Tivoli

After 9 days of popping in and out of the Baltic capitals, we had come to our final port.  Our bags were already on dry land, our room had been vacated and we were just awaiting word that we could disembark for the final time.  This time we were going to catch a bus to the airport.  But the catch was, we were not going home.  Not quite yet.  We had one final day full of surprises for the girls.

One final picture on board before we go.  (How cute are they?)

We caught our bus, left our bags at the reception desk at our airport hotel (so super convenient) and hopped the train.  The girls were none to happy with us because we wouldn't tell them where we were going or what we were doing so they thought that we were, once again, going to tour the sights of Copenhagen.  And that was what we let them believe.

We walked out of the main train station and across the street.  We bought day long tickets from the line and we got our wristbands.  The girls were really curious now, but we still hadn't really explained what we were doing.  All they could see was that we were going to a place called Tivoli Gardens and the Garden part did not seem to excite them.  Until they saw the rides.

Tivoli Gardens is a large amusement park smack dab in the center of Copenhagen.  It is visited by almost 4.5 million people a year and is the largest seasonal theme park in the world.  Built in 1843, it is also the second oldest in the world.  Tivoli's founder got Kind Christian VIII to grant him the land and permits to build the park by telling him that when people were out having fun, they were not thinking about politics.  So he built his oasis in the city and opened it to the people.  It follows a certain oriental theme, but is ever evolving and constantly changing.

We had arrived just before lunch time and decided to get the food out of the way while we planned our day.  I say we, but I mean they...

First things first - the fairytale ride.  It took us on a tour of the most famous stories by Denmark's own Hans Christian Anderson.  Many of which the girls are familiar with in their Disney forms, as they may still be a bit young for their true stories.

The Snow Queen - the first Elsa.

From then on it was rides, rides, rides.  We played all afternoon and into dinner.  Finally we had to call it a day.  We had a hotel to check into and a flight to catch the next afternoon.  But what an ending to such a great vacation.  I would chalk this up as one of our top family vacations to date.

This building is a restaurant!

Concentrating on driving her boat.  And then she gets a gleam in her eye - which means we are about to go after Papa and MadHatter...though they got to us first.

The boat is another restaurant.

Notice the guy in red, sitting on the chair what is row 5...He is actually braking the coaster.  By hand.  Around each and every curve!!!  It is the oldest, still running, wooden roller coaster in the world.  We didn't ride it, but we did ride the one below (that got you wet)

Dinner.  You got a basket, picked out your food and drinks and essentially had a picnic in the park.  Such a great idea.  And the perfect way to end the day.

We took the train to the hotel.  Stinkerbell tried to tell me that she was able to read Danish :)

A Fairy Tale Come to Life

Anyone who has ever cruised before knows that you need to arrive in your departure city the day before you actually embark.  You don't want to be confronted with missed connections, delayed flights or even something as simple as a thunderstorm grounding you and you somehow end up missing the boat.  Literally.  Seeing as this family is cruise savvy, and seeing as we had never been to Denmark before, we booked our flights to arrive in Copenhagen, or København as it is known to the locals, the day before we set sail and planned to enjoy a full day of sightseeing.

Strangely enough, I had been so preoccupied this summer with other things, I totally forgot to be my obsessive self on planning this cruise and what we needed to see.  I looked up a few places here and there, and I asked friends for advice, but mostly I left this cruise up to chance.  Probably because I just wanted to get away from it all and enjoy the time with my family, or more probably because I was just so pressed for time, I forgot.  Yeah, let's just be honest and go with that second one.  Thankfully, Copenhagen had my back and made me look like a rock star planner without even having to lift a finger (or do more than a simple google search).  

First up (after checking in to the hotel and having lunch) was to take the Metro to the Amelienbog, the winter residence of the Royal family.  But first, we wanted to see, and experience, Fredrik's Church which sits right off of the square.  

The gold scripture reads, "The Word of the Lord Endureth Foever"

By some stroke of luck, we arrived at 1 pm.  Which is the one and only time of the day that they allow you to walk to the top of the dome and view the city from the largest church dome in all of Scandinavia.  We walked up, up, up about 300 steps in some very, very narrow hallways...

