Day 5: Playful & Progressive Copenhagen
- The Day Distilled: Marvels of environmental engineering above our heads and below our feet, ancient history unearthed, and a sunny evening people-watching picnic.
- Woman of the Day: Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary is an Australian commoner who is an outspoken advocate for refugees, the LGBT community, and women’s rights. She and her husband often bike with their kids to school.
- Ship’s Log: Artifacts on display in the National Museum showed the astonishing reach of the Vikings, who sailed and traded (or raided) in places as far flung as Russia, Greenland, North Africa, and the Middle East.
A walk through modern Danish life
In the morning, we met a local tour guide who introduced us to modern, environmentally conscious Copenhagen—including a waste-to-energy plant with an artificial ski slope on the roof and large public squares with clever flood engineering.
I loved that all the cities we visited were so people-centered. Virtually everyone got around on two wheels or two feet. You have to watch out for bikes, not cars, when crossing a street! |
A golden visit to the boggy pastWe had the rest of the day free. Mom and I chose to go to the National Museum and were amazed by the displays: beautifully worked Stone Age tools, thousands of pieces of gold jewelry, Roman coins, Viking artifacts, and on and on – all preserved thanks to the ancient Danes’ habit of burying rich hoards or tossing stuff into bogs as offerings.
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Picnic in the park
After we’d had our fill of ancient artifacts, we explored the little alleyways parallel to the Strøget, bought dinner supplies at a grocery store, claimed a patch of grass in the Rosenborg Castle Gardens, and enjoyed people-watching over a sunny evening picnic.
For more photos from Day 5, see the slideshow below. |
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