Suzanne's Blogs: Copenhagen Denmark in three days!

Wednesday, September 11 found us flying to Copenhagen Denmark. We experienced a bit of culture shock arriving in this city of 1.2 million people after spending the last few days in Norway - the land of small fishing villages and water! Even though Copenhagen is also on the water and has a canal system the buildings, the streets, the stores, etc. were all so different. There are no skyscrapers in the old part of the city. Most of the buildings are brick and stone with statues and lots of adornment. They are close together but the streets are fairly wide. They are not laid out in a grid pattern, so I never got really oriented. Luckily my husband is a good navigator!

Our room at the Copenhagen Admiral

Our hotel, the Copenhagen Admiral, is an old grain warehouse which has been converted into a stylish hotel and restaurant right on the canal. Our room had a large wood beam and column, presumably left from the original building!

So, we were off to see the sights. We were given a City Card which allows you to ride all the transportation and visit many places with no extra charge. Our first stop was the Little Mermaid in the main canal. She is 100 years old this year. She is quite small for her age!

Abstract column, Marble Church, Amalienborg Palace, fountain

Next was Amalienborg Palace. This is the winter palace of the Queen of Denmark. There are four identical castles and she lives in one. Across the street from the Palace is Frederick's church (the Marble Church). Across the street on the other side is Amaliehaven, a park with fountains and four abstract columns designed by Amaldo Pomodoro. Beyond that is the canal and the new Opera House, which is very modern looking.

Since we were on our own and could go where we wanted, we spent most of our time in museums. We visited the Statens Museum of Kunst – SMK (National Art Gallery). They have built a modern addition in back, which was a piece of art in itself.

Winter garden at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Then we visited the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (meaning a sculpture garden). This museum was built by Ny Carlsberg, of Carlsberg Beer fame. The original building is a beautiful rose colored brick building. There are three floors surrounding a pretty winter garden which is full of plants and sculptures. They have also built a new addition. They are rehanging the French paintings, so we did not get to see the Impressionists.

We went on an hour long bus ride to see the Ordrupgaard Museum. This was the art collection of Wilhelm and Henny Hanson, an insurance broker in the early 1900's. They built their rather simple home in a beautiful, wooded area and added a special room for their collection of French and Danish paintings. They also had a winter garden with a fountain designed by the son of Paul Gauguin. When they died they donated the property to the state for the public to enjoy. And they have also just built a modern addition to house temporary exhibits.

Don at Tivoli Gardens

Other things we did were: visit the Rosenberg Castle to see the crown jewels, take the canal boat tour, visit Tivoli Gardens and have dinner, and lots of walking around to look at buildings and statues. Three days goes by pretty fast!