Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen was one place I was very much looking forward to seeing, not only because of our own Australian Princess Mary and all the views I have seen of this lovely city on television, but also because of all the brilliant crime and political and other dramas that Denmark produces, which I thoroughly enjoy. Who can forget ‘Borgen’? It was rivetting! Then of course there is its favourite son - Hans Christian Anderson and his wonderful fairy stories, such as ‘The Little Mermaid’.  That has endeared Denmark to me from childhood. 

What I did not know until I arrived there yesterday was that like Amsterdam, Copenhagen is a canal city. So after leaving in an open canal boat from just near its famous Little Mermaid statue, I saw much of the city on a cruise around some of the canal system. This system seemed to be of much simpler design than the complex maze of canals in Amsterdam, however, and I do not remember seeing any house boats in the short time we were travelling along the canal, though there were lots of boats, including smallish yachts, berthed along the canal. (There was a huge marina near where our ship was berthed as well.)

Interestingly, the many bridges were so low we had to duck our heads each time we passed under them. I gather the water levels were a bit higher than usual, which made the available gap even smaller. 

The one disappointment on the trip was we often went past significant sites too quickly, and sometimes without warning. As a result, I only caught the briefest of glimpses of the royal palace and was unable to photograph it. As it was, the sky was very dark with ominous storm clouds for our whole time in the city, and it was very windy and freezing cold on the canal. Not the best weather for photographs!

When we got off the boat we hiked through a few streets to the delightful world-famous Tivoli gardens, said to be the inspiration for Disneyworld. It was a paradise for young and old, with unbelievable rides (some very hairy), magnificent gardens, wandering peacocks, fountains, statues and inviting places to eat. I saw one charming olde-world place that had beautiful fur rugs placed on deck chairs for you to lie back against in total comfort as you enjoyed your coffee and cake or other treat. I would have loved to join them for the experience of a real Danish pastry in Denmark, though they do not call them that, so our guide told us. However, we only were given 45 minutes in the gardens, and I preferred to spend my time taking photos. (That is the downside of organised shore excursions. You are rushed from pillar to post so you can see as much as possible in the limited time.) 

It was a pleasure seeing so many people having the time of their lives. I saw one very elderly lady turning this way and that in front of the succession of large fun mirrors, smiling away to herself as she saw herself upside down, doubled, and in many different shapes and sizes. You are never too old to have fun! 

After that we drove through the city, and glimpsed the city square, but there was so much construction work going on, we were unable to see as much as we would have liked. Photography from the coach was just about impossible. Still, all in all, it was great to see this lovely city, which has so many connections to Australia. And its people speak perfect English, which they learn from the very start of their schooling, as well as other languages. That is what we should be doing in Australian schools!  It is far easier for young children to learn other languages than to try to learn them as an adult.   

  

The statue of Hans Christian Anderson's 'Little Mermaid'.

One view of the boats and traditional buildings along the canal.

This was closer-up view of one of the buildings along the canal. Typically they were about 4-5 storeys high. Apparently most Danes live in apartments. More and more blocks of apartments are being built to accommodate the increasing number of residents. 

The spire of a church, known locally as the 'chocolate church' because of its unusual dark brown spire.

A very modern building by the canal.

It can be seen that there are a variety of architectural styles in Copenhagen, but the traditional style has the most 'character' and is the most appealing, in my view.

Squeezing under a bridge. The other bridges were just concrete underneath. 

I think this was an art museum. It was located next to the Tivoli Gardens.

A magnificent sculpture outside the building in the previous photo.

A very stately building opposite the Tivoli Gardens.

The very impressive entrance to the Tivoli Gardens.

One of the eateries in the gardens.

This was a gorgeous garden and building inside the gardens. The building was a restaurant. Our guide told us there are many top class restaurants in this city, which boasts more Michelin hats than any other city in the world.

Just one of the many beautiful species of flowers in the gardens.

A very attractive building made mostly from glass. 

One of the unique fountains in the gardens.

The luxurious seating I described. The white furry skins looked really soft and luxurious.

Another of the lovely ponds.

There were several beds of the most magnificent, fragrant roses.

Some the fun mirrors greeting visitors as they walk into the gardens.

A quick photo taken from the coach as we sped through the city. The white building was just beautiful.

This apparently was the old summer palace of the monarchy. To the left of it in the same grounds were the military headquarters. We were startled by the firing of cannons across the water as we waited for our canal cruise. 

