Copenhagen: Day Trip # 1

Based on what I read about Copenhagen, I decided two days would be enough for me to experience everything I wanted to see and do in this capital of Denmark. But since it is only an hour away by train from Lund, I decided to take two day-trips instead of staying overnight there. That way, I wouldn’t need to spend money for a hotel.

So I took my first real trip to Copenhagen on a bright sunny Sunday. I say real trip because I had been to Copenhagen a few times prior to this, but only to the airport, which for me doesn’t count as an actual visit to that country.

I started off my day by spending some time in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. This Museum houses the personal collection of the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries, Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914). It contains numerous brilliant and interesting artworks and ancient relics from all over the world, and entrance is free on Sundays which made the trip even better for me. My favorite part of the museum was the sculpture section, and it is definitely worth spending some time appreciating the sculptures of Rodin and French sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeux.

(This sculpture is entitled Ugolino and his Sons)

My next stop was the Christiansborg Slot. They were doing some renovations to the main tower as you will see in the picture below. I decided to take the guided tour in this royal palace and in the process, learned a few interesting things about Denmark and its rich history. For instance, one of their past kings, Christian IX, is considered to be the father-in-law of Europe because his many children ended up as royalty in different European countries. You can read more about him and his family here (it really is quite unique).

I then walked over to Nyhavn, or the new harbor, where you can find lots of interesting places to eat. I was thinking about eating in one of the restaurants that lined the canal, but I decided I didn’t want to spend too much on food, so I ended up just looking around and taking photos, and having a hotdog and Coke Zero for lunch.

After my quick lunch, I head towards Rosenborg Slot. It is located right in the center of Rosenborg Park. And as it was a bright sunny day, the park was littered with people lying on the grass and basking in the mid-afternoon sunshine. I actually got shouted at by a guard for having my photo taken at the Treasury building using my tripod, which I didn’t know was not allowed.

I rounded up my day with a visit to – well you guessed it – the Little Mermaid. Or Den lille havfrue, as it is called in Danish. I mean, a real tourist-y trip to this lively city would not be complete without having your photo taken in this landmark. I’ve read that you will always have a fairly big crowd gathered around the Little Mermaid, and it was true when I got there. Nevertheless, I managed to get quite close to it and have someone take my picture.

My only issue with this trip was the fact that I didn’t have time to get a haircut before I got there. My hair was still okay at the start of my trip, but towards the end of the day, the wind and my sweat had made my hair a mess, so I’m not all too pleased with my photos, or at least the ones taken of me beginning late-afternoon LOL. Yeah, yeah I know, I’m vain. :)