Copenhagen

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We dock right in the centre of Copenhagen, only a few hundred metres away from the statue of the little mermaid.  As we have a whole day to explore, we don’t bother rushing to catch the first coach. 

On the way across town we pass lots of facinating buildings and I’ve already decided that I’ll be coming back one day. I try to keep track of where we are on the guide map. Everything seems to be within easy walking distance, although it does help that we have a full day to explore. We are dropped off beside the Tivoli gardens, not the tranquil water gardens outside Rome, but a fun fair that at the moment is very firmly closed. Still I’m sure it’s a great place to visit at the right time of day, but first thing in the morning it doesn’t look very tempting. We head off in the opposite direction to most of our fellow travellers, heading for the island of Christianhav. It’s surprisingly modern, not at all the hippy home we thought it was. We walk along its opposite shore passing the ultra modern Royal Library, all matt black glass (known locally as the Black Diamond). However I do rather like the rows of wooden loungers outside, it must be an excellent place to sit and read during the summer.

We finally cross over to Christianhav where we try, and fail, to look round a church with an interesting spire.  It obviously has steps spiraling up it, as we can see the railings from below.  Sadly they seem to be setting up for an event at the moment. 

After a bit more wandering we finally find the seedy side of town. Here is the infamous Christiana, a self proclaimed independent state and bohemian home to countless hippies and users of soft drugs. I’m rather disappointed that it’s not a whole island, just a small area on the fringes of Christianhav. We wander in about 100 yards before we loose our nerve. There aren’t many people around at the moment, just a few setting up stalls in the main street, which has signs up saying “No Photographs”. I think this is probably Pusher Street – which explains a lot. We both decide it was a daft idea to come here and do a quick U-turn. As we pass back under the Christiana sign, there is a message on this side welcoming us back to the EU! In fact I think we would have been fine, but you have to go with your instincts.

Back in search of more usual tourist sights, we next find ourselves visiting the state apartments in Christianborg Palace. These are beautiful as you might expect, but are also quite modern in places. There's one grand state room full of modern tapestries presented to Queen Margarethe in 2000 as a 60^th birthday present. They depict 2000 years of Danish history. One remarkable panel covers the 20^th century, warts and all. In the corner is a small white patch that invites you to “fill [it] in with your imagination”. Around the edge there are famous faces from around the world, Kennedy, Ghandi, De Gaul, Lenin, etc. Even the painted marble walls hide little surprises. Our guide points out a cleverly concealed portrait of Queen Margarethe with her monogram and crown above it. In fact this portrait is actually more attractive than the one in the adjacent tapestry.

When we leave the palace we discover it has just finished raining. We are certainly getting all the breaks today. We walk up towards the Danish equivalent of Oxford Street, Strøget. Just like Oxford Street it is a seething mass of humanity. We have entered it by Nytorv. Here a massive TV screen has been erected, to show highlights from Danish Fashion Week. We throw ourselves into the flow of people, heading back in the direction of our ship.

On the way down we spot a Post Office and I finally get the change to post my postcards.  Inside we discover the Danes really do take queuing very seriously. They have ticket machines everywhere to ensure that everyone gets their turn. There's one in the Post Office, one in a chemist shop I popped into earlier and another in the cafe where we buy our lunch. In the latter this actually proves more stressful than a free for all. Firstly, they are calling the number out in Danish, so I have to keep my eyes glued to the sign on the wall. Secondly ordering the food is okay, but collecting it when it’s ready involves not taking our eyes off the girl serving us. Once we have our meal, we eat it sitting on the edge of a fountain, whist being attacked by wasps.

My friend seems to be worrying a lot about missing the ship today. I try my best to assure her that we are at least half way there and that there is plenty of time to get back without having to catch the bus. Suitably calmed, we take a bit of a detour from the main street, to look at an interesting church. When I check our guide book I notice we are very close to a place we had marked. It’s simply called the Round Tower. We climb up the tower to see the view, but there are no steps, just a corkscrew slope that works its way upwards. On the way we pass a door into the adjacent church and then, somewhat surprisingly, a loo. It looks as though carts or carriages used to come up the tower in the past.  Perhaps this was to carry heavy equipment up to the astronomical observatory at the top, or simply to allow the King, who built it, easy access without exerting himself.

After a handful of steps at the top, we come out into the light, for a marvellous view across Copenhagen. We can see some cruise ships in the distance, but not ours. A party of school children are having their picnic lunch at the top. In fact there’s even a shop up here, so you can buy an ice cream if you want to.

Next stop is at the very end of Strøget in a large plaza called Kongens Nytorv. I have a real sense of déjà vu as it is currently home to an open air photography exhibition. Although the pictures are new to me, their display stands are not. A few years ago, in Amsterdam, I saw another exhibition by the same organisation. That one featured aerial photographs of the earth; this one features fascinating images of wild animals (by photographer Steve Bloom). One of our favourite images features a swimming elephant photographed from below.

Our route then takes us off into Nyhavn. It’s a picturesque quay full of cafes and bustling with tourists. This is where Hans Christian Andersen used to live (apparently in quite a few of the properties here – he was prone to the odd midnight flit).

My friend is getting anxious again so we only really get a fleeting look at Nyhavn and the nearby Amalienborg Palace. Here we see rather fine looking sentries with blue tunics and bearskins. However they seem to be wandering up and down, with arms folded in front of them.  It is done in a very formal way, it just looks a little too relaxed when you first notice it.

As we walk along the quayside towards our ship we come across the startling sight of a flint made English Church, complete with spire. Upon closer inspection it turns out to be exactly that – an English church, called St Albans. It was built with the help of a Danish princess called Alexandra, or as she was then – Queen of England. It’s certainly well positioned close to the Palace, with a bust of Winston Churchill outside.

We pass another monumental fountain, this time featuring a Nordic Goddess riding a chariot drawn by four bulls.  Just beyond her we can see a large group of people in the distance, standing close to the waters edge. No prize for guessing what they are looking at, the little mermaid is entertaining her enthusiastic audience. We both manage to get reasonable photographs between people scrabbling up to her. However as we sit and watch more and more coach loads arrive, until about 200 people surround her.  Added to this are the tourist boats they also stop for a look. She has to put up with some pretty rough treatment from lads who will insist on grabbing her in inappropriate places. Funnily enough there is another bronze near by who is being totally ignored. So we take a few minutes to look at him as well.

As we gaze out to sea a grey super yacht passes, with a strange red ensign flying. Later, we find out that the motif in the centre of the flag is that of the Bahamas. Apparently its owner is a close personal friend of Bill Gates! That may account for the helicopter on top. It’s very nice but not as stylish as Queen Margarethe’s royal yacht moored across the water. Its yellow funnels stand out amongst the grey naval ships.

One quick final visit to the Quayside shops, obviously there for visiting cruise liners. The prices in the grocery store are outrageous. Then we climb wearily back on board for a rest! I sit on deck for a while when we cast off, so I get some lovely views of the bridge to Malmo (Sweden) and all the windmills on the breakwaters. Most notable on the Swedish coast are two ominous nuclear power stations. A sight that must cause consternation in nuclear free Denmark.

Dinner this evening is a very grand affair. It would need to be to force me out of bed. Still, once I’ve slapped on the war paint I almost look human and I’m ready to meet the Captain if needs be. As it happens his table is full and again we have been overlooked. Still I’m quite glad not to have six or seven people fawning over me.

The highlight of an okay meal is the entrance of all the waiters carrying flaming baked Alaska’s. They dance and limbo down through the tables to much clapping from the expectant guests. The hype is actually more impressive than the desert.