London to Los Angeles Flight

Well, it's over. I'm disappointed that I have no vacation time left, but it was genuinely a relief to have a couple of weeks where work was not on my mind.

After arriving in Copenhagen, I settled in to my Bed and Breakfast (a 3-bedroom flat north of Amalienborg palace), I headed down the Strøget shopping street, and toward Tivloi Gardens, the country's old-school theme park. I didn't go on any rides (each ride costs a few extra tickets), but I got a drink, began to fill out postcards, enjoyed a parade and a concert, and took in the ambiance.

I then headed over to the Nyhavn port for a tour of the canals, which was a restful introduction to the city. I followed up my tour with a visit to the Little Mermaid statue in Kastellet Park, and later strolled through the park and the central barracks. Finally, I treated myself to dinner at Nyhavn, and returned home quite late. When the sun doesn't set until 10 or 11, it allows one to tour more extensively, but it also makes it easier to forget when it is getting late.

The next morning, I woke up at Rosenborg Castle. After walking through the surrounding park, I went inside the castle grounds. I spent more time than anticipated inside the palace, which arranged its artifacts more or less in chronological order. I especially liked the thrones, the gigantic silver lions, and the ivory pieces. I also viewed the Danish crown jewels, which were as opulent as one might expect.

Finding myself a bit behind schedule, I hurried across town to Christiansborg Palace, where I donned protective blue slippers and viewed the royal reception rooms. I then headed over to the National Museum and saw some of the Danish artifacts there, including gigantic runed stones, bog bodies, Viking horns, and the Gunderstrup Cauldron.

At this point, the museum was closing, so I went to the Christianshavn area for dinner (Ravelinen, which is on an "island" in the middle of a river), and then peeked into a "hippie commune" of Christiania. Sadly, I don't think Christiania was "my kind of place," but I had fun walking around and seeing the people (most of whom were tourists) milling about. I finally returned to Tivoli to see the park at dusk before returning (late again) to the Bed and Breakfast.

For my final day, I started towards Amalienborg palace, where I chanced upon the changing of the guard and visited the museum inside (which concerned the daily life of past and present monarchs and had a special exhibit on the recent baptism of the crown prince's twin children). Next, I walked through the Strøget and stopped inside the city hall (the surrounding area had been cleared out after at least two days of a Turkish festival) and took the train to the northern town of Helsingør.

Upon my arrival in town, I wandered aimlessly around before making my way over to the Renaissance-era Kronborg Castle, which is known as the inspiration for Hamlet's Elsinore castle. Much of the Renaissance-era interiors (with the exception of the chapel) had been destroyed in a fire, but the rooms provided a good narrative of the apogee and later decline of the Danish kingdom. I started in the chapel, with its carved and painted wooden interior, then I went inside the cold and dank underground casements (which are now home to a statue of "Holger Danske," a sleeping giant in local folklore). Next, I toured the palace rooms, which contained some Baroque interiors which had been created after the castle's Renaissance heyday (and after the fire). Finally, I whisked through the Maritime Museum and climbed the castle tower, which provided a view of Helsingør; parts of Sweden were even visible across the water.

I took the train ride home, stepped into some shops along the Strøget, and took a break before having dinner in Christianshavn. Then, I returned to my room, packed, and prepared to go home.

This morning, I made final preparations, went down to the ATM in order to get payment for my Bed and Breakfast (the proprietor did not accept credit cards or checks), and headed to the airport. There were some hiccups along the way; I ended up overpaying to ship some Amsterdam gin to my place, as the airline would not accept it as a carry-on, and I was randomly selected for a security check.

Nonetheless, I am here and headed home.