Monday | June 27, 2016
After breakfast, José, the ship's esteemed tailor, came by the apartment and took measurements on several pairs of pants that he later altered, and returned in the evening.
Around 9:00 AM, we sailed into the beautiful city of Copenhagen, Denmark. One of my first observations was a string of wind turbines that filled the bay.
Copenhagen is recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world. In 2000, the city took part in a large offshore wind farm project situated 2.17 miles off the city’s coastline. When it was built, it was the largest offshore wind farm, with 20 turbines and a capacity of 40 megawatts. Today, more than 40% of Denmark’s energy supply comes from wind power and the plan is to reach 50% by 2020. In fact, so much power was produced by Denmark’s wind farms last year alone that the country was able to increase its domestic electricity by 140% and export power to Norway, Germany, and Sweden.
In port, the battleships and submarines also caught my eye.
Then, we set off for a walk around Copenhagen. And there is no better way to see the city than with locals.
Our first stop was Amalienborg Slotsplads, which was built in the 18th century, and consists of four identical buildings.
At this time, one is home to the Queen, and the crown prince lives in another one.
A soldier stood on guard, taking care to ward away evil doers.
We came across the Old World Theatre, constructed in 1748 in the Kongens Nytorv Square. The original theater was constructed for 800 spectators, then rebuilt entirely in 1874.
We also came upon the Royal Opera House, an ultramodern structure, donated to Copenhagen by the Moller family.
We saw a statue, several actually, of heroes astride their horses. When I asked who they were, our guide replied “If you go with Frederick or Christian, you’ll probably be OK.”
We walked by the Designmuseum Denmark, Denmark’s largest Danish and international design museum, showcasing industrial design and applied arts. It was founded in 1890 and it’s been housed in the former King Frederick’s Hospital since 1926.
Frederick’s Kirke (or church) is one of the greatest religious structures in Copenhagen, visible from many parts of the city. It was constructed in a neo-baroque architectural style, with a sizable dome inspired by St. Peter’s in Rome.
It is also quite beautiful inside.
And, as seems to be the case with many of the churches we’ve seen recently, it houses an impressive looking organ.
But this is the country, and the city, of Hans Christian Andersen, and his influence was everywhere. In fact, we even walked by this red house where he once lived.
This plaque memorializes the fact that he was here when he wrote his first books about Copenhagen.
And this river scene, seems to aptly capture the flavor and character of those books.
This meandering river runs straight through the middle of town.
On the banks, people sit enjoying wine, aquavit, or coffee. We sat down at one point and shared a bottle of sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.
We smiled when we saw this piece of artwork, made entirely of spray foam, the kind normally used for insulation.
And we were amused when we stumbled across this sign.
This department store was erected in 1881.
In one of the squares in town, we came upon the Royal Copenhagen store, makers of those famous Christmas plates all our grandparents owned and displayed. But what impressed me more was the building itself, constructed in 1664.
Speaking of construction, it appears that the many of the buildings in the town square, the palaces and everything except the churches (which were built much earlier), were constructed during the period 1850 -1900.
This is true even of its stock exchange.
Fortunately for Copenhagen and its residents– and for those of us who are visiting it now– the city was spared much damage during World War II. The Nazis occupied it quite early during their conquest, and neither side had cause to bomb it because it was not a city involved in the manufacture of munitions, ships, or other critical supplies for the war.
Later that evening, I attended a fabulous party in one of the ship's restauarants, Marina. The food was not only tasty, but abundant. There were at least 1000 fresh raw oysters, with new trays being brought out every 15 minutes. Everything about the evening was terrific until the last 20 minutes. Without going into details, or naming names, a fight broke out concerning the upcoming US Presidential election. I'd never seen that level of yelling and accusations leveled on such a polite ship. I was satisfied I had controlled my temper and kept my cool, but the event was so upsetting that I left the party early and went to bed.
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