Wonderful Copenhagen

I’m kicking off the next phase of my summer research rounds, taking our brand-new Northern European Cruise Ports guidebook out for a test drive. My cruise starts from Copenhagen. But, because I enjoy the city so much, I arrived a couple of days early to squeeze in some sightseeing.

Some cities lend themselves to bike touring better than others — and Copenhagen is the best of any. The first thing I did upon checking into my hotel was to rent one of their bikes. That was my mode of transportation for our entire stay, and we also booked a city tour by bike (with Mike, recommended in my guidebooks) that was thoroughly enjoyable. The tour finished at the ever-popular Little Mermaid.

bike-tour
Researching my guidebooks, I am determined to do as many of the activities we recommend as I possibly can. On this trip, I spent a delightful hour on a Bike Mike tour of Copenhagen. A fun part of taking a small, local, independent tour (walking or biking) is that you feel like you get to know a local who is generally a fun and opinionated character. (Mike Sommerville, at http://www.bikecopenhagenwithmike.dk/, offers a good three-hour guided bike tour of the city daily at 10:30.)

mermaid
Copenhagen’s beloved Little Mermaid is 100 years old…but she’s only been beloved for 60 years. She sat on her rock basically ignored for four decades until Danny Kaye sang “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen” in the Hans Christian Andersen movie, and the Danish tourist board decided to make her the symbol of the city. Today, while kind of underwhelming on her rock, she draws a steady stream of tourists to the pier at the edge of town to snap photos.

Later on my visit, I crossed paths with one of our tour groups. I can recognize our groups out on the streets by the fun-loving nature of the tour members and the ease and joy they seem to exude as they follow their guide across town. It just happened that their guide had arranged an ambush on the way to their dinner by none other than good old Hans Christian Andersen.

hans-christian-andersen
I was walking my bike with the group, chatting with Åsa (our Scandinavia tour guide), when this wonderful gentleman interrupted us and invited us to sit on the steps of the old city hall so he could tell us his story. And he is a wonderful storyteller.

Hans-and-Rick
Watching the faces of our group enjoy the surprise visit from Hans Christian Andersen on their first evening walk across Copenhagen reminded me how much I enjoy my work. To be part of a team that brings so many travel memories to so many good American travelers makes working fun. (Photo by Trish Feaster. Read her blog at The Travelphile.com.)

Hans-Hans-and-Rick
Copenhagen’s Hans Christian Andersen is Richard Karpen, whose friendship I’ve enjoyed for over a decade. He’s one of those guides who simply love to share their passion for history and culture…and that’s a perfect fit for our groups. After his half-hour street theater monologue for our enthralled group, he bid the group farewell and walked off into the city. Then I got to join HCA for dinner. Richard’s tours are a great value — for details, see Copenhagen Walks.com (Photo by Trish Feaster.)

Comments

7 Replies to “Wonderful Copenhagen”

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  2. Copenhagen – there is something special about this city! Copenhagen is cosy and romantic – candles every where!!
    I visited Copenhagen for one week last year. (early autumn) I enjoyed relaxing in bistros, bookshops, mingle with
    friendly locals esp. dog owners like me and adjusted a bit to the Danish humor. With the help of Rick Steves’ excellent
    guide book “Copenhagen & and the best of Denmark”, I explored some very interesting sights: Amalienborg Changing
    of the Guard, the adorable Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen’s statue, City Hall and the National Museum.
    In idyllic Roskilde, I boarded the MS Sagafjord for a two hours cruise around the Roskilde Fjord including a delicious
    Scandinavian lunch. By the way, the Viking Sailing ships are sailing only till September 30.
    Weather in early October was just fine: sunshine with occasional overcast and a few rain shower.

  3. We’d heard that you were on our cruise ship through the Baltic and we looked for you but to our utter disappointment we didn’t get the opportunity to meet you on board or in any of the ports. Perhaps my husband and I will be able to join one of your trips in the future and be able to meet you! Thanks for sharing your adventures!

  4. “the ever-popular Little Mermaid” – that is the least interesting thing in the city – if you cannot understand that then I am not surprised that people make fun of you and your pathetic little tourist followers.

  5. There is a fascinating book which reads like a Nordic saga written by a Swede: ” Roede Orm ” by Frans G. Bengtsson.
    It connects the turbulent history of Denmark and Sweden during the Viking age.

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