Denmark - A Hint of Copenhagen

September 1, 2014

Though Norway was the focus of my trip, I can never pass up a free stopover, so I jumped at the chance to have a 7 hour layover in Copenhagen.  With a great subway and train system, you can get from the airport to downtown in just about 15 minutes, so I had about four hours to wander the city before heading back to the airport to catch my afternoon flight.

Copenhagen is a pleasant city, with clean streets, numerous bicyclists and a pretty city center.  I mostly just wandered the palaces, city halls and canals, eventually making my way to the iconic Little Mermaid before heading back to the airport on back to the US.

(Tivoli - a large amusement park in central Copenhagen.)

(An irresistible chocolate croissant.  While wandering the back streets of the Latin Quarter, I couldn't resist the bakery sign, and I'm glad I didn't.  It was delicious.) 

(Radhaus/City Hall)

(A typical canal scene of Copenhagen, on the way from downtown to Christiania.)

(Another nearby canal with typical Northern European buildings.  Along with all of the bike riders, you could almost confuse parts of the city for Amsterdam.)

(The entrance to Christiania, a hippie enclave on the edge of the city that has been under self-rule since the 1970s.  As expected with a place untouched by Danish law, it is a little dirty, full of artistic graffiti and popular with those looking for some mind-altering substances.  One of the main roads in the tiny 3-4 block area is called Pusher Street and labelled the Green Light District for the stalls of marijuana vendors lining the alley.  I walked around the area for a few minutes and then headed back to the rest of the city to see what else it had to offer.)

(Christiansborg Slot, the Royal Palace, sitting right in the center of Copenhagen.)

(Nyhavn, a postcard-perfect scene of canals, sidewalk cafes and colorful houses.  It's a very pretty area, but it's also ground zero for tourism in Copenhagen.)

(Nyhavn.)

(One of the old boats backed by the numerous cafes and buildings of Nyhavn.)

(Marmorkirken, the marble church.  This huge church has a beautiful rotunda high above and faces Amalienborg, another royal palace in the city where I got to see the changing of the guard.  One of the young soldiers actually passed out during the ceremony...probably overwhelmed by the sight of me.)

(The Little Mermaid statue in the harbor, paying tribute to a story by Hans Christian Andersen, one of Denmark's most famous historical figures/authors.)

(Rosenborg Slot/Castle - my last stop before heading back to the train, airport and back home to the US.)