Our final stop (but it actually WASN'T our final stop) was Copenhagen, Denmark. We arrived on Easter, because the plane tickets were much cheaper on that day. Nothing was really open on Easter, for obvious reasons, so we just checked into the hotel, ate a delicious hamburger, played some Phase 10 in the hotel bar, and relaxed.
The second day in Copenhagen was one of my favorites on this whole spring break trip. We took a bike tour around the city! Our guide was amazing and filled us in on all the cool facts about the city. In addition, it was just us and two other people from Utah, so the tour was pretty personalized. Check below for all the cool sites we saw:
Us getting ready for the tour.
The statue of the Little Mermaid in honor of Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. This is one of Denmark's most popular sites.
This is a star-shaped military fortress that was created in 1662. Today, people are allowed to walk all over the property. However, the barracks are still in use and the whole premise is in operation. The truly strange part of this is that it is in use by Denmark's CIA, formally called PET. It is a bit like walking into Langley.
This square is called Amalienborg Slot (slot means castle). It is the home of the current king, Frederik X. It was his mother's, Margrethe II, until January of 2024. However, she shocked the nation by abdicating the throne after 52 years of being queen. She felt she should get to "retire" and have a break in her old age. She was the first Danish royalty in 900 years to do so. It makes sense she felt she needed a break. Prior to her, Denmark truly hated its "puppet royalty" (they have the same amount of power as England's-so basically none) and felt they were a waste. Margrethe II changed all that by using her royalty to help promote Denmark's trading businesses to other countries. Now the royalty is loved. Amalienborg Slot consists of four palaces surrounding a cobble stone square. We arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard!
The changing of the guard at Amalienborg Slot.
Here is a video of part of the changing of the guard.
This is the top of a church called Vor Frelsers Kirke. It has a 312 foot high spiral tower. We didn't get to go up it, but we heard that the steps get more and more narrow and end at the very top where you can see the city from above.
This is the royal library gardens. Apparently it is heralded as the most tranquil part of the city. I personally just thought it was beautiful.
Christiansborg Slot is the government building for Denmark. It houses the parliament, the prime minister, the supreme court, the royal reception rooms, and the royal stables. Fun fact, the Danish prime minister is a woman. 😏
After biking for most of the day, we returned to the hotel to chill, play dominoes, and read. Miller was completely pooped out and went to bed by 7:00pm! If you can believe it, he slept until 7:30am the next day!
Our second day in Copenhagen was spent at Tivoli Gardens. It is not in fact a big garden. It is actually a theme park. It is the world's second-oldest amusement park. It opened in 1843. Walt Disney visited Tivoli in 1951 and found inspiration for his Disney World there. He opened his park four years later. We spent the entire day there (although it rained most of it) enjoying the rides, the flower gardens, and of course filling up on junk food.
Tivoli's version of the Disney castle-like entrance. The castle has a very fancy restaurant in it. The garden is maintained by a little robot rumba-like lawn mower that was decorated to look like an Easter Bunny.
This is a statue of Georg Carstensen, the man who created Tivoli Gardens.
This is one of many stages that Tivoli houses. Once you pay for admittance to the amusement park, you can see all the shows for free. Unfortunately, there wasn't one until 6:30pm because we came on the very first day of the summer season. We didn't make it until 6:30 because of the never ending downpour.
The first two people in this rollercoaster are Ben and Miller. 😛
I have never been to Disney World. However, this ride reminded me of descriptions I have heard of the "Small World" ride. However, this one is one about Hans Christian Andersen's stories. The ride is about five minutes long and covers all his major stories for kids.
There is a small Japanese garden in Tivoli that has cherry blossoms!
Copenhagen was supposed to be the end of our spring break adventure. Tomorrow, we were supposed to go to the National Museum in Copenhagen. However, we discovered that Malmo, Sweden is a one hour train ride from Copenhagen. So, we changed plans. We only spent two days in Copenhagen and are using our final day to go to Malmo. Stay tuned for a one day part four of our adventure!
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