I changed my mind about Copenhagen

We had a long day in Copenhagen today. Our booked tour wasn’t until 4:30pm, so we decided to explore a little on our own. After deftly (actually, it was just discernment and an ooky feeling) avoiding a scammy tour operator, we got ourselves on a Hop On Hop Off bus and toured around Denmark’s capital. Due to technical difficulties with our headphones and lots of extra time, we rode around on the Black Line twice.

Copenhagen is a very pretty city. Similar architecture to Helsinki and Stockholm (that Nordic Renaissance style again), with more blending of old and new. It has castles and royalty and a canal and remnants of a fortress wall and guards that change. It even a famous statue sitting in the water.

Entrance to the Rosenborg Castle which was
just hanging out on a street in Copenhangen.
The castle was originally built as a
country summerhouse in 1606.

Copenhagen City Hall. I thought it was a palace.
Nope, just a 19th-century office building.

This is a pretty famous spot called Nyhavn. Lots
of shopping and tourists. It sort of reminded me (on
the ground level) of Fisherman's Wharf in
San Francisco. 

Royal Guards on their way to Amalienborg Palace
to change shifts. Our tour bus tailgated them for a bit.

The famous Little Mermaid statue.
It was a popular tourist attraction
long before the Disney movie. I know
that because Vicki and Captain Stubing
went there at least 5 years before
the animated classic came out.

The Little Mermaid is very small. If you squint,
you can see her just above the green bushes
below the red signs on the left.

Copenhagen has all the stuff you'd want in a large, historical European city. And yet, both Rob and I were just ho hum about it. It wasn’t special or particularly interesting or especially memorable. At least not like Stockholm. Other than the bicycles.

Goodness, there are TONS of bicycles in Copenhagen! I thought Portland was a bike city. HA! Novices, all of them.

Copenhagen’s bike lanes are wide, some even have stop lights, and pedestrians know to watch out for bikes as much as cars. Large chunks of sidewalks are dedicated to bicycle parking, with some looking like parking lots. Many Copenhageners ride their own bikes, but temporary rentals are popular, too. And helmets? Meh. Some people wear them, but they are clearly not required.

I kept trying to see if people locked up their bikes.
It seemed like many did...and many didn't.

I was fascinated by little carts that a lot of bikes had attached to their front. At first I thought the carts were for carrying groceries. And I suppose you could. But instead, I only saw the carts carrying people (and in one instance, a large dog). I couldn’t tell if they were paid rides, or people who knew each other and rock-paper-scissored for which one got to be the passenger princess. It was bizarre to see grown-ups being carted around like toddlers.

I would have been mortified at that
age to be chauffeured around like that.
At 58? My knees and back are not
getting me out of that thing, so 
no, thank you. Maybe that's why
the older woman is driving?

Given our lukewarm reaction to our morning ride around Copenhagen, Rob and I were less excited about our booked Canal Ride and Tivoli Garden visit. Well…what a difference a tour makes. We got to see other parts of Copenhagen – parts that felt more hidden and more local – and we changed our minds. Copenhagen has some spunk after all!

The canal ride was fascinating. Instead of touring inside the city like we assumed, we went on the outskirts. We got to see some fascinating architecture of newer buildings as well as the totally beguiling way some Copenhageners live on the water. Trendy apartments, repurposed military barracks and gun boat houses, lots of small bridges, tons of waterside bars and steps to hang out on. It looked so relaxing and social and fun. And so lively on a Wednesday evening! I didn't take a ton of photos because I didn't want to be That Tourist.

Copenhagen's Opera House. It's a little hard to 
see, but the base is round. Inside is a round concert
hall made out of maple wood for the acoustics.
In other news, this opera house is one of the most
expensive ones ever built (about $370 million in 2004).

A personal sauna on a personal dock.

We also saw people knitting, drinking, and 
playing the guitar. Not all at once...

Tons of sunbathers, drinkers, chatters, and 
general hanger-outers.

