After another quiet night we sailed towards Copenhagen.
Thursday the 25th May was the thirteenth day of our Baltic cruise and we were in Copenhagen, Denmark
On our way into Copenhagen
I was awake early and at 7 am I watched as we sailed past a busy ferry port, I have no idea which one though! The map on the TV was not particularly helpful to place where the ship was.
Breakfast was in the Medina Restaurant. We sat and chatted on the table about experiences in St Petersburg. It was fascinating to hear about a fellow passenger’s experiences as an air traffic controller in India after the Second World War.
Aurora was docked at one of the new cruise ship terminals. This meant that it was not as easy to walk to the Little Mermaid statue as it would have been at the old terminal.
So we caught the courtesy coach into the centre of Copenhagen. This was a very smart double decker coach. But the air suspension was so soft that we had more pitching up and down than anytime so far on the ship!
In Copenhagen
The coach dropped us somewhere in the city. In front of us there were building works with high barriers and stacked portable offices. We had no idea where we were as there were no street names on the imposing buildings that surrounded us. We were pointed to follow fellow passengers around the buildings at the side of the roadworks.
We recognised Nyvahn which runs either side of a canal. This was already very busy with people strolling in the sunshine or sitting outside the many cafes.
To the Little Mermaid
Our first tourist stop was to be the statue of the Little Mermaid. Walking along Bredgate we passed the Marble Church and the Alexander Nevskij Church.
After walking past a park we came to the Saint Alban Church.
At the side of the church we passed a large fountain (the Gefion fountain). This was mobbed with tourists and the roads were full of their coaches.
Through the park we could see a memorial and as we walked back towards the sea we passed a quayside cafe that was again packed with everyone enjoying the sunshine. This statue stood by the quayside and in the car park I couldn’t resist taking pictures of this car.
Ahead of us we could see even more parked coaches and crowds of people. This had to be at the Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid
Once at the statue I went down from the promenade onto the rocks and I did get close to the statue. It was just a matter of waiting patiently for everyone else to move away to get pictures.
We walked back to the church and the fountain through the park rather than along the promenade and now the crowds were even larger than before.
The Palaces
Down Ameliagade we could see even more crowds in the square that is flanked on four sides with palaces. We were too early for the changing of the guard as it was just 11 am. I was fascinated by the guards sauntering backwards and forwards and checking their watches or even their phones!
Nyvahn for lunch
Then we were back at Nyhavn where the canal emerged into open water. Walking back up Nyvahn we could hear shouting and at the end of the canal now there was a crowd of football supporters gathering with a strong police presence. From the stacks of cans they were clearly planning to be there for a while.
Across the road we headed for an ATM to get money for lunch. We were walking against a steady stream of Bromby supporters all heading for Nyvahn. Nearly everyone was carrying cases of beer. At a crossing I asked one guy with a tray of Diet Coke where was his beer? He told me, with the biggest smile, that all the cans were doctored with lots of vodka.
We stopped for lunch at the first restaurant on Nyvahn and sat outside. The Bronby fans were now letting off firecrackers, roman candles as well as yellow smoke bombs. We were sitting very close to the crowds but we had three policemen between them and us.
Lunch was an open sandwich accompanied by local beer
and lots chanting from the fans!
From inside the restaurant I took these images from the staircase windows.
