Vinayak Hegde

Tivoli Gardens is the world’s second oldest Amusement park and the most popular one in Scandinavia. It is located in the heart of Copenhagen right opposite the central station. Tivoli Gardens is much more than a amusement park – it is a cultural institution, a national symbol, company listed on the Copenhagen Stock exchange and has inspired writers such as Hans Christian Andersen whose statue stands right outside the gate of Tivoli Gardens overlooking it.

Tivoli gardens has a variety of restaurants and rides catering to a wide range of audiences. It is also a popular venue for many concerts, especially on weekends. The all-ride pass cost about 260 DKK (about INR 2000). I got it from the vending machines. Unfortunately the instructions on the machine were not clear and I picked up the receipt but not the band which wraps around the wrist and acts as a ticket for the rides. Fortunately the guards helped me out and issued me one. As a rule the most easy looking rides are the most crazy fun. Like the Golden tower – It takes you to height of 207 feet and then you fall down (actually pulled down) at 1.5G-force. The fall seems like eternity. The experience for me was akin to bungee jumping. The first time you do not know how it will feel so you go along and hold on for dear life. The second time is the scariest as you know the fall is going to happen. I did the ride a total of 8 rides until I started feeling vertigo. The Education minister for Netherlands sat with a glass of water on the Golden Tower ride and during the fall, the water fell down later as compared to the glass as the fall is faster than the acceleration due to gravity (1 g-force). The views of Copenhagen lit in the night from 207 feet above are really magical.

I was lucky to be there on a Friday night as there was a rock concert in progress at the time. There is generally a concert scheduled there on weekends. Tivoli also has a pantomime theatre and the small ponds and different structures are lit up at night. It gives Tivoli a very fairytale feel. In fact, H. C. Andersen’s “The Nightingale” story was inspired by a play in Tivoli. I read several of H. C. Andersen’s fairytales as a kid and was totally fascinated by them. Copenhagen historic centre has changed little since the 18th Century and H. C. Andersen would feel at home even today. Walking around Copenhagen, it is easy to relate to some of his stories such as the “The Steadfast Tin Soldier” (the first thing that came to mind when watching the Change of Guards at Amalienborg Palace), the famous “Little Mermaid” statue and “The Ugly Duckling” (from the artificial lakes around Copenhagen). H. C. Andersen’s other famous stories are “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “Thumbelina”. Even after so many years H. C. Andersen’s remains Copenhagen’s and Denmark’s most famous son.

I had watched the changing of the guard at Stockholm and loved it. So when I heard about the same at Copenhagen, I wanted to see it. The changing of the guard in Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen takes place every day at noon regardless of the weather in Copenhagen. The changing of the guards was a much smaller event as compared to the one in Stockholm.

The soldiers wear distinctive uniforms consisting of a dark blue jacket, blue trousers and the “Bear” – the huge headgear. The bear skin garment is dreaded by most soldiers and it is not uncommon for soldiers to faint during long patrolling periods. The typical shift is is two hours but only the shift change at noon is as ceremonious. The uniforms worn by the Royal Guard date back to the 18th Century handed down from generation to generation by guards. The only new piece of equipment is the German-made rifles.

The Amalienborg Palace is one of the best examples of Rococo style of Architecture in Europe. Ironically the Palace was the home to the nobility but the Royal family moved into the Palace when the original ChristianBorg Palace burned down. The Royal family did not want to pay for the palace so the 4 noble families that lived there were given a tax holiday for 40 years in lieu of payment for their houses. The Marble church or Frederik’s Church is adjacent to the Amalienborg Palace though it is not part of the Palace complex.

The complete set on Flickr

Having stayed in Copenhagen, you notice a few things very quickly. It is a city always on the move – mostly using bicycles – The public bus transportation system is also good. People who live in Copenhagen are very conscious of the environmental impact of their lives – the UN Climate summit was held here. The quality of life is very high as compared to even many Scandinavian cities. Research & Development and Design is an major source of economic growth and also one of it’s many exports. It is apparent from the modern architecture of the city and the abundance of design studios and design exhibitions in the city. In addition, due to it’s location and also due to major investments, the city is also a vibrant cultural hub and has a very international feel.

During my stay, the city was celebrating Copenhagen Design week and there were exhibits all round the city celebrating the works of designers, architects and other creative artists showcasing works from all around Europe. Due to a high concentration of creative people, Copenhagen is a beautiful city to walk and cycle looking at Graffiti (such as the Obama pic here or art on the walls).

Christianshavn

Christianshavn is an artificial Island surrounded by Canals. It was initially built to strengthen the fortifications around Copenhagen. It has a large bohemian community (Freetown Chiristiania) of artists living in what earlier used to be military barracks. It is a semi-legal partially self governing neighbourhood which is known for it’s idiosyncrasy. For example This can be seen on the greeting on the exit to “Freetown Chiristiania” – which says “You are now entering the EU” (pic here). It is often considered to be a “city within a city”. Christianshavn is also home to the National Opera (from where the picture at the top of the post was taken), Danish Architecture Centre , The Royal Danish Academy of Fine arts and Danish Film School.

After leaving Norway after a long stay, I stayed for a few days while in Gothenburg, Sweden. Soon it was time to move again. The penultimate stop on the journey was in Copenhagen, Denmark. Almost everyone I met on the trip told me that Copenhagen is a beautiful city and rated it it higher than Stockholm. The train journey from Gothenburg to Copenhagen was nice as the train had to traverse the Øresund. The Øresund bridge-tunnel is a combined two-track rail and four-lane road bridge-tunnel across the Öresund strait which separate Sweden and Denmark. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe. The tunnel part of the bridge was built to provide a clear flight path for the Copenhagen Airport which is nearby and also for the ships crossing the straits.

In Copenhagen, I had a gracious CS host who lent me a bicycle to explore the city. Using a bicycle is the best way to explore the city. There are even separate pathways in the city for bicycles and even separate traffic signals (pic here). You will find the greatest variety of bicycles in Copenhagen. I even saw a impeccably-dressed women wearing stilettos zooming past me in a bicycle during my stay there. About 37% of Copenhagen’s population uses bicycle to commute to work and together they cycle more than 1.1.million miles.

By the time I had reached Copenhagen it was evening, so I decide to explore the city and take some photos using my tripod. The results were good but it took some time to get the settings right in manual more. All of these photos were taken around the artificial lakes flanking the western ends of Copenhagen.

Gothenburg is the biggest port in Sweden and the Nordic countries. Gothenburg is unique in Sweden due to it’s location. It is considered a very friendly city and is host to a large working class immigrant community. There are several distinctive buildings in the city like the “Lipstick Building”, Fishhallen (The Fish Market), The Gothenburg Opera and the Post office building.

The best way to get around the city is to use it’s extensive tram system which is the largest in any Scandinavian City. The reason for the lack of the subway system unlike other Swedish cities is the soft earth the city is built on. In addition to using the tram system I also went round the old parts of the city on a “Paddan” boat through the city. This tour takes you through the cities canals and under it’s bridges including the “hair brush” bridge and the “Cheese-slicer” bridge (to pass under which you have to crouch beside your seat). This tour also takes you through the Gothenburg port whose huge cranes (like the one at the top of the post) look straight out of a Pink Floyd song.