Stepping Out: Copenhagen Redeems Itself!

Amalienborg Palace Courtyard

This morning looked bleak and dreary yet again, which I was beginning to think was the only weather Copenhagen ever has. But I soldiered on as I had big plans. Well, I had vague plans, which in and of itself is amazing. Since today is my last full day in the city, I had “saved the best for last”, hoping the weather would cooperate. It didn’t look good when I headed out but within an hour or so, miracle of miracles, the sun came out! And suddenly my enthusiasm to be out exploring the city returned in full force.

An exact replica of one of the palace rooms
based on a photo. A tad overdone, no?

First on the list was to go see the changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace. I’ve been to England twice and somehow managed both times to miss the changing of the guard, so during this trip I made sure to make it a priority. Amalienborg is the winter residence of the royal family and it consists of four separate mansions all facing each other around a courtyard. Having seen in London how the whole palace is fortified and you can’t really get close to it at all as the huge fences keep you far away, I was surprised that here you can walk right up to the palaces, drive cars through the courtyard, and you can even go stand right next to the guards if you want to (and many tourists do, it seems). I also noticed that these guards seem just a tad less serious and hardcore than those I’ve seen in London; I saw some talking to each other while marching at their posts and cracking smiles. I guess they are human, after all. I continued to be surprised by how close they allowed people to get while watching the changing of the guard. I have to say it was a pretty cool thing to watch and definitely worth checking out, as there is so much ceremony and tradition involved (even though none of my pictures really came out… but check out the video below!).

Palace guards looking so serious

The sun continued, as did my enthusiasm, so I continued walking. And then I came upon the picture that inspired me to come to Copenhagen in the first place: Nyhavn Street. You know the one, it’s the one you always see pictures of anytime anyone mentions Copenhagen. The street along the canal with the brightly colored houses. When I first saw it, it was one of those moments when a small smile creeped up on my face, finally seeing something in person that I’ve seen so many pictures of over the years. And I was SO grateful that the day was sunny and warm(ish) and I could really, truly enjoy being there, to stroll slowly and aimlessly, to take pictures and to soak it all in. I had lunch right there at one of the outdoor cafes along the water, just enjoying being right there and watching the people go by.

And then I did possibly the most touristy thing I have done in years: I took the tourist canal boat ride! I usually avoid touristy things like the plague but I thought it would be the best way to see as much as possible of the city’s canals in a short time. Good move. Until the weather changed as it inevitably does and it was co-co-cold on the boat. Back to Nyhavn Street for one last look and to eat some yummy street food (warm Nutella and banana crepes, mmm) and coffee.

Nyhavn Street

Sufficiently happy with everything I saw and did, and warmed up enough by the coffee to make the walk back, I set off on one last, long, meandering walk through the city back to the hotel. A great day in Copenhagen…finally!

Sun! That's real sun you're seeing!

Just as lovely as you see on all the postcards

Yes, I was really there!

When it's chilly, the outdoor restaurants will give the patrons
blankets to keep warm, in this case red. And THAT is how
dedicated Copenhagers are to being outside, even when it's cold.