30 May 2018, Wednesday
After “going local” yesterday, I decided to do the opposite today. It was my third and last day in Copenhagen so I wanted to see some sights and learn a bit about the city’s history. The weather forecast showed the temperature reaching a high of 26 degrees Celsius, so I knew it was going to be another scorching day today.
From Danhostel, I walked to the Rådhuspladsen (City Hall) building and arrived in time to join the 11am free walking tour, the Grand Tour of Copenhagen (click here). Today’s group had over 30 people and it was much bigger than the one I joined in Dresden. Our guide was a guy named Luis, who was originally from Peru. From the get go, he was very humourous and entertaining. After a round of self-introductions and breaking the ice, we set off at about 11:15am.
Luis brought us to the house of J.C. Jacobsen, the man who founded Carlsberg – probably the best beer in the world. Probably. We then went to Magstræde, the oldest street in Copenhagen. The buildings here were painted in colourful shades just like in Nyhavn and the cobblestoned streets added to the old town allure.
After that, Luis brought us to Christiansborg Palace, located on the tiny island of Slotsholmen. The palace contains the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of State. Parts of the palace are also used by the Danish Royal Family for events.
We then had a short refreshment break and Luis recommended a popular hot dog stand. Apparently, Denmark is famous for their bacon so there is bacon in everything, including their sausages. I bought a hot dog to try (35 Kr / S$7.70). It was good, but a bit overpriced.
Next, we went to Magasin Du Nord, which used to be a residential building but is now a huge (and expensive) department store. In fact, the celebrated Danish author Hans Christian Andersen used to live on the top level of this building. Before becoming a writer, he was an actor at the Det Kongelige Teater (Royal Danish Theatre) right across the street. But after his voice changed, he could no longer sing the soprano parts and he decided to focus on writing instead. He ended up being a prolific writer and penned several classics like The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea and many more.
We then went to Nyhavn before ending the tour at Amalienborg. Amalienborg is home of the Danish royal family and it consists of four identical palace buildings. In the middle of the large square is a statue of the founder of Amalienborg, King Frederick V, on a horse. We managed to catch the Changing of the Royal Guards just before we ended the tour at 2pm.
Overall, the tour was quite informative and entertaining, though I didn’t take down notes during the tour so I don’t have much to share here about the historical aspects. As it was a “free” walking tour, guests were encouraged to tip whatever amount they felt the tour was worth. I tipped Luis 50 Kr (S$11), which I know wasn’t a lot, mainly because I was living on a tight daily budget of S$80 (around 363 Kr), and you know how expensive Scandinavia is.
After the tour, I walked around the city centre on my own and visited a few record shops. It was really quite a relaxing day for me as I didn’t attempt to do much today, mainly just window shopping and observing how the Danes went about their daily lives. Here are some snapshots:
Back at the city centre, I decided to pop in to Bertels Salon at Kompagnistræde 5 for a late dinner/early supper. Luis had recommended this shop during the tour. Apparently, Bertels Salon is famous for their cheesecakes and it is said to convert even the biggest cheesecake sceptic. Well, I love cheesecakes so no converting required here. I ordered a cookie cheesecake for 55 Kr (S$12.10). Maybe it was because I had very high expectations, but I felt that the cheesecake was only so-so.
I ended the day at about 9pm and went back to pack my bags for tomorrow’s journey to Gothenburg. Overall, my stay in Copenhagen had been quite uneventful but it was nice to take it slow and relax a little after a month of being on the road. After all, I was less than a third of the way through my adventure…this was one of the days when I needed to conserve my energy (and money!) so that I could travel further down the road. More exciting times ahead!