I liked the modern Copenhagen Airport, which looked much better engineered than any U.S. airport. After we landed in Copenhagen, we decided to purchase metro tickets to reach our hotel quickly.
Initially, I tried purchasing metro tickets using vending machines, but they did not work with my Capital One Visa (it did not have a chip and pin like most European credit cards). The vending machines would also not work with my bank's ATM card or cash (it only accepts coins). Luckily, we found a station manned by people who could sell us metro tickets for cash.
Once we purchased tickets, we rode the metro to the downtown station from Lufthavn to Kongens Nytorv (the metro station nearest our Phoenix Copenhagen Hotel.) The metro ride from the airport was short, about 15 minutes, and we were soon in downtown Copenhagen.
Copenhagen's downtown immediately reminded me of Amsterdam, with large bike lanes everywhere and relatively flat surroundings. With the help of Google Maps, I oriented myself and went to our Phoenix Copenhagen hotel. Happily, our reservations were fine, and we were given a room on the 3rd floor of our hotel.
Upon reaching the hotel, I noticed many fabulous design stores nearby and made a mental note to visit them. From the sound of revelers driving around, I could tell Copenhagen was a "party city." The revelers continued partying every day of our stay!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
After waking up around 8:30 a.m., we dressed and went to eat breakfast. I found an excellent bakery nearby on Yelp called Reinh van Hauen, and I wanted to try pastries there. Inna ordered a traditional Danish pastry, Alex tried the focaccia bread pizza with pepperoni, and I had a pastry with coffee. The pastries were delicious but not exceptional.
After breakfast, we took the long way to Tivoli Gardens. Our initial plan was to follow a one-hour tour of Copenhagen by Richard Karpen. Rick Steves highly recommended Richard for his Hans Christian Andersen tours of Copenhagen. Although we arrived at 10:30 a.m. - the designated tour time - we missed Richard (I did not know what he looked like - I saw someone dressed colorfully in a top hat but did not realize it was him). We tried to catch up to him but could not find him.
We walked to the city hall, observing all the beautiful ongoing weddings. Since it was just after 11:00 a.m., we decided to go to the Tivoli Gardens since the weather was fine - not raining, and we were in the area. From observing the brides and grooms at the City Hall, Danish weddings seem a lot more modest than American weddings.
We purchased a three-day Copenhagen card, which allowed us to access most museums and public transport for 72 hours. It worked well with Tivoli Gardens, one of the main attractions we planned to visit. However, the multi-day Copenhagen card is uneconomical unless used daily. One is better off buying a 24-hour Copenhagen card for days when many expensive museums will be visited, and a lot of travel is needed.
At first, we tried to get on a roller coaster, but we had to buy additional tickets for the actual rides (the Copenhagen card only covered the entrance fees). We paid 200 DKK per adult for unlimited rides. I did not go on more than four rides, so spending 25 DKK per individual ride ticket for some people (like me) makes more sense.
The first ride we tried was the Star Flyer. However, we were not allowed to take photos - though we had a great view of the surrounding Copenhagen (80 meters above the ground!)
The first ride we tried was the Star Flyer. However, we were not allowed to take photos - though we had a great view of the surrounding Copenhagen (80 meters above the ground!)
Alex, Inna, and I did a few more rides and then decided to get a few snacks. I ordered a pancake with cream inside. It was delicious. Inna ordered a Marzipan cake, and it was also terrific.
After our snack, we took a tour through Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale land while sitting in a moving treasure chest.
There were many famous fairy tales built up with animated dolls. Inn and I liked it, but Alex found it too dull.
However, he did enjoy the ride on the Demon rollercoaster with Inna. The Demon is located inside Tivoli's small Chinatown.
Thankfully, the lines were not that long to wait for Alex's and Inna's ride.
Inna and Alex had a lot of fun on their ride but did not ask to do it again!
Alex wanted to try the Temple Power ride, which involved pulling oneself up with a rope. However, it was not too exciting for him.
The Tivoli Boys Guard marched through the park and entertained us with their music. I was surprised by how young some members were (some looked younger than Alex). It was a regular marching band (like any U.S. High School would have). The band marched through Tivoli Gardens a few times, and we encountered it occasionally.
