Splendid Copenhagen is Fantastic

Our first full day and already we can tell this is a good place. A sunny Saturday brought out all of Copenhagen to enjoy it.

The city is criss-crossed by canals and waterways that provide boats access out to the sea and so they were all lined with people just soaking up a beautiful summer day.

We started out with a visit to the Christiansborg Slot which is the seat of the Danish government. All three branches, the executive, legislative, and judicial, are housed here. In fact the keystone of the building says so in Latin.

At the front of the building is a statue of a horse and rider that overlook the royal parade grounds.

They don’t let you tour parliament but they do let you into the ceremonial and former royal residence.

Much like other grand European buildings, you tour through the highlighted rooms.

It wasn’t nearly as large as Versailles or even the beautiful Residenz in Munich or Palacio Real in Madrid but it had its’ charms.

One cool thing about the visit is that you can tour the royal kitchens.

Filled with a fortune in copper pots!

From there we joined the annual Copenhagen Carival parade and enjoyed the samba dancers as they shimmied down the street.

Lots to see and take in here.

The drums were beating the famous samba beat for all the dancers.

It was fun to watch the normally reserved Danes let loose.

From there we went to the freetown of Christiania.

Christiania, is an intentional community, commune and micronation in the Christianshavn neighbourhood. It operates outside the law and is known for Pusher Street, where hash and weed stands sell both.

Christiania is close to the Church of our Saviour which is most famous for the external spiral winding staircase that can be climbed to the top.

We did not do that, as you can see it looks quite perilous when you are at the tippy top. So instead we took off to see the famous Little Mermaid!

The Little Mermaid is based on the 1837 fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It is a small and unimposing statue and is a Copenhagen icon that has been a major tourist attraction since its unveiling in 1913. You can’t come to Copenhagen and not see The Little Mermaid!

Next was lunch, and we visited a famous smørrebrød restaurant for Danish open-faced sandwiches. We won’t torment you with all the amazing deliciousness we enjoyed except for this one picture.

Sooooooo good.

Our last activity for the day was to join a boat tour of the canals. From there you got a great perspective of Copenhagen and while super touristy it was ultimately worthwhile.

A surprising amount to see from the water.

Including the Royal Yacht

And you really got to see just how much Copenhagen embraces the water.

What a fun day! Lots to see and do and we continue tomorrow with more. See you then.