Copenhagen, 8 April 2012

Amalienborg Slot

Today we went to the Amalienborg Slot.  Composed of four buildings this has been the residence of the Royal Family since 1794. The four "palaces" surround an open courtyard and local traffic passes through without let or hindrance except during the changing of the guard and, I am sure, other functions.  Unlike Buckingham Palace there are no fences in front of the palaces.

We went to Amalienborg for the changing of the guard.  This is a relatively low-key ceremony; there is no band and only the guards who are to take up their duties march in.  For the full-on show, Buckingham Palace is the place to go.

Changing the Guard

A flurry of snow almost dissuaded us from staying for the show, but we found - you guessed it, Virginia's favourite place - the souvenir shop.  It was crowded, less with purchasers than with other tourists trying to keep warm.

After the ceremony, we walked back to the hotel. Copenhagen is, as we've already noted, clean and pretty.  Unfortunately, some of the nicer buildings are adorned with large, rooftop advertising.

In the later afternoon, the two of us went our separate ways.  Virginia wanted to see the Lutheran Cathedral, the site of the Royal Wedding, and I wanted to take some pictures. Older buildings, particularly government ones, often have the most fantastic decorations on the outside.  Here are several that I thought were interesting.

In the Radhuspladsen or City Hall Square is a wonderful fountain featuring a bull and a dragon and just around the corner is the famous statue of Hans Christian Andersen, facing Tivoli Gardens across the road.

Radhuspladsen

Hans Christian Andersen

Tivoli Gardens

One other statue worth a mention is the monumental statue of Norsk goddess Gefjun which towers above its fountain. According to the Viking sagas, after the Swedish king promised Gefjun as much land as she could plow in one night, she turned her four sons into oxen – and plowed enough earth to create the Danish island of Zealand.

Gefjun and her sons