Port of Call: Copenhagen

As I mentioned in my previous post, our cruise ended in Copenhagen but because we hopped the train to Malmö, Sweden for the day we didn’t see anything in Copenhagen other than the train station and our hotel but Maisie and I made up for that over the next few days

Maisie in Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square) in front of Dragespringvandet  (the dragon sculpture) which depicts a bull and a dragon in combat  The building in the rear is Københavns Rådhus (City Hall.)

The day after the cruise ended Eammon had to head back home to return to work but Maisie and I decided to spend a few extra days in Copenhagen exploring the city.  I was in Copenhagen back in I think 1986 so it’s been a while but it’s one of those places where once you visit you can’t wait to return as the city is beautiful, clean, safe, fun and so many wonderful sites to see and the pastry…oh my! 

We bid farewell to Eammon at the train station, I purchased a Copenhagen Card and then Maisie and I set off to walk the city and walk we did.  We said our goodbyes to Eammon just before 11am and we didn’t return to our hotel until almost 9PM and the entire time we were out walking and sight seeing.  We strolled up and down Strøget (the world's longest pedestrian street) checking out some of the shops and many of the people.

Along Strøget there were numerous street performers but Maisie particularly adored watching this squeaking headless street performer and each time we passed by she had to stop.

There was a tremendous amount of construction happening in Copenhagen as they’re adding a Cityringen (City circle line) underground train which will ring the city.  Above is the Det Kongelige Teater (Royal Danish Theater) which was founded in 1748 and first served as the theater of the king and then as the theater of the country.  We didn’t go in this time but when I was last in Copenhagen I was at a performance of the the ballet Eugine Onegin where the Queen and Prince Consort were in attendance, sitting in their royal box.

We made our way to Nyhavn which was built by King Christian V in the mid 1600’s.  Nyhavn is a gateway from the sea to the old inner city at Kongens Nytorv (King's Square) where ships handled cargo and fishermens' catch.  The port is split in two parts, one “naughty” and one “nice” side.  The southern side of Nyhavn (even numbers) has mansions lining the canal, most notably Charlottenborg Palace.  The northern side of Nyhavn (odd numbers) is lined by brightly colored townhomes built with wood, bricks, and plaster. The oldest house is No. 9 which dates from 1661.  The “naughty” side of the port was notorious for beer, sailors and prostitution but is now lined with restaurants and bars and is a wonderful place to sit out and enjoy the view. 

In 1835 Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote his first fairy tale in house No. 20; he then lived for almost twenty years at No. 67 and ended his life in the house No. 18.  Nyhavn also serves as a "heritage harbor" so the canal has many historical wooden ships.

The anchor partially shown in the front left of the picture is Mindeankeret (The great Memorial Anchor) which is a monument commemorating the more than 1,700 Danish officers and sailors in service for the Navy, merchant fleet or Allied Forces who sacrificed their lives during World War II.

We then walked over to Amalienborg Slot (Amalienborg Castle) which is the winter residence of the Danish Royal Family. 

Amalienborg is made up of four almost identical rococo palais built around an octagonal square

In the center of the courtyard there is an equestrian statue of King Frederik V and it is considered one of the most outstanding equestrian statues in the world. The statue was unveiled in 1771, five years after King Frederik V's death in 1766.

From Amalienborg we saw Frederikskirke (Frederick's Church), more popularly known as Marmorkirken (Marble Church).  The Church was completed and inaugurated in 1894.  The Church has the largest dome in north Europe with a span of 31m. The dome rests on 12 columns and the inspiration of the church design was probably the Pantheon in Rome.  

We then headed towards Langelinje, the Northern cruise harbor, to see the little Mermaid and along the way we saw:

St. Alban's Church, or the “English Church.” It is an Anglican church which was built from 1885 to 1887 for the growing English congregation in the city.

Maisie in front of Gefionspringvandet (The Gefion Fountain) which is the largest monument in Copenhagen. The fountain is to Copenhagen what the Fontana di Trevi is to Rome, a wishing-well. The goddess Gefion is the fountain’s main figure.

A beautiful little girl and a lovely view.

Den lille havfrue (The Little Mermaid) Born of author Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, the statue incarnation of the Little Mermaid has watched over Copenhagen's harbor since 1913.  

We then walked towards the Kastellet (The Citadel) and passed this statue.

We entered the Kastellet (The Citadel) through and Norway Gate on the north side of the edifice, which dates from 1663.

We exited the Kastellet through King's Gate on the south side, facing the city with St Alban’s Church and a bit of the Gefion Fountain behind Maisie.

We then headed back towards Strøget as we wanted to visit Rundetårn (Round Tower).  Along the way we strolled past:

This Church caught Maisie’s eye and she wanted a picture. The Alexander Nevsky Church, Russian Orthodox.

Rosenborg Slot (Rosenborg Castle) which we would visit another day.

The Rundetårn (Round Tower) is Europe’s oldest astronomical observatory, built in 1642 by Christian IV. 

Inside there is a 686 foot long 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the top.

Maisie found perfectly sized niches for her to be a statue.

Checking out the old bathroom. 

The tower rises 114 feet above street level and Copenhagen was beautiful from the viewing platform.

Maisie wanted to do a harbor cruise so we wandered off in that direction just checking out the city as we walked along.

Everywhere we looked there was something wonderful to see.

