Whew... buckle up! Day Two was BUSY! I'm tired all over again just thinking about it, but that means picture overload here in this post (I did leave a ton out, I promise).
I arrived on a Monday and many of the places I wanted to visit were closed on Monday, so that means that Tuesday, December 12th was chocked full of activities. I literally slept for 12 hours and woke up ready to hit the ground running. First order of business was to walk to a food hall, Torvehallen, for breakfast. I found a place called Grød that served porridge, and I thought that sounded like the perfect breakfast. They had a lot of options, but I went with their Oat Porridge Number 1: whole rolled oats cooked with oat milk and water topped with caramel sauce, fresh apples, and roasted almonds. It was yummy and warm and a perfect start to the day.
Next up, I walked to Rosenborg Castle where I had a 10:00 timed entry slot right when they opened.
The gate is labeled 1672, but the castle was actually build by King Christian IV in the early 1600s as his summer residence.
Christian's toilet...
...with Delft tiles added in 1705
Christian VII's Hall
Portrait of the King in his coronation robes and regalia.
A peek out the windows of the castle of the Rosenborg Gardens
The Great Hall
Three silver lions from 1670 guard the king's and queen's thrones (which are made of silver and narwhal tusks).
The national coat of arms in the ceiling of the Great Hall
Next I went down to the basement where there are weapons and wine.
Saddle from Christian IV's coronation in 1596
Then on to the treasury...
The Sword of State (1551)
Christian IV's crown (1596)
Just part of the collection of rings
These next few pics are of Queen Sophie Magdalene's jewels who's will in 1796 decreed that her jewelry be always "with the Crown". There are 4 sets of jewels that are part of this collection. They can only be used by the Queen and only within Denmark. They are used a couple of times a year.
The ruby and pearls...
Emeralds
Regalia including the scepter, the orb, and the ointment jar
The Order of the Elephant is Denmark's highest-ranked honor, so you see it in jewels and other places
A few more of Queen Sophie's jewels
The crowns of absolute monarchy from 1671 and 1731
I never pass up a gift shop! I got a Rosenborg ornament, but snapped a pic of this book about Queen Margrethe II who is known as Daisy. (She's since really shocked everyone by announcing she will abdicate on January 14, 2024)
Church of the Holy Spirit
Next stop was the Museum of Danish Resistance.
Saint Alban's Church (a 19th century Anglican church)
I walked down to see The Little Mermaid. I had read it was underwhelming, and it is, but I'm not going to Copenhagen and skip seeing it.
Frederick's Church or The Marble Church as it is known.
I next had a timed ticket for Amalienborg Museum at the Amalienborg Palace, but one entry was blocked off, so I walked around to another entry and the police told me they weren't letting anyone in and the changing of the guards had been cancelled because "something happened". He told me to come back the next day, but unfortunately I was moving on to my next location and wouldn't be able to visit.
I started walking to my next location which meant I walked through one of the Christmas market's I had visited the day before. I purchased an ornament I had seen and liked, and then decided I was hungry and the Greek booth smelled yummy.
Aarhus Cathedral. The Danish royals attend Christmas Eve services here.
Højbro Square and it's Christmas Market
My next stop was Christianborg Palace
They don't have big coronations anymore. When there is a new Queen or King, the Prime Minister goes out on that balcony with the new monarch and declares there is a new Queen or King. This balcony was last used for such events in 1972 and will again be used on January 14, 2024 when Crown Prince Frederik is declared the new King.
The start of my visit to the Royal Reception Rooms.
The King's Staircase
The Throne Room
This is the inside walking out to the balcony I mentioned earlier
This ceiling painting depicts the legend of "Dannebrog". The Danish national flag is falling from the heavens and turning defeat into victory. This is said to have happened in Estonia in 1219.
Danish coat of arms consists of 3 lions
The Great Hall
The Dining Hall
The Queen's Library
The Princess Chamber
The Alexander Hall
The Flora Danica Cabinet houses the Flora Danica china which has been used since the early 19th century by the royal family for special occasions. It has flora from the Danish countryside and was manufactured by Royal Copenhagen.
I visited the Royal Kitchen next. It is located beneath the palace and has one of Europe's largest collections of copper kitchenware. It is set up as it was on May 15, 1937 when Christian X celebrated his Silver Jubilee.
The size of everything was crazy. This wasn't even the biggest pot but you can see the handle is as long as my arm!
The tea kettles were huge and would easily hold at least a gallon of water.
After the palace, I decided to walk to Christianshavn. I stopped at a Lagkagehuset for a cinnamon scroll and just to sit down for a few minutes.
In Chrstianshavn, I stopped at Our Savior's Church. It was inaugurated in 1696.
5 of the 6 angels at the front altar are archangels.
The elephants again... a symbol of absolute monarchy and the Order of the Elephant (there are 40 elephants in the church).
Next stop was Christiana. Photos aren't allowed so I snapped this one from a block away. In 1971, 700 Christianians established squatters' rights in an abandoned military barracks. This "free city" still stands. It's very bohemian and hippie dippie. I visited a Christmas market there with hand-made goods, but nothing really my style. The main drag is called "pusher street" but I didn't see any drug sales (which are illegal). There are 3 rules posted: 1) Have Fun, 2) No photos, and 3) No running "because it makes people nervous".
I finally used the metro and saved my legs a few steps as I headed back to the hotel. I rested for a little bit and swapped my boots for sneakers added some warm layers and headed out again.
I went to the most unlikely place for me to visit... an amusement park.
Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843. Walt Disney visited here and incorporated many parts into Disneyland.
It was all decked out for the Christmas
I planned to eat at the Tivoli Food Hall, but it was beyond crowded, so after I left the park I walked around until I decided on a burger place called Dandelion Burger. It is rated the #1 burger place in Copenhagen and it was excellent. I got a combo to-go and took it back to the room to eat.
I think you can call that a full day!
I packed up and went to bed because I had an early wake up time to fly to the next destination...stay tuned.
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