...to be able to look upon the city from its highest viewpoint.  And then we tried not to kill ourselves on the way down.  Which is easier to type now that my heart has stopped beating outside of my chest!  We have a rule that one adult goes down first, then both children, then an adult.  That way if someone missteps or slips a bit, there is an adult to catch them.  Lucky for all of us, I was right behind Stinkerbell twice on this trip.  And if I had missed catching her, her Papa would have stopped her fall (stone steps could do some damage).  But even that small heartstopper doesn't take away from these views...

The Royal Winter Palaces and the new Opera House as seen from the Dome.

 Once down, we took in the Rococo architecture and I snapped away to my hearts content...

The Royal Box.  Used frequently for official ceremonies.

Back outside, we headed about 100 yards to the Amalienborg complex.  The square consists of 4 identical buildings (at least in facade) and are the winter homes of the royal family.  In the center of the octagonal courtyard is a statue of the Amalienborg's founder, King Fredrick V.  Surrounding him are Christian VII's Palace which is used for entertaining prominent guests, Christian VIII's palace which is mostly a museum and storage facility,  Frederick VIII's Palace which was previously the home of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid but is now the home of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, and finally Christian IX's palace which has been the home of the royal couple since 1967.  Confusing?  Yep.  Since all rulers have been named Christian or Frederick since the beginning of time, it really does throw one for a loop.

A Royal?

We were lucky enough to witness the changing of the Royal Guard.

We decided that we needed to see the museum that is housed in Amalienborg.  It is Christian VIII's palace, and hearkens back to a time long past.  It gives you a glimpse into the life of the royals, especially those known as the "in-laws of Europe", as their children became King or Queen of no less than four different countries (UK, Russia, Greece and Norway).

The best part of the tour, especially for the girls, was this guy...

The museum has set up a great way to keep the kids interested in what can sometimes be boring rooms filled with old things.  They send the kids on a hunt for the elephant.  In each room, you search for the sign that looks like the photo above, read the less stuffy information that pertains to the room, and then answer the question (usually by finding something in the room).  The girls were never so happy to be in a museum.

Once outside, we walked the short way to see a bit of the most expensive Opera House ever built.

We had a bit of walking to do. And it was getting a bit chilly, so we decided to warm up by running around a bit.  Literally.  The kids (and that includes B) raced around in the Queen's gardens.  No fun at all...

Warmed up but a bit thirsty we decided to try to find something to quench our thirst.  We found this instead...

Once again we had stumbled into a gem of a spot.  Known as Kastellet, this is a well preserved Citadel that was built in the 1600's and was used to protect the city from siege.  Now, it is a place teeming with locals running, picnicking and strolling over the bridges and grassy knolls that surround the fortress.

After resting for a bit, we kept on our trek to see the Little Mermaid.  Based on the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this statue is synonymous with Copenhagen.  And if you have a mermaid in your house (ours is named Stinkerbell), it is definitely a must see.  She is not very big - about 4 ft tall - but she still has quite a presence.  And a lot of admirers.  And a few detractors.  Over time she has been defaced, had arms amputated and once, she even lost her head.

On the other side, we took in the Gefion fountain.  Portraying the Norse goddess Gefjun driving a pack of animals through the water, it tells the story of how the island of Zealand, which Copenhagen is located upon.

It was getting to be dinner time, and the drops were starting to fall from the sky, so we headed to Nyhavn, the bar/restaurant place to be and be seen.  Built in the late 1600's by King Christian V as a gateway from the sea, directly to his personal  square.  Famous for beer drinking, sailors and prostitution back in the day, it was also the home to Hans Christian Andersen for 18 years.  The colorful row houses that line the harbor on the left side date back to 1681.  The right side is lined with stately mansions - which I did not get a photo of since it really started to rain harder and I had no umbrella.

We quickly ducked into a restaurant just off of this tourist path (super, super expensive) and waited out the rain.  By the time we were done eating, it was clear out, the sun was setting and we were growing tired.  We hopped the metro, checked into the hotel and fell asleep dreaming of the adventures that awaited us aboard the big boat.