2. 'Beautiful, Beautiful Copenhagen...'
We arrive in Copenhagen in the late afternoon on Sunday, 18 October 2026. It has been a long and arduous flight from Melbourne, one that I would not like to repeat. However, no matter how horrible the flights were, it is a joy to hear my customs guy welcome me to Copenhagen and to tell me that my forthcoming trip to Norway will be wonderful.
Our hotel is right on the waterfront, and I suspect Australian travellers are the only guests. We do hear a lot of Aussie accents as we find our room that overlooks the canal almost at the end of the hall.
Upon awakening bright and early on Monday, we enjoy an excellent breakfast before venturing out the front door of the hotel to take the long walk to the popular Nyhavn district of Copenhagen. The walk along the canal is unexpectedly beautiful. Modern almost brutalist buildings blend in with the traditional ones that date back several centuries, the most beautiful being the spire of Christiansborg Palace peeping between some buildings in the heart of the city. The spire, the only part of the building I can see from my vantage point, is adorned with three crowns and sits atop of the only building in the world that houses three levels of government. This one houses the Danish Parliament, The Danish Prime Minister's Office, and The Supreme Court of Denmark in one location. I realise now that I am missing much of Denmark's history and culture because we will not be here long enough. I must not linger and instead continue as I am only halfway to where I need to be.
Nyhavn's brightly-coloured buildings are not only iconic, but show a quirky side of the city. Hans Christian Andersen lived in three of these buildings at number 20, 67, and 18, writing classics like The Tinder Box and The Princess and the Pea. I wonder whether they were as pretty then as they are now. I am certainly delighted that these buildings have not only been preserved but they create a distinct atmosphere in this beautiful city. With a beautiful clear blue sky above, these buildings show their true colours as they bask in the sun. We have just one more place to visit before returning to the hotel to check out and to join our cruise ship.
We stop and ask for directions to our next destination. The lady we speak to not only tells us the most picturesque way but tells us that King Frederick and Queen Mary are hosting the President of Vietnam to Lam, and that we may encounter some police as we pass by Amalienborg Palace. It's quiet as we pass by, although there are a number of police trucks on the next corner. We continue our walk, passing through a park and end at a point where many people are gathered.
One of Copenhagen's most beloved attraction is The Little Mermaid, the statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid becoming a human. Although not imposing, the mermaid is delicate and is perched upon a rock on the waterfront. Because it is still quite early in the morning, and the sun is shining directly in my eyes, I cannot take a photo of the statue from the front, instead having to be happy with the side view of the mermaid.
I check my phone. We have walked eight kilometres and it is a perfect walk after yesterday's long flight. We take a pedicab back to the hotel. Expensive? yes! As we pass by the side of Amalienborg Palace, we glimpse the Changing of the Guard parade making its way along the road towards us. We don't stop.
From our seat on the front of the pedicab, we feel part of Denmark's bicycle culture by joining the hoards of cyclists in their dedicated cycling lanes, and viewing Copenhagen from a cyclist's point of view. It is the perfect way to end a fast and furious whistlestop tour of two of Copenhagen's most famous sights.
Title Quote: Copenhagen, theme song from the movie Hans Christian Anderson, by Frank Loesser
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