Denmark, August 2024
This holiday has been a long time coming. The first half of 2024 was monopolised by moving house (selling one, and buying another) and my travel bug was itching to get back out in to the wild and what a place to satiate that itch – Greenland, with a stopover in Copenhagen on the way over, and Reykjavik on the home.
It did concern me a little when the ‘guide book’ I ordered called ‘Greenland – Everything you need to know’ came in the post and it was 93 pages long and only 5mm thick! Surely there is more to know about Greenland??
But I am getting ahead of myself, first was the trip from Christchurch to Copenhagen via Singapore. I’ve said it before and I am sure I will say it again, I love how it easier it is to get to Europe when I can fly to Singapore directly from Christchurch. No mucking around with unnecessary stopovers in Auckland. Another great thing about the Christchurch – Singapore route is that it is a day flight and you get an amazing birds eye view of this beautiful world we live it. From the braided rivers and snow covered Southern Alps of New Zealand, across the vast barren landscapes of Australia to the volcanic islands of Indonesia.
A 5 hour layover at the airport in Singapore is never too much of a problem as there is lots to do, but to be honest, after a quick walk around the shops and the purchase of some sleeping tablets to help me readjust my sleep patterns. Oddly I was asked if I wanted non-drowsy sleeping tablets? That sounds a little counterintuitive to me 😂 I settled in the lounge for some food and quiet time. I also took the opportunity to have a shower – which became a lot less relaxing when I noticed all the black mould on the ceiling!
Back on a plane for my final flight of the ‘day’, 13 hours to Copenhagen. With a sneaky upgrade to premium economy and a couple of my non-drowsy sleeping tablets I managed to get about 9 hours of unrestful sleep lol. 😜 Hopefully enough to get me through the day ahead.
I have been to Copenhagen before, for a weekend many, many, many years ago but don’t really have much of a memory of it so this is all new to me and from the minute I arrived I loved it! The immigration staff were lovely, happy and chatty, bag collection was quick and easier and there were no customs officers that I could see so I walked straight through. I purchased a ticket for the metro and within 30 minutes of landing I was on the ‘train’ to the city centre.
The Metro was more of a shuttle, the kind you normally find to take you between terminals in large airports but it was easy and efficient and 30DKK (around NZ$7) to my stop. I exited at Kongens Nytorv into a beautiful park, surrounded by gorgeous old buildings. Even the rush hour traffic (which was predominately people on bicycles (was quiet and orderly).
It was only a short walk to my hotel (despite the weight of my backpack) in the Nyhavn area. It is clearly quite touristy but so beautiful – a canal flanked by brightly coloured narrow houses and lined with old sailing ships. After dropping my bag at my hotel my first priority was coffee and I found a cute café along a side street where I enjoyed a coffee and a croissant (fresh from the oven) sitting outside. I do forget how much I love this side of Europe.
Only 9am and the lovely man at my hotel confirmed by room was already ready for check in so I could freshen up and get a little organised before I headed out for a day of sightseeing. As I had time, I walked the 20 minutes to the meeting point for the walking tour, on the steps of the current City Hall to meet the group and guide – a Romanian girl. I always feel a little ripped off when the guide is not local, as I feel you miss out on all those little stories and experiences only a local would have to share. That said, she was lovely and shared lots of interesting information.
As I mentioned , the meeting point was at the current City Hall, which is in fact the 6th one the city has had. It was built in 1905 and inspired by the Sienna City Hall in Italy. Bishop Absalon sits proudly in gold on the building and appears frequently around the city. He was sent to Copenhagen to save it from attackers in the 12th century – at that time Bishops were more than just a religious figure head, but also warriors and politicians.
Much of what we see around the city today dates back to the 1800’s as the 1700’s was marked by two great fires. The first in 1728 was burnt down half the city. The second in 1785 which burnt down the other half! One of the few buildings that escaped was the old Stock Exchange building which had a huge fire earlier this year!
We wandered through Nytorv (or New Square), past one of the previous City Hall’s which is now the Court House and down narrow houses lined with beautiful old houses. One of these houses was the birth plan of Carl Jacobsen, founder of Carlsberg. Our guide was not very complementary about the nation’s most famous beer but she did note that the Carlsberg Foundation is very active in beautifying the city.
A few interesting notes about the Danes. Firstly, they are all very nice and friendly, until they get on a bicycle. Then they will run you over if you get in their way 😝. Secondly, they are mostly definitely rule followers, perhaps even on par to the Japanese. Our guide warned us to only cross the road at crossings and always wait for the green man. Apparently failure to do so can result in a fairly hefty fine! Finally, there are more pigs in Denmark than people – population of people is around 6 million, population of pigs is around 13 million!
We walked along the oldest street in the City, Magstraede and learnt that after the fires in the 1700’s, they started building corner buildings without sharp corners as it was easier to pull fire hoses around buildings with ‘flat’ corners.
