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| Denmark was my second favorite destination in Europe. It had the prettiest countryside and the most colorful scenery. I could have done without all the seafood, but all in all, it was amazing. I've been recommending Denmark to anyone who'll listen since I've visited it. It's a gorgeous country. We arrived in Denmark after crossing the Baelt from Germany. From Rodbyhavn, we travelled north to Copenhagen. We passed Kronborg Slot (Hamlet's Castle), where I suppose there should have been an odor of something "rotten in Denmark". Sorry. During the day, we toured all of Copenhagen to include Amalienborg Palace, home of the Danish monarchy, and Christiansborg Palace, the center of the Danish Parliament. We also visited the Danish Stock Exchange (at least I think that's what this is) and here's a close-up of it (or a building really similar), showing the detail in the statues mounted on its facade. I remember that in one of the palaces (maybe Christiansborg?), there were narrow spiralling staircases with the shields of all the founding families on the walls. Of course I ran right into one and almost knocked it down..."a bull in a china shop" just doesn't quite cut it. Anyway, this place also had mesmeric stained glass windows. I think in this picture, you can actually see the shields on the surrounding walls. The fun part, though, was going to the center of the city and just trying to take it all in. Everything is so colorful, it's unreal. Take, for instance, the building where Daddy's Theatre is housed. It's practically psychedelic - and the whole city center is pretty much the same. Also, there were a lot of weird street performers to gawk at. At the harbor's edge was the statue of Den Lille Havfrue (Little Mermaid), Denmark's national symbol. The statue was really tiny, which was surprising. From my vantage point, it looked like I already dwarfed it. It's also really difficult to get close to it right in the midst of tourist season. This statue is the representation of the tragic fairytale character that Hans Christian Andersen created. In Denmark, they're big on Andersen - a statue of him is in the center of the city and overlooks Tivoli Gardens. Speaking of Tivoli Gardens, here is a picture of the entrance during the day. I took some pictures of Tivoli at night, but they didn't scan well. My poorly lit photos didn't even come close to doing it justice. To get an accurate depiction (in English) of what Tivoli has to offer, you can go to Tivoli Gardens on the Net. Don't let the name fool you. Tivoli is more than just "gardens". Tivoli is a full-blown amusement park right in the center of the city! Little known to the general population is the fact that Denmark has an almost morbid fascination with...well, the morbid! I was surprised that there were so many depictions of bizarre creatures. The great part was that it was treated as if it was completely normal. Needless to say, I felt right at home. For instance, take this perverse fountain with spitting gargoyle-type sea creatures et al. There's also Pan in either Amalienborg Palace or Christiansborg Palace (I forgot which). This mythical figure on which the concept of Lucifer was based - replete with horns and cloven hooves - was incorporated into furniture and then placed in a royal palace? Oops, no photos allowed inside...but I just had to have this on film! All in all, I was completely enthralled with Denmark and its inhabitants. It's a well-kept secret, I think. If more people visited its environs, I believe it'd be a more popular travel destination. If you'd like more information about Denmark, you may visit either Yahoo! Danmark, which provides information in Danish, or the Danish Tourist Board's site, which provides synopses in English. If you'd like to pick and choose which of my pictures you want to view, please visit my Photo Gallery for Denmark. |
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