Alex wanted to try other rides, and he found this exhilarating airplane ride called Vertigo. The airplane rotates and spins in various directions.
Alex liked Vertigo so much that he did it more than a few times!
After all the rides, we got hungry and decided to have lunch at Cafe Georg nearby. Inna ordered a salmon sandwich, while I ordered an omelet with walnuts and goat cheese.
After all the rides, we got hungry and decided to have lunch at Cafe Georg nearby. Inna ordered a salmon sandwich, while I ordered an omelet with walnuts and goat cheese.
The walnut and goat cheese combination was unusual but worked well in the omelet. I really enjoyed it!
We ordered a fresh strawberry cake for dessert, which was delicious!
Nearby, where we sat, many young kids were floating on Dragon Boats. This was a ride for the younger kids, so Alex skipped it.
After our delicious lunch, we attended the 5:00 p.m. fish feeding at Tivoli's Aquarium, where a small octopus was fed. Tivoli's aquarium is relatively small, so for 25 DKK extra per person, one did not see a lot of variety of fish. The admission price is not worth the access to the small aquarium and the fish feeding. If I had to do it again, I would skip it.
Nearby, where we sat, many young kids were floating on Dragon Boats. This was a ride for the younger kids, so Alex skipped it.
After our delicious lunch, we attended the 5:00 p.m. fish feeding at Tivoli's Aquarium, where a small octopus was fed. Tivoli's aquarium is relatively small, so for 25 DKK extra per person, one did not see a lot of variety of fish. The admission price is not worth the access to the small aquarium and the fish feeding. If I had to do it again, I would skip it.
There was a cute place for kids that Inna wanted to explore. In addition to a playground for young ones, there were some obstacles for pre-teens. There were tons of kids here!
Alex tried to stay on the rolling log along with his Danish friends but was not too successful:
After exploring the children's playground, we went inside a cute whale house, where Inna wanted to try local pancakes.
They were served in a unique/peculiar way but were very enjoyable.
They were served in a unique/peculiar way but were very enjoyable.
We saw two shows at the Pantomime Theater (the sizeable open theater decorated with Chinese characters). Starting at 7:00 p.m., the first show focused on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. The second performance started at 8:30 p.m. The theater has minimal seating capacity, so if you want to sit, you must reserve your seat at least 30-45 minutes early. Both Inna and Alex liked these pantomime ballets.
We had dinner at Faergekroen Brewery, which overlooked the lake. I ordered the lamb, and Inna ordered the pasta entree. The entree was huge—I expected much smaller for Denmark. The entrees were well prepared but expensive (200 DKK each). I did not try the beer made on-site but saw many other restaurant patrons drinking it from large, tall glasses. Next time, I could try it to see how it compares to beer in the Czech Republic and Germany.
After dinner, we stopped by Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Parlor to pick up a scoop of ice cream for Alex (Fish Food flavor), and then we went to see the 10:00 p.m. concert performed by Michael Caroe. He played many standard American rhythm and blues songs, including hits by Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Ray Charles, Depeche Mode, Dolly Parton, and others.
It was an eclectic mix of popular American tunes. I liked the concert and was surprised to see many older people dancing. Michael Caroe had a big band with an excellent horn section, including trombones, trumpets, and saxophones. Overall, I liked the concert and wish he played longer.
After the concert, Alex rode around the lot on the round stools (trying to entertain himself before the fireworks started).
After the concert, Alex rode around the lot on the round stools (trying to entertain himself before the fireworks started).
The Tivoli app on the iPhone worked well, though Tivoli's Wi-Fi reception was spotty. I used the Tivoli app to find the location and times of all the shows, as there are no booklets with times at the entrance. There is Wi-Fi in Tivoli Gardens, but the reception is spotty; it mainly works at the main entrance.
We missed the chance to see Tivoli's Illuminations, as Michael Caroe's concert continued from 10:00 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. (and the Illumination show started at 10:45 p.m.). We would like to return to Tivoli to see this show in the evening.
Tivoli Gardens looks beautiful at night, with all the lamps turned on. It has a very different look at night from the daytime. Many more adults come to the gardens in the evening with more romantic intentions. We saw a lot of couples kissing in the evening.
