2025 in Denmark (Copenhagen)

On June 27, 2025, the Norwegian Dawn cruise arrived at Copenhagen, Denmark (Danish: København, Danmark), where all passengers disembarked and we all went off on our separate ways:

My stay in Copenhagen would last for 2 days:

Day 1 (Friday, June 27)

Navigated through the city quite easily with only public transit, visiting the following:

Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid)

Visiting this bronze sculpture on a Friday afternoon almost seemed like a terrible idea: throngs of mass tourists invaded the scene. However, this "must-see" turned out quite successful as the tour groups quickly exited. The Little Mermaid isn't anywhere as large as the Statue of Liberty in terms of size: it sits life-sized on a rock just a stone's throw away from the shore!

The Little Mermaid: the genetically modified version

A few hundred metres to the north of the "real" mermaid, on a pier called Langelinie (long line) lies her lesser-known sister: the "genetically modified version" created by artist Bjørn Nørgaard:

A critique of the "uglification" of post-modern society, perhaps?

Amaliehaven garden

A serene place of flowers and plants right in the heart of Copenhagen seems almost surreal. On a Friday afternoon in the middle of summer in the downtown of a capital city, not many traversed this hidden Danish treasure:

Ofelia Plads (Ophelia beach)

Near Amaliehaven, Ofelia Plads feels very much like any harbourfront in the world: a boardwalk, a place for people to meet, sit down and idle time away! Locals and tourists alike come here: no admission fees, no pressure, no judgment:

Nyhavn (new harbour)

When people see postcards of Copenhagen, they typically see this one long canal flanked by a streets on each side with a row of multi-hued houses:

Unfortunately, Nyhavn can suffer from "overtourism": rip-off souvenir shops and expensive restaurants make up much of the scene, although one might still find some sensible outlets. Recommendations include visiting after an early morning breakfast, before the tourist rush, then having lunch elsewhere!

Det Kongelige Bibliotek (The Royal Library)

The Royal Library consists of the "Black Diamond" building, with an ultra-modern "community centre" feel to it: a coffee shop with a café, outdoor live music, bookstore, in addition to reading rooms and book stacks on the higher floors:

"Det Kongelige Bibliotek", as known in Danish, also preserves some of its more original architecture and aesthetics, as depicted in one of their reading rooms:

Day 2 (Saturday, June 28)

After 14 days of travel (oftentimes a new country each morning), fatigue had set in. With only one goal in mind (the "Changing of the Guards" ceremony), everything else felt like a bonus:

Marmorkirken (Marble Church)

Unfortunately for everyone, someone with influence rented out the inside of the church for their wedding. So, we had to remain content with how it looked from the outside. The inscription at the top of the marble church reads in Danish, "The Lord's word stays eternal".

Amalienborg (Royal family residence)

The "Changing of the Guards" ceremony takes place at noon every day at the courtyard of the official Royal family residence (Amalienborg):

They highly recommended to wait at least half an hour before noon, but the ceremony is actually very dispersed throughout the complex. Everyone should have a chance to see some of the guards doing their changing.

Strøget (market street) and LEGO store

Not having played with LEGO in decades, I still decided to go Strøget (the market street) stop by the store of one of Denmark's most well-known products:

Of course, LEGO stores exist around the world, but this felt like a must-visit!

Happily, I saw some pandas in toy brick format:

End

By the time the afternoon heat set in, there came the desire to go back to the air-conditioned hotel and drink supermarket-bought beers. No shortage of things to do, what with tons of footage from nine different countries to look through, alongside a need to re-pack luggage before heading home.

Just before midnight, the sky erupted with fireworks from the Tivoli Fairgrounds:

In some ways, I regret not going to Tivoli. Yet, had I spent DKK170 (US$26 / C$42) for the admission, I would have regretted spending money on something that I could have experienced anywhere in the world!

Instead, I relaxed in the high-rise hotel room to absorb the sights and sounds of the past two weeks.

The next day, I went back home to Toronto, but not before seeing this skate park that resembled a tired panda: