Denmark - 2

DENMARK - 2 

Lucy's adventures  in Copenhagen - 7th - 12th June 2017

The First Day

 

The first thing you notice about Copenhagen is the bicycles, they are everywhere. I read that there are more bicycles than people and most people use them to travel around the city. At first it was a bit scary, but you soon get used to it, although it is a good idea to avoid the morning and evening rush hour. 

 

As in Amsterdam I spent the first day getting a feel for the city and planning what to do. Lucy wanted to rush off to the National Museum as she had read that it was the best place to start if you are interested in Viking history. I persuaded her that it would be better to go tomorrow. Reluctantly she agreed. So we walked for miles around the city, sat in cafes, visited churches and for me the highlight was the Danish Chair Exhibition at the Design Centre. There was also a fascinating film about Børge Mogensen, the furniture designer who made the concept of 'Danish Modern' known throughout the world.

 

 

 My aim has always been to have a different iconic chair in every room at home, and I will definitely add a Danish one to my collection when I get back. I still haven't managed to get Lucy to share my love of chairs, so while I was there, she went off to find the Hans Christian Andersen statue.

 

I caught up with her at the Little Mermaid  and we walked back together. Although this time I wandered off to look at The Kastellet, a well preserved star fortress built by King Christian IV in 1626 to help improve Copenhagen's fortifications in the conflicts between Denmark and Sweden. This fortress is a pentagon, rather than the seven points at Bourtange.

 

The National Museum - Friday 9th May

Lucy woke up early and rushed off to the National Museum to learn all she could about the Vikings from Denmark. Last night I managed to get BBC news and sat up watching the election results, so I needed a peaceful day after a night with very little sleep. I had a coffee at the Mandela Bar and set out to meet Lucy at about midday. There was an Asian festival in one of the squares with street food and music so I stopped for lunch.

 

When  I finally caught up with Lucy she was so engrossed in the exhibits that she didn't notice how late I was and excitedly told me about everything that she had seen. 

 

She also said that she wants to go to Legoland as she had found a Lego shop on the way to the museum and had stopped to play for a bit. I said it was too far away, but we might go at a later date. Then I told her that we could visit the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde in the morning, so she soon forgot about Lego.

 

She was exhausted after her busy schedule and went back to the room to sleep, while I rounded off my day with a visit to the famous Tivoli Gardens and Amusement Park. 

 

Roskilde -  Saturday 9th June

Lucy woke up early and was in a rush to catch the train to Roskilde, about 30 miles from Copenhagen. Roskilde, was the hub of the Viking land and sea trade routes and the capital of Denmark from the 11th century until 1443. The fabulous Gothic, twin-spired Cathedral holds the tombs of many Danish kings and queens and is one of the most important churches in Denmark. 

Lucy dodn't want to stop long as she was in a hurry to get to the Viking Ship Museum on the shores of Roskilde Fjord. The Museum houses the remains of five original Viking ships that were sunk in the fjord as a barrier  to help protect the harbour. There are also a number of  workshops where replica ships are made using traditional tools and methods. Lucy spent hours there and it was hard to tear her away before they closed.

She also learnt how to weave a Viking sail and wanted to go for a sail on the fjord in one of the replica boats, but unfortunately they were fully booked. 

 

When we got back Lucy made a cardboard Viking ship and surrounded herself with all her purchases. I couldn't stop laughing when I looked at the label on her Viking broach. It was made in Tysley Birmingham, about a mile from where I live.

 

A Sunny Sunday in Copenhagen -  10th June

 

In the morning I walked to the architectural centre and on to Nyhavn, the famous canal and restaurant district. Then I spent the rest of the day sitting relaxing and chatting to people at the Oscar Bar and Cafe in Rainbow Square. 

 

While I was chatting Lucy went to find the Hans Christian Andersen museum and spent her last  afternoon in Copenhagen listening to Fairy Stories.

 

Lucy wants to go to Sweden

When we got back and I was looking at the maps to plan a route for the morning, Lucy suddenly said that she thought we ought to go to Sweden. When she was at the Viking Museum she discovered that at the time of the Vikings the Southern part of Sweden was part of Denmark and inhabited by Danes, so it made sense to include the SW coast of Sweden in her Grand Viking Tour. 

 

 

Sweden is about 9 miles from Copenhagen and the Øresund motorway and rail bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö joins the two countries but you can't cycle across it. I found out that a ferry runs every 20 minutes from Helsingør, about 25 miles North of Copenhagen to Helsingburg in Sweden. There is also a good cycle route that follows the West coast to Gothenburg, where you can get a ferry back to Denmark. So it all looked very possible and I told a very excited Lucy that "Sweden here we come".