Wonderful Copenhagen Part 3

My last weekend in Copenhagen was spent biking all around the city, including through my favorite place to sit, relax and read a book on a nice fall afternoon - the lakes!

One of my favorite spots in Copenhagen - benches near the lakes!
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Everyone comes outside to enjoy the lakes.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Lakeside dining.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Biking all the way along the lakes brings me past the planetarium.

Tycho Brahe planetarium.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Continuing the ride through the Frederiksberg and Vesterbro areas eventually leads to some great parks and the Copenhagen zoo.

Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Polar bear at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Penguin at the Copenhgaen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Gorilla eating cauliflower at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Butterfly at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Bird at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Tigers at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Tazmanian devil at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Heading back into the city center, I notice that Tivoli Gardens has re-opened for the Halloween season, so I must stop in! My first weekend included a visit to Tivoli and so will my last.

Tivoli opens for Halloween!
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Newly decorated entrance to Tivoli Gardrens.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Halloween decor in front of the Nimb hotel.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Tivoli at night.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

The Nimb hotel by night.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

On Sunday I biked to Amalienborg castle to watch the changing of the guard and visit some of the sites in the area.

The flag is flying over Amalienborg - someone from the Danish royal family is at home!

Amalienborg slot - the Queen's castle.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Changing of the guard at Amalienborg castle.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

The opera house.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

The Marble Church.
Photo credit: Diana Payne.

Interior of the Marble Church.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Dome of the Marble Church.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Pipe organ inside the Marble Church.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

The Geological Museum.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Astronomy exhibit at the Geological Museum.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

The Flora Danica: comprehensive atlas of the flora of Denmark.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Examples from the Flora Danica.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Pages of the Flora Danica.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Handpainted fine porcelain dinnerware used on very special occasions.
by the Danish royal family.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Wonderful Copenhagen

Flag of Denmark, the Dannebrog. According to legend, the flag
fell from the sky during the battle of Lyndanisse in 1219.

Denmark is part of Scandinavia along with Sweden and Norway. Unlike its Nordic sister countries, Denmark is relatively flat with ample farmland. It is a constitutional monarchy, with a Parliament and Queen Margrethe II. While the Queen is the formal head of government, she does not set policy or choose political leaders. She is a talented artist and costume designer.

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is an easily walkable (or bikeable) modern European city. My plan for my first weekend was to simply explore Copenhagen on foot. The weather was splendid for walking along the Strøget, relaxing in Tivoli Gardens, and finding the Rådhuspladsen, Rundetaarn and Botanical Gardens.

The Strøget is lined with many cafes and shops. It is one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe. At the western end  is the Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square). The Kongens Nytorv (Kings New Square) is the eastern boundary. Several additional (mostly) pedestrian streets radiate from the Strøget.

Walking along the Strøget.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square), featuring City Hall.

Rådhuspladsen.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Do you recall the fabulous children's stories by Hans Christian Andersen including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea and The Snow Queen (the Disney movie Frozen was adapted from The Snow Queen)? H.C. (as he is known in Denmark) moved to Copenhagen at the age of 14 from Odense. His statue to the right of the Rådhuspladsen seems to look longingly at Tivoli.

Hans Christian Andersen statue across from Tivoli Gardens.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Walking through the Rådhuspladsen, you reach Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world. It is rumored that Tivoli was Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland. Tivoli boasts rides, restaurants, cafes and live entertainment. I find the gardens the most enchanting part of Tivoli.

The main gate of Tivoli Gardens.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Some of the magnificent plants and water features in Tivoli.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

I was thrilled to see the Tivoli Boys' Guard, a Tivoli tradition since 1844. The boys range in age from 8-16 and their uniforms are similar to those of the Royal Danish Guard.

The percussion section of the  Tivoli Boys' Guard Band.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

Heading back along the Strøgetand up another pedestrian street (Købmagergade), I came upon the Rundetaarn (Round Tower). It is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. It's a great walk up the spiral ramp, and the reward is a fantastic view of Copenhagen!

The Rundetaarn.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

On the way back to my apartment, I took a leisurely stroll through the Botanical Garden. It was a wonderful spot to relax and do some birdwatching in the middle of Copenhagen.

The Palm House in the Botanical Garden.
Photo credit: Diana Payne

A Great Blue heron.
Photo credit: Diana Payne