Our harbor tour began right across from the former Børsen (Stock Exchange.)  The building with its Renaissance architecture features a 60 meter high spire shaped as the entwined tails of four dragons. The "Dragon-spire" symbolizes the union of the Nordic countries with three golden crowns on top.  This is the oldest stock exchange in Denmark and was built by King Christian IV in 1640.

On our tour we saw the new Operaen (Opera House) which opened in January of 2005.

We got a view of Nyhavn from the water.

Saw some of the historical wooden ships up close.

And loved the setting.  

The old Torpedo Boat Hall. I would love to live here, it looks so interesting.

The George Stage is the smallest sailing full-rigged ship in the world and is used as a school ship for the Danish merchant marines. 

White sculptures from 1996 Cultural Capital.

Another view of the Little Mermaid.

Amalienborg Castle and the Marble Church.

Vor Frelsers Kirke (The Church of our Saviour) The exterior golden staircase winds the church’s 95 meters high spire and at the top there is a golden globe crowned by a flag-bearing statue.  I had really wanted to go up to the top again but as Maisie wasn’t interested in doing that and it was just she and I, this is as close as I got.

After our canal tour ended we grabbed some dinner and wandered back to our hotel as it had been a long fun-filled day and we were both completely knackered.  We got in a lot during our first day but more to come in upcoming posts.

I haven’t cooked much these past few days as I did something to my back and I haven’t been able to sit and even laying down has caused cramping and pain, which is also why I haven’t been online or posted recently, but when I’m feeling better I think I’ll be making my Texas Chicken with Lime butter as I’ve been craving the flavors.  It’s super simple to make and could be easily made on the grill so if you’re looking for a delicious marinade for chicken (or pork) check out the recipe by clicking on the link or the picture.

Other wonderful recipes posted on Cook Lisa Cook include: Mango Lassi, Stir-Fried Asparagus with Water Chestnuts, Ginger & Cashews, Curried Roast Chicken Pieces with Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrots, Grilled Corn & Bacon Pudding, Oriental Chicken Salad, Potato Salad with Bacon, Coffee Crusted Steak, Home Style Chicken Curry, Watermelon Frosty,  Mango Gazpacho, Toll House Double Stuff Oreo Brownies, Long Beans with Walnuts, Blacksmith Pizza, Rhubarb Crisp, Laksa, Math Book No Bake Cookies, Aloo Gobi, Mint Lassi, Red Curry Chicken, Lamb Curry, Grilled Corn, Avocado & Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Baked Egg Cups Two Ways, Thai Peanut Salad, Holy Guacamole, Cantaloupe Agua Fresca, Wallaby Darned, Piggy-Out Cookies, Wicked Good New England Lobster Roll, Long Beans with Garlic, Super Simple Summer Shrimp Salsa Salad, Grandma’s Teriyaki Steak, Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho, Red Chinese Long Beans with Peppers & Red Curry, 24-Layer Crêpe Cake, Fig & Watermelon Salad, Grilled Chèvre & Fig Panini, Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad, Grilled Prawns, Spicy Brown Sugar Bacon, Kicked Up Piggy-Out Cookies, Pesto Pita Pizza, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Nutella Crêpes, Mango, Lime & Chile Spiced Ice Box Pie, Roast Beef & Garlic Herb Cheese Sandwich, Layered Crespelle with Bolognese, Fresh Mozzarella & Basil, Jamaican Jerk Meat Pies, Nutella No Bake Cookies, Velvety Mac & Cheese, Welsh Cakes, Tom Yam Ghoong (Spicy Shrimp Soup), Lime Jewels, Southwest Pasta Salad, Walnut Roca Squares, Uncle Bubba’s Shrimp & Grits, Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps, Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Copycat “KFC” Coleslaw, Happy 6th Birthday Maisie Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies, Thin Mint Irish Coffee, Caramel Apples, “Rotisserie” Chicken, Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Mummy Hotdogs, Mango Upside Down Cake, Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens, Aloo Tikki, Pink Strawberry Cake Balls, Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake, Apple Dumplings, Rum Cured Salmon, Apple, Cranberry & Rhubarb Crisp, Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Sour Cream, Crunchy Oat, Almond, Cashew & Pebbles Granola Bars, Texas Chicken with Lime Butter, Biscoff Fudge, Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter, Creamed Corn with Cheese and Cilantro, Potato Crusted Pork Chops, Oatmeal, Cashew & Chocolate Granola Bars, Texas Chicken Sandwich, Seared Scallops with Creamy Pesto & Lemon Pepper Pasta, Thai Chicken Noodle Soup, Glazed Lemon Squares, Chang-Style Brussels Sprouts, Maisie “safe” No Bake Cookies, Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart, Pork Dumplings with Rice Wrappers, Sweet & Spicy Apple Pork, Dark Chocolate Dipped Candied Lemon Peel, Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites, Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake, Malted Pretzel Crunch, Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing, Apple Pancakes, Baked Egg & Avocado, Health(ier) Peanut Brittle, Crab Cake Stuffed Mushrooms, Broiled Sushi, Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter, Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole, Slow Cooker Chicken Curry, Slimmed Down Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole, Baked Meatballs, Skinny Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad, Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars, Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Hearty Sausage, Mushroom & Cheddar Mini Quiche and Strawberry Soup.

Enjoy!