Copenhagen was the third Scandinavian capital and another repeat visit for me, though we saw a lot more this time around.  Our day began with a short bus and train ride.  A public transport system tells you a lot about a city.  The commuter train had half a carriage set aside for bike parking, as well as information screens, and clean comfortable seats.  It was a pity our ride was only 3 stops.  We alighted at the central station and after studying our map, headed past Tivoli Gardens to Christiansborg Palace, seat of the Danish Parliament but far more importantly, the venue for the WMOC sprint final in 2018.

Next stop was picturesque Nyhavn with its colourful buildings fronting the canal, and old sailing vessels lining it.

We’d already noticed a huge number of cyclists, and many separated bike lines which kept things a little more orderly than in other cities such as Hamburg.  Our eyes were drawn to a new construction.  This was a cycling and pedestrian bridge with an ingenious design – the bridge had sections that could be retracted to let boats through.

As we walked towards Amalienborg Palace it started to rain, and we dived for cover for a while.  I wanted to be in the courtyard at midday for the Changing of the Guard, and we joined the damp crowd for the ceremony.   There was some marching, a bit of sword brandishing, and a lot of standing in formation and eying each other off.  We moved on as the sky cleared.

When looking at maps online I’d noticed an odd 5-pointed star shaped island.  This is called the Kastellet, and is an old fortification which is still in use by the military.  We crossed two small bridges which transversed the moat, and entered the central island.  We walked around 3 points of the “star”, on top of the steeply sloped ramparts.  There are some nice views, and a windmill (not sure why).

We meandered through Nyboder, an area of quiet streets largely free from tourists.  It features some interesting low, yellow houses in long rows, which were built for navy officers. From there we entered the Kings Garden, a leafy park with a large statue of Hans Christian Andersen.  Adjoining the park is Rosenborg Castle, home to the Crown Jewels.

At Norreport Station, we saw a veritable forest of bikes.  It seems everyone rides here, and why wouldn’t you?

No city visit is complete without climbing a tower, and we ascended the Round Tower, in the city centre.  Instead of stairs, there is a ramp which spirals 7.5 times as it winds to the top of the 34.8 metre structure.  There is an astronomical observatory on the top, but our views were of the famous red roofs, spires, and these days, the Copenhagen-Malmo Bridge and the ubiquitous wind turbines.

No Copenhagen visit is complete without a visit to the city’s most famous landmark.  The Little Mermaid perches on her rock in the water a few feet offshore, ignoring the crowds and gazing wistfully over her shoulder.  People expect a large monument, but she is small and delicate.

Back on board, the Newbies have arrived en masse.  Copenhagen is the official first port of the cruise, and 6 out of 7 passengers embark here.  The ship is flooded with people trying to find their way around, and taking selfies all over the top deck (if I see one more selfie stick I am going to jam it somewhere painful).  We are off to play Travel Trivia in a last ditch attempt to win!

Stop Press:  We didn’t win, despite a score of 23/25.