Copenhagen

Aaron had a couple of days off of work so we decided to visit Copenhagen, Denmark. We figured that since we are neighbors we might as well try and visit.

We took the train down which took about 4 1/2 hours. I actually like to travel by train because you can look out the window and see the beautiful landscape or just relax with a book. Unfortunately though we traveled in on a Thursday afternoon so by the time we got to our hotel it was getting quite late.

Friday we took the metro into the city center and went to the second oldest amusement 

park in the world, TIVOLI!!! By the way, the oldest park is also in Denmark.

 This peacock was just cruising around the park.

 It was such a beautiful time of year. The colors were so vibrant on all the flowers. 

I felt like I was in a painting.

 The kids made a shadow monster!

 We tried our luck to win a HUGE Maribou candy bar. 

Luck was not on our side but at least we saved a ton of calories! 

We really enjoyed Tivoli. Beautiful scenery, rides for kids and adults alike,
lots of restaurants. A fun place to hang out.

After Tivoli we strolled down Strøget St. It is a long street lined with all kinds of shops
 and cafes. Fun to stroll down and visit the souvenir shops along the way.

Jaxon spotted the Lego store so of coarse we had to go inside!

These are the different logos that Lego has had over the years. Did you know that Lego originates from Denmark and was originally wooden blocks until the 1950's?

One place that I was particularily excited to visit was the Vor Frue Kirke
  or Church of our Lady.

Bertel Thorvaldsen was the man that created this amazing work of art. It is referred to as The Christus and has been thought of by many as the most perfect statue of Christ in the world. He also created the statues of the Apostles (Judas Iscariot replaced by Paul) that surround the Christus.

This statue has appealed to members of the LDS church and a much larger replica is on display at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.
There are also replicas in several of the LDS temples.

Here is Peter's statue, holding a set of keys symbolizing the keys to the Priesthood.

Below is a statue of Hans Christian Andersen. We visited his museum. The Danes love him because of his many famous writings. Some of his most famous works are The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Princess and the Pea 
and The Ugly Duckling just to name a few!

This is the Rundetaarn or The Round Tower. It was built between 1637 and 1642. It is the oldest working observatory in Europe. The telescope at the top of the tower is still used today. We climbed the tower which was not like you would imagine with stairs but with a constant upward slope of the floor.

You can see the walkway (made of brick) sloping down in this photo. 

The views from the top were great.

We took a boat ride through some of the many waterways surrounding Copenhagen.

The photo below is a yacht owned by the Royal Family.

 The next day we decided to visit the Spiral Church first thing. This proved to be a very good decision because as we were leaving the crowds were coming. This is a place that would be difficult to visit with too many people because the space to walk up is very tight. You have to go up and down the same stairs which are only wide enough for one person.

As you get to the top of the spire you actually have to climb stairs on the outside. 

It was rather fun. I got freaked out at the top though!

The views that morning were great!

There are 48 bells in the church tower.

 You can't visit Denmark without eating a danish! This was not a problem for our family.
We visited bakeries every morning!!!

 

Walking around the city taking in the beautiful view.

 Two photos below were taken on Nyhavn. A famous picturesque 17th century waterfront.

One place that is a pure tourist attraction is The Little Mermaid statue.
Not sure what the craze is on this but we had to do it.
The artist was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's book.

 See how many people are here looking at this lady? Crazy!

 These pics are taken in the courtyard of the royal palace.

 Just beyond the palace is Frederik's Church or also known as the
Dome Church or Marble Church. It has the largest dome in Scandinavia.

Towards the end of the day we made a visit to Copenhagen's new aquarium.
We have been to many aquariums but Jaxon and Melynn wanted to go.

 Red Bellied Piranha's!

On our last day in the city we came across this big beauty. While we were at Central Station they were taking this old steam engine out for a trip around the city. It only operates twice a week and the engine and cars are from 1900. It still operates on coal! They call her Karen.

 Jaxon loved sitting either at the very front or very back of the metro
because it had a big window on both ends.

We went and visited the LDS temple in Copenhagen. 

It is always nice to see the different temples.

Had to sneak in a picture of all the bikes by the metro and train station! 

There are bikes everywhere throughout the city.

Last thing we did while in town was visit the Rosenborg Castle. It was built between 1606 and 1634 as a country palace for the monarchy. This is also the site where they store the crown jewels. It is now also used as a museum celebrating the monarchy.

There is a mote around the castle.

Guards keeping watch over the entrance to the crown jewels.

 These are throwns that are used by the Kings and Queens when visiting this palace.

 

 We took the train home. Quick trip but fun!