Copenhagen

Day One

Took early train at 0637 hours from Neuchâtel and we reached Genèva Airport at 0755 hours. Bought a SBB supersaver train ticket at CHF 17.60 for the single way from Neuchâtel to Genèva Airport. While SBB train ticket from Genèva Airport back to Neuchâtel cost CHF 22.

EasyJet flight

After take-off, majestic mountains could be seen from the flight (photos below).
While browsing through the EasyJet brochure, saw Starbucks coffee was available on flight (left photo below). Thus ordered a Columbia Brew at EUR 3 (right photo below) for my "caffeine injection". Taste was similar to those brewed at a Starbucks café.


We reached Copenhagen Airport at about 10 am. Once cleared our customs, we then proceeded to exchange our currency at a Money Changer operated by Danske Bank. After gotten our City Pass, we then boarded the Metro train and reached the Forum station. Checked in our hotel at about 1.30pm and had a quick wash-up before exploring Copenhagen.

Royal Danish Theatre

Took Metro from 'Forum' to 'Konges Nytorv' station. While walking to Nyhavn, we sighted Royal Danish Theatre, or Det Kongelige Teater in Danish (left photo below). The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the country.

Copper sculpture of Ludvig Holberg (1684 – 1754) was positioned in front of the theatre (right photo below). Ludvig Holberg played a crucial role in bringing enlightenment to the Nordic countries and modernization of several academic disciplines and teaching methods in Copenhagen.


Nyhavn

Nyhavn or literally New Harbor, is a waterfront, canal and entertainment district. It is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants (left photo below).

The great Memorial Anchor, or Mindeankeret in Danish, is inaugurated in 1951 and located at the end of the Nyhavn (right photo below). It is a monument commemorating more than 1,700 Danish officers and sailors who sacrificed their lives during World War II.
Frederik's Church

Frederik's Church, or Frederiks Kirke in Danish, is commonly known as The Marble Church. The Church has the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31-meters (left photo below), and the dome rests on 12 columns. The design was probably inspired by the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Visitors can wander into this peaceful sanctuary to admire the impressive art painted inside the dome (right photo below).


Flanking the baroque altar are motives from the 42nd Psalm (left photo below). In addition to the contemporary 'Swan Organ' (right photo below) which no longer in use, the church has a modern Marcussen organ from 1963.
We didn't get up to the Dome as it is open only during Saturdays and Sundays.

Hotdog Cart

Saw a Hotdog Cart 'Joans Pølser' (left photo below) near the Marble Church, thus decided to give it a try as we couldn't resist the aroma. The hot dog carts probably are the only place where real 'street food' can be found in Copenhagen. These carts are also called Pølsevogn, which literally translates to 'sausage wagon'.

Definitely spoiled with the choices for a hotdog bun. Took a while before decided to have a Fransk Hotdog at DKK 25 (right photo below). Hotdog is about a foot length but the bun is only half its size. Taste was delicious with flavors of pork sausage.
Holmen Church

The Holmen Church, or Holmens Kirke in Danish, is a Parish church in central Copenhagen (left photo below). First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by King Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the wedding between Margrethe II of Denmark, current queen of Denmark, and Prince Henrik in 1967. Separated by a canal from the Holmen Church lies the Slotsholmen (right photo below).
Slotsholmen

Also known as Castle Islet, Slotsholmen is an island named from its successive castles and palaces built since 1167. The island is dominated by vast Christiansborg Palace and the most important ministries: the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court of Denmark, the Prime Minister's Office, the Danish National Archives, the Royal Danish Library, several museums and the historic buildings of the Christian IV's Stock Exchange, the Chancellery and Christian IV's Brewhouse. Thus, Slotsholmen is sometimes also referred as 'the Island of Power'.

Christiansborg Palace

Christiansborg Palace is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen. It is the seat of Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Several parts of the palace are used by the Danish monarch, including the Royal Reception Rooms, Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables. The palace is thus home to the three supreme powers: the executive power, the legislative power, and the judicial power. It is the only building in the world that houses all three of a country's branches of government.

Impressive building of the Christiansborg Palace when viewed from the Palace Square (left photo below). In front of the building stood the Equestrian Statue of King Frederik VII (right photo below).
We then proceeded to the courtyard of the palace to take a closer look of the building façade (left photo below). Long queue already formed up to visit the palace's interior (right photo below). However due to our schedule we didn't visit the palace.
There are five attractions in Christiansborg Palace for visitors to explore:



• The Royal Reception Rooms
• The Royal Kitchen
• The Ruins
• The Royal Stables
• The Palace Chapel
Do check on its separate opening hours and admission charges from the website.

Happened to enter the Royal Stables (left photo below) where about 20 horses were kept. When the Queen hosts New Year levées and other large parties at Christiansborg Palace, the beautiful horses are tightened in front of the gold carriage in splendid gala harness (right photo below).


The palace is even more impressive when viewed from its main entrance with the tower that reaches a height of 106-metres (left photo below). Equestrian statue of King Christian IX stood before the tower (right photo below).