Tivoli's fireworks started at 11:45 p.m. They were some of the best fireworks I've seen. Afterward, we took a taxi to our hotel, as we were too tired to walk and were not entirely sure which bus to take home. The taxi ride cost about 120 DKK.
When we arrived at our Phoenix Hotel, the party in the nearby residence was still going strong, and Inna had difficulty going to sleep. At least the party was playing good, danceable music!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
After getting up around 8:30 a.m., we decided to get breakfast. In our Phoenix Hotel, breakfast is 170 DKK per person - reasonably expensive - so we decided to get breakfast on the way to the National Museum of Denmark. We stopped at a restaurant near Nyhavn (New Harbor) as it started raining. It looked cozy and inviting, plus we saw many people already sitting there (thinking that this must be a good sign).
The restaurant Barock was offering a 20 DKK special on croissants and coffee. This was a mistake—the service was slow, and the waitress was half asleep. I repeatedly asked for the check-in order to facilitate our exit. I would avoid this restaurant in the future (if one is in a hurry).
The restaurant Barock was offering a 20 DKK special on croissants and coffee. This was a mistake—the service was slow, and the waitress was half asleep. I repeatedly asked for the check-in order to facilitate our exit. I would avoid this restaurant in the future (if one is in a hurry).
An intense downpour started while we ate breakfast, so we were lucky to sit under an umbrella. We walked to the National Museum, using Google Maps to help us navigate. On the way there, we stopped briefly at the Christiansborg Palace, home of Denmark's Parliament. We were not too impressed with the palace and decided to pass it by (taking a few photos on the way).
Next, we entered the National Museum. Since Alex was still hungry, we purchased a cake and some hot chocolate for him (He was in a bad mood, too, probably because he was still hungry). An excellent children's museum was inside, and Alex played as a dressed Viking warrior, fighting swords and trying out armor. He found the natural armor to be quite heavy and uncomfortable to wear. There were many Viking tools for kids to experience for the first time, making the experience more fun.
The National Museum houses many ancient objects from Denmark's past. We explored multiple galleries filled with objects from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Viking Age. Some exciting skeletons preserved from the Stone Age exhibit were illuminating (I did not know that ancient people performed operations on the brain with rudimentary flint rock tools!) The museum turned out to be much larger than I anticipated, and we realized quickly that we could spend many days there. We decided to finish the Viking age and go to our next destination (before we got too tired).
We wish we had a tour guide for this museum, which is so enormous that it requires someone to point out the relevant and exciting objects.
The National Museum is free, so no Copenhagen card is necessary. We found out that the N.Y. Carlsberg Glyptotek was also free on Sundays. If you attend museums on Sundays, you can save a lot of money in Copenhagen (you don't need to buy a Copenhagen card).
Inna wanted to go to the Danish Design Center, but when we finally found it, we saw that it was closed, although Rick Steves and Triposo reported it open. The bottom line is that one cannot trust any guide for accuracy. From Yelp reviews, I also discovered that the Danish Design Center no longer shows exhibits.
Instead of the Danish Design Center, we walked to the N.Y. Carlsberg Glyptotek. This beautiful museum by Carlsberg (a beer magnate) houses many exceptional Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Danish statues and wonderful French paintings. The Glyptotek has free admissions on Sunday, so it was crowded.
We also enjoyed the cafe in Glyptotek - the sandwiches were delicious. I ordered the Salmon sandwich (Laks Sandwich for 129 DKK), and Inna ordered the French Ham sandwich (Skinke sandwich for 110 DKK). Alex said his Caesar salad was the best he's had anywhere - that's pretty good for a museum cafe! It is another one of the odd Copenhagen cafes, where one first waits for a free table and then proceeds to the counter to order food (giving the table number to the waiter at the counter).
A sculpture of the world's oldest hippo was dated to about 3000 BC.
There was a surprising collection of French impressionist art. We could have spent a lot more time here! Unfortunately, it closed at 5:00 p.m., and we could have spent a few more hours exploring the sculptures and paintings.
On the way back to our Phoenix Copenhagen Hotel, we stopped briefly at the Guinness Book of World Records exhibit to compare ourselves to the World's Tallest Man. He looked twice as tall as Alex!
