Copenhagen
From copenhagen |
Our arrival in Copenhagen was preceded by a spectacular dawn as we passed by the equally spectacular Oresund bridge which soars across the Sound between Denmark and Copenhagen.
From copenhagen |
And so here we are in Copenhagen , the 5th capital that we have sailed into on this trip , ready to continue our love hate relationship with cities . We love them for their beautiful architecture ( that gives us a crick in the neck) , the beautiful people ( who make us sad because we aren’t any more ) , the nice restaurants ( that we can’t afford ) , the fabulous museums and art galleries ( that give us sore feet ) and the general feeling of energy in the air ( which ends up exhausting us!). We will have lasted 2 and a half days , which is a record for us and largely due to the charming mooring site in the Christianshavn , an Amsterdam like canal built in the 17th century and central enough to be within the city , but relatively quiet and away from the worst of the tourist bustle. Admittedly there is a steady stream of tripper boats passing by during the day , but you soon get used to eating your breakfast in the cockpit whilst 50 cameras are pointed at you. Come the evening and we have the place almost to ourselves.
From copenhagen |
Just across the canal is the Orlogsmuseum – hall after hall of contemporary ship models from the zenith of Danish naval power and one museum that I would never get tired feet in however long I stayed. There is a naval base a bit further down with a 17 th century masting tower amongst the small modern warships , a rather sad monument I suppose to the “rigged navy “ that was completely destroyed by Nelson , never to return. Thereafter Denmark’s navy was reduced to mainly small oared gunboats that would rush out and attack their larger enemies , but only if they were becalmed. The economic consequences of the “English” war were so devastating that I’m surprised the Danes even talk to us , but if anything they are even friendlier than the other Nordic countries – who set a pretty high standard themselves.
From copenhagen |
English appears to be the lingua franca of much of the Baltic countries and the Danes especially seem to relish using their language skill with someone with a “real “ English accent , so it is very easy to feel at home here. However we want to explore more of Denmark before the autumn gales put in an appearance so later on today we will leave Copenhagen and head round Sjaelland ( the big island with Coopenhagen on its Eastern side ) anti clock wise in order to explore the islands and towns to the West .