It rained part of the way which made the cobblestones tricky. Now having a fine civilized lunch before we head to Malmo in Sweden tomorrow.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Liz at Cafe near to our hotel in Copenhagen
It rained part of the way which made the cobblestones tricky. Now having a fine civilized lunch before we head to Malmo in Sweden tomorrow.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday 5th July
Morning dawned and with it came rain. We were not inclined to hurry outside into it so waited until it cleared about 11 am before setting off. Our walk took us through now-familiar streets to the centre of town here we had a coffee at a bookstore near the university - a shop filled with lots of old books and curios, and interesting art works. Then we went on to the Botanical Gardens and had an Interesting walk through the well-labelled plants in the main gardens and in the cactus and tropical garden rooms. There were butterflies in the tropical room.
Nearby was the Rosenborg Palace, built in 1606-34 by King Christian IV. It has been a museum since 1838. The Danish crown jewels, including beautiful crowns of gold, diamonds, and precious jewels, the annointing sword, and many other splendidly bejeweled items are on display in the Treasury basement.
The changing of the guards occurs daily at 11.30am, with soldiers and military band in action. There are huge, beautiful old Flemish tapestries from 1700 depicting the history of Denmark hanging on the walls. Ceilings in all the rooms feature either beautiful paintings or ornate sculptures. The third floor is the Throne Room, with its marble floor and tapestries depicting the Scanian War of 1675-79 on the walls.
After that we walked to the Amalienborg Castle, this being the one where the current Queen lives. There are four castles in the complex, one for the Queen, one for the Crown Prince Frederick and his Australian wife Mary and family, one for other Royals when they visit Copenhagen, and one for visiting important visitors. Unlike Buckingham Palace, here you can wander around right up to the front door!
We meandered our way back to the hotel, with a look inside the Catholic Cathedral. There was a lady practising the organ there, a beautiful sound. The walls are lined with large marble statues of the apostles, and a beautiful marble angel is in the altar area.
Returning to the hotel we showered and met others in the lobby for dinner. Went to a tapas bar around the corner, lovely tasty food. Then back to the hotel to relax before bedtime.
Nearby was the Rosenborg Palace, built in 1606-34 by King Christian IV. It has been a museum since 1838. The Danish crown jewels, including beautiful crowns of gold, diamonds, and precious jewels, the annointing sword, and many other splendidly bejeweled items are on display in the Treasury basement.
The changing of the guards occurs daily at 11.30am, with soldiers and military band in action. There are huge, beautiful old Flemish tapestries from 1700 depicting the history of Denmark hanging on the walls. Ceilings in all the rooms feature either beautiful paintings or ornate sculptures. The third floor is the Throne Room, with its marble floor and tapestries depicting the Scanian War of 1675-79 on the walls.
After that we walked to the Amalienborg Castle, this being the one where the current Queen lives. There are four castles in the complex, one for the Queen, one for the Crown Prince Frederick and his Australian wife Mary and family, one for other Royals when they visit Copenhagen, and one for visiting important visitors. Unlike Buckingham Palace, here you can wander around right up to the front door!
We meandered our way back to the hotel, with a look inside the Catholic Cathedral. There was a lady practising the organ there, a beautiful sound. The walls are lined with large marble statues of the apostles, and a beautiful marble angel is in the altar area.
Returning to the hotel we showered and met others in the lobby for dinner. Went to a tapas bar around the corner, lovely tasty food. Then back to the hotel to relax before bedtime.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Thursday 5th July
After breakfast we cycled with Janice out to see the famous Little Mermaid statue at the entrance to Copenhagen. There were bus loads of tourists all taking photos of the little statue in the water.
We meandered back through the city and came back along the side of the canal we had cycled around yesterday.
We walked in towards the city and had lunch at a cafe. The hotel is very close to the centre of the city. After lunch we walked through the main shopping mall amidst the other thousands of tourists, and past the new library - the Black Diamond - and on to the Palace. At 3pm there was a tour in English which we joined, and it w interesting to hear the history of the Palace. This is the third Palace, the first was destroyed by fire in 1794, the second in 1884. The kings have always alternately been called Christian or Frederick. In the Great Hall are many large tapestries made for the Queen's 60th birthday in 2000, very brightly colored works which depict the history of Denmark over a thousand years.
From there we headed back to the hotel. We went for dinner in the evening to a Thai restaurant around the corner from the hotel. There were 12 of us at dinner, as most of the tour group have now arrived in Copenhagen.
Impressions of Copenhagen - a large number of pregnant women and women pushing prams, food and housing are expensive, shop assistants are very helpful, most people speak English very well.
We meandered back through the city and came back along the side of the canal we had cycled around yesterday.
We walked in towards the city and had lunch at a cafe. The hotel is very close to the centre of the city. After lunch we walked through the main shopping mall amidst the other thousands of tourists, and past the new library - the Black Diamond - and on to the Palace. At 3pm there was a tour in English which we joined, and it w interesting to hear the history of the Palace. This is the third Palace, the first was destroyed by fire in 1794, the second in 1884. The kings have always alternately been called Christian or Frederick. In the Great Hall are many large tapestries made for the Queen's 60th birthday in 2000, very brightly colored works which depict the history of Denmark over a thousand years.