On the way back to our Phoenix Copenhagen Hotel, we stopped briefly at the Guinness Book of World Records exhibit to compare ourselves to the World's Tallest Man. He looked twice as tall as Alex!
We were exhausted when we came back to your Phoenix Hotel. We returned our umbrellas (often used in today's rain) and rested a bit. We discovered that river cruises depart two blocks from our hotel, and we decided to purchase tickets for the 7:00 p.m. cruise (since the rain had stopped and we were not sure the weather would be more favorable the next day). The river cruise was not too expensive (75 DKK per person) and ran every twenty minutes.
The one-hour boat cruise from Nyhavn was enjoyable. We enjoyed the excellent weather on our short trip. We saw a few memorable sights, including multiple Little Mermaid statues, the Black Diamond (library edition), many historical buildings and bridges, the modern Copenhagen Opera House, the Royal Yacht, and many houseboats.
We enjoyed watching the beautiful scenery float by while the boat traversed the canals. We could touch the ceiling and had to duck our heads under a few bridges.
Inna finally had some time to relax after non-stop walking the whole day.
After returning from the trip, we pondered where to go for dinner. We checked Yelp and asked our hotel staff for recommendations for a local restaurant. The hotel staff suggested several places (though Rick Steves dismissed the entire set of riverfront restaurants as overpriced tourist traps).
Unfortunately, Rick Steves was right in this instance. The restaurant we finally settled on—"Cap Horn"—had mediocre-quality dishes at high prices. I ordered a mackerel, which was prepared rather blandly; Inna ordered a roebuck (freshly killed male deer) and thought it was well equipped (but portions were small). Alex had pasta (the chef specially made it for him, as it was not on the menu).
Although dinner at Cap Horn was expensive (520 DKK) and mediocre, our next-door gelato palace was fantastic. The Rajissimo Gelateria (next to Cap Horn) makes waffles, cones, and ice cream. We tried multiple flavors, but I especially liked mango, pistachio, coconut, and chocolate. We enjoyed the mango flavor so much that we ordered another one.
Monday, June 30, 2014
This time, we succeeded and followed Richard's tour throughout Copenhagen. We liked Richard's tours - he was articulate and explained things well. The 90-minute tour of Copenhagen costs 100 DKK or USD 20 per person.
Richard told us many exciting facts about Danes and their lives in Denmark. He has been here for over 20 years, first as a professional musician and now as a tour guide. He dressed as Hans Christian Anderson in a colorful purple suit and top hat.
According to Richard, Danes value caring for the weak, the sick, and the helpless. There is a core value of helping people in need, and this is prevalent throughout Danish society. Denmark has free health care, gives mothers one year of paid leave, and provides automatic job re-training to people who lose jobs. It is one of the European countries that spend the most on job re-training. Although the significant religion is Lutheran, fewer than 3% are practicing Christians. However, most Danes have their children baptized and confirmed anyway.
We saw very little panhandling and begging in Denmark (we saw much more in Estonia and Sweden).
Denmark has one of the more honest political systems and is consistently rated as one of the most honest governments. A politician who cheats on taxes becomes unelectable. Every four years, Danes vote in an election with a high turnout (usually around 86%).
Taxes are very high in Denmark, somewhere over 50%. Still, most Danes agree to high taxes because of the social support these taxes provide, including health care, job retraining, care for the elderly, homeless, and mentally ill, and free college education. We saw very few homeless people during our stay in Copenhagen. Homeless people are provided shelter and a living stipend—Danes do not feel that in a rich country, anyone should be on the street.
Since the Danish Army is very small - only about 7,000 soldiers are needed each year - young men are chosen by lottery to serve in the armed forces (some volunteer to do so). Women can volunteer within the armed forces for any position. Denmark aligns itself closely with the United States, and its military served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the U.S.
The status of women in Danish Society is equal to men; 30% of elected representatives in Parliament are women; women make up 60% of college graduates, and women get one year of paid leave after giving birth at 90% pay), and qualify for subsidies until the child is 18 years old.
