I didn't sleep all that well last night. The bed was really comfortable but the room temperature was too warm for my liking. I ended up putting the aircon on for a bit to try and cool it down! It rained throughout the night and when I got out of bed at 5:30am (my body, or mind, must still be in work wake up mode) it was very grey and wintery outside.
Undetered, I wrote my blog from yesterday while having my breakfast and eventually got ready to brave outside. My weather report said 4 degrees but I had 4 layers on and felt OK.
Yesterday I took a photo of a dragon light pole. There are also dragons in a different style around where the hotel is. I did research last night and the originals were designed by Vilhelm Dahlerup and installed in 1892. The new ones are cubist reinterpretations of that original design. Other than that there appears to be no particular significance.
I headed off along the harbour front near the hotel. Along the wharves are various buildings but this one attracted my attention because of the colour and the unusual window layout.
From there I headed towards the city centre which took me past The Little Mermaid. Not something I'd make a trip to see, but since I was passing...
I noticed a variety of building styles but the fresco pained at the top of this building was quite unique. It had a slightly Egyptian feel to it.
And this was another striking building.
The entire facade was covered in an extremely detailed mesh.
Some bees were keeping guard on this building.
And someone must have thought that this box needed some extra colour or warmth.
Amalienborg Slot is the official royal residence. It's a set of 4 buildings around a circular courtyard. I was surprised that the public could walk right into the courtyard. As I discovered later, this building is the queen's residence but she wasn't home at the time.
Near these palaces is a park with some great sculpture. As soon as I saw them their style seemed familiar. Later I did some research and they were created by Arnaldo Pomodoro. And he also created a work I had seen in the sculpture park in Washington DC. The sculptures are four columns. This picture only shows you part of one, but it should give an idea of the style and detail.
So far the weather had behaved but soon it began to rain. And then I noticed tiny pellets of sleet. Well, not quite the snow I had hoped for, but close. But it ended quickly.
Before long I made it to Nyhavn, a very picturesque and famous part of Copenhagen. When I first arrived it was very grey but I still managed to get some good pictures. Later the sun came out briefly and I took some more.
As it looked like the weather had broken for a little while I decided it was good timing to go on a canal cruise. These leave regularly from Nyhavn. The tour went for just over an hour and took us out into the harbour (brrr), through many of the canals and under quite a few bridges.
We went past the opera house.
In the distance we could see a tower. Our guide explained that it was part of a church and you can walk to the top. Weather permitting, I will try to do that tomorrow.
These boxes were on one of the poles along the canal. I assume they are for birds.
This structure on the side of one of the bridges reminded me of a submarine conning tower. But it also reminded me a little of one of the towers I saw at the Berlin Wall.
The tour took us past Christiansborg Palace. I believe this is now the parliament building. I couldn't see much of the building but this tower/spire was impressive.
The most modern bridge we went under opens by each half retracting. You could see the massive wheel on one half as we went under.
By the time the tour had finished I was frozen. It's easy for me to keep warm while walking but sitting outside (to take photos) on the boat was bitterly cold and my hands in particular had lost their feeling. I had forgotten to take my gloves with me this morning. It was also starting to rain again. I decided I needed some food and to warm up. After many indecisive moments perusing the menus along Nyhavn I settled on one small place that looked cosy and friendly. And it was. Once again, super friendly staff quite happy to speak in perfect English. I ordered a smorrebrod (Danish open sandwich) with roast beef and horseradish and a beer. The beer came in this enormous glass!
Once the rain had subsided, I emerged full, warmed and re-energised. I made my way to another castle I wanted to see. On the way I passed this shop window selling only lamps.
Rosenberg Castle was originally built as a summerhouse for King Christian IV. I was hoping to go inside but it closes at 2:00pm and it was already 1:30pm. I decided to leave it until tomorrow.
My last planned destination was to check out some lakes further north in the city. I walked through the botanic gardens and came across this little guy. Much more ginger than those I've seen in England or America.
The lakes were a little underwhelming so I wandered back in the general direction of the hotel discovering a few interesting things on the way and picking up some supplies for dinner.
By the time I got to my apartment I was feeling exhausted. I sat on the couch and dozed off. When I awoke it was still light and the weather was holding. My mind was telling me that I should head out again to take advantage of the conditions. But my body wouldn't let me do it.
There's one last thing I want to share though. This building is near the hotel. I think it typifies the architecture around here and it's completely clad in slate shingles.
