Visiting Church of our Savior and Tivoli

December 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment

I tried to pack a lot into my 5 days, 4 nights in Copenhagen. as I’ve been covering in my series of posts. You may know that I usually start with first making a custom Google Map for myself of all the places I want to eat, then picking a place to stay that easily situates myself to those food destinations, I also need to fill my time with things between my meals. Visiting Church of Our Savior and Tivoli were those types of activities where I wanted to get a lot of walking in between meals. I don’t normally go out of my way for a panoramic view of a city, or an amusement park, but I had some time so I put them in my plan as possibilities, and the timing ended up working out.

Visiting Church of Our Savior, also known as Vor Frelsers Kirke, in Copenhagen Visiting Tivoli Amusement park during Halloween decoration time, October 2018

Visiting Church of Our Savior

Visiting Church of Our Savior, also known as Vor Frelsers Kirke, in Copenhagen Visiting Church of Our Savior, also known as Vor Frelsers Kirke, in Copenhagen

Also known as Vor Frelsers Kirke, the Church of Our Savior is located in the Christianshavn neighborhood of Copenhagen, and the other well known attraction/area here is Freetown Christiania, a bohemian counterculture community with its own governing council. Church of Our Savior is one of two locations in Copenhagen known for its panoramic views – the other being The Round Tower.

Church of Our Savior is iconic to Copenhagen for its spire, built in 1752, accessible via series of stairs (some steep enough to be ladders…) inside the tower and then the stairs continue outside as part of the spire itself.  The tower is also known as the “Heavenly Ladder” and Christ is at the top with a victory banner.

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Visiting Rosenborg Castle

November 13, 2018 by 7 Comments

Visiting Rosenborg Castle, also known as Rosenborg Slot, is the best of the royal residences I think within the city of Copenhagen. Amelienborg Palace, which is a current residence of the royal family, is a smaller museum that has more recent examples of history, while Christiansborg Palace is mainly a draw for the Royal Reception rooms (which were closed during my visit so always check). Rosenborg Castle on the other hand offers 400 years of history particularly artifacts and stories from one of Denmark’s most colorful kings, Christian IV.

Visiting Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, offering 400 years of history particularly artifacts and stories from one of Denmark's most colorful kings, Christian IV.

The way the self guided tour works is that you start going through the main castle first and all of its 3 floors, and then exit the castle and go around to another entrance to the basement which is where you’ll find the treasury, including the crown jewels. Here are a few of my favorite highlights from visiting Rosenborg Castle.
Visiting Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, offering 400 years of history particularly artifacts and stories from one of Denmark's most colorful kings, Christian IV. You'll also get to visit the treasury which holds the crown jewels

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The Reffen street food market

November 9, 2018 by 1 Comment

Reffen is a street food market in Copenhagen that is essentially a group of shipping containers bound by different communal dining areas each with different atmosphere. Each shipping container is its own business – most were offering food from all over the world, all blending like all the various diners at the tables, into a global melting pot. The Reffen street food market is in an unlikely location that you have to pass by several industrial parks which make you question whether you are going the right way… but once you are there, you can surprisingly dine even al fresco right by the water and across the harbor you can see The Little Mermaid and Amalienborg Palace.

Apparently they know visitors need reassurance so some sandwich boards let you know you’re not lost, you’re almost there.
The food market of Reffen knows visitors need reassurance so some sandwich boards let you know you're not lost, you're almost there. The food market of Reffen knows visitors need reassurance so some sandwich boards let you know you're not lost, you're almost there. The food market of Reffen knows visitors need reassurance so some sandwich boards let you know you're not lost, you're almost there. The food market of Reffen knows visitors need reassurance so some sandwich boards let you know you're not lost, you're almost there.

At the Reffen street food market you’ll find more then 30 food carts, as well as some additional creative spaces that have popped up here. Some dining areas are covered with a roof only while some even had four walls. Every stall store is cashless and accepts credit cards only (or use cash to purchase a prepaid credit card) and uses recyclable or compostable foodwares to reduce waste.

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Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek versus Thorvaldsen’s Museum

November 6, 2018 by 5 Comments

During my last Travel Tuesday post I shared ideas of how to enjoy free things in Copenhagen. I recommended looking up when are the free days at various museums to take advantage of visiting on those days. This worked out twice in my favor during my last visit, as I visited the sculpture museums of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, free on Tuesdays, and then Thorvaldsen’s Museum, which is free on Wednesdays. Today I will share more details from both these museums, both which showcase sculpture, so you know what you will get at each museum.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen include the bronze works of Edgar Degas, including Little Dancer of Fourteen Years Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen statue, Antonin Mercié (1895) by Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier which is discovered in a damp cellar and is currently in the midst of being restored

I thought that both are primarily sculpture museum was a big draw as I looked forward to seeing several famous works in person instead of the flat photos I remember from my Humanities textbook. I recall in high school studying the change from the more stately, monument body form in sculptures to a more humanistic capture of more natural instead of stylized bodies, and then art starting to embody frozen action and emotion. I also in school had really enjoyed studying Greek and Roman myths, which are also used as inspiration for many sculptures.

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Free things to do in Copenhagen

October 30, 2018 by 1 Comment

I generally plot places I want to eat first into my budget and map, and then work around from there on filling a place to stay (though in this case that was already determined by F’s work conference) and things to do. In this case, when I saw how much would be spent on my food budget, I decided for the activities between my meals I wanted to take advantage of free or cheap things to do. Here are some of the free things to do in Copenhagen I took advantage of.

The Little Mermaid

Yes, it’s a tourist trap that many visitors flock to, and I don’t think there’s a need to take any tour to go see it. Just read up a little bit on the statue by doing a little pre-research online – I take photos of pages or copy and paste to reference the information when I’m there so no need to carry any guidebooks. I also advise you, especially in this case, to set your expectations accordingly knowing the cons of a tourist attraction, be it whether there are long lines, no ac, or in this case it is after all just a small statue. Finally, and my biggest tip, go early. Most tourists, being on vacation, like to sleep in as it is part of relaxing during the trip. So I constantly beat this by going early.
The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen
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