Cars are costly in Denmark. One must pay a 180% sales tax when purchasing a vehicle. Denmark has high gas prices (9 USD / gallon) and increased car parking fees. Residents are encouraged to ride bicycles (with special bike lanes in the city designated for their use) and public transportation (which is cheap and prevalent - buses run 24 hours per day). Most trains have accommodations for buses and strollers, so it's easy to take a bike on the train and explore other parts of Denmark.
Denmark, which consists of the mainland and 400 other islands, is a seafaring nation. The largest shipping company - Maersk Line, is based in Denmark and employs 25,000 people.
Danish kids start learning a new language in 5th grade (English will begin in 1st grade). Most kids also learn to speak Norwegian, Swedish, and German. English is so prevalent that 90% of Danes are fluent in it, and many signs are in English throughout the city. Copenhagen is home to Europe's largest university, with over 30,000 students.
Denmark consistently ranks as one of the happiest countries. Richard pointed out that it is not so much that Danes are so glad, but they have lowered expectations and are always surprised when Denmark comes out ahead. Danes do not expect Denmark to be number one in anything. Their lowered expectations mean that they are rarely disappointed when things go poorly. They also believe that happiness does not come from more material wealth - but from more friends and more interactions with each other. Most Danes are members of their apartment or homeowners' association, church, or neighborhood. They grow to trust and depend on each other, so honesty is taken for granted and expected.
The biggest problems of concern to Danes right now are immigration (many incoming immigrants from Islamic countries do not integrate well into Danish society), taxes, alcohol abuse, and smoking. Unemployment is relatively low at 5%. If one loses a job and cannot find one, the government will find a job for you - and you are required to take it (if one wants to receive support from the government) - or one is required to get retrained.
After the tour ended, we stopped for lunch at an authentic Danish restaurant recommended by Richard: Cafe Halvvejen. The cafe is primarily underground, has limited space, and only serves lunch. However, there was space on the street, and we ordered a few authentic Danish dishes, which were really exceptional.
Inna had a traditional smorgasbord on rye bread.
I had the mini platter, which included herring, chicken salad, homemade meatballs, and a hard-boiled egg. It was truly exceptional.
Alex had the traditional Danish meatballs, which looked and tasted delicious.
These dishes were all very prepared and reasonably priced (compared to other tourist-oriented restaurants). We hope to eat there again one day.
After lunch, we stopped by the bakery Richard recommended - Lagkagehuset - where we picked a few delicious pastries. I had the Franske Horn. Alex tried the Traestamme, which both Inna and I liked, but Alex did not like it because it contained rum. Inna tried the Noddemazarin, which she also enjoyed. This was one of the best bakeries we have been to in Copenhagen, and we planned to stop there again. Since Alex did not like the taste of the rum in the Traestamme, we let him pick out another selection - Flodebolle caramel.
He really loved the ball of chocolate and caramel!
In our travels, we found that Lagkagehuset bakeries had varying degrees of quality in different locations (the airport bakery was sub-par).
After dessert, we quickly ran to Richard's subsequent tour of Rosenborg Palace, a summer residence of Danish Kings. We enjoyed touring the palace with Richard as he explained the intricacies of Danish Royalty and showed us the jewels in the Treasury, including crowns, swords, necklaces, and all manner of royal objects.
After the treasury tour, we went to the castle, where we explored the Royal rooms where Danish Kings and Queens ate, slept, and received visitors. There were memorable holes in the floor so that a musical orchestra could be well heard, and king and pipes ran through the castle so he could communicate with servants in another part of the palace. The palace was luxurious but not as extravagant as Versailles.
After the tour, we explored the Rosenberg Castle gardens and found a children's playground. It was oriented more toward younger kids with sand to play in. Alex played there a bit, and then we took the metro to our hotel, where we rested.
As we did not see much of Copenhagen, we decided to rent bikes in our hotel and ride around the city. As most bike rental shops close by 5:30 p.m., we had to rent expensive bikes from the hotel directly at 150 DKK each per day. Most rental shops do not stock smaller bicycles for kids, so one should call each shop now to check whether smaller frame bicycles are available for rental (most are only suitable for adults).
We first rode north on the bikes to see the "Little Mermaid" statue up close. We saw a few other mermaid statues, statues of Bears, and other creatures.
Riding bikes on Copenhagen streets was sometimes challenging, as there were multiple stoplights for cars, bikes, and pedestrians.
