Delightful Denmark - Tivoli Gardens

Last year we took a truly wonderful cruise of the Baltic Sea. It was a work-related trip for me as I was in a hosting role, and happily, Jeff was able travel with me. I have to say Jeff and I both fell in love with Copenhagen. The slightly gritty yet architecturally interesting look of the city fit with what we enjoy, and I think the fact that we got everywhere by bike or on foot made it that much more special.

My favorite spot of all was Tivoli Gardens. Of course, I adore amusement parks so I was already primed to like the place. However, it ended up being much more of a beautiful experience than I expected. We went in the late afternoon of a warm but soon-to-be rainy day, and decided to get a few rides in while we could. At the entrance, I saw a restaurant with a variation of the word I recognized for 'cake', and made a mental note to come back.

Captivating

The rides ranged from older and quaint to quite modern, and getting a glimpse of Copenhagen from the taller rides was a great experience. When the drizzle ultimately started, many of the park attendees left, so it was not crowded and we put on our raincoats and continued to take in the gorgeous gardens in the fading light. As Tivoli was the inspiration for Walt Disney's manicured parks, and I can see why.

There were excellent gift shops at Tivoli, and we marveled at how many ways there is to design an eggcup - clearly, the Danes love their eggs. There was also a stand-alone licorice store called Lakrids, chock-full of gourmet licorice. Imagine a specialty chocolate store with all types of flavors, and swap out with licorice. I typically have always somewhat enjoyed (black) licorice and the strong anise flavor, but most American's don't. In Denmark it is quite another story.

At then near close of our circle exploring the park, we came up on a giant garden of fountains. The shrubbery, the lit fountains all burbling.... I could have sat there for hours in the light mist enjoying the fountains. Before we departed, I finally found the cake/bakery, and we warmed up by having a slice of Danish kringle (of course) and of a coconut pound cake alongside coffee. We listened to the conversations around us and were warm and dry. As far as tourist attractions go, I found Tivoli Gardens to have a grand yet lived-in feeling that leaves me with a warm glow just thinking about it.

Other highlights from Copenhagen included:

• Riding our bikes by, and then into Christiania, the counter-culture neighborhood with a weed market. I enjoyed our peek into it but felt somewhat out of place with my tourist duds on. The beer/pot garden was lively and folks looked like they were having a good mellow time. One of the rules is no photos allowed, since marijuana is illegal but in Christiania, it is generally overlooked. The other is 'no running' so as not to incite panic.

• Sunning ourselves on the deck of the Royal Opera House alongside the river.

• A walk through gardens and looking at statues.
• Our bus ride out into the picturesque countryside with rye fields to see the Viking Ship Museum and the Roskilde Cathedral.
• The tour of Rosenborg castle - it was very grand, and my favorite part were the crown jewels.

• Bikes, bikes everywhere. But I can't imagine how cold, damp and windy it must get at other times of year.
• Perfectly cooked seafood for dinner.
• Our Danish modern design hotel room.
• And of course the iconic quaint buildings that line the Nyhavn area.

What we missed

• We wanted to ride across this bike bridge but couldn't locate it.
• Eating at Noma. We saw it but didn't even consider trying to din there. Perhaps we should have but possibly will try and go next time.

Farewell, Little Mermaid