Day 2 -- Copenhagen sightseeing, North Zealand Rivieria and castle tour, canal cruise.
Out sightseeing starts with Copenhagen's most photographed statue of the Little Mermaid.
Through these lovely gardens...
...featuring fountains...
...and sculptures...
...to the Fredensborg Palace, summer residence of the royal family.
One of the guards on duty.
A view back across the canal to the opera house where we were yesterday.
A parting shot as we are leaving.
Driving through the countryside...
...with its tiny wooden houses,
We stopped at a bakery for lunch in this little village...
...and settled on one savory sandwich and two desserts.
Strolling around the area with the summer house...
...and this private cathedral.
The gardens seem to go on forever, but we didn't have time to explore very far.
Many of the houses still have thatched roofs.
On to Fredericksborg Castle,
...home of the state apartments.
It wasn't very crowded today, making for better sightseeing.
Every good castle has to be surrounded by a moat.
Kimberly with one of the many fellow lions we encoutered on the trip.
The sculptures in the facade from the main courtyard.
The super-secret meeting room.
Wade attending a stag party. This is the proper way to mount horns from hunting.
A view down from the balcony into the "private" chapel.
An altarpiece and paintings of the life of Jesus.
A reception room with a stag chandelier. They have better are on the ceiling than we'll ever have on a wall.
An astrolabe on display, with a view out to the gardens.
A map of the constellations on the ceiling.
A bed of small dimensions, used for sitting up and receiving guests.
So much art we have to put a lot of it on the ceiling to make it fit.
A ballroom, with a balcony for the players.
Lovely wooden cabinetry and flooring.
The green bedroom.
A "small" decorative fountain in the courtyard.
Outside on the bridge over the brook.
A local waterfowl that looks like a cross between a duck and puffin.
Driving back to town, and seeing Frederik's Church.
In the evening, we took an optional excursion on a boat through the canals.
It's late afternoon, but you would never know it...
...because the sun doesn't set until about 10:30 pm.
They say the best way to see a water city is from the canals.
The boats and bridges are carefully sized to one another.
Christiansborg Palace, with the three gold crowns on the spire.
The old stock exchange building, with a twisted spire.
A view up one of the side canals.
After Napolean captured and stole their real fleet, they built these low boathouses to store and hide
small gunboats for defense. They are now condos and store pleasure craft.
This, oddly enough, is a combination trash incinerator and indoor ski slope.
The Church of Our Savior...
...and a better view of the spire.
After the cruise, we went to the quaint little town of Dragor, a small portside community.
There are no cars allowed in the community itself.
Some detail from a thatched roof.
This clever device is a double mirror, so inquisitive Danes can stay in their house, but keep an
eye on the street comings and goings.
A view back out toward the port.
The restaurant that we ate in.
Our "regional delicacies" included a chicken salad in the bowl, pork loin with pickles, and
fried fish with tartar sauce. And of course, local Danish beer.