After we returned to our hotel, we replaced the rented bikes and took the bus to Tivoli Gardens, where we wanted to get dinner and catch the last show. We had dinner at the Nimb Brasserie. Inna ordered the Baked North Sea cod entree, and I had the Guinea fowl (like a chicken). Both entrees were well prepared but not extraordinary. Just as we were about to leave, an intense rain erupted from the sky, and we decided to stay for dessert.
Inna ordered the cake and two teas. The teas turned out to be very expensive - 45 DKK each! On a positive note, the rain stopped, and we used our time to take fantastic photos of Tivoli right after it stopped. However, due to the rain, we missed the one show we wanted to see - Illuminations. We hope to see it next time we return to Copenhagen.
After breakfast, we took bus 1A to Copenhagen's Central Train station, where we took the S-train to Hillerod, where we toured Frederiksborg Castle. Rick Stevens recommended taking a bus to the castle, and we did this (instead of walking and arriving later).
The castle itself is large and surrounded by a large moat. We were some of the first people in the castle, and it was fairlCastley in the morning. When we first arrived, there were two ladies, Dr. Castlein, and authentic periodic costumes of the time. I took photos of Alex and Inna with them.
The castle itself is large and surrounded by a large moat. We were some of the first people in the castle, and it was fairlCastley in the morning. When we first arrived, there were two ladies, Dr. Castlein, and authentic periodic costumes of the time. I took photos of Alex and Inna with them.
The castle was a beautiful chapel inside the castle. We could walk around it but not go inside. It was meant for the king of Denmark.
While exploring the castle, we appreciated the fine furnishings and beautiful artwork. We also liked the Tycho Brahe astrolabe machine, designed to forecast the location of all castles and constellations.
The castle is not as lavish as Versailles, but Inna still thought it was richly decorated.
After touring the castle, we walked behind it to admire the beautiful gardens. The gardens were magnificent, and visiting them all took us a long time.
We walked around the gardens. Enjoying the beautiful manicured lawns, statues, and water fountains.
After spending a few hours in the castle, we stopped by the nearby T.I. (tourist info ) office to find the best place for lunch in Hillerod. Inna found a local Indian Restaurant - Saffron - and we ate lunch there.
Castlece, the buffet was reasonably priced at 99 DKK per person (and looked good); we ordered two buffets for us and a Caesar salad for Alex. The buffet had three kinds of herring, Indian curry, and Danish salads. The chicken salad was incredibly delicious, and the Indian food was better than I tried in San Jose.
After finishing lunch, we walked around Hillerod, surprised to see many people walking about on a Tuesday afternoon. We walked to the train station and the train to the next castle, Kronborg, located in Helsingor (a little north).
The train ride to Helsingor from Hillerod took over 45 minutes, and I fell asleep. From the Helsingor train station, Castellewe took a bus ( just 1 stop) to Kronborg Castle.
The castle grounds were extensive, and cannons were mounted overlooking the strait (Sweden is across the channel). In old times, the Kronborg castle demanded payment for any ships crossing the strait.
Alex decided to climb a cannon to pose for photos. The cannon looked like an accurate replica of the originals still on the castle mount.
We did not enter the castle as we arrived late (just around 5:00 p.m.), but it was too late for school. In addition, Rick Steves recommended skipping the tour inside, as he thought nothing was exciting inside.
After walking around Kronborg Castle and looking at the boats sailing the strait and the houses in Sweden (across the channel), we returned to our train stop for our final journey to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
It took us another 21 minutes to get aboard another train to Humlebaek (where Louisiana is located).
While exploring the castle, we appreciated the fine furnishings and beautiful artwork. We also liked the Tycho Brahe astrolabe machine, designed to forecast the location of all castles and constellations.
The castle is not as lavish as Versailles, but Inna still thought it was richly decorated.
We walked around the gardens. Enjoying the beautiful manicured lawns, statues, and water fountains.
After spending a few hours in the castle, we stopped by the nearby T.I. (tourist info ) office to find the best place for lunch in Hillerod. Inna found a local Indian Restaurant - Saffron - and we ate lunch there.
