Our first afternoon, we did a half-day tour that included a visit to the royal palace, a boat tour, and a city tour via bus. Our guide did a good job of teaching us some Danish history. We learned that Christian IV well-deserved his nickname, "the builder King." He seemed to have built almost everything in the city!
We went into the city with another couple to visit Tivoli Gardens at night. It's about a $10 cab fare each way, and there were numerous restaurants/food stands to choose from for snacks or dinner. We ate before leaving the ship, but many of our fellow cruisers opted to eat in the city. We spent the evening "people-watching". Tivoli is a grand old amusement park spread over 20 acres. It's full of rides, games, and funny mirrors; but, Tivoli is no Disney World. One of my guidebooks promises fireworks at Tivoli on Wednesday nights, but they weren't going to go off until after 11 pm. We decided to skip them. When we got back to the ship about 10, many of the crew were just leaving to go into town, so I expect that some of them enjoyed the fireworks. Oh, to be young again!
Copenhagen completely dominates Denmark, and is the political, financial, and artistic center of the country. Copenhagen is one of Europe's most "user-friendly", and is a place where people, rather than cars, set the pace of the city. Many streets are pedestrian only, and the city center is dotted with sidewalk cafes and street entertainment.
Since we went into the city our first day, we ventured into the countryside on a shore excursion to the "Danish Riviera". This tour stopped in HelsingØr at Kronborg Slot (Castle), the site of Shakespeare's Hamlet. (He called it Elsinore Castle.) Shakespeare never visited HelsingØr, and he based his hero on a 10th century character named Amleth, who certainly predated the castle. People (like us) still come to Kronborg to buy Hamlet souvenirs and ask where he slept. Continuing the castle theme, the tour goes on to Frederiksborg Castle and to Fredensborg Palace. The Frederiksborg Slot is quite impressive. I love castles, and we certainly don't have many back home!