From there we headed back to the hotel. We went for dinner in the evening to a Thai restaurant around the corner from the hotel. There were 12 of us at dinner, as most of the tour group have now arrived in Copenhagen.
Impressions of Copenhagen - a large number of pregnant women and women pushing prams, food and housing are expensive, shop assistants are very helpful, most people speak English very well.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Sunshine in Copenhagen
Wednesday 4th July
The hotel breakfast is served in the restaurant on the fifth floor, about level with the roof tops and chimneys of neighboring buildings. We had a very pleasant breakfast in the sun up there.
Bike assembly followed, the bikes had travelled safely from New Zealand and were soon but back together.
Janice, Liz and John went out on their cycles, first to an optician to find some sunglasses for Liz before continuing on to cycle alongside a canal. There was something missing on the cycle ride. No toots, or narrow misses by cars, nor having to watch carefully for unpredictable drivers - all the drama associated with a cycle ride in Wellington was missing! There was a cycle way along both sides of the canal, which was fringed by five-storey high apartments buildings. It had a a grass edge which the locals would use in the evenings for picnicking and relaxing on. There were a number of swans and cygnets on the water. All in all very picturesque.
After our return we wandered down to the nearby square for lunch at Cafe Obelix. The Cafe featured the characters and paraphernalia from the Asterix and Obelix books. Well, after placing our order we waited and waited. It took over an hour before we were served, then another fifteen minutes till Janice and Ruby received their meals. After another 15 minutes Des was still waiting, so he went and asked for a refund and we left. Not impressed, and the food was not good either!
We were told the chef was having a bad day. Des settled for a hotdog from the nearby stand.
Along the road was the Copenhagen History Museum, which featured a display about immigration into Copenhagen. We wandered back to the hotel and relaxed before meeting up with everyone for dinner. There were a few more people going on our trip who have now arrived. We met Bob and Gloria, who last year were in New Zealand to cycle with a man they had met doing the same tour as us the year after we did. When Liz asked if their friend was Jim Pearce, they looked at her strangely. We replied that New Zealand is a small country, and known for its two degrees of separation. Jim had borrowed our maps while he did the trip, as he comes from Timaru and knows Liz's family there.
Dinner was a pleasant meal at a small street-side Spanish restaurant. We were served tapas by the French restaurant owner, who explained that he lived above the shop. (We can relate to that)
The locals wandered out of their apartments to eat street-side at one of these little cafes situated in the basements of the apartment blocks.
After returning to the hotel we sat and chatted before retiring to bed.
The hotel breakfast is served in the restaurant on the fifth floor, about level with the roof tops and chimneys of neighboring buildings. We had a very pleasant breakfast in the sun up there.
Bike assembly followed, the bikes had travelled safely from New Zealand and were soon but back together.
Janice, Liz and John went out on their cycles, first to an optician to find some sunglasses for Liz before continuing on to cycle alongside a canal. There was something missing on the cycle ride. No toots, or narrow misses by cars, nor having to watch carefully for unpredictable drivers - all the drama associated with a cycle ride in Wellington was missing! There was a cycle way along both sides of the canal, which was fringed by five-storey high apartments buildings. It had a a grass edge which the locals would use in the evenings for picnicking and relaxing on. There were a number of swans and cygnets on the water. All in all very picturesque.
After our return we wandered down to the nearby square for lunch at Cafe Obelix. The Cafe featured the characters and paraphernalia from the Asterix and Obelix books. Well, after placing our order we waited and waited. It took over an hour before we were served, then another fifteen minutes till Janice and Ruby received their meals. After another 15 minutes Des was still waiting, so he went and asked for a refund and we left. Not impressed, and the food was not good either!
We were told the chef was having a bad day. Des settled for a hotdog from the nearby stand.
Along the road was the Copenhagen History Museum, which featured a display about immigration into Copenhagen. We wandered back to the hotel and relaxed before meeting up with everyone for dinner. There were a few more people going on our trip who have now arrived. We met Bob and Gloria, who last year were in New Zealand to cycle with a man they had met doing the same tour as us the year after we did. When Liz asked if their friend was Jim Pearce, they looked at her strangely. We replied that New Zealand is a small country, and known for its two degrees of separation. Jim had borrowed our maps while he did the trip, as he comes from Timaru and knows Liz's family there.
Dinner was a pleasant meal at a small street-side Spanish restaurant. We were served tapas by the French restaurant owner, who explained that he lived above the shop. (We can relate to that)
The locals wandered out of their apartments to eat street-side at one of these little cafes situated in the basements of the apartment blocks.