Castlece, the buffet was reasonably priced at 99 DKK per person (and looked good); we ordered two buffets for us and a Caesar salad for Alex. The buffet had three kinds of herring, Indian curry, and Danish salads. The chicken salad was incredibly delicious, and the Indian food was better than I tried in San Jose.
After finishing lunch, we walked around Hillerod, surprised to see many people walking about on a Tuesday afternoon. We walked to the train station and the train to the next castle, Kronborg, located in Helsingor (a little north).
The train ride to Helsingor from Hillerod took over 45 minutes, and I fell asleep. From the Helsingor train station, Castellewe took a bus ( just 1 stop) to Kronborg Castle.
The castle grounds were extensive, and cannons were mounted overlooking the strait (Sweden is across the channel). In old times, the Kronborg castle demanded payment for any ships crossing the strait.
Alex decided to climb a cannon to pose for photos. The cannon looked like an accurate replica of the originals still on the castle mount.
We did not enter the castle as we arrived late (just around 5:00 p.m.), but it was too late for school. In addition, Rick Steves recommended skipping the tour inside, as he thought nothing was exciting inside.
After walking around Kronborg Castle and looking at the boats sailing the strait and the houses in Sweden (across the channel), we returned to our train stop for our final journey to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
It took us another 21 minutes to get aboard another train to Humlebaek (where Louisiana is located).
We had to walk another 10 minutes from the train station to the museum. Although we saw bus stops, Google Maps did not indicate a way to them (so it's possible to get to the museum by bus).
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art houses modern sculptures and paintings. We arrived there around 7:00 p.m. Since we were getting hungry, we decided to eat dinner in the cafe overlooking the strait. The cafe served a buffet that was delicious and reasonably priced (159 DKK per adult, 74 DKK for kids. The roast beef and salads were delicious; everyone, including Alex, got second helpings. At one point, a rainbow appeared, and we took photos of it. We really enjoyed our dinner there - more so than in restaurants in Copenhagen.
For a brief moment during dinner, a beautiful rainbow emerged. I ran to take some photos. Eventually, two separate rainbows appeared.
After dinner, we looked at all the beautiful sculptures in the outdoor garden. We were surprised by how extensive the grounds are. The museum would be much smaller than it was. Around the lake, there are sculptures and a slide for kids. The vegetation was as lush as one would find in a jungle. It was a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the views - especially when the weather was nice.
Inna even got to try out the children's slide!
After finishing touring the outdoor sculptures, we explored the indoor collection. I am not a big fan of modern art, but I found a few interesting pieces. The museum starts lockdown at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays (half an hour before closing), so we could not see some outdoor statues.
We stayed until 10:00 p.m. - until the museum closed (it closes at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesdays). We walked back to the train stations and took two trains back to Copenhagen (it took about an hour). It was a long, tiring day, but we covered a lot of sights.
When we came home around 11:15 p.m., the U.S. soccer team was still tied with Belgium 0 to 0 at the FIFA World Cup finals. We watched the game a bit and then went to bed, exhausted from the long day. When I woke up and checked the score, I was disappointed that the U.S. lost to Belgium 2 to 1.
For a brief moment during dinner, a beautiful rainbow emerged. I ran to take some photos. Eventually, two separate rainbows appeared.
After dinner, we looked at all the beautiful sculptures in the outdoor garden. We were surprised by how extensive the grounds are. The museum would be much smaller than it was. Around the lake, there are sculptures and a slide for kids. The vegetation was as lush as one would find in a jungle. It was a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the views - especially when the weather was nice.
Inna even got to try out the children's slide!
After finishing touring the outdoor sculptures, we explored the indoor collection. I am not a big fan of modern art, but I found a few interesting pieces. The museum starts lockdown at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays (half an hour before closing), so we could not see some outdoor statues.
We stayed until 10:00 p.m. - until the museum closed (it closes at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesdays). We walked back to the train stations and took two trains back to Copenhagen (it took about an hour). It was a long, tiring day, but we covered a lot of sights.
When we came home around 11:15 p.m., the U.S. soccer team was still tied with Belgium 0 to 0 at the FIFA World Cup finals. We watched the game a bit and then went to bed, exhausted from the long day. When I woke up and checked the score, I was disappointed that the U.S. lost to Belgium 2 to 1.
