Around Scandinavia: Part Three
In which I explored the capital city of Denmark
27.05.2025: Tour Day1, Country1,
City1
Good morning from Copenhagen! I
woke up at 6:30am and had breakfast at 07:30am with Manasi. The breakfast
spread was as usual, types of pastries and muffins, fruits and juices, bread
butter, non veg options, etc. Luggage was loaded in the bus and we left the
hotel. Vihar introduced us to Kiran Puranik, our first and the only Indian tour
guide. We had a half day city orientation tour in which we watched a lot of
places sitting in the bus. Kiran elaborated about Denmark and Copenhagen.
Denmark is a constitutional
monarchy within the Danish Realm of the Kingdom of Denmark, which also includes
the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It consists of the northern Jutland peninsula
and an archipelago of 406 islands. It is lying southwest of Sweden, south of
Norway, and north of Germany, with which it shares a short border. Denmark
proper is situated between the North Sea to the west and the Baltic Sea to the
east.
A Viking fishing village on the island of Zealand and Amagor, Copenhagen is the capital city of the Kingdom of Denmark. Main sightseeing places for the day were Nyhavn, Little Mermaid and the Christiansborg Palace. We passed by the Copenhagen Central Station and the city museum.
We reached Nyhavn at 9:15am, bus dropped us and we walked our way to the port. It was quite chilling. We saw the Magasin Du Nord hotel turned department store.
We walked by the gate of Charlottenborg Palace, could not go ahead without clicking the same.
We entered the waterfront from the southern side.
Nyhavn (New Harbour)
Founded in the 1670s by King Christian V as a gateway from the sea to the city centre, Nyhavn is a promenade lined with brightly coloured townhouses and wooden ships.
Kiran detailed on the
history of the port, its salty reputation then transforming to a pedestrian
friendly waterfront. The colourful facades allowed returning sailors and travellers’
to easily locate their residences, especially when the area was known for its
taverns, prostitution, and lively atmosphere. There was mini cruise operated
for the waterfront tour. We spent half an hour and then drove towards the
Little Mermaid.
On the way we passed by the Frederik Church (Evangelical Lutheran Church). It’s a protestant church rooted in theology of Martin Luther King.
We reached the Langelinie promenade at 10:15am
and walked through the garden to the statue, rain was about to shower.
The Little Mermaid
The bronze statue by Edvard
Eriksen, depicts a mermaid in a moment of transformation, gazing longingly
toward the shore. It is based on Hans
Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid (1837) fairy tale of
unrequited love and self-sacrifice. It is a major tourist attraction. Since it
started raining, I got back to the bus. There was a vehicle selling the mermaid
souvenirs in Danish Krones, there were magnets, keychains, small statue of
various sizes. Few travellers were shopping for the souvenirs.
