Busy, busy, busy!

We haven't blogged for a few days because we've been so busy, fitting lots of interesting things into our remaining few days here in Copenhagen.

We visited the Resistance Museum, which is a tribute to the role played by a group of Danish citizens who formed an underground movement to resist the Nazi occupation of their homeland. The museum has hundreds of fascinating exhibits, including printing presses, examples of newsletters, very emotional letters written home by prisoners, hand-made guns and other weapons, a torpedo, sketches and items smuggled out.

On Wednesday we walked to the Church of Our Savior and climbed the beautiful Baroque copper staircase which winds its way like a corkscrew around the outside of the spire. The 360 degree views of Copenhagen, including the wind turbines in the bay, were stunning.

Next on the schedule was a visit to Christiansborg Palace in the city, which houses the Parliament, Royal Reception Rooms where the Queen receives foreign ambassadors and important dignatories, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court. The palace's copper tower is the highest in Copenhagen, but the real eye-openers are the magnificently decorated rooms, particularly the Great Hall which is the largest room, and the dining room which is the setting for state dinners and royal events for as many as 400 guests. The walls are covered in woven tapestries the likes of which I've never seen before - 60 weavers took ten years to create these as a 60th birthday gift for the current Queen of Denmark. They are utterly breathtaking, bright and colouful, celebrating a thousand years of Danish history.

Yesterday, C and I went shopping at Field's shopping mall, the largest shopping centre in Scandinavia - I don't know how to account for the four hours we spent there, except to say that purchases were made and fun was had! When you're away from home, every item in every shop is more interesting and desirable than whatever's available at home - I know it often seems that way, but seriously everything in Copenhagen really is interesting and desirable and I constantly wish finances and luggage space were limitless. The hard part is knowing this is only the beginning of our trip and there are several weeks and three countries to go.

As I have no shopping mall photos (which is for the best) I'll now take this short break to insert some photos of deliciousness and a photo of a knitted bridge - the Danes love to "enhance" statues, monuments, bridges and public buildings - sometimes a top hat or a beret will mysteriously appear overnight on King Christian X's head, for example. Having said that, I'm told the knitting thing happens In other parts of the world and is called "yarn bombing". Oh, and there's a photo of the guards who passed us by in the street - every day they march down the street at midday on the way to the Changing of the Guard process at Amalienborg Palace. Most Copenhagen people don't even pay any attention, as it's just part of daily life.

We will return to normal programming after the break . . .

Danish pastries for elevenses

Spice stall at the local market

Bread selection at the bakery

Knitting on the bridge in Christianshavn

Nougat stall at the market

On TripAdvisor, the number one "must-see" in Copenhagen is listed as The David Collection. We thought that was a compelling enough reason for us to visit and the free admission wasn't to be sneezed at, after constantly having the wallet out for every exhibition, palace and tourist site over the past week. The founder, C L David, was a lawyer who had a private collection of artwork specifically Islamic art from the 8th to the 19th century, as well as collections of early Danish art and 18th century European art. The collection comprises thousands of items including beautifully presented silverware, paintings, sculptures, trinkets, jewellery, earthenware, pieces of ancient architecture and hundreds of old coins. These are housed in a rabbit-warren of rooms and tiny up-and-down staircases leading to dead ends. At the risk of sounding like a Philistine, I confess that after the first couple of rooms of "stuff" I felt claustrophobic and had had enough. It won't be number one on my own list of "must-see" attractions in Copenhagen.

Despite threatening weather we took a train out to the town of Roskilde today. It's about 25 minutes from the centre of Copenhagen and is famous for its stunning Cathedral built around 1170, when the art of brick making had only just been introduced to Denmark. Roskilde Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is stunningly beautiful. I won't describe every aspect of it, but here are some of D2's great photos from today's visit.

Helsingor, Kronborg Castle, and Hamlet

Three trains and about an hour from Copenhagen is the town of Helsingor, a town of quiet laneways and busy pedestrian shopping streets, the UNESCO listed Kronborg Castle, and the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Helsingor is at the seaward entrance to the Baltic Sea, and for centuries ships of trade passing through the narrow stretch of water between Sweden and Denmark had to pay sound dues (taxes) to the rulers to guarantee their passage between England and the Baltic ports. The taxes collected over the centuries paid for the construction of Kronborg Castle, and the many subsequent additions and restorations.

