Our first day in Copenhagen! Woohoo! We were all up early and ready to go ... well kind of ... the picture of James below perfectly captures the essence of jet lag ... sweet buddy.
We began with a brief history at the famous and colorful warf. It is by far the most iconic place in Copenhagen, for obvious reasons. We would be returning here at the end of the day for a relaxing boat tour.
Then it was off to the famous Little Mermaid statue. Based on the fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, the small and unimposing statue is a Copenhagen icon and has been a major tourist attraction since 1913.
Then we walked the short distance to the beautiful and powerful Gefion Fountain. The powerful goddess Gefion - who according to the story originated from Norse mythology - was offered as much land in Sweden as she was able to plough during one day and one night by the Swedish King Gylfe. To fulfil this task she turned her four sons into strong oxen. Gefion and the oxen did their job so well, they were able to create Zealand, the Island where Copenhagen is situated. This great work left a huge hole in Sweden - where Lake Vänern is placed. On a map you will notice that the outline of Zealand matches the outline of Lake Vänern.
Then we drove to the gorgeous and peaceful, Church of our Lady, to see the original Christus statue that is so well known, especially in LDS communities. The church is beautiful inside, it's simple elegance accentuate the beauty and the detail of the statues of Christ and the 12 apostles, which have made this church famous. The statues of Christ and the twelve apostles immediately capture the attention of the visitor. Above the altar, Christ extends his arms in a welcoming gesture, while the apostles watch from the sides of the nave. Judas has been replaced by Paul.
According to legend, Thorvaldsen resented the fact that his statues were to be placed in the niches of the church, and therefore he deliberately made them so tall they had to be moved out onto the floor – a move that does them justice.
Then we rush, rush, rushed to Amalienborg Palace to get there in time to watch the changing of the guards. Amalienborg is also known for its Royal Guard, called Den Kongelige Livgarde. Every day you can experience the changing of the guards, as they march from their barracks in Gothersgade 100 by Rosenborg Castle through the streets of Copenhagen and end up at Amalienborg, where the changing of the guard takes place.
Right across the river from the palace is the opera house, which is done in a much more modern and somewhat oriental style.
By now it was time for lunch, and boy were we hungry! I had been looking forward to this part of the day, we ate at the coolest food court full of Copenhagen street food. Tons of tiny restaurant stalls are packed in a ginormous warehouse right on the water's edge. All of us wondered around the maze of food stalls for quite a while trying to decide what to try, I wanted a little bit of everything! It all looked so good!
I so wanted to tryout this adorable pancake place, but decided on something with a little more protein instead ...
All of us decided on different things to try. The Madison's, Jenny and I opted for an amazing looking hot dog stand.
After we had all gotten our goodies, we headed outside to find a table in the glorious sunshine, so we could enjoy beautiful views right on the edge of the water.
After lunch, it was time for our boat tour! I love boat tours, they are so relaxing and it's a great way to see any city from a different and unique perspective.
All five of these handsome boys would be asleep by the end of the ride, I'm so sad I didn't get a picture of them all zonked out.
I wouldn't mind living in this hip apartment complex, not one bit.
The view of our lunch stop from the water
Whew! We fit in a lot for only having a half day tour! By now we all needed a nap because, well, jet lag, and because we had an exciting, busy, late night ahead of us and we all wanted to make sure we were well rested so we could thoroughly enjoy it.....
Up next, Tivoli Gardens!
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