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Home Page > Travelogues > Denmark > Copenhagen > Radhuisplad and Rosenborg Slot (includes Stroeget and Tivoli)
Other Chapters in the
Copenhagen
section:
This chapter of the Copenhagen
travelogue covers the parts of the city that I visited first and last, the areas
not far from the train station (which
It was a very energetic time. When I went there in early October of 2001, the Danish national soccer team was facing its final matches as it sought a berth in the World Cup Finals of 2002. On the day I arrived, Denmark hosted Iceland in the national stadium in Copenhagen. A win was expected, and a win gave Denmark a ticket to Korea and Japan. Consequently, the downtown was flooded with Danish soccer fans whooping it up in anticipation of the match, and that night all the bars and nightclubs had the game carried live. It was unlikely than I would ever see Copenhagen so electric as I did that day. One of the main centers of energy was the pedestrian strip known
as the Strøget, partly shown in the first
photograph. The Strøget was a fantastic
shopping zone. Running about a half-mile it seemed, it included both major
European-chain outlets and a
With that as the atmosphere, these were the places I visited. The second
photograph shows the Radhuisplad, or town hall square. The structures
shown were pretty typical for Danish architecture -- red brick, squarish, with a
single or multiple tall skinny towers with a copper or black spire on top.
(Of course, the "Sony" signs were not part of the tradition. :-) )
The town
Close by was the one major Copenhagen attraction that I did not visit -- the Tivoli. The Tivoli was the main amusement park, with rides and shows much like Disneyland in the states. If I was to do Copenhagen again, I would probably make a point to visit it. In the meantime, I must leave the cultural stuff to the third photograph showing Copenhagen's beautiful music hall, the Cirkus.
The opposite end of the Strøget contained some
of the older and more unique attractions. The fourth photograph shows one
of the main gallerias, Jorske's Passage, an impressive shopping center with
trendy eateries. There was also the Frue Plads, the arts and crafts market
square. While there was That evening I watched the first half of the soccer match from a pub near the Radhuisplad. I only watched the first half since it ended 4-0 in favor of the home crowd and I was tired and figured I ought to get out of there before the crowd celebrated too much.
But the next morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Rosenborg Slot
(castle), shown in the fifth photograph. The Rosenborg was probably my
favorite attraction from all of
When I returned from the Rosenborg, I made one more pass by the Strøget. Unfortunately, the weather had turned cold and rainy, but that didn't stop the Danes from celebrating their World Cup berth. It also didn't stop one of the posh clothing stores from conducting an outdoor fashion show. Forty degree weather and slinky models showing off summerish fashions... I didn't get it.
Other Chapters in the
Copenhagen
section:
Trip taken 6-7 October 2001 -- Page Last Updated 08 April 2006 -- (C) 2001, 2006 Tom Galvin |
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was
also about where my hotel was. This was the 'downtown' area -- with the
shopping, restaurants, and other city trappings that the locals tended to
populate.
whole
string of memorabilia shops (I bought a Viking hat). Along the way, I
joined a flow of several hundred Danish patriots walking down the street wearing
Danish red and white, Viking hats, and all other sorts of red and white painted
objects, chanting and singing. Despite the obviously large amounts of
alcohol being consumed (those who weren't drinking beer were carting the cases
for those that were), it was a very good natured event. In fact, a pair of
Icelanders were in the middle of the crowd dressed in their blue-white-red.
One was chanting "Ahhhh-frahm Ees-lan" (Afram Island), the Icelandic
rah-rah chant, at regular intervals. But, all the Danes were shaking this
man's hand and offering him brews. Perhaps they were being sympathetic, as
the Danes were absolutely expected to win. But truthfully, at no moment
did I feel like the situation would ever get out of hand. I was perfectly
relaxed as I moved with the crowd.
hall
was off this photo, but it was similar to the building at right, the Palace
Hotel. The massive square in front had several huge statues and memorials
of several varieties -- old-style monuments to famous individuals to newer
abstract works.
n't
an active market while I was there, it was surrounded by several galleries or
churches -- the Fredericus Sixtus Building and the Vor Frue Kirke (Church) were
ones I photographed. The Strøget ended at
a major restaurant square with a number of high-class international restaurants
and the beginning of a huge canal leading in the direction of the royal palaces,
which I subsequently visited (these are covered in the
Copenhagen.
The castle was located on the west side of downtown, surrounded by a huge park.
It contained a museum of the Danish royal treasury, which I was surprised to
learn allowed photographs for a minimal surcharge (but posting on the Internet
would not have been cool). The treasury included a number of extraordinary
works of ivory and bone, and a gilded horse saddle. The rooms were very
well preserved. The hunting room in the first floor had a number of murals
of hunting scenes and lots of trophies on the wall. The ceiling sculptures
were extraordinary, and there were numerous gold and ivory statues all over the
place. Even the commode (a newfangled feature in those times) was
beautifully tiled. My favorite room of all was the storage room for the
royal dishes, which were mounted on the walls in very showy patterns. The
value of the materials in that room were probably as much if not more than the
stuff in the treasury.