Norway - Oslo, the Viking museum and a rural village

I hope you do not mind if I now jump back to the present . . .

I was very excited as our ship travelled along the Norwegian coast into the Oslo Fjord just a couple of days ago. I must confess that I was expecting the coastline to consist of snow-capped mountains, but instead it consisted of low wooded hills with little cottages dotted amongst the trees. As we neared Oslo, there were some small islands as well. Already many boats were out on the water, bobbing up and down on the wake of the ship. The patterns of the waves and the tiny ripples on the bigger ripples were quite remarkable.

Our first visit for the shore excursion I selected was to the Viking Ship Museum, a huge place where we saw two different magnificent ships that had been uncovered from a clay grave in Oslofjord the late 1800s and restored. They are considered to be the world’s best-preserved 9th century wooden Viking ships, which has been attributed to the particular kind of clay in which they were embedded. We also saw artefacts from the gravesite of these old longships, including sea chests, jewellery and tools. Apparently research has shown that the Vikings discovered America several hundred years before Christopher Columbus. A film was showing about these ships, but unfortunately we were not given the time to view it. As it was, the place was crowded with tourists. 

And now, much to my disappointment, I have just discovered that my phone camera somehow had jumped to another setting and took short ‘bursts’ of the exhibits, which I cannot upload onto this blog. Worst still, it kept this up when I was photographing the glass-blowing at the Hadeland Glass Works, which we visited next. I shall give it a severe lecture! 

Anyhow, we went to a demonstration of glass-blowing at this delightful little complex situated next to a lake about 40 km from Oslo. The drive took just over an hour, and was very worthwhile, as it allowed us to see some very picturesque Norwegian countryside, including some lovely peaceful  lakes and a lot of farmland. 

The glass produced by their traditional methods was very stylish ornamental glass art as well as wine glasses and other very useful and beautifully designed objects. The skills are passed from father to son in this very tight knit community. I did not purchase any, however, as it was all too heavy to carry around or to post all the way to Australia. 

We were then given a delicious fresh Danish pastry and a much-needed cup of coffee, and a little free time to explore the shops. I spent most of that time going off the site and looking at the lake, which was just so beautiful.

When we arrived back in Oslo itself on the way to the ship, I noticed a row of parked cars connected to electric cables. Our guide told us that Norwegians are given many incentives to switch to electric cars. One is that they have free parking and free recharging of their car battery in the city. We also saw many fine buildings and people sitting outside in the sun in the middle of the afternoon enjoying  coffee and cake. In this season, of course, they have very long days. In winter, it must be very hard having so little daylight. 

I was mesmerised by the ripple patterns in the water in this fjord. This photo does not really do them justice, but it was the clearest one I was able to take.

This was the only inhabited island in the fjord that I saw as we sailed close to Oslo. 

Coming into Oslo.

An old fortress next to where the ship berthed. This was my first glimpse of it. You can see one of the buses that were starting to line up ready to take us on our shore excursions. Several large ships were docked nearby. 

An interesting boat that sailed past. I zoomed in on it on my camera.  We also saw some yachts and motor boats.

This place was over the road from the Viking Boat Museum. This was the first time I had seen these very glossy black roof tiles.  They were beautifully laid out and made the buildings very attractive. After that, I saw these on many homes and other buildings in Oslo and Copenhagen. 

Pastoral country seen from the coach as it sped on its way to the glass works. 

The lake opposite the glassworks.

There were quite a few ducks swimming along the shore of the lake.  It was hard to photograph them, though, as they moved about quite quickly. 

The view from the same spot on the shore of the lake looking in the other direction. 

One of the many flowers growing in the gardens at the glass works. This variety was quite a large flower,  and I noticed quite large bees buzzing around. 

Some beautiful scenery on the drive back to Oslo. There was a large lake at the foot of the hills, but it's hard to see in this photo. The coach was going so quickly it was hard to capture a good photo. 

A very attractive building in Oslo, in amongst the many plainer apartment blocks. 

Back to the River Cruise - Durnstein, Austria

After we left the Abbey of Melk, most of us returned to the ship for a cruise along the beautiful Wachau Valley to a delightful little Austrian town called Durnstein. The fittest of the passengers, however, cycled the 35 km to Durnstein along the river front, using the ship’s power-assisted bicycles. It was a warm sunny day, so I imagine