After returning to the hotel we sat and chatted before retiring to bed.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Along a Copenhagen canal
Travel to Copenhagen
Tuesday, 3rd July
Today was spent traveling. We left Amy's flat at 8.45 am for the train at Haringay Station, a walk of less than 5 minutes. At Finsbury Park we farewelled Amy, and boarded the train on the Picadilly Line to go to Terminal 5 at Heathrow. It took just over an hour to get there. After we collected our bike boxes from storage we checked in for our British Airways flight to Copenhagen. There was a long wait at bag drop (15 or more minutes) while the three guys in the queue ahead of us discussed how to re-order their 6 bags to meet the requirements of 1x23kg bag and 1 cabin bag each.
The plane was slightly delayed for take off while engineers changed what the pilot referred to as "a box of tricks down below", so we took off 1/2 hour late. The flight was mostly in cloud, but we could see the coastline of Holland as we flew over, and it was clear for the last 1/2 hour into Copenhagen. So we saw the flat Danish countryside and all the water of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
After going through Customs and collecting our luggage we went to the taxi stand where we're were pleased to see station wagons were available for hire - can't fit into a sedan with our luggage! So the taxi driver managed to fit our two bike boxes and bags and us into his vehicle, a Skoda.
It was a bit nerve-wracking during the ride into Copenhagen as he was going along the motorway holding the steering wheel with one hand while trying to get his chip card to drive the meter inserted. This meant he was distracted from his driving! The meter seemed to be ok when we started..... We think it was a scam so the fare was not recorded. When we pointed it out he quoted a rate which was what the guide book said, so that was acceptable. Apart from not being able to talk to him in Danish, and him not speaking a word of English, he also seemed to have no idea of where the hotel was. Fortunately we had the address written down and once we got to the street it was on we could find the number.
First impressions of Copenhagen were that there are lots of cyclists, also lots of tagging on the buildings heading into town.
The hotel (Copenhagen Crown) has a central courtyard, and the sun was streaming in our window. It was about 24 degrees, a very pleasant temperature.
After getting to our room and unpacking it was about 6pm. We were heading out to find somewhere for dinner when we met Janice and Des from Melbourne, and granddaughter Ruby - some of the folks coming on our cycling tour. So we all went off together by bus to the Nyhavn area alongside a canal. This is the very picturesque harbourside area often shown as one of the iconic views of Copenhagen. There were crowds of people out sitting at the various restaurants along the harbourside or eating their takeaway pizza or picnic tea. We went to a French fish restaurant and had a very pleasant meal - dishes chosen included herring, salmon, plaice and mussels.
After returning by bus to the hotel it was time for bed.
Liz & John
Today was spent traveling. We left Amy's flat at 8.45 am for the train at Haringay Station, a walk of less than 5 minutes. At Finsbury Park we farewelled Amy, and boarded the train on the Picadilly Line to go to Terminal 5 at Heathrow. It took just over an hour to get there. After we collected our bike boxes from storage we checked in for our British Airways flight to Copenhagen. There was a long wait at bag drop (15 or more minutes) while the three guys in the queue ahead of us discussed how to re-order their 6 bags to meet the requirements of 1x23kg bag and 1 cabin bag each.
The plane was slightly delayed for take off while engineers changed what the pilot referred to as "a box of tricks down below", so we took off 1/2 hour late. The flight was mostly in cloud, but we could see the coastline of Holland as we flew over, and it was clear for the last 1/2 hour into Copenhagen. So we saw the flat Danish countryside and all the water of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
After going through Customs and collecting our luggage we went to the taxi stand where we're were pleased to see station wagons were available for hire - can't fit into a sedan with our luggage! So the taxi driver managed to fit our two bike boxes and bags and us into his vehicle, a Skoda.
It was a bit nerve-wracking during the ride into Copenhagen as he was going along the motorway holding the steering wheel with one hand while trying to get his chip card to drive the meter inserted. This meant he was distracted from his driving! The meter seemed to be ok when we started..... We think it was a scam so the fare was not recorded. When we pointed it out he quoted a rate which was what the guide book said, so that was acceptable. Apart from not being able to talk to him in Danish, and him not speaking a word of English, he also seemed to have no idea of where the hotel was. Fortunately we had the address written down and once we got to the street it was on we could find the number.
First impressions of Copenhagen were that there are lots of cyclists, also lots of tagging on the buildings heading into town.
The hotel (Copenhagen Crown) has a central courtyard, and the sun was streaming in our window. It was about 24 degrees, a very pleasant temperature.
After getting to our room and unpacking it was about 6pm. We were heading out to find somewhere for dinner when we met Janice and Des from Melbourne, and granddaughter Ruby - some of the folks coming on our cycling tour. So we all went off together by bus to the Nyhavn area alongside a canal. This is the very picturesque harbourside area often shown as one of the iconic views of Copenhagen. There were crowds of people out sitting at the various restaurants along the harbourside or eating their takeaway pizza or picnic tea. We went to a French fish restaurant and had a very pleasant meal - dishes chosen included herring, salmon, plaice and mussels.
After returning by bus to the hotel it was time for bed.
Liz & John
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