Denmark is a new country for both of us and we are really looking forward to the cooler temperatures after three months in Medellin and then SE Asia with continual 80’s and 90’s. We have had a lovely three and a half weeks stateside in Newport, RI; Asheville, NC and Boston seeing six of our nine grandchildren and four of five children. We have had numerous dental, dermatology and hair appointments but we are now done and ready to explore a new city and culture. We flew overnight to London Heathrow and then on to Copenhagen. BA muddled our reservations so we didn’t have seats together and they left off TSA pre-check even though everything was booked with them in January. Jim left Sandy’s blue blazer in the overhead bin on the first flight and London TSA took a favorite pair of scissors from Sandy’s luggage so not a perfect trip but that’s life isn’t it?
We rented a car and drove from Newport to Boston on Saturday May 31 for a hair appointment prior to our early evening flight.Our friend Peggy dropped us off at terminal E Saturday afternoon.Double decker plane that we board from the lounge.A few hours of sleep and it is Sunday morning in London.We had a great taxi driver in Copenhagen who gave us a tour of the city en route and then helped us carry our luggage the last 100 meters to our front door and helped us find the key and made sure that we got in all right. This is the front door and the locked key box was hidden behind the bicycles.We are in a 7th floor corner penthouse suite with 360° views of Copenhagen and its surrounding harbor.We can actually see Sweden looking out these two windows.Jim’s comfy recliner for watching the French Open.Guest bedroom # 1and # 2.Large deck with a lovely little Weber gas grill. Jim has already grilled lamb chops and eggplant.Top left is our home for two months.Heading out on our first walk, came across these two very large swans.Looking across the inner harbor to the Marble Church.First night dinner trying Cambodian food in Copenhagen. Not as good as the real thing in Cambodia.The official name of this church is Frederik’s Church but it is commonly called the Marble Church even though it is made of sandstone. We will return here when it is open and will try and climb to the top.Wandering home from dinner we passed this store. Steen Marcuslund is the founder of STEEN. A fashion house based on the premise of luxury travel. The STEEN style comprises minimalist-chic suitable for travel, lounging and on-the-go wear. Sounds perfect for us.Day two we are walking to this church to climb the spire.View of the church from our deck.Freetown Christiana is an intentional community and anarchist commune which started as a squatter community in 1971. Didn’t go in this day but something to come back to.Here we are, time to start climbing.398 steps and it ends here.Nice views from up here on a beautiful day.You can see our home from up here.After the climb we went into The Church of Our Saviour.Always lighting candles for friends and family.This city is reminding us a lot of Amsterdam.The largest department store in Copenhagen.A high end market chain, pronounced Menew. Y equals our flat U, ew.This is Copenhagen’s pedestrian shopping street which at 1.1kms is one of the longest in Europe.So many beautiful fountains in this cityOur third walking day we decided to detour to the Opera House which is visible from our deck.This structure sits right on the inner harbor and has five stories of parking underground.The opera house is in a direct line with Amalienborg (the palace complex in the foreground) and Frederik’s Church.We just wander with no set destination and learn so much about the city and our surroundings.Looking back at the opera house from a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge that we found which is a real shortcut for us into the inner city.This is the iconic area of Nyhavn.Hans Christian Andersen’s home.This is the picture that all of the tourists take.On the way home to have grilled lamb we decided to stop for oysters and bubbles at Tom’s Oyster Shack which we highly recommend.We met Tom who is originally from Westport Connecticut but has been living in Copenhagen with his Danish wife for 24 years. His Oyster bar is right out of New England.We tried one each of his four varieties of oysters, he pointed out the G spot on this one.Day four, we are taking the bus into the city center for a free walking tour by Politically Incorrect. This grey heron was at our bus stop.Sebastian, our tour guide, was definitely politically incorrect, he also seemed to be on the spectrum and maybe a little ADHD to boot.Christiansborg Palace once home to kings and queens now houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. The tower is the highest in Copenhagen offering breathtaking views of the city.An old church that is now an art gallery and restaurant. Sebastian chose this place to tell us about the state of religion in Denmark. He told us that most Danes do not affiliate with any religion and hence some of the beautiful churches have been repurposed. However a google search revealed that as of 2024 71% of the population of Denmark were registered members of the Church of Denmark which is Protestant in classification and Lutheran in orientation.Hotel D’ Angleterre is an iconic 5 star luxury hotel in the very heart of the city which was established in 1755 and is a result of a love affair between two young people. Jean Marchal, a French servant and Maria Coppy daughter of the Royal chef fell in love. Maria’s known for cooking and Jean knew everything about serving the privileged. Together they established this hotel and Michelin star restaurant.Amalienborg, referenced above, is a palace complex which has four identical classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagonal courtyard. The current monarch of Denmark is King Frederik X, who ascended the throne in January 2024 after his mother, Queen Margrethe abdicated. He is married to Queen Mary from Tasmania and they have four children. They are extremely well liked by the people in Denmark.
