My second trip to Copenhagen was so much better than my first. It helped that my visit was in June instead of March. Seeing the flowers blooming and the trees with green leaves was wonderful. However the reason we went there was to see my daughter Kim and to check out her first piece of real estate - a one bedroom apartment only a 5 minute bike ride from the university where she works. Her apartment ticked all the boxes - great security too, which pleases a mother!
Our friends Sandy and Joe Bill from Fordyce, Arkansas joined us in Copenhagen, arriving the same day we did. Despite our jet lag, the four of us followed Kim as she led us around her city. The last time Kim saw Sandy and Joe Bill she was a guest in their home, now she enjoyed showing them her home. Our first stop was to visit Kim's workplace and see her environment there - she operates with some amazing and complex technology in her lab. Then we took a bus for part of the way and walked the rest of the way to Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world (opened in 1843), and had dinner there. The gardens are beautiful, especially when the lights come on - it's like fairyland. However, the jet lag won and we went home to rest up for a walking tour with Kim as our guide the next morning. We got to see the changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace where Princess Mary (from Tasmania like Murray) was in residence. Next on the agenda was lunch at Nyhavn, the colourful harbour district. Postcard perfect! The central photo in the collage below was taken in Nyhavn. Sandy and Joe Bill had to be back at their hotel by 2pm ready to be collected and delivered to a ferry for their tour to Norway. It was great to spend time in a foreign city together.
That same evening Kim's boss Susan held her annual department garden party, so we were fortunate to meet about 40 of Kim's work colleagues. Besides a delicious feast, Susan offered the group a tour of her garden and then her husband took us all on a walking tour of their historic neighbourhood - we even saw thatched roofs and even remnants of Viking graves. Mind boggling. We arrived at the party at 4pm, and before we knew it, we were catching the 11.15pm train home - it was still light which made it seem a lot earlier. The photo at the top right was taken at 9.40pm while we were walking around hearing the history of the village church. The photo of the viking grave below it was taken 10 minutes earlier. My camera was facing the west, hence the brighter aspect. It was cool when we got back, so it was great to sit in front of the fire and enjoy the ambience.
Kim had a few handyman jobs that she needed doing, so Murray was No 1 in that regard. Where is Benn when you need him? Kim bought some timber from a nearby hardware store, and we had taken along 4 rolls insulating foam, and used them all - Kim had forewarned us of her need for that item.
Our final outing was to the early Viking town of Roskilde, 30km (19 miles) west of Copenhagen. It was the hub of the Viking world in its heyday. From the 11th century until 1443 it was the Capital of Denmark (Wikipedia). We visited the Viking Museum where they have reconstructed 5 Viking ships retrieved from the sea nearby. An amazing feat - reminded me of the Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City. We decided to walk to the nearby Roskilde Cathedral - paid the entrance fee, and proceeded to be gobsmacked by what we saw inside.
Neither of us will forget the ornate coffins/memorials of the Danish Monarchs that have been buried there since the 15th Century. There are renovations going on at the moment working on a crypt and memorial for the current Queen of Denmark and her husband HRH Prince Henrik. They have designed their own crypt, and a fitting memorial to be put to use when the time comes. See the picture below for just one example of an ornate crypt (note ceiling frescos) and some of the lesser ornate coffins that we saw in the Cathedral. Did you know that the Danish monarchy is one of the oldest in the world?
Our week in Copenhagen would have not gone so smoothly if Kim hadn't taken care of us so well. She was our interpreter, and sorted out our train/bus tickets so that our transport worked out very efficiently. When you are in a foreign country where English subtitles are not usually provided (except in the airport and main train station) and the accent and language are undecipherable, you really appreciate having a local to interpret for you. Thanks very much Kim. Our accommodation was great too - very grateful that her apartment block had a lift - getting up and down to/from the 5th floor may have been a bit taxing without it!
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