Visitors to the castle can visit both the Casemates and the Royal Apartments. The Casemates are a network of underground chambers which served as soldiers' quarters during times of war, with space enough to house 1000 men, their horses, and enough supplies to withstand a six week siege.

The Casements are also home to the statue of Denmark's legendary hero, Holger the Dane, who sits dozing but ready to stir into action at anytime the Kingdom of Denmark is threatened by an enemy. Needless to say he hasn't moved in a very long time.

Kronborg Castle has been one of Denmark's most important fortifications through the ages, and the evidence of its past role can still be seen as you walk around the walls and ramparts.

William Shakespeare wrote his famous tragedy about Hamlet, Prince of Denmark around 1600 and set the play at Kronborg, which has helped to ensure the worldwide fame of the castle.

A short walk from the castle and you find yourself back in the busy pedestrian shopping streets of Helsingor where quiet cobblestone streets contrast with the more modern shopping plazas.

As I like to do, I will finish on a food theme, and today it will be cheese. I couldn't help but be amazed at the plentiful supply of all manner of cheeses, all of them at a fraction of the price that they can be bought for in Oz. What's not to like about Denmark?

D2

A walk in the park...and other places

Saturday in Copenhagen is a time when the locals come out to share in the delights of their city, and with the tourists adding to the numbers in the streets and cafes, there is a feeling of vibrancy that is not always evident in other cities.

My little Saturday sojourn started in the Stroget which is reputed to be one of the longest shopping strips in the world. There are shops of every shape and size selling everything from the cheapest imported souvenirs to the most expensive designer brands.

A short distance away is Nyhavn which abounds with restaurants, street musicians, tourist operators enticing people into buses and onto boats, and everyone grabbing the chance to enjoy a little bit of sunshine while enjoying lunch and a beer (or three).

Sometimes the activity is just overwhelming and you have to have a little lie down.

Moving on, I came across the sand sculptures, a member of the Royal Guard, Rosenborg Castle situated in King's Gardens, and a quick look into Sankt Paul's Church

After three hours of strolling the streets and waterways of Copenhagen, it was time for a small personal reward, an organic hotdog and a Nutella and banana crepe. A good day out while the girls were having their beauty treatments at the Illum department store.

D

Copenhagen Delights

Last year one of our blogs was about some of the things we had observed and loved about Italy so on the same note, here are some of the things we love about Copenhagen (which may or may not be true of Denmark generally).

1. People ride bicycles. All people, from all walks of life and social classes ride bicycles. They will often be dressed in smart clothes, whether on their way to work or on their way to a cocktail party (the ladies may well be even wearing skyscraper heels). The handlebars are often set very high so that the rider sits very handsomely upright with wonderful posture, looking as elegant as though they are walking down a fashion runway. It appears to not be compulsory to wear a helmet, consequently gorgeous hairdos are not ruined by the time the destination is reached.

2. People transport their children (sometimes three, four or more) in a sort of large metal bucket contraption at the front of their bikes. It's very very cute. Children are likewise often transported in large numbers in prams by parents or child-minders.

3. It is far more common to see fathers in charge of their babies and small children for the day. They play with their children, read to them, laugh with them, feed them, cuddle them, console them and generally act publicly in a way which appears to me to be so much more openly affectionate than we are used to in Australia. Their role is much closer to what we might consider a maternal one. I'm sure some male readers will say, "What?? I do all those things with my kids!" but please don't be indignant - it's just my observation, and I'm sure there are lots of Australian fathers who fit that role.

4. In the supermarket you can buy 10 pieces of fruit for the equivalent of $AUD4. There are baskets laid out and you can choose any ten - bananas, pears, varieties of apples, etc. Good value!

