Copenhagen, Denmark

The first stop our ship made was to the port in Copenhagen, Denmark.  We took the traditional cruise ship sponsored tour.  We had a lovely local Dane whom was named Lillian.  We stopped by the most popular tourist attractions.  The first was of the statue of the Little Mermaid that was a gift from brewer Carl Jacobsen (The Carlsberg Breweries) to the city of Copenhagen, made by a little know sculptor by the name of Edvard Erichsen. She was unveiled at Langelinje in 1913. 

The next stop on this tour was the Gefion Fountain.  The Gefion Fountain is a large fountain located on the harbour front.  It features a large-scale group of animal figures driven by legendary Norse goddess, Gefjun.  The fountain was donated to the city of Copenhagen by the Carlsberg Foundation on the ocassion of the brewery's 50 year anniversary. 

Another popular fountain is the Fountain of Charity in the Old Square in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark.  The fountain has provided drinking water to the citizens since the 1600's.  The pregnant women on the top squirting water from her breasts next to a boy urinating was once considered scandalous.

Here are some other sites that we saw while in Copenhagen, Denmark! 

The Church of our Saviour

This magnificent church is named after King Christian V, the first monarch on the Danish throne with absolute power. The church is located in the Christianshavn area, close to the Freetown Christiania.

Look up at the church tower and you'll see an exterior golden staircase winding up to the spire. At the top, there is a golden globe crowned by a statue of a flag-bearing statue. The golden staircase enables you to climb to the top of the church’s 95 meters high spire and from there you have a fantastic 360 degree view of Copenhagen, as well as the Oresund Bridge connecting Denmark with Sweden. To climb to the top is a must when you visit Copenhagen; even if it can be quite a climb, it is well worth it for the excellent views. There is a total number of 400 steps to the top of the spire, the last 150 being outside. When inside the church, look up into the ceiling, where you'll see the chains of the Order of the Elephant and the Order of the Dannebrogen. Both decorations were instigated by King Christian V. The church's exquisite organ is supported by a relief of two elephants.

Christiansborg Palace - The Danish Parliament 

The Danish Monarchry & Amalienborg Palace 

Changing of the Kings Guard at Amalienborg Palace 

I wanted to get a picture of this member of the Kings Guard and he stared us down as I was taking this picture. 

Copenhagen, Denmark has a lot of canals and we spotted a Mother swan with her babies on the nest.  We were surprised at how close we were able to get without alerting the Mother.  I had heard a story on the news this April where a man was killed by a swan when he got too close to their nest, he was the caretaker of the pond and surroundings.  I remembered that story when I approached her.  She did not even bother to look up.