A Moment in Copenhagen

We arrived in Copenhagen on Monday, August 19th. The weather was overcast and cool and within a few minutes there was a massive downpour! We managed to get out for dinner in between showers and got settled in to our hotel room about half a block from a canal filled with boats.

Originally a Viking fishing village established in the 10th Century CE, Copenhagen is now the capital and most populous city. As well as being a tourist mecca, Copenhagen is the cultural, governmental and economic center of Denmark and one of the major financial centers of Northern Europe. It is situated on the east coast of the island of Zealand and is crisscrossed by canals, bridges and small islets, all of which makes for a beautifully scenic locale. 

Bicycling is the most common form of transportation in this flat city. The city government has created bike paths on every street and massive herds of bicyclists take advantage of them. Many thoroughfares have an intermediate, separately-paved way between the pedestrian sidewalk and the street. We saw UPS delivery bicycles, baby carriage bicycles and Uber Eats bikes! One walking guide we read suggested that unless one was a very skilled bicyclist, it would definitely be better to walk around the city rather than ride. Danish bikers know where they’re going and move pretty swiftly. No time for an out-of-towner to stop and check the map, no less look or take a photo! So, since we would only have one day here, we opted for another self-guided walking tour.

A walking tour of the high points in Copenhagen began with the Torvehallerne. Formerly Grønttorvet,  a farmers market, put out of business by the emergence of supermarkets, Torvehallerne is a combination farmers market & foodie hot spot. Over 60 stalls sell prepared food, meats, produce, chocolate, exotic spices, coffee, fresh fish and flowers. We got one of the best shrimp sandwiches that we had on the entire Scandinavian leg at Torvehallerne. 

Next, the Round Tower. This amazing tower was constructed in 1642. It has an observatory telescope at the top, reached by way of a long, spiral ramp. In 1716 Tsar Peter the Great of Russia was very interested in visiting the Observatory.  However, it would not have been the done thing for a Tsar to walk all the way to the top of the Tower, of course, so he rode up on horseback, followed by his wife Katherina in a horse-drawn carriage.

Our next stop is Germany! Donna is looking forward to being in a country where she can mostly understand what is being said and express herself as well! 

Our love to all of you,

Sam, Donna & LuLu

August 21, 2019