Copenhagen & Stockholm

Jul 31 - Aug 3 2010
AC882 YYZ-CPH, SK1416 CPH-ARN, LH3003 ARN-FRA, AC877 FRA-YYZ

Hating crowds, in the past we've been very reluctant to go to Europe in the summer.  However, when visiting Scandinavia it is hard to avoid the tourist season and we endured the cruise ship hordes.  As we had a pretty short time to visit, we focused on the capitals and choose Copenhagen and Stockholm.  We had a bit of rain in Stockholm, but otherwise had good weather and made the most of our limited time.  I thoroughly enjoyed visiting both cities and we took advantage of the excellent transportation system to cover all that we could, including a side trip from Copenhagen to Roskilde.  In Stockholm we bought a tourist pass that included entry to all the attractions for 24 hours and we really made the most of it, taking in some attractions that we otherwise might not have done.  

Jul 29-30
Overnight flight to Copenhagen, check in at the hotel and train in to the city

Hall at Danish National Museum

Looking across the river to naval ships

Nyhavn harbour area of Copenhagen

Round Tower

Copenhagen City Hall

Entrance to Tivoli amusement park

Tivoli Gardens

Fountains in Tivoli prior to the rain 

Jul 31
Morning train to Roskilde and remainder of time in Copenhagen

A cemetery in Roskilde on our walk from the train

One of the many Royal tombs in the Roskilde Cathedral

One of the more impressive Royal tombs

One of the better preserved Viking ships in Viking Ship Museum

One of the larger Viking ship recreations

Exterior of Roskilde Cathedral

Back in Copenhagen at Rosenborg Castle (home of crown jewels)

Christiansborg Palace - Danish Parliament

View from our boat tour

Our Savior’s Church with outside stairs

Beautiful city view from the top of the spire

Christiania entrance, former military site taken over in the 70s

Residents consider it a free society outside of EU

Apparently it is tradition to sit on Hans Christian Andersen’s lap

Late summer sunset at Radhus-Pladsen

Lur Blowers Sculpture outside City Hall

Hotel d’Angleterre behind Christin V Statue in Kongens Nytorv (square)

Amalienborg Palace (Royal winter home)

Aug 1
Early morning flight and day in Stockholm

We arrived just as Stockholm Pride was ending, there were flags everywhere

Iron Boy statue in the old town - the smallest public statue

Jarntorget square at the end of our old town walking tour

Stora Nygatan - grabbed lunch at popular shopping and eating area

Military Parade prior to the changing of the guards

The formal changing of the guards ceremony in front of Royal Palace

Interesting dragon-egg sculpture inside Storkyrkan (Great Church)

The tunnel for the subway left some interesting exposed rock

The exterior of the very impressive city hall (as the clouds approach)

City Hall’s Blue Hall - site of annual Nobel Prize Banquet

Very impressive Golden Room in city hall

Aug 2
Day in Stockholm started with a rainy visit to Skansen folk museum

One of many Royal coaches in the basement of the Royal Armory

Storkyrkan Cathedral just behind the Palace

Sergels Tork is the center of the shopping center of the new city

Stockholm Globe Arena with the tracks for its strange observation pods

The view from our pod as we ascend the outside of the arena

Fabulous view of the old city from our balcony

In the other direction across the Norrstrom towards city hall

Another late sunset from our hotel

Aug 3
After a late night, last morning in Stockholm

After facing long lines day before got to Vasa Museum prior to opening

Incredibly preserved and restored Vasa ship had sunk in 1628 and discovered in 1956

With the incredible scale and detail, easy to see why they built a museum just for it

Aug 3
Afternoon flight home to Toronto via Frankfurt