Back Home...temporarily

Well, we're back "home" after a few days in the capital city of Denmark, Copenhagen. It was a good trip; very cold there...MN type cold. We've gotten soft!! The wind was so bitter but they didn't have much snow at all. Just a little in the low-lying shady spots. It was still very windy & cold to be walking around sight-seeing so I took the Grand Tour of Copenhagen (while Ed, Guido & Gokhan worked, of course!). It was a wonderful tour (3 hrs) in a warm & comfortable bus. I saw so many sights of the city (I'll list them below) & even got a glimpse of Queen Margaret & Crown Prince Frederic while at the Palace watching the Changing of the Guard!!! Didn't do much shopping other than the window type after the tour. I did walk the 'Stroget' which is a 1.6 kilometer pedestrian shopping street thru the middle of the city. I covered it from one end to the other & back again. Bought nothing but postcards & a guidebook! So proud of myself. Really enjoyed going thru the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain shop. Headed back to Amsterdam today for a couple days of R&R before our next big adventure. Ed heads to London on Monday then I will train to Frankfurt, Germany & meet him on Thursday. We plan to attend Carnivale in Cologne, Germany with friends. We've been told it's THE place to experience Carnivale!

The Town Hall & Town Hall Square

Christiansborg Castle: the seat of Danish Parliament, Prime Minister's Office, Supreme Court, & Royal Reception Area.

Frederik"s Church @ Amalienborg Castle the residence of the Royal House of Denmark since Christianborg Castle was damaged by fire in 1794.

Amalienborg Castle: made up of 4 identical Rococo palaces arranged around a large square. Queen Margaret II lives here with her husband the Prince Consort Henrik in the palace known as the Palace of Christian IX.

The Queen's actual guards.

This ship is known as the "Oops Frigate". It was decommissioned after accidently firing into a residential summer home area in Denmark. Fortunately, no one was home & no one was harmed. Ooops!!!

The Little Mermail statue made in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen & since then has become the symbol of Copenhagen. The monument takes it's inspiration from the well-known story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, himself another national symbol.

Interior of the Church of our Lady; founded in the early 13th century. The Crown Prince Frederik was married here in 2002 to a commoner from Australia, now, Crown Princess Mary.

Statue of Hans Christian Andersen outside of Town Hall Square

Nyhavn neighborhood built mainly from the mid-18th century. Hans Christian Andersen lived here for several years. Now these house restaurants, cafes & small hotels.