Garden of the Royal Library

Simply known as Library Garden, it is a small hidden garden between the Royal Library, the Tøjhus Museum, Christian IV's Supply Depot and Christiansborg Palace. The garden has a shallow water basin with a water feature in the middle (left photo below). Two identical white pavilions are located at both ends of the blooming garden (right photo below).

Børsen

Also known as Børsbygningen, or the Stock Exchange building in English, the Børsen is a 17th century stock exchange centre on the island of Slotsholmen. It is now a popular tourist attraction where mostly famed for its distinctive Spire, shaped as if tails of four dragons are twined together, that reached a height of 56-metres (photos below).

Thorvaldsens Plads Antique Market

Thorvaldsens Plads Antique Market gathers antique lovers and collectors from all over the country. The flea market is organized on every Friday and Saturday, from April to October, at Thorvaldsens Plads. Its stalls offer a wide array of goods among which some exceptional pieces such as Royal Danish blue porcelain, a crystal vase or a genuine item of Georg Jensen silver (photos below).
Strøget

One of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets at 1.1-km, Strøget is a popular tourist attraction. Many of the city's most famous and expensive stores are located along the strip, as well as some of the most famous and expensive luxury brand chain stores in the world. It also features a multitude of souvenir shops and fast-food outlets (photos below).

Round Tower

Round Tower, or Rundetårn in Danish, is a 17th century tower built as an astronomical observatory (photos below). Today, the Round Tower serves as an observation tower, a public astronomical observatory, and a historical monument.


Bought our tickets from the counter which cost DKK 25 per adult. Ticket counter is located within the tower (left photo below) which marks the beginning of the spiral ramp. The Spiral Ramp runs from the entrance in the street of Købmagergade and winds 7½ times around the tower's hollow core to the stairs leading to the top of the tower (right photo below).
The Bell Loft (left photo below) lies one floor above the Library Hall and two floors above the Trinity Church and been used for a wide variety of purposes. A fire broke out in 1728 and severely damaged the building and the entire roof had to be rebuilt. Using large Pomeranian pine timbers (right photo below), the construction was completed in 1731.
At a height of 34.8-meters above ground, the Observation Deck offers an expansive view over Copenhagen (left photo below). Along the edge of the platform runs a wrought-iron lattice made in 1643 (right photo below).
A superb aerial view of the historic centre of Copenhagen could been seen (photos below).

City Hall Square

City Hall Square, or Rådhuspladsen in Danish, is a public square of 9,800 sqaure meters. It is a popular venue for a variety of events, celebrations and even demonstrations. The square is located at the southwestern end of the pedestrian street Strøget which connects to another large square Kongens Nytorv.

During our visit, we saw buskers playing American Indian music (left photo below) and some locals playing a chess game in the middle of the square (right photo below).
Tram rides were also available for DKK 35 per adult (photos below).


The Dragon Fountain, or Dragespringvandet in Danish, is a sculpture inaugurated in 1904 (photos below). It depicts a bull and a dragon in combat where the dragon is trying to produce a fatal bite, whilst the bull has its head down desperately trying to gore the dragon with its horns.


The Lur Blowers is a 20-meters tall bronze sculpture depicting two lur blowers standing atop a column of tiles (photos below).


The Weather Girl is perched high on the Richs Building on the corner of Rådhuspladsen and Vesterbrogade (left photo below). It is a glided sculpture group of weather telling; one sculpture rotates the front depicting the girl with her bicycle and when weather is set for rain, another sculpture rotates to front depicting her with an umbrella walking her dog.

Another noticeable building besides the City Hall Square is the Palace Hotel (right photo below). It is a residential hotel that is completed in 1910.


Copenhagen City Hall

Copenhagen City Hall, or Københavns Rådhus in Danish, is the headquarters of Copenhagen City Council and the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality (left photo below). The building was inaugurated in 1905 and is dominated by richly ornamented front. The glided statue of Absalon (a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church) is just mounted above the balcony (right photo below).


The tall tower of City Hall stands at an imposing height of 105.6 metres (left photo below). Another set of ornamental sculptures is the bronze sculpture of three dragons (right photo below) located in front of the City Hall.


Tivoli Garden

The Tivoli Garden is an amusement park and pleasure garden just located opposite the City Hall (photos below). Opened in 1843, it is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world.
Its high-quality entertainment equipment and reasonable layout make it absolutely worth visiting. Every Wednesday night, there's a firework show in the garden. More than 80 concerts or musical performances are held each year in the garden. As the day is long during summer, Tivoli Garden's opening hours last until midnight.

Dinner in a fast-food restaurant

As it was late at about 7 pm in the evening, we decided to have dinner inside a fast-food restaurant located opposite the City Hall Square (left photo below). Ordered a 'Big King' meal at DKK 45 (right photo below).
Hard Rock Café Copenhagen

Hard Rock Café Copenhagen (photos below) is located opposite the City Hall Square. We managed to get some memorabilia and merchandises from its Rock Shop.


After some satisfactory shopping, we then took Metro back to hotel for a good rest.