A video of the changing of the guards.The courtyard of Amalienborg has a view of our apartment which we have circled in this photo.The tour ended here and we are going to the Marble Church by ourselves.Fredericks Church, more popularly known as The Marble Church is Evangelical Lutheran and also has a tower to climb with great views over the city. We didn’t know about the tower climb when we were there so something to come back to.Spectacular domed ceiling.Day 5 we decide to explore the very industrial looking area just north of us called the above name or just Reffen for those of us who have difficulty with the Danish language.View of the area from our deck. We found a Hart Bakery here which is Copenhagen’s most popular bakery.We followed a sign pointing out a farm to table restaurant and came across this. We immediately made a reservation for lunch the next day.The garden of the above mentioned restaurant.A complete surprise out of no where, a quite sizable street food venue. This is only a 15 minute walk from home and may become our regular mealtime place to visit. Copenhagen is known for its food scene, from Michelin-starred restaurants to street food stalls. Its selection of markets offers an affordable range of ethnic cuisines so no need to cook at home.The food court is right on the water.Our first viewing of The Little Mermaid. You can see the crowd of people on the other side of the inner harbor. We learned she has been vandalized numerous times. Her head was stolen in 1964, her arm was cut off in 1984. In 1998 vandals removed her head again but it was later returned, before the statue was blown up in 2003. It has also been tagged and painted many times most recently in 2020 with the mysterious inscription “racist fish”.Very funky industrial area.This is the door to The Alchemist Restaurant which is billed as a dining experience that will last from 4-6 hours. The price for the experience plus a basic wine pairing is $1,150 per person and booking a reservation is extremely complicated and requires that you book at least 2-3 months ahead.There are no reservations available at the present time, not that we would spend that kind of money for any meal.. This is a nondescript warehouse looking building with no signage of any kind.Further down in another warehouse was an immersive Titanic Experience which we decided to participate in. This is Jim on the foredeck of The Titanic.This was an interesting but sad experience. We found that it was very well done and would recommend it if it comes to a city near you.Day 6 we decide to investigate two other very high end restaurants near to us out here in the country. This is Noma, a three star Michelin restaurant and five time winner of best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine.Looking into their dining room. Between 12 and 16 February 2013, 63 of 435 diners became ill after eating at Noma from Norovirus given to them by a kitchen employee. This restaurant only charges $675 per person to book.This is Noma’s garden.This is our lunch which we booked on day 5. Mushrooms grilled over an open outdoor grill with fennel and celeriac root mash with a quinoa salad. The Negroni has their own organic bitters as Campari which is usually in a Negroni is not organic. The gin and sweet vermouth are also organic. This meal cost us $114. What a deal.
We have really had a great week and it feels so good to be back into our groove of exploring a brand new city with a temperate climate. Our first house guests are arriving on June 8 and we are very excited about that.
Enjoying my walk down memory lane. Loved CPH. If back near Tivoli Garden again, City Hall across the street has an very nice tour of the building.
Your place looks amazing. Enjoy this pretty city.
Laurie says to go to Louisiana, a contemporary art museum. You can take a train to the museum. She says it is a must-see place. I knew you would like Copenhagen.
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