The Little Mermaid – Copenhagen

Our last port of call was Copenhagen.  I found Copenhagen to be very similar to Seattle – beautiful waterways, lots of colorful boats in the canals, numerous outdoor bistros right on the edge of the water, and lots of very friendly locals out and about enjoying a cool summer day.  It was lovely!  We took a short tour to see the Amalienborg Palace Square, the winter residence of the Danish royal family, that forms a spacious octagonal square surrounded by four identical rococo palaces occupied by the Queen, and each of her sons.  It’s quite impressive!

Amalienborg Palace – just ONE of the four palaces within the square.

We left the ship the next morning and stayed in the city one more night at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel.   After a day of walking through the city, we returned to the hotel and saw a small group of teens hanging around the front door.  Three hours later they were still there and the group had grown a bit.  Suddenly there seemed to be a small commotion and a group of four whisked right by us in the lobby and headed for the side exit.  The teens started running towards the side door too, yelling and hollering (but it was in Danish so we didn’t understand them).  We asked the Concierge what the fuss was all about and he looked a bit bewildered and said: Ma’am, you just stood next to Beyoncé.  Hmmm… I suddenly felt old that I had been so near a celebrity and had no clue. I assure you if it had been Cher, a Beatle or a Beach Boy I would have been all over it!

Next we headed to Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park that has the distinction of being the second oldest amusement park in the world, since its development in 1843.  The gardens were inspired by the Tivoli Gardens in Italy (also known as Villa d’Este.)   It is said Walt Disney found inspiration for Disneyland in Anaheim after visiting Tivoli Gardens.  I can see why.

Strolling in Tivoli Gardens

Call me crazy but this photo at Tivoli Gardens reminds me of a “Sunday in the Park with George” type painting from the 1800s.  Except the women above would be wearing long flowing dresses and big bouffant hats.  Must be the “familyness” perspective of the photo.  I just love it. Does anybody see what I see?

Bistros all along the canals – this was our spectacular view while eating lunch at The Herring Restaurant!

Shrimp Bisque with Cider Beer – great meal and great people-watching.

Dinner at Terrasswing Restaurant in Tivoli Gardens – Osso Buco for the entrée

Fireworks display right outside our window.  This was my last delightful, someone-else-did-the-cooking and then did-the-dishes, ever-so-wonderful meal.  Delish!

Dear Friends:  Hope you enjoyed reading about my trip as much as I enjoyed taking it and then relating it to you all.  Thanks for staying tuned – appreciate it!  Now back to the kitchen.