Next, we passed what was the historical city board and crossed over to ‘Castle Island’ and Christiansborg Palace. The palace we see today, sits on the site of 800 years of previous palaces/castles, remains of which can be found on display in the basement. Today’s building was built in 1907 and houses the Danish parliament offices and is also still home to the Royal stables. Some of the horses were being exercised in front of the palace during our visit. The site was the principal home to the Royal family until the late 1700’s, when, sick of all the fires, they moved to another part of the city. As a side note, I learnt that all Royal males in line for the throne are called either Christian or Frederik!
We visited the beautiful gardens of the Royal Library and learnt that the Dane’s are considered some of the happiest people on earth. One reason for this is attributed to the Danish concept of Hygge. The idea of creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life and sharing time with loved ones. Being cosy at home with friends and family is what gets the Danes through the winter months and apparently Dane’s are some of the highest consumers of candles, in an effort to create a warm, cosy environment. Sounds like something we should all do more often.
Another reasons for their perceived happiness is the welfare state. People are well looked after by the Government – education (including university) is free, healthcare is free, lots of paid leave, great maternity/paternity leave etc. So people feel comfortable and secure. It is worth noting however, tax is very high with the lowest tax bracket starting at 37% and many of the population paying over 50% tax!
We passed a large statue Bishop Absalon in full on warrior mode on horse back. As I mentioned early, he was sent to the city to protect it. Copenhagen (meaning Merchants Harbour) had started as a small fishing town, but due to its strategic position (near the entrance to the Baltic Sea), they started imposing taxes on visiting ships and grew in wealth, making it vulnerable to attack. Bishop Absalon was the man to protect the rapidly growing new city.
We had now weaved out way through the city and back to the area where I had got off the Metro in the morning. The area is called the Kongens Nytorv (or Kings New Square), built in the 1650’s it is surrounded by beautiful buildings, most of which are based on buildings from other great European cities.
From here we walked to Nyhavn (or New Harbour), today one of the most famous sites in the city and where I was staying. It was a different type of attraction the 1650’s when it was built and was packed with drunken sailors, tattoo parlours and brothels! In the 1960’s a society was formed to clean up the area, many of these businesses were shut down, and in 1977 when the area was used for a temporary display of old sailing ships. It was so popular, they decided to leave the ships there, the buildings were restored and many restaurants and shops catering to tourists opened. The only thing that remains from that time is a tattoo parlour in the basement of Nyhavn 17. It is apparently the longest, continuing tattoo parlour in the world and in the 1970’s the then King, got a tattoo there!
By this time of the day the area was packed with tourists and I was glad to have experienced it early in the morning when it was quiet and calm.
The next suburb across (Kvaesthusgraven I think) was a complete contrast. Built in the 1750’s, the wide boulevard style street is lined by beautiful houses. This is a reflection of the so called ‘golden age’ of Denmark, when the country flourished with proceeds from colonisation and the slave trade.
The walking tour ended in the beautiful Amalienborg. Originally built in 1700’s as homes for 4 wealthy noblemen families, the mansions are now home to the Royal family when they are in the city. The square is ‘guarded’ by 4 guards (similar to those at Buckingham Palace in England) and just off the square is the beautiful and highly decorated Frederik’s Church, based on St Peter’s in the Vatican City.
I was interested to learn that Denmark has the longest reigning monarchy (all one family) in the world – over 1,000 years. However, they have now been a democracy for 175 years, with the monarchy being more of a ceremonial role.
I found a place just back from the Nyhavn tourist traps to have lunch, but given the prices I may not have gone far enough back 😂. I had a traditional Smørrebrød or open sandwich of pork and a Carlsberg – probably not the best beer in the world but it almost seemed mandatory when in Denmark! For NZ$50 for a sandwich and a beer, I was not impressed that I had to make the sandwich myself 🥴. If I were staying here any longer, I would definitely be eating from convenience stores or supermarkets for most meals!
After a recharge nap, I headed out again to do a city ‘cruise’, which conveniently went from a small wharf just a minute from my hotel. Oddly, one company charges 60dkr and the other 165! I decided to wait for the cheap one, which was an hour away (they had earlier boats but it was now raining on and off so decided to wait for the one with a roof). Despite the roof, they had left many of the windows open so many of the seats were wet (as were the rags they had to wipe them dry) … and the boat was full. Of course, closing the windows helped to keep rain out, but meant you could not really see anything out the windows, or take photos. 🥴 I am never happy 🤣🤦🏻♀️, but I had to remind myself that I was the ‘cheap’ boat after all.
Some of the highlights of the ‘cruise’ were the famous Little Mermaid (from behind), which has now been voted one of the most ‘disappointing’ tourist sites in the world and the huge, ship like, new Opera House (donated to the City by the owner of the Maersk logistics and shipping company which has it’s headquarters near by).
We travelled through Christainhavn (Christain’s Harbour) built by a previous King Christian (number 4 (IV) to be exact) in the early 17th century. Christian IV loved to build things and based this area on Amsterdam to try and encourage rich Merchants from Amsterdam to move in. It did not work and he left the country bankrupted after his death.
We were dropped back at a slightly different point as the rising tide meant that it was no longer possible to pass under the low bridges and I was ready to head back to my room, repack and have some sleep, before my big day tomorrow.
Cockneykiwi takes flight 