Copenhagen - Part 4

Friday, February 16, 2007 – Sunday, February 18, 2007
Work was as non-eventful as usual. I can see how things might be pushed to the last minute so that we must rush through everything. I hope I can help push them forward. I came home from work intending to take a nap before going out later that night. Things really don't get started until midnight here, but I needed to get some rest so I didn't sleep away the weekend like I did last weekend.

Well, I wake up and it is 5am Saturday morning. Whoops. I went back to sleep and woke up around 9:30am. I went down to breakfast and then headed out, camera and guidebook in tow. People have been begging for pictures, and it was time for me to deliver.

I took a picture of my hotel and then the main street (Strandvejen) that I walk down each day to and from work. I took the train from Hellerup to the Norreport station. It was about 11am. I followed my map, because I wanted to see the changing of the guard at the palace, called Amelienborg Slot. I saw the guard forming outside of the Royal Treasury, called Rosenborg Slot (I am guessing "slot" means castle or palace.).

I made my way past a statue of Christian X, the king of Denmark through both world wars. This guy was pretty interesting. He agreed with his government to surrender to Germany rather than fight invasion. He released a statement about agreeing under protest to occupation. The Germans wanted Denmark to run their own affairs to free up German assets, and because they felt that countries run by the "right kind" of people should be self-governing as much as possible.

The Danes were lucky in this regard that as a Nordic people, they were seen as part of the "superior" German blood. Christian X did what little he could to tweak Hitler. He once angered Hitler by sending a short, snippy note in response to birthday wishes from the Fuhrer. He also made sure his newborn granddaughter (the current queen) was named Margarethe, after the great Danish queen of the late 1300s who united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under one crown….Denmark's. It was his way of showing the people that they would rise from German occupation.

I got to Amelienborg Slot around 11:15am, so I had to wait around until the guard marched from Rosenborg Slot to change the guard. In the middle of the square was a statue of Frederick V, dressed like a Roman conqueror. The royal family has been living in Amelienborg Slot since the late 1700s as four identical mansions around a central square. The queen only lives in one of the buildings today, and even then, she is only here from December through April. They have another "summer residence" north of Copenhagen where they live the rest of the year. One of the mansions has been turned into a museum. They have faithfully recreated the studies of monarchs from the 1860s through Christian X, who died in 1947. The studies have been created as they appeared when the King was alive.

It was very interesting to walk through those rooms. First, the monarchs LOVED their pictures. The desks were invariably covered in framed photos of family. Many of them had guns and animal heads mounted on the wall. They all had a couch and a fireplace. One king, Frederick VIII, had an American flag tucked into a corner by the door. It was not prominent, but in a room noted for its Danish symbolism, it was the only non-Danish thing in the room. There was no explanation for it, but I found it really interesting.

The changing of the guard finally started. Everyone was very orderly, and the police were there to direct the crowd so we would not get in the way. I had an excellent vantage point. I took a lot of pictures, which can be seen here. Their outfits were pretty funny, with the characteristic tall furry hat one sees in Britain. They were playing really catchy tunes, although I have no idea what they were. They were extremely pretty though, and probably patriotic.

There was a lot of things going on that I did not understand. They seemed to have these rituals of checking in, having leaders greet one another. They went to each station with a guard and repeated the procedure. It took about 45 minutes for them to do the whole procedure and then to proceed back to Rosenborg Slot where the barracks of the Royal Lifeguard (which is what Danes call them) are located.

One of the guards was pretty cute. One Asian girl stood too close to this guy, and he pushed her back. I was a bit startled at the suddenness of his move, but I had my picture taken with him too. Just with a safe distance so he wouldn't shove me.

I followed the route in the guidebook to Kongens Nytorv, which is a huge square in the middle of town where tourists are gathered. In the middle was a large statue of Christian V who designed the square. It was surrounded by an ice skating rink where many people were skating. They had a pile of snow to the side. Facing the square is Charlottenborg, which is an old royal palace that now houses the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Next to that is Det Kongeliege Teater, or the Royal Theatre where some famous Danes had their works first shown a long time ago.

Kongens Nytorv fronts the Nyhavn, which was dug in the 1600s to allow merchants to bring their goods right into the city. It is pretty touristy now, with shops and lots of restaurants, but the houses are well preserved in bright colors. Even the home of Hans Christian Anderson still exists. There is large anchor at the head of Nyhavn to commemorate Danish soldiers who served with the Allies in WWII.

I made my way back to the Kongens Nytorv and to Ostergade, which is one end of the famous pedestrian mall called Stroget (pronounced stroy-eth). The Stroget is made up of 4 streets: Ostergade, Amagertorv, Vimmelskaftet, Nygade, and Fredericksberggade. Don't ask me how those are pronounced, because I really couldn't tell you. There are lots of people and shops on the Stroget. The shops are low end, high end, and everything between. Lots of food places too. I had lunch at a Mexican joint.

And being the kind of guy I am, I had to visit this place the Museum of Erotica.
The idea of a sex museum still makes me laugh. I visited one in Amsterdam, which was much more interesting than this place. The only thing that was different was its room devoted to the sex lives of famous people. Otherwise, it was an exhibition of various kinds of porn, none of which were that appealing. I just don't find anything interesting about: a) sex with animals, b) heterosexual sodomy of various kinds, or c)nude women in various poses sticking various objects in their bodies.

Halfway through the Stroget, you find a big plaza with a picture of Bishop Absalon, the founder of Copenhagen. Now, forgive me if I am wrong, but he doesn't look much like a bishop from his statue.

Of course, in 1167, bishops were not so much men of God as power brokers, and this guy Absalon helped kick ass on the island of Zealand. Behind this statue is a small mote to Slotsholmen which is the seat of Danish government currently. The main building is Christiansborg Slot, a huge palace that houses Parliament, the Prime Minister's offices, the supreme judicial courts, and Royal Reception rooms where Queen Margarethe II holds official parties and receives guests.

I walked back to the Stoget, and finished my walk down it. Right before the end is another large plaza. In the middle is a gilded fountain called Caritas Fountain, built in 1608 by Christian IV to mark the center of the city's market at the time. As you get to the end, you reach a huge castle that is Copenhagen City Hall, called Radhus. It is this end of the Stroget that looks like Times Square in NYC, with all its hustle, bustle, light, and noise. You will also find American fast food joints here, which is the only place in Copenhagen that I have yet to find these restaurants.

I went to see a movie, and saw Little Children. They show movies in English with subtitles, which allowed me to understand the movie. The movie was quite good, but really depressing. It is a portrait of unhappy people in their unhappy lives with no good conclusion. I then went to dinner at Peder Oxe, which serves traditional Danish fare. I tasted truffles for the first time. Not the chocolate that is called a truffle either. I am talking the fungus that only pigs can smell in the ground and that are very rare. I must say that I was disappointed by the black fungus. It pretty much had no taste of its own, but adopted whatever flavor was in the dish. Otherwise, the meal was excellent.

I then went to a few bars. They were OK. The Danes heat buildings pretty well, so I would immediately break out into an unsightly sweat whenever I went inside. I still had my packages from the day along with my coat, so I just stood in a corner and had a couple of beers. Plenty of people looked my way, but no one said hello. They were all there with their husbands and friends, laughing and talking in Danish…which I don't understand. I have noticed that most bars are social, with lighting brighter than you'd find in the US, and that couples go out a lot with friends to socialize. It is not nearly as cruisy as US bars can be.

After hanging out at a few different bars, I went back to my hotel and to sleep. I did not know if I would wake up in time to go see the Crown Jewels at Rosenborg Slot, since they are only visible from 11am-2pm this time of year. However, I was wide awake by 10, and I had a quick breakfast and headed back downtown to see the Crown Jewels. I made it into Rosenborg slot and this time bought the right to take pictures. The Danes have a clever idea…you can only take picture if you buy a ticket to do so. It costs about $4, so I did it for the crown jewels.
The whole royal treasury is interesting. It contains just about every gift any monarch of Denmark has received. The crown jewels themselves are fantastic. The Sword of State, and the former crowns of the middle ages when Denmark was in expansionist mode are fantastic. There are not as many crown jewels for the queen as you would think. There are only a couple of cases of jewels, which are stunning, but nothing compared to the British Crown Jewels. The jewels are so valuable that Denmark will not allow its queen to take the jewels out of the country for any reason.

After going through the royal apartments above the treasury, I went through the old naval section of town, which is now public housing. I went into a public park called Kastellet, which is the oldest functioning fort in Europe. The armed services still have active barracks in this medieval fortress that has a large moat and earthen ramparts. I saw the disappointing Little Mermaid, which is just plopped right on the water, no mess, no fuss. I was singularly unimpressed with Denmark's top attraction.

What I really enjoyed was the Frihedsmuseet, which is a low key museum dedicated to the Danish resistance of WWII that did whatever it could to undermine the Nazis and sabotage them within Denmark. They were truly on their own, but they did amazing things. The people somehow kept the faith quietly, and they saved 7000 Jews from the death chambers. Going through this museum made me sad, and it also amazed me how anyone could say that the Holocaust did not happen, especially with all the evidence around that it did.

After that, I walked down to Oscar's bar, which is a gay bar just off the Stogen for a late lunch. I had a nice meal, and some drink, although my credit card was refused because it was foreign. That annoys me. Many establishments will not allow you to use a non-Danish credit card, not even for a small fee. So I am forced to take out yet more money from an ATM.

The food was good, but no one really talked to me. I had out my tour books, so they knew I was a tourist, and probably an American. After the meal, I simply went back to the hotel and downloaded my pictures from the full memory stick, and prepared to upload them. Then I went to bed, my feet throbbing from all the walking I had done throughout the weekend.