The morning offered plenty of sunshine and we headed to the Netto boat cruises for the hour-long harbor tour from the best vantage point, the water. The Danish language is a bit difficult to decipher but it wasn't hard to learn that "København" is Danish for the capital city. First documented in the 11th century, Copenhagen became the capital in the beginning of the 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of King Christian the 4th, much of the city's waterfront took on a Dutch flair as the King sought to bring a bit of Amsterdam's charm to his town.
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| Tall ship in Nyhavn |
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| Can't miss this Danish beer outpost on the canal |
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| The "Black Diamond"--public library. It shimmers in the sunlight |
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| Opera House, Copenhagen |
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| Fabulous apartments with canal (former torpedo bay) running through |
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| Our Savior's Church, spiral tower |
The harbor cruise is a great way to get acquainted with the city's layout. Some highlights include the Opera House and the Black Diamond, Copenhagen's public library.
My favorite spot was cruising through Nyhavn where the houseboats and original waterside buildings still stand. Following the cruise, Lindsey, lauren and I climbed the church tower of Our Savior's Church, a massive spiral tower which has the adventurous walk on the outside of the tower on their way to the top. While the girls delighted in seeing the city from on high, I simply touched the last step with my foot and immediately turned around to go back down.
Following the church climb, we made our way to the Danish National Museum and saw some really cool old stuff. This free museum is chock full of ancient goods including mummies found in old coffins and Runestones, memorials to deceased men with colored runic writing (like hieroglyphics) dating from the 6-7th century. While we first thought Denmark was land of Vikings, we now know that Vikings were much farther north and Copenhagen remains a thoroughly "modern" city having been radically impacted by Christian IV in the 1600s.
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| Runestone, 7th Century |
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| Ewww...old braided hair found in peat bogs given as part of religious ceremony |
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| Practicing the "Lindsey pose", National Museum |
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| "Chariot of the Sun", Bronze Age |
For dinner, we met up with the rest of the Postma gang and enjoyed a meal at an Italian restaurant. We were surprised to learn that the Danish don't "share meals" and we each had to order a meal from the regular menu. Good thing we weren't spending more than 2 days in the fabulous town.
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| Grandpa gives Lilly a piggy-back ride around the plaza |
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| Bummer! Lindsey is still at the "kids table" |
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| Statue dedicated to all the Fish women who sold their husband's daily catch in days gone by. |