5. The trains are very quiet inside, making travel quite peaceful. The windows are double-glazed, which helps. The seats are not ripped and there are no graffiti markings or scratchings adorning the walls, either. The seating upholstery is velvety and looks brand new. It's not, it's just looked-after.

6. If you take your dog or your bicycle on the train, you'll need a ticket for it. These are available from the ticket machine.

7. If you live in Copenhagen you are never more than about 45 minutes away from a walk in the countryside. It's very pretty here and the air is clear and clean, whether you are walking down the main shopping street or through a country paddock scattered with wandering sheep (I know, because we did that yesterday).

8. On the train there are two carriages just for bicycles, one at the front of the train and one at the end. You board with your bike, leave it in that specially-fitted carriage, then go and sit down.

9. Pretty much no matter where you're headed, the trains come every few minutes to take you there. The train system is very efficient.

10. We went to an antiques and bric-a-brac market on the weekend and guess what? The stalls were selling genuine antiques and really awesome bric-a-brac! Therefore I conclude that Danish junk is heaps better than Australian junk.

11. Babies drink water - a lot of water. They like it, too! Bottles are filled with water; I've yet to see one filled with juice or milk (presumably most babes are breastfed).

12. Shop assistants are genuinely attentive, helpful and knowledgeable.

13. There are dozens of varieties of bread in the bakeries and supermarkets and none of them appears to be made with white (bleached, overly refined) flour.

14. Organic milk, cheese, eggs, yoghurt and other dairy products are widely available alongside non-organic products at about the same price. Why wouldn't you choose to eat the stuff that's (allegedly) good for you?

15. Clothing and other goods are unlikely to be made in China - they are far more likely to be made closer to home. It seems to me that the quality is much better and the designs much more interesting.

What's not to like? I don't know. I haven't seen anything yet.

D1

Copenhagen Adventures

We arrived in Copenhagen on Thursday morning and went directly by train from the airport to the apartment we have rented for our stay, in the suburb of Amagerbro. When you make all of the arrangements through a website and by email, you never really know what you've signed up for until you walk across the threshold of the place you booked, but thankfully our experiences of making reservations for overseas stays have all been good ones, including on this occasion. This apartment is in an excellent neighbourhood, 500 metres from the subway, a strip shopping centre and a small shopping mall. It is very clean, bright and airy and what I would call "typically Danish" in style - polished floorboards, muted tones in the furnishings, white walls and very tastefully decorated. We're lucky to have found such a nice place to stay.

We didn't waste any time sitting around admiring the apartment, though, because of course it was nearly time for "elevenses" when we had unpacked, so we took ourselves down to one of the many local cafes for good coffee and even better Danish pastries. We then went to the supermarket to buy food: sandwich fixings, bread, butter, fruit and vegetables. As has been typical in the places we have rented in Europe in the past, there are always some items in the pantry which have been put there for renters to use - fresh packets of sugar, flour, salt, a variety of herbs and spices, honey, balsamic, tea, coffee and packets of cereal are typically provided, just to get you started. The rest is up to you. It makes things easy when you don't have to purchase every single ingredient to put together a simple meal. We eat out often, but it's nice to know you have the makings of a light picnic lunch to take out for a day when you're on the move, or a quick supper when you come home exhausted from a big day.

We visited the Danish Jewish Museum on Thursday afternoon. Designed by the internationally highly-regarded architect Daniel Libeskind, its unusual layout forms the shape of the Hebrew word mitzvah (good deed) to capture the essence of Danish-Jewish history. For 400 years Jews have lived peacefully in Denmark - during the Holocaust the Danes embraced and protected their Jewish people in a completely selfless way, after the Nazi occupation of Denmark, risking their lives to aid the escape of almost the entire Jewish population across the water in fishing boats to neutral Sweden. After the war the Danes then organised for the Jews to return to their homes here, where gardens had been tended for them in their absence, houses had been maintained in the same condition as when they'd had to be abandoned and so on - it was absolutely expected and anticipated that the forced migration was temporary. The altruism shown by the Danish people was a statement to the world that they saw no difference between Danes of one religion and another and they were utterly opposed to the persecution of the Jews. The Museum is fascinating and a must-see, not just because of this more recent story, but because of the comprehensive way it acknowledges the centuries' old Jewish immigration to Denmark from Spain, Germany, Poland and Russia and the significant and beautiful artefacts which have been preserved from those times. Visit www.jewmus.dk for more information if you're interested.

