Family Fun in Europe, Part 10: Copenhagen

This is my tenth post about our family's 2024 trip to Europe. I recommend reading the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth posts before this one.

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Copenhagen, Denmark

Traveling with a multi-generation family group can be challenging, as each person has their own needs, wants, and preferences. These include everything from what to see and do, to when and where to eat, to how active to be, to how much to spend on activities. We love cruising as a family because we can spend lots of time together, but each individual, couple, or family can make their own decisions about which shore excursions, dining options, and activities are best for them without having to negotiate and compromise with the whole group. 

On this cruise, we made a 5:30 pm standing reservation in the dining room and the seven of us met up each night, no matter what else we chose to do during the days. We often ate other meals together, or agreed to meet for activities, or just ran into each other on the ship. In some ports, we all took the same shore excursions. In other ports, we took different excursions. On those days, it was especially fun to meet up at dinner and hear about what everyone else had seen and done. 

On Tuesday, July 23 we docked in Copenhagen. Steve, Trevor, and I had were up bright and early for our shore excursion, while the rest of the group took a different excursion later in the day. Our first stop took us to the most iconic location in Copenhagen: The Little Mermaid sculpture. 

Completed in 1913, The Little Mermaid is made of bronze and granite. She was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairytale. We learned that she has repeatedly been the victim of vandalism, having had her head stolen (twice), her arm sawed off, and paint poured on her (many times). She was looking perfect when we saw her. 

Steve took our picture, then immediately took a photo of a sea plane. It was either landing or taking off while Trevor and I had our backs to the water.  

This is the Peace Angel, located very close to The Little Mermaid. 

We got back on the bus for a tour of the city. It was interesting to learn about the history of Copenhagen and to see buildings from present-day and long ago, often side-by-side.  

Bus selfie!

This is King David, outside the Church of Our Lady Copenhagen Cathedral. 

The present building was erected in 1829, after the previous church was destroyed during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. There has been a church on this site since 1209. 

  

  

When going through his photos, I was amused to discover that Steve had taken a picture of me taking a picture of the pipe organ. 

  

The most unusual thing about the church was that the pulpit was not at the front of the church. Instead, it's on one of the sides. I have never seen that before. Nor have I seen pews facing each other. Our guide said parishioners switch back and forth depending on whether the action is at the altar or the pulpit. 

Bicycling is a huge part of Danish culture. We learned that there are more bikes than people in Copenhagen; over half of the population bikes to work and to school. Impressive!

Next stop, Tivoli Gardens!

Opened in 1843, Tivoli is the second-oldest amusement park in the world. 

And while I haven't been to them all, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Tivoli is one of the most beautiful amusement parks in the world. There are flowers and water features everywhere. The whole vibe is so different than other amusement parks I've visited. 

During the 1950's, Walt Disney made several visits to Tivoli, fascinated by the mood and the atmosphere. He wanted to incorporate both into the theme park he would eventually open in 1955, Disneyland. 

  

  

In addition to the many bird species we saw, they have a wide variety of "fisk" in the water at Tivoli as well. 

While we spent most of our time focusing on the gardens of Tivoli Gardens, there are plenty of rides that would satisfy all levels of thrill-seekers. 

This kid area was super cute and about my speed. 

  

There's a midway at Tivoli with classic games like Hopsa Bolden and a Galleriet. 

There are multiple stages at Tivoli. Lots of people were just hanging out and relaxing even when no one was performing. 

Speaking of relaxing...

Tivoli has tons of places to sit and they're almost all in the shade. That alone makes it one of the best amusement parks of all time!

We didn't eat at Tivoli, but if we had, we probably would have started at the Grillen and then chosen some tasty (and unusual) flavors at the Ishus. 

  

We got a kick out of the flavors available at the candy shop. Here's a blanding (remember, bland = mix) of licorice, caramel, apple, and sea salt candy. Very Danish. 

Perhaps you prefer your licorice with salt and pepper? You're in luck!

Not all candy is Denmark is shades of green and grey. These look more like the candy I'm used to. 

After a wonderful visit to Tivoli Gardens, we met back up with our guide at this statue of Tycho Brahe. 

He had one more place to take us, just across the street from Tivoli Gardens. Our guide led us behind the Glyptotek, Copenhagen's art museum. As we rounded the corner, we saw a glimpse. Wait, is that really....

  

... The Thinker?!?! Yes! So cool. 

  

We had such a great day in Copenhagen and were disappointed it had to end so soon. Copenhagen is on my list of cities I'd like to visit again. So is the next place we went. I'll tell you about it tomorrow.