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| Copenhagen (København) |
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Nyhavn:
Perhaps one of the most famous scenes in all of Scandinavia, Nyhavn harbor is home to upscale restaurants, pubs, and an amazing atmosphere. The quays are lined on both sides with docked boats and stately buildings, creating a scene that seems to transport you back to the 1600s. |
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Nyhavn:
For your viewing pleasure, I present you with another photograph of Nyhavn. When a photographer is presented with a scene this picture-perfect, it is tempting to fill many rolls with shots and then fill the entire page with these pictures. I'll be good and will limit myself to two... |
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Canal Tour:
Copenhagen is crisscrossed with waterways that beg to be traveled. I took this tour that winded through the town, passing buildings which are architecturally quite impressive. In the background is the old stock exchange (Børsen), the tower of which is designed to look like twisted dragon's tails. |
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Palace Hotel:
Like many large European cities, Copenhagen has many large public squares where one can go to relax. This square, located near the famous Palace Hotel, is as vibrant at night as it is during the day. |
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Tivoli:
(Left) Copenhagen is known for the famed Tivoli amusement park which dates back to the 1800s. Since I went during the tourist off season I was unable to actually visit Tivoli. The gates were nice, though...
Waterway:
(Right) During our strolls in the city, my father and I passed by many small, peaceful waterways. |
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Amaliehaven Fountain:
(Left) This fountain provided me with an excellent subject to practice my night photography.
Amalienborg:
(Right) The winter residence of the Danish Monarchy, this vast palace dates back to the 1750s. The domed church is the centerpiece of the palace, which actually has many buildings which aren't visible in this photograph. |
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Spire:
(Left) Fortunately, the skyline of Copenhagen has remained relatively untouched over the centuries is almost exclusively made up of picturesque spires.
Old Copenhagen:
(Right) Preserved beautifully, the old city center is truly a mesmerizing place. Thankfully Denmark never saw a need for urban renewal, so the cities are as glamorous as they were hundreds of years ago. |
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Strøget:
(Left) This photograph, taken while on an even stroll along Strøget, reminds me of a scene out of a movie set many years ago.
Bicycles:
(Right) Outside of Asia, I have never seen a place which utilized bicycles as much as Copenhagen. We even borrowed free public bicycles, which allowed us to get a unique (yet painful) view of the city. |
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Museum Erotica:
(Left) Copenhagen is famous for its socially liberal views and over-the-top atmosphere. Any city that has a " Museum Erotica" is OK in my book... |
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Back Alley:
I am showing this photograph here because this is simply a side street, strewn with graffiti and generally unimportant. What I find amazing is the tremendous architecture that can be found on these back roads, some of which would be the centerpiece of other cities. Spectacular! |
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Random Street Scene:
I was attracted to the "yellowness" of this picture. Scandinavian cities use color much more liberally than Americans and we could take a page from them to make our cities a little more interesting. |
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Kronborg Castle:
We spent one afternoon in the seaside town of Helsingor, famous for Kronborg Castle, used in Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the play the castle is known as Elsinore, but this didn't impress me much since I have zero interest in Shakespeare. Nonetheless, the castle is very impressive. |
| Helsingor (Helsingør) |
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Castle Grounds:
I'm not exactly sure what this building is for but I saw this building on the castle grounds and the color combination was spectacular, so I thought it would make a good photograph. (I think it did!) |
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Helsingor Alley:
Helsingor itself is a neat little town, with winding alleys with shops and cobblestone streets. Compare this alley to the scenes above, and you will see the differences between the cosmopolitan Copenhagen and the sleepy streets of Helsingor. |
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Random Red House:
(Left) Again, I thought this small red house would look neat photographically. Well, I like it, anyway.
Titanic:
(Right) Somebody in Helsingor has a good sense of humor. |
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Castle Walls:
(Left) You've got to respect any building with a moat. This is the exterior of Kronborg Castle, which was attacked extensively by the Swedes many years ago. The exterior was restored in the early 1800s and was not damaged when the Germans occupied it during WWII.
Castle Courtyard:
(Right) Here's another shot of the castle to stoke your interests (and to fill up space). |
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Buggies:
(Left) Everywhere I looked in Scandinavia, everybody had a baby in a buggy. By the end of the trip I was starting to feel out of place. (Nobody was ever pregnant though... perhaps there was a big blackout nine months before I got there...) |
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Encarta map of Denmark: See an excellent map of Denmark
Denmark Travel Information: Lonely Planet Destination Guide: Lonely Planet's guidebooks are second to none. Go here to read their online edition
Copenhagen Pictures: A nice set of photographs from a Danish citizen.
Copenhagen Post: Danish news, online and updated weekly
Copenhagen Boat Tour: Read about the boat tour pictured to your left.
Lego.com: Denmark's greatest contribution to the free world... Legos!
Wonderful Copenhagen: The official tourist site for Copenhagen. Lots of glitz, not too much content.
Visiting Copenhagen: A nice site giving the usual tourist info, online tours, and club information
Danish Pastry Recipe: Emeril's recipe for making danishes
Shakespeare's Hamlet: In case you have nothing better to do, you can read Hamlet here.
Kronborg Castle: There really is a website for everything now. This is the official website for Kronborg Castle.
Copenhagen City Bike: Read about Copenhagen's revolutionary free bicycle program
Boston Globe: On Foot: A great article about walking in Copenhagen.
Carlsberg: Headquartered in Copenhagen, Carlsberg touts that it is "probably the best beer in the world." I wouldn't go that far, but it was tasty. (Actually, I first had a Carlsberg in Hong Kong, they were pretty good there too!)
Maersk: For some reason, I'm very interested in container shipping. Maersk, the biggest of them all, is from Copenhagen.
Flags Of The World: Denmark: Information about and history of Denmark's flag |
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Time Visited: October 2001
Main Cities Visited: Copenhagen (København), Helsingor (Helsingør)
Modes of Transportation: Bicycle, train, bus, taxi, boat
How I Ended Up There: 2001 vacation with father
Memorable Foods: smørrebrød, gravad laks (salmon), wienerbrød (Danishes), Wine Gums, Carlsberg Beer
What I Liked: Cosmopolitan nature of Copenhagen, medieval setting of Helsingor, beautiful architecture, lots to do for people of all ages
What I Disliked: Lots of pollution in Copenhagen, dreary weather (It was October, after all), painful free bicycles
Where I Stayed: Ibis Triton Hotel
Denmark in Five Words: cosmopolitan, gritty, medieval, colorful, unexpected
My Thoughts: When time off for my Iceland vacation
was unexpectedly increased, I thought it would be a good idea
to visit a new country in Europe as well. Looking at the map,
I decided that Denmark would be an interesting country to visit.
Why Denmark? Why not?
I arrived in Copenhagen with no expectations, as up to that point I had little
knowledge of the city (I had never even seen a photograph of it) and had no preconceived
notions of what the country would present to me. I was immediately overwhelmed
with both the staggering amounts of historical architecture and the fast-paced,
cosmopolitan nature of the city. Through American eyes, Copenhagen is truly an
underrated and under appreciated city. It was much more impressive than I ever
imagined it could be and a random, unplanned visit there should be taken by all.
© David Metraux 1996-2006 |
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