We ended our day at Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli is basically a small amusement park in the midst of Big City Copenhagen. Founded in 1843, Tivoli Gardens is the second-oldest amusement park in the world and boasts having the world’s oldest roller coaster. Sadly, they don’t boast loudly enough because I didn’t know that until after we left. Boo!

Main entrance in the heart of
Copenhagen

We weren’t sure what to expect from Tivoli, other than what we had seen on a two-part episode of “The Love Boat” in Season 8 when Vicki falls in love with a Danish Prince who is pretending to be a deckhand. Yes, fine, that episode is what got me excited about Copenhagen when I first saw it on our itinerary. I plan to watch it again when we get back home.

We were given two hours to wander Tivoli's amusements on our own. It was just long enough to take a lap around the gardens and sit a spell, and just short enough not to be able to really settle in and do anything. Like go on a ride or eat a proper meal in one of the many lovely restaurants featuring linen tablecloths and wine lists.

A main meeting point that instantly reminded me
of Disneyland's central hub on Main Street USA
with the statue of Walt and Mickey

I had a hard time figuring out what Tivoli Gardens is supposed to be. Yes, it’s an amusement park, with a smattering of rides for little kids and a smaller smattering for thrill-seeking teenagers. It’s also a gorgeous middle-of-urbanity escape into curated nature, with beautiful flowers and trees and water features. It had a feeling of old-timey Jules Verne/Steampunk design, but it also had a few modern rides and a deep dedication to recycling and being ecofriendly.

Isn't that stunning?? The castle in the back is 
not part of the Gardens. It's part of Copenhagen.

The little air balloons are the Ferris Wheel!
The ride was originally steam-powered.
The version today was inaugurated in 1943.

Tons of food, beer, and odd Danish food
restaurants. Oh to have more time!

Apparently I paid about 75 cents extra
for my plastic cup, which I could then 
return here. Naturally, it's coming
home as a souvenir.

Tivoli Gardens felt like a super small Disneyland. Actually, it felt like what inspired Walt in designing Disneyland. And some Googling later confirmed that’s exactly what happened. Walt hung out at Tivoli a number of times, taking copious notes. Tivoli had little areas with their own themes, there was a main square, there was beautiful landscaping, it was impeccably clean, it was an escape from what surrounds it. All hallmarks of Walt's magic kingdoms.

A little Taj Mahal, a little Matterhorn, a little
Jules Verne-ish tower. And see any litter?
Me, neither. 

The English version of the map. Which Rob
found on our way out. The Danish one we had
during our visit was rather tricky!

But what Walt did much better was create a bubble. At Disney, you purposely can’t see the world outside. You are drawn into Walt’s world, and you get lost in the magic and wonder. As enchanting as Tivoli is, the outside world is all too visible. Granted, some of what is visible are castles. But there are also office buildings and construction cranes and double-decker tour buses.

Some Japan, a modern roller coaster,
and an even more modern office
building in the background.

I highly enjoyed my wander around Tivoli Gardens, but it was too short. I would have loved time to linger over a nice dinner, and I would have loved to stay late enough to see all the lights come on. Our tour description enticingly included “brightly lit at night with over 100,000 colored lights, the Gardens look as if it belongs in a fairy tale.” The description neglected to mention that the sun doesn’t set until nearly 10:00pm this time of year. Our ship left at 9:00pm. So, we had a sunlit glass of wine instead.

I bet that wall of lights looks magical
in the dark. You know, after the ship
has long gone...

We enjoyed a glass of rose and watched some
of Tivoli Gardens go by. It was lovely. And too short.

So, I will remember Copenhagen after all! I will remember its bicycle carts, I will remember the lively canal neighborhoods, and I will remember a lovely walk around the beautifully charming but confusing Tivoli Gardens. I would totally consider a return visit to Copenhagen just for Tivoli Gardens. And Disney fans? Add The Gardens to your Bucket List!

With more time (do you sense a theme?)
I would have tried the Swing Carousel
in the background.

Next stop: Amsterdam, The Netherlands!