Today in Sunday School class, one of the members (Okoro) said, "I strive to be perfect in trying." I really liked that thought. Perfection is out of our reach in this life, that is for sure, but we can be perfect in some things. If we are always trying to improve, to be a little kinder, to be more diligent, to be more prayerful, to be more obedient, we will certainly become a better person, won't we?
President Youngberg allowed us to go to Denmark because part of our mission is in the Denmark Temple District. I felt a little awkward leaving with phones beginning to come in for the missionaries and transfers next week, but when we planned this we thought it would be a good time to go. So, today's blog will be more of a photo exposé because I have so many pictures. (And John will have better ones on his Facebook page, so be sure to check them out!)
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| On the train with breakfast, made by Sister Anderson. |
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| Arrival in Copenhagen: 12 noon. We stashed our luggage in a locker, got guidance from the tourist bureau, grabbed a quick sandwich and were ready to embrace the city. Coming out of the train station into the gray, overcast day, we were astounded at the number of bicycles. This was just one section at the train station. |
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| Not far from the station was one of the entrances to the Tivoli, Copenhagen's amusement park, ready for their Easter celebration. |
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| City hall in the background. The Dragon Fountain statue features a dragon and bull in combat. |
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| This one thing we DON'T see in Stockholm...a bagel shop! |
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Interior of the Church of Our Lady, Denmark's national cathedral. This is the home of Thorvaldsen's statues of the Christus and the 12 Apostles. Sacred, stunning and beautiful, this is cathedral is where several kings have been coronated and royal wedding have taken place. Most recently, in 2004, the Crown Prince's wedding took place here.
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| The Round Tower (Rundetaarn). Originally built in the 17th century as an astronomical observatory by King Christian IV. It is attached to the university's chapel. |
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| Rather than a staircase, there is a brick ramp all the way to the top! |
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| There's even a "privy" in one of the alcoves near the top! No longer in use, of course! |
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| View from the top of the Round Tower with the Church of our Lady, just to the right of center. (Maybe panos don't work well in the blog format...it looks so small, but it was magnificent sight, really.) |
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| Copenhagen--Lego-style...in a storefront of the Lego store! |
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| This is where we stayed. The entry (where the light it glowing) is just that...and entry. To the left is the entrance to the parking area. The second floor is the chapel, the third houses the distribution and family history centers, and the fourth floor is the guest house. The accommodations were very nice...2 bunk beds per room (but it was just John an I in our room) and two rooms share a bathroom. A common kitchen is shared by everyone. There are 8 rooms. We clean up after ourselves. It cost about $70 for both of us but compared to a regular hotel for $150-200, this is a bargain. Of course, it is for templegoers, so one session is required for each night's stay. So, we went to the temple before retiring that night. |
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| Metro line..the second morning of our trip. |
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| A section of one car was for bikes. |
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| First glimpse of Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, DK. We walk through the town to the castle, with a brief stop to buy a delicious cinnamon and cream Danish pastry...soft dough, but shaped like a chocolate croissant...delish! This castle is the Danish Museum of National History. |
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| Chapel, ornate and magnificent! Most of the kings were coronated here, since 1671. The room behind the chapel, the oratory, is where the Carl Bloch paintings are displayed. It was too dark in there to get good pictures though, but they are so beautiful! |
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| Family crest of Eisenhower, displaying the Order of the Elephant, awarded by the Danish monarchy after the war. Royal crests and family crests of nobility and honored statesmen are on the upper walls on the right hand side of the chapel. |
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| Even the second floor pillars of the chapel are decorated, depicting the Old Testament Prophets. |
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| A hall inside the castle |
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| Courtyard view from one of the palace windows |
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| Portrait of Han Christian Anderson, beloved in Denmark. (I had to fit him in here somewhere!) |
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| Next we went to Kronberg Castle, in Helsingør, also known as Hamlet's Castle. With it's strategic location, it commanded a major outlet to the Baltic Sea, and Denmark's coffers were filled with tolls they charged passing ships. Across the sound lies Sweden! |
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| Built in the 15th century as a fortress, it's splendor was created in 1574-1585 when King Frederick II turned it from fortress to castle for his 14 year old bride. This view is from the Cannon Tower (145 steps). |
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| So, what is the connection with Hamlet? It is not for certain if Shakespeare ever set foot in Kronberg Castle, but his troupe, The Lord Chamberlain's Men did. Somehow, he learned the story of Amulet, a myth of a Danish prince, which he used as a basis for Hamlet, and set it in Elsinore (Anglicized Helsignør), borrowing some of Frederick II's traits to characterize Claudius. I couldn't help think of the Ghost, as I stood on the battlements; Claudius attempting to pray as I walked through the chapel; and Polonius as I viewed the tapestries in the queen's room. Hamlet was first acted at Kronberg Castle to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare. One of the last rooms we visited was full of pictures of performances at the castle. Do you recognize a young Richard Burton speaking of Poor Yorick? |
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| Our friends took pictures of us at the temple and I don't have them yet, but here is the temple's plaque. |
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| There is MUCH more graffiti in Copenhagen than in Stockholm. In fact, I felt that Copenhagen has a sharper edge culturally than Stockholm, especially among the young adults. Although people were friendly and seemingly less reserved than Swedes, in addition to graffiti there was more trash in the streets; many people, especially women wore severe hair styles, shaved on one side; and countless people, especially young Danes, were smoking--everywhere. It felt so different and "foreign." I didn't feel that way when I was in Copenhagen 10 years ago, and certainly this time of year lacks the beauty of nature to soften and detract from the harsher elements, so I may be misjudging the city by this brief encounter. And, I think I'm becoming attached to Stockholm--it really feels like home! |
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canal view
Saturday morning we cleaned up and headed out for one last fling before our 5 hour ride home at 2PM. |
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| We toured the Thorvaldsen Museum of Denmark's famed sculptor. |
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| Urban kayaking tour. there are stopped at some underwater statues that appear to be people submerged in water...a bit creepy actually. |
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Old town Copenhagen, along the canal.
John said it reminded him of Amsterdam. |
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Love locks on the canal.
We arrived home about 8:30 and went straight to the office to catch up on emails!
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| Today after church we had waffles...in celebration, in part, for Waffle Day! This is a holiday in Sweden which morphed from Vårfrudagen (Our lady day--March 25th) which was a welcome to spring, but it's pronunciation sounded so much like våffla (waffle) that March 25th has come to be known as Waffle Day! Their waffles are much thinner than our and served with berries or jam and whip cream...yummy! And, it was our first spring-like day today--50 degrees and sunny! Unfortunately, tomorrow is supposed to be 32, ugh! |
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| This business likes to advertise with holiday blow-ups seen from the highway. Our waving rooster is associated with Easter, which makes more sense than a bunny, but shouldn't it really be a hen? |