Later in the day we lucked upon a wonderful experience when we were visiting a beautiful church in the main street of the city and the choir was rehearsing for a concert this weekend. Due to the acoustics and their magnificent voices we enjoyed an absolutely fantastic personal musical treat.

Choir rehearsal

Yesterday we visited the Danish Design Centre; currently there's a hands-on exhibition focused on recycling which was absolutely fascinating. The Danes are at the forefront in world innovation in this field - there's virtually nothing these folks are NOT recycling. We can learn valuable lessons from the Danish attitude to making the world a better place environmentally for future generations.

Today I was treated to a very special day, courtesy of C who works for the multi-national iconic French cosmetics company Sephora, here in Copenhagen. She had organised a day of pampering for me which started with a luxurious facial using the most fabulous products, followed by a full make-up makeover, OPI gel manicure then a massage. What a treat! To top it all off, C organised a gift for me of skin-care and makeup products the value of which I couldn't even estimate, but is certainly more than I would ever spend in a lifetime of such purchases. Pictured below is today's haul - how I will fit this lot in my suitcase I have absolutely no idea.

Several kilos of makeup and skincare products!

OK, enough for this post - we have done other things, but will save them for other posts.

D1

Singapore - The Merlion City

Singapore never ceases to amaze us with architecture and attractions. We had a one day stopover on this occasion en route to Copenhagen, and we wanted to add to our experience of last year when we were dazzled by the new Marina Bay Sands building with its very upmarket shopping centre. Needless to say the views from the top deck were stunning, including a bird's eye view of the Gardens on the Bay project that opened in June 2012.

Marina Bay Sands

View from Singapore Flyer

The Gardens on the Bay are divided into numerous sections and cover a total area of 250 acres. The gigantic "trees", planted all around and from bottom to top with flowering bromeliads dominate the skyline and two of them are connected by an elevated skyway - you can walk across this from tree to tree, stopping along the way to admire the amazing view. It was not to D1's liking as it moved and swayed in the breeze. We were lucky to arrive at around 8:00pm in time to see the last of the day's sound and light shows, a spectacular display during which the trees light up with different coloured sparkling lights.

The following day started with an extravagant buffet breakfast at the Ritz Carlton hotel. It's a beautiful hotel, specifically because of the magnificent artwork and glass sculptures in the lobby - it's as beautiful as any fancy art gallery. We then wandered 500 metres down the road to the Singapore Flyer; this is a huge ferris wheel which resembles a giant bicycle wheel with capsules capable of taking 28 people at a time on the circular journey taking about 35 minutes - as we arrived early in the day, we were lucky enough to score our own capsule, so we could wander about the space and enjoy the experience independently of other people. The views across Singapore and the harbour are absolutely breathtaking. Some of the capsules are fitted out with restaurant tables where different courses are served on each circuit of the wheel. Others are painted and decorated to suit kids' parties, which is a cool idea.

Ritz Carlton

Singapore Flyer

The day also included a short river cruise on a "bum boat", a walk down Orchard Road with the (for us) compulsory visit to the fabulous Japanese department store Takashimaya , several trips on the MRT which is a very simple-to-navigate subway system, a nanna nap in the afternoon, dinner at the Raffles shopping centre and a bus ride back to the airport to catch our flight to Denmark.

D2

Up next...

On 4 September we will be embarking on our next travel adventure. This year we will be visiting Copenhagen, Assens and Aarhus in Denmark, then going across to Norway to take a trip by boat down the scenic west coast from Kirkenes in the far north to the southerly port of Bergen and on to Oslo.

We then travel on to Bruges and Brussels in Belgium, on to Lausanne in Switzerland before boarding the Glacier Express to travel through the Alps to Chur and Lucerne.

The trip will take 6 weeks - I hope you will come along for the ride.

D1 and D2