Copenhagen - Part II
We started our third day in Copenhagen at Amalienborg Palace. The complex is made of four identical buildings, which include the official residences of the Danish royal family and the current Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II. The palace was constructed in the 1700’s and visitors are allowed to tour one of the buildings which is now a museum showcasing how the monarchy once lived.
Statue of King Frederik V
Across from Amalienborg Palace is Fredrik’s Church, also known as the Marble Church. The church is named after King Frederik V who laid the foundation stone in 1749.
We then walked to the Royal Library of Denmark, one of the largest libraries in the world. The library’s newer extension, known as the Black Diamond, has been described as “a work of architectural art”. It was more modern than I was expecting, but the inside was absolutely beautiful! We took the stairs to the top floor in order to get the full experience.
For lunch, we walked to the neighborhood of Refshaleøen, an old industrial area once home to one of the world’s largest shipyards, B&W. Today, the peninsular is filled with restaurants, bars, office spaces and a large street-food market, Reffen. Knowing we had a large dinner planned for the evening, Alex and I shared a Danish (read: fancy) hotdog and walked around enjoying the sights and smells!
The rest of the afternoon was spent walking through different neighborhoods and enjoying the weather. Dinner reservations were at Høst, a five-course tasting menu which was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten! Favorite dishes included: smoked scallops with pickled pear and a dessert that was a combination of Dippin’ Dots in texture and pinecone/caramel in taste. So so good!! After dinner, we stopped by Ruby for a cocktail to round out our last evening in Copenhagen.
We did not leave until Tuesday evening, which meant we had most of the day to enjoy our last hours in Copenhagen. We started the morning back in the Christianshavn neighborhood. During our time in Copenhagen, we had been trying to climb the spiral staircase of the Church of Our Saviour and had previously visited the church twice in the days before, but it was always closed due to inclement weather. One of the most famous churches in Denmark, the Church of Our Saviour, is known for its serpentine spire where you can climb the 400 steps to the top. What makes this different than any other church I’ve visited is the spire is on the OUTSIDE of the church! It’s a bit unsettling at times, but the 360-degree views of Copenhagen made the climb well worth the wait!
A popular Danish dish is called “smørrebrød”, which is essentially an open-faced sandwich. Usually made with rye bread, it is prepared using different combinations of seafood, meat, vegetables and condiments. Both Alex and I knew at some point we wanted to try these sandwiches and on our last day, ventured to Selma where they have a five-course tasting menu incorporating a number of different types of smørrebrød.
Our waiter informed us no meal should start without a bit of pickled herring! It was better than I thought it would be!
Scallop sandwich
Our hotel was located in the neighborhood of Nyhavn, one of the most photographed areas in Copenhagen due to the beautiful colored homes lining the canal. Originally, Nyhavn was a busy commercial port where ships from all over the world would dock, but today it is packed with restaurants, hotels and bars.
Our hotel, 71 Nyhavn
It was a jam-packed, but a fun four days in Copenhagen and I’m so happy we had the opportunity to visit. I especially love how walkable and easy to get around the city is. Despite being rushed in planning, I feel we really got to see and explore a lot. I love seeing how other countries live and part of what makes Copenhagen special is their clean energy plan. Copenhagen hopes to be the fist carbon neutral capital in the world by 2025. Here’s hoping we get a chance to visit again to see how all their hard works turns out!
Accommodation: 71 Nyhavn Hotel
Coffee Shop: Andersen & Maillard
Lunch: Torvehallerne, Reffen, Selma & Hija de Sanchez