Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!

The capital of Denmark really is wonderful and a great stand-alone destination as well as a popular port of call as I found recently on my cruise to the Baltic.

Everyone knows about the bronze statue of the ‘Little Mermaid’ which has overlooked Copenhagen’s harbour since 1913.  It was inspired by the performance of a ballet based on the fairy tale of the Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid.  The statue was the idea of the son of the founder of Carlsberg lager firm and he asked a ballerina Ellen Price of the Copenhagen Royal Theatre to model for it and although her face was used the body was modelled on the sculptor’s wife!  It has been a target for vandals over the years and it has had paint poured over it as well as even the head being cut off, but it is always repaired and is a favourite of the city.  However, it is not normally mentioned how small the statue actually is!

On our visit we decided to do a canal boat trip to take in the main sights and surprisingly Copenhagen has many miles of canals to explore.  We started from the beautiful  Nyhaven area of the city which has origins in the 17th Century.  It’s brightly painted waterfront offers a great selection of bars, cafes and restaurants to spend a-while.  In the hour long trip we also took in Copenhagen’s Opera House, the Black Diamond Library as well as the Little Mermaid Statue and all on environmentally- friendly boats.  Be careful to duck under the bridges when the water level is high!

We then walked on to the world-famous Tivoli Gardens and were not disappointed. Opened in 1843, this is one of the oldest Amusement Park’s in the world and apparently inspired Walt Disney.  It also has a giant stage and transforms into a huge outdoor music venue on Friday evenings.  We did not stay into the evening but it is lit with over half a million fairy lights and the contrast of the modern-day rides against the beautifully manicured scenery is very thrilling in itself – I can thoroughly recommend!

We did stroll up the ‘Stroget’ which is a famed pedestrian street lined with shops and cafes end there is even a Guinness Museum.

Unfortunately we did not have time to fit it in Frederik’s Church aka the ‘Marble Church’ which is an 18th Century Lutheran Church with the largest dome in Scandinavia.  Nor did we get chance to see Rosenburg Castle with it’s beautiful gardens – there is also a museum here which houses the Royal Crown Jewels.  There lies a perfect excuse for a return visit!

Ask me for more details on Baltic or Scandinavian cruises and I will be more than happy to help.