Copenhagen – A Cyclist’s Dream
Sightseeing in Copenhagen (Sat 24-Jun-17)
Weather: 13⁰C min – 18⁰C max, overcast and showery
“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” ~ John Dewey
Dawn starts to break about 4 am in Copenhagen, so it is not easy to sleep in here. Besides, rain was forecast for late morning. By 8 am I was therefore on my bike ready to explore Copenhagen.
Last night I had uploaded a 21 Km route into my Garmin GPS to take me around several points of interest I had identified, including:
Nyhavn (New Harbour) is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen. It is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. The canal harbours many historical wooden ships.
Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family, including Queen Margrethe & husband, Prince Frederik & Princess Mary and their children. I told the guard I was from Australia but he still wouldn’t allow me inside the palace to see our Mary.
Kastellet is one of the best preserved star fortresses in Northern Europe. It is constructed in the form of a pentagram with bastions at its corners. The area houses various military activities but it mainly serves as a public park and a historic site.
Along the way I enjoyed the best cycling facilities I have ever experienced. Some even say that Copenhagen has knocked off Amsterdam as the best cycling city in the world, which would be hard to disagree with. Although it was a wet day in Copenhagen, a meter showed that at 4 pm in the afternoon I was the 6,305th cyclist to ride on this particular cycle path for the day and the 2,312,818th for the year.
I am just hoping that tomorrow is fine so I can explore more of this wonderful city. Copenhagen is certainly a cyclist’s dream.
Sun 25-Jun-17
My last day in Copenhagen so I was determined to make the most of it. Arising early I enjoyed a 14 Km ride around some attractions I had missed yesterday, including:
Freetown Christiania– Freetown Christiania is a green and car-free neighbourhood in Copenhagen, best known for its autonomous inhabitants’ different way of life. It was established in 1971 by a group of hippies who occupied some abandoned military barracks on the site and developed their own set of society rules, completely independent of the Danish government. For your own safety, visitors are advised not to film nor photograph in Christiania, mainly due to the hash dealing, which is illegal in Denmark. However, I did manage a few discrete photographs!
Hans Christian Andersen Fairytale House – Hans Christian Andersen is probably the best known Dane ever.
What a fitting end to a fairytale cycling tour!
Copenhagen is the nice place for a cyclist. And also it is a dream place who want to ride bicycle there. If I get chance to visit that place I must go there for cycling.
My cousin lives in Copenhagen.He usually tells me to go there but due to lack of time, I can’t.Next month I will go there and try to ride.
Hello John.
You will love Copenhagen. I recommend both rides I did thete, which take in most of the points of interest.
Cheers, Kevin
Fancy saying you are Australian to get inside the Palace. You could be anyone I laugh when I read that part. Next time stick with taking photos of the palace. I love the pbotos of those canals so peaceful to ride or walk along the side of the canal