to think of it; not to be confused with the town of the same nickname in east-central Connecticut) around 3 or so and took a boat tour around the city's many canals. It was the first nice weekend day they've had in Denmark (by "nice" I mean "sunny with the temperature hovering around 60 or so"), so everyone in the city was out enjoying it. People were packed sitting along the docks and piers and quaywalls and jetties and other nautical things that line canals and harbors that people can sit on. Walked around one of the mile-plus-long pedestrian streets for awhile and came across the best street-performing band I've ever heard. There were three of them, one on guitar, one on drums, and one singing. They played Marley and sounded like Marley. They played Stevie Wonder and sounded like Stevie Wonder. They played Kelly Clarkson and sounded like...okay, no they didn't. But they were great. Also, everyone in the city was pretty much plastered by about 8 p.m., probably because they all started drinking at the same time as my breakfast friends.
Went to a couple of bars both Friday and Saturday. I was very impressed with how almost every single bar there has some sort of live music; mostly a guy on acoustic guitar singing, sometimes with another singer. And all very good, too. Saturday night I was just going to have a drink and then go back to the hotel to rest up for my early-morning flight, when I met this (fairly drunk) older American couple who said I reminded them of their son. They kept buying me drinks, so who was I to refuse? Except that they KEPT buying them, so when the guy left to use the restroom, I took the opportunity to duck out and get back to the hotel. Very nice people, though. Well, except that they were from Long Island and he was a Yankees fan (although she was a Sox fan from NH originally, so I suppose it was okay).
All in all, easily the best solo trip I've made in Europe. Too bad I couldn't get anyone to come up for the weekend; would have been even more of a blast.
The view from my hotel window at night. It's the brand-new Copenhagen Opera House.
They have publicly availible bikes. Drop in a coin the equivalent of ~$3 and ride it all around the city; get your money back when you're done.
The touristy (and locally trendy) area of Nyhaven.
The seat of the Danish Parliament, Prime Minister, Supreme Court, and Queen's official offices.
All in one handy spot.
Kronenborg Slot, or Hamlet's castle. Whichever. Either way, it's pretty darn cool.
The national library. It's even cooler on the inside. (Not that I would ever go to a foreign country and purposely check out their library...no, not me.)
My next apartment. It's a converted torpedo boat hanger. The condos go in excess of $2 million. The girl on the right is Amy, our tour guide. I'm pretty sure if I ever get back to Copenhagen, I'm going to propose to her.
During our canal tour, we were fortunate enough to witness this Danish warship firing on and chasing down a foreign invader. Or not.
A view of my hotel (the right-most big building) from the water.
Nyhaven on a sunny day (same place as the third picture from the top, above). On the right, you can see my peeps waiting to greet me on the pier after my successful sea voyage.
Saturday morning I got up and walked to the train station. On the way I stopped at a little sidewalk cafe and got some toast and coffee for breakfast. It was around 9:30 or so when a group of 8 or so Danish men and women came over, sat down, and all ordered a pint of beer. For breakfast. I love this place. Took the train up to Helsingor, the city on the narrowest part of the strait seperating Denmark and Sweden. Saw the town, but more importantly, toured Kronenberg Slot, the coolest castle I've seen yet in Europe. It used to be the "tollbooth to the Baltic" because they'd levy a fee from any ships going through the strait (Denmark has a very remarkable history...) and they'd fire on anyone who didn't pay (the strait is narrow enough, although apparently Admiral Lord Nelson managed to make it past in 1801 to attack Copenhagen). Also, it's the location upon which the castle in Hamlet is based ("Helsingor" = "Elsinore" in English, although I have to say, I didn't find a single thing rotten in the state of Denmark).
Got back to Copenhagen (or "C-town" as I like to think of it; not to be confused with the town of the same nickname in east-central Connecticut) around 3 or so and took a boat tour around the city's many canals. It was the first nice weekend day they've had in Denmark (by "nice" I mean "sunny with the temperature hovering around 60 or so"), so everyone in the city was out enjoying it. People were packed sitting along the docks and piers and quaywalls and jetties and other nautical things that line canals and harbors that people can sit on. Walked around one of the mile-plus-long pedestrian streets for awhile and came across the best street-performing band I've ever heard. There were three of them, one on guitar, one on drums, and one singing. They played Marley and sounded like Marley. They played Stevie Wonder and sounded like Stevie Wonder. They played Kelly Clarkson and sounded like...okay, no they didn't. But they were great. Also, everyone in the city was pretty much plastered by about 8 p.m., probably because they all started drinking at the same time as my breakfast friends.
Went to a couple of bars both Friday and Saturday. I was very impressed with how almost every single bar there has some sort of live music; mostly a guy on acoustic guitar singing, sometimes with another singer. And all very good, too. Saturday night I was just going to have a drink and then go back to the hotel to rest up for my early-morning flight, when I met this (fairly drunk) older American couple who said I reminded them of their son. They kept buying me drinks, so who was I to refuse? Except that they KEPT buying them, so when the guy left to use the restroom, I took the opportunity to duck out and get back to the hotel. Very nice people, though. Well, except that they were from Long Island and he was a Yankees fan (although she was a Sox fan from NH originally, so I suppose it was okay).
All in all, easily the best solo trip I've made in Europe. Too bad I couldn't get anyone to come up for the weekend; would have been even more of a blast.
The view from my hotel window at night. It's the brand-new Copenhagen Opera House.
They have publicly availible bikes. Drop in a coin the equivalent of ~$3 and ride it all around the city; get your money back when you're done.
The touristy (and locally trendy) area of Nyhaven.
The seat of the Danish Parliament, Prime Minister, Supreme Court, and Queen's official offices.All in one handy spot.
Kronenborg Slot, or Hamlet's castle. Whichever. Either way, it's pretty darn cool.
The national library. It's even cooler on the inside. (Not that I would ever go to a foreign country and purposely check out their library...no, not me.)
My next apartment. It's a converted torpedo boat hanger. The condos go in excess of $2 million. The girl on the right is Amy, our tour guide. I'm pretty sure if I ever get back to Copenhagen, I'm going to propose to her.
During our canal tour, we were fortunate enough to witness this Danish warship firing on and chasing down a foreign invader. Or not.
A view of my hotel (the right-most big building) from the water.
Nyhaven on a sunny day (same place as the third picture from the top, above). On the right, you can see my peeps waiting to greet me on the pier after my successful sea voyage.
posted by Chris at 9:43 PM
2 Comments:
awesome pics!
One of the better sets I've posted, I think. Although in retrospect, I think I would have posted less text at the top prior to the pictures. But I'm too lazy to go back and change it now.
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