Copenhagen Friday 23rd September

We indulged in a wee bit of a lie in this morning, which was a good start to a day that was planned to run a fairly gentle pace.   After a welcome croissant we rode the rails back to Copenhagen Central Station from whence we walked to Gammel Strand where we boarded our vessel for the Grand Tour of Copenhagen cruise. It didn't quite live up to its hyperbolic billing but was a pretty impressive trip that took in a lot of the sights from a watery perspective. Copenhagen could be be described as Venice meets Amsterdam. Have a look at the pictures to see what I mean.

The Marble Church in the Amalienborg Palace.

Canal leading to the Nyhavn (New Harbour, getting to understand this Danish then?)

A rather elegant pedestrian bridge trying to be a schooner.

Hans Christian Anderson's famous Little Mermaid Mermaid statue. Apparently he goes down particularly well in China.

 The Danish National Opera House. We're have a tour planned for tomorrow.

Part of the Charlottenborg Palace with the facade covered by what appears to be old sacks. I don't know why but as it is Copenhagen's equivalent to Tate Modern maybe it is an artistic installation in itself. A sort of ironic Banksy.

A photograph of a chap rudely taking a photograph right in front of me, meanwhile just behind me there is a chap...........
There follows some pictures on the theme of cycles. Copenhagen is the most cycle friendly city that I have ever encountered. It goes without saying that a huge percentage of the population appear to be cycling around the city all the time. The rest have left their bikes all over the place.

Next some of Copenhagen's inspiring structures.

See what I mean? Long live the Rococo!

And some are less inspiring but towering achievements nonetheless.

After the cruise we sat outside a restaurant and enjoyed a selection of open Danish sandwiches. Next stop was a visit to the Opera house which you have already seen if you have been paying attention. The journey involved a metro ride followed by a bus. Unfortunately the Opera was closed so we arranged to go on the 12 o'clock English tour tomorrow.
On our way back we wandered into Chistiania and could have spent a long time there. Most people seem to spend a lifetime albeit a short one, but certainly a happy one.
Here is how a guide book describes the place.
"Far out, man! This self-governing community was founded by hippies in the 1970s." Freetown Chistiania" is part utopian commune part-illict pleasure town. Pleasingly ramshackle dwellings sit amongst foliage and funky sculptures pepper the pathways. And in Christiania's "Green light district", knowing visitors are drawn by the sweet smell of independence. "

Well I feel a bit better about my writing after that. Have a look at some images.

I'm sure you get the idea. For some reason a very high percentage of the people seem to smoke. It was a self-sufficient community with all you needed contained within. There was also a huge warehouse that could have had the entire contents of ebay available inside. Resisting all temptation we returned to the hotel for some less ethereal pleasures.