Copenhagen, Denmark

Sailing into Copenhagen

Denmark, the land from which Peder Jensen Pedersen at the age of 18 sailed with his older brother to America. He and his older brother left the port of Copenhagen Dec. 14 1904 and arrived at the port in New York on Dec. 26 of the same year. He entered Ellis Island stating that he was a 'lumber tally man.' OK, that is the end of the Pedersen family history lesson.

During the 16th century Denmark was the largest of the Scandinavian countries because it ruled all of Norway and parts of Sweden. Today however, it is the smallest country in  the Baltic area. Denmark was the home of the Vikings. We stayed two days in this lovely city and used the Hop On Hop Off bus to tour the city.

The six of us headed out to explore this fascinating waterfront city. In the end we saw Copenhagen by bus, on foot, and then by water taxi. You couldn't ask for anything better and the cost of a 24 hour Hop On Hop Off pass was relatively inexpensive. Weather was perfect.

Of course we went to Tivoli Garden which isn't a botanical garden at all...it is an amusement park! Everything inside is based upon stories from the famous writer, Hans Christian Andersen. The park is filled with rides, manicured gardens and lawns, bands, games, performance stages etc. But don't think Disneyland...nothing could be further. Some of the rides are original. Dan said one of the rides had a brakeman in each car to manually slow the car! Now that is scary!! The gardens and walkways were enchanting. After walking around the park for a bit, Dan and our friend, Pat, stayed to go on rides, while the rest of us headed out for the famous Stroget Street. This street is closed to cars and is filled with high-end shops, tourist souvenir shops, eateries, and street entertainment.  It was all cobblestone, so you needed to be aware of where you were stepping. We stumbled upon a tiny Christmas shop where intricate handmade paper cutouts were sold just like the ones H.C. Andersen had created. Needless to say, the Visa card was placed atop of a few new Christmas decorations that would be heading for the states!

We also spent time along the waterfront of the Nyhaven canal. It reminded us of Bergen, Norway with all of the Hanseatic buildings. This is where H.C. Andersen wrote his first stories. We strolled though the historic quay before having lunch at a little outdoor restaurant.  We then boarded one of the canal tour boats. From the sea we were able to see the Opera House (nothing compares with the one in Australia, though), we saw the Little Mermaid (saw her by land as well), the Royal Danish Playhouse, and  Holmen (an old naval area). Here's a fact: Did you know that the Little Mermaid was a gift from the brewing magnate, Carl Jacobsen (AKA Carlsberg Brewery) in 1909? She is still pining today for her lost love.

Old Stock Exchange

Denmark has steeples everywhere. None are the same in design or size. They are not limited to churches as you can see the beautiful on atop the Old Stock Exchange.

The Kiel Canal, Germany

The Kiel Canal is a 61 mile-long canal that links the North Sea at Brunsbuttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. If you use this canal you can save about 280 nautical miles instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula. This is a time saver, but more importantly to me, as a timid sea-going traveler, it avoids the potentially dangerous storm-prone seas. I had never heard of this canal and yet it is the world's busiest man-made waterway! We timed it just right to begin the series of locks early on the morning of June 13th. The captain had said that the wait could be hours long as ships cue up waiting the begin the long narrow passage. There are many detailed traffic rules as you might expect. Ships are categorized into 6 categories based upon their dimensions. Depending on the classification, some ships must use the assistance of a tugboat or accept the specialized pilots to come aboard. Most large, modern cruise ships cannot use this canal because of clearance under some bridges, but we were able too...just barely. As we approached one bridge we all held our breath, sure that the radar equipment and running track deck would be sheared off! We made no stops and it took us almost a full day to sail to our next port of Copenhagen, Denmark. It really was a beautiful day at sea even though the sun never came out.

The Baltic Trip

June 9, 2013 we flew from SD to JFK and then from there to Heathrow. Upon arrival in the UK, we boarded a bus and headed for the port located in Southampton, UK. It was great to see our old friend the Azamara Quest waiting for us to board her. This is the same 'small' ship we took to Southeastern Asia. It was one of those weird things where you leave on the 9th and arrive on the 9th. Already your biological time clock is being  messed with!

Taken at 8:00 pm!

We set sail later that day for Amsterdam and went through a series of locks since Amsterdam, Netherlands is located below sea level. It took us more than a day to get from Southampton and through the locks until we docked in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is known as the 'Venice of the North" because of all the canals and waterways. There are 165 canals with over 1,000 bridges crossing them! There are many museum there, although we did not have time to go into any. It is here that there is the greatest collection of Rembrandt's and Van Gogh's in the world. Unfortunately we did not get to the Ann Frank house either.

Anyway, on our first evening we participated in something called 'AzAmazing' where we went ashore and they took us 'back in time' to the recreated village of Zannse Schans for a walking tour. It was cool to see what life would have been like so long ago. The golden age of the Dutch Renaissance began in the 17th century and grew into a world empire. Remember learning about the Dutch East India Company way back in 7th grade? It was like being in Williamsburg if you have ever been there. The Netherlands has been a part of France, Spain, and Germany at one time or another. Today they are  an independent nation in Europe and use the Euro.

We also walked through some little shops and of course we saw lots of wooden shoes! I love this silly picture of Dan standing in those wooden babies. Look, he is even color coordinated! It was a relaxing evening and a way to adjust to the time change.

Master painter

The following morning we were up early and headed out for a guided tour of Holland. One of our stops was the famous Delft Factory...you know those famous blue plates? Did you know that the paint is actually black and when it is fired it turns to blue? Another factoid is that the painter takes the pattern he will be using and creates a stencil out of it by punching hundreds of tiny holes along the lines. Next it is placed over the item to be painted and then dusted with a fine powder. The stencil is then removed and the remaining faint design is used as a guide for the painting. A lot of work goes into every hand-painted piece!  It takes over 10 years to become a master painter. In the factory we saw tiles, vases, plates, shoes, tableware, bowls, frames, ornaments etc. all in the famous blue design with the flowers. Of course I was fascinated by the rack of porcelain thimbles that were just waiting to be painted and fired. I had to buy one for my collection!
Be warned, this was the first of many thimbles acquired on this trip...it was also one of the most expensive. But what a treasure :)

We also had the opportunity to walk along the canals. You can see that shops and restaurants line the canals and boats are parked along side. There are bicycles everywhere too. They have all sorts of baskets on them for carrying a myriad of things. Some even had metal boxes attached for hauling bigger items. It appeared that bicycles were also the favored transportation for pizza delivery men. People of all ages rode bikes. Since the land is flat, it seemed like an efficient way to get around.

This is a very cool old building that was in a square, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was called. I remember it was one of the oldest buildings and it is still in use today. Maybe later I will find a picture of it in a guide book and can label it then. We also walked by The Hague and saw many embassies from the street.