Good for the Soul

Our flights were scheduled for early afternoon. So we enjoyed one last breakfast at the hotel. While the guys were packing, I headed to the Round Tower to squeeze in one more attraction permissible by my Copenhagen Card. 

The tower which is located in front of our hotel courtyard is a 17th century astronomical tower. It is connected to a church and library - apparently one of the first university libraries here in Copenhagen:







A view of the church from one of the tower windows:



Apparently the Tower’s design is called an equestrian staircase or riders' staircase as it is a very gently sloping incline and accommodating for horses. A king had ridden a horse up to the top while a queen was in a carriage. Also they have held several bicycle races up and down the tower. So Danish.



At the very top, there was a telescope:



And you could walk around the tower for panoramic views of Copenhagen:



I met the guys back at the hotel and headed to the metro which was relatively simple. But the Copenhagen Card app had apparently required an update overnight which was slightly problematic at the Round Tower as I couldn’t find the update and the guys struggled on the train. However the one time someone actually checked our passes on the train, was our last public transport ride but we were at the airport very quickly.

Upon arrival at the airport, we parted ways as our gates were at the opposite ends and my flight was boarding earlier. I entertained myself with buying the obligatory magnet, some Danish treats, and I felt like I had to have a juice from Joe & the Juice in Denmark:



I forgot the name of my juice, but it was tasty. It had a clever name like my teas at the hotel - Team Spirit, Low Rider, Lazy Daze, and etc…

The last few days with this Copenhagen crew was so good for the soul - well at least mine. Getting to explore and spend time with each other has been heartwarming and refreshing as it had been too long since we’ve seen each other. I’m so happy that all of them are doing so well, being successful, and passionate about their present lives. They know sometimes to take the stairs and to buckle up for what life throws at us, which is always helpful with this group of supportive friends! 

Rosenborg & Roskilde

This morning we headed to nearby Rosenborg Castle where the crown jewels are on display. It’s about a 5 minute walk from our hotel and it was Denmark cloudy on our lovely walk through the park and gardens:

On our way, we saw a hooded crow again like we’ve seen before. William had googled “gray shouldered bird” as we saw them around. At the royal palace, we also saw some more ducks and birds:

We essentially walked through behind the castle instead of from the main road. Here’s William smelling the roses in the garden:

And finally, here is the castle:



With beautiful tile:



Ornate frames:

Waxed busts:





Decorative ceilings and hallways replete with artwork:

Fine furniture:

Halls and thrones galore:

And bowls, bowls, bowls:



The royal insignia on the ceiling with some royal friends:

We then headed to the basement where the crown jewels are stored. It was pretty fun to see the actual crown jewels as we often use the term as a business euphemism:











After our quick trip to Rosenborg, we met the family at Nørreport to catch a regional train to Roskilde. The city is an important transit hub for Scandinavia and has historical significance as it is the former capital of Denmark. The train ride only took about 30 minutes and was very easy from the city.

We then took a quick bus ride outside of town and to the Viking Ship museum where five 11th century Viking ships have been restored. It took us a little bit to figure out how to get into the great ship hall. Here we are walking to the museum:

Inside the ship hall:

Here is a fun area where we could reenact being on a ship and the family decided to wear costumes:

Here I am a conquering viking:

After our walk around and Ben taught me about scuttling boats, we sat in the café and ate yummy donuts and various lunch meals while I enjoyed an Autumnal Spice Latte:

We then walked back into town which took about 10 minutes as we wanted to visit the famous Cathedral. We walked through a lovely park on our way:

A photo of the Cathedral:

The Bishop’s House:

The Cathedral is considered the most important church in Denmark with 39 tombs of monarchs and is a Lutheran church. Here are a few photos of the inside:

There were many tombs of the various kings and queens of Denmark. It was really fun to read about all of them as they had nicknames. They were considered the equestrian king or the peaceful king. Fundamentally, many of these people seem to enjoy the life of royalty as we got to see many of their castles and how they lived throughout this trip. Some examples below of their decorative coffins:

Here’s a beautiful vaulted ceiling in one of the chapels:

Here is the replica of the tomb of the current queen who is beloved and very popular. After the recent death of Queen Elizabeth in England, she is the longest reigning monarch in Europe. Her tomb is supposed to be crystal and held by three elephants - a common symbol we have seen in various places in Denmark as shown by the replica:

Here, Rachel is standing in front of it, but it has been covered by what we believed to be an IKEA looking cover:

While in Denmark, I have learned about King Harald Bluetooth who united the Danish kingdoms and brought Christianity to the country. He was a King of both Denmark and Norway. So when Intel was designing the short-range technology and one of the employees explained Scandinavian history of unification, they used Bluetooth as the project code name and it stuck. The Bluetooth symbol is actually the King’s initials in the old Scandinavian runic alphabet. 

It is rumored that his remains are buried here in the Cathedral, but they have not been able to find them. Mikey joked perhaps they are just not in “pairing mode”. I declared it “the best joke of the trip”. Here is a photo of a few folks on Bluetooth enabled devices:

After our trip to the Cathedral was complete, we walked back into town and to the train station to return to Copenhagen. We decided we would visit the Danish Architecture Center:



Scandinavians are quite known for their design, but we ended up enjoying the awesome slide in the museum:





Sliding is very tough and therefore we decided we needed some food. As Mikey and William enjoyed a hotdog stand near our hotel last night, we returned to the area and picked up a few hotdogs. I remarked they must be famous for hotdogs as there is a Danish Dogs stall in Grand Central in NY:

We then decided we needed cocktails, but the bar was not yet open. After walking through Christmas markets and closer to New Kings Plaza, we decided on a delicious pizza place:

After dinner, we went into the bar called Birds of Prey and enjoyed the fun playlist of songs from our college days. After several rounds, we decided to explore more of the shopping area of Strøget and meandered back to the hotel. 

As this was our last night in Copenhagen, we enjoyed some drinks in Mikey and William’s hotel room. We chatted the night away as we fantasized about future trips and talked about the realities of life. Sadly, Rachel had to finally return home and we all had to go to bed. 

I found a stairwell that was easier to use and closer to our rooms than the elevator that brought you to the lobby. The hotel continues to have clever signs that keeps you humble. Thank you for the reminder, buttercup.