Copenhagen Liberty Sunday, August 20 We had a couple hours between flights and went to Huxley's for an English Breakfast. We both had opened the box breakfast British Airways offered about an hour and a half before landing... and we closed the boxes back up. Then we cleared the checkpoint for through passengers and had time to catch up before our connecting flight to Copenhagen. Liz had salmon eggs Benedict and I had eggs, English bacon and a banger, grilled tomato, and baked beans. The banger was less than tasty and my stomach began acting up, either from the curried chicken the night before or the banger this morning. I was uncomfortably cramped. We walked through the terminal to catch the transfer train to our gate. They had a standing, woman shaped screen which almost seemed like a hologram and, depending which language had been selected, spoke to passersby to tell them how to use the train. It was quite clever and very realistic. We followed her guidance and made our way to Gate 62 in A Terminal. The two hour flight passed quickly and we were immediately met at luggage claim by our guide to the hotel. There were six people in our ride but later that day we would be joined by another 19 people on the On Line Vacation extension. When we arrived at the Trivoli Hotel and Convention Center we were 121 surprised to see Olivier, our London hotel guide from last year. He would coordinate our booking and then go on to Stockholm later in the week. On Olivier's advice we took a walk up the street and over the train and tram tracks into a district which would feature nice restaurants. Sadly, even with all the bicycle traffic, we found most of the places were closed on Sunday. We then walked back to have our dinner at the Trivoli Brasseri. There were several tables of people we recognized as being in the On Line Vacation Pre-cruise group staying in the hotel. We reviewed the menu and decided on a Starter: Brasserieets Caesar salad: Spicy heart salad turned home with homemade Caesar dressing ~ planed Parmesan ~ croutons). The Main course: Powdered breast of chicken - buttered summer green - broken new potatoes. The meal was lovely and served as a reintroduction to European restaurant prices. Though not brutal, the charges are a bit more than we would find in a comparable restaurant at home. Monday, August 21 Copenhagen was originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. Beginning in the 17th century it consolidated its position as a regional center of power with its institutions, defenses and armed forces. After suffering from the effects of plague and fire in the 18th century, the city underwent a period of redevelopment. This included construction of the prestigious district of Frederiksstaden and founding of such cultural institutions as the Royal Theater and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. After further disasters in the early 19th century when Nelson attacked the Dano-Norwegian fleet and bombarded the city, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a Neoclassical look to Copenhagen's architecture. Later, following the Second World War, the Finger Plan fostered the development of housing and businesses along the five urban railway routes stretching out from the city center. Since the turn of the 21st century, Copenhagen has seen strong urban and cultural development, facilitated by investment in its institutions and infrastructure. The city is the cultural, economic and governmental center of Denmark; it is one of the major financial centers of Northern Europe with the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. Copenhagen's economy has seen rapid developments in the service sector, especially through initiatives in information technology, pharmaceuticals and clean technology. Since the completion of the Øresund Bridge, Copenhagen has become increasingly integrated with the Swedish province of Scania and its largest city, Malmö, forming the Øresund Region. With a number of bridges connecting the various districts, the cityscape is characterized by 122 parks, promenades and waterfronts. Copenhagen's landmarks such as Tivoli Gardens, The Little Mermaid statue, the Amalienborg and Christiansborg palaces, Rosenborg Castle Gardens, Frederik's Church, and many museums, restaurants and nightclubs are significant tourist attractions. Copenhagen is home to the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark and Copenhagen Business School. The University of Copenhagen, founded in 1479, is the oldest university in Denmark. Copenhagen is home to the FC København and Brøndby football clubs. The annual Copenhagen Marathon was established in 1980. Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. The Copenhagen Metro launched in 2002 serves central Copenhagen while the Copenhagen S-train network connects central Copenhagen to its outlying boroughs. Serving roughly two million passengers a month, Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup, is the largest airport in the Nordic countries. There were several buses waiting for the large group of tourists setting out from the hotel to tour the city. Our guide, Bert, was born in Copenhagen and although he had never been to the United States, his English was that of an American Midwesterner. As we drove he described his birthplace and told us what we would see. His plan was to arrive at our first stop, Rosenburg Castle, in time to match our appointed ticket entrance time. We drove past the grounds of the palace as Bert told us that Christian IV planned this palace “outside” the city to enjoy the fresh air and and avoid the congestion and grime of living n Copenhagen. Of course, now this estate is in the center of this world capital. When we made the turn to enter the grounds we noted that there were two platoons of the palace guard preparing for training in front of the palace. Royal Danish Life Guard is an infantry regiment of the Danish Army and founded in 1658 by King Frederik III. The guards we saw preparing for drill were in fatigues. Once we reached the front of the palace we learned the review order 123 uniform of the Royal Life Guards, worn while they are on guard duty, consists of bearskin headdresses, dark blue tunics and light blue trousers with white stripes. When we entered the castle we came to Christian IV chambers. Here we learned he was very prolific and fathered seven children by his first wife, Anne Catherine of Brandenburg, twelve children by his second wife, Kirsten Munk; his mistress, Kirsten Madsdatter, gave birth to another; another mistress, Karen Andersdatter, gave birth to two children; and another mistress, Vibeke Kruse, gave him two more children. As described later, Rosenborg Castle had to be expanded several times.The king had a privy over a stream, probably an early example of an indoor toilet, and it seemed to be tiled with blue and white porcelain squares. Bert suggested our group try to discover the “error” in that room. As it turned out, one of the tiles was installed upside down to emphasize that “only God is perfect” and therefore man made objects are prone to mistakes. When we finished the apartments we went upstairs to the throne room and viewed the tapestries, silver lions, and paintings of the kingdom. Then we went to the Schatzkammer to see the Crown Jewels and the regal trappings of office. These are appropriately stored in a vault/museum and under maximum security. Rosenborg Castle is a renaissance castle originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period, and has been expanded several times, finally evolving into its present condition by the year 1624. The castle houses a museum exhibiting the Royal Collections, artifacts spanning a breadth of royal Danish culture, from the late 16th century of Christian IV to the 19th century. Some of these articles once belonged to the nobility and the aristocracy. The castle was opened to the public in 1838. Of special interest to tourists is a Schatzkammer displaying the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia located in the castle. A Coronation Carpet is also stored there. The Throne Chair of Denmark is located in the castle. In the summer time, flowers bloom in front of the castle in the castle garden. After we left the castle we drove to the Langelinie promenade to see the Little Mermaid (Den lille Havfrue), a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen. This iconic representation of Copenhagen is displayed on a rock off the shore. 124 Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major tourist attraction since 1913. “In recent decades it has become a popular target for defacement by vandals and political activists.” There a half dozen vendors selling mermaid souvenirs to a supposedly constant turnover of visitors. We had twenty minutes before we needed to rejoin the group for ride to Amalienborg. Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classical palace facades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard; in the center of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V. According to Eigtved’s master plans for Frederikstad and the Amalienborg Palaces, the four palaces surrounding the plaza were conceived of as town mansions for the families of chosen nobility. Their exteriors were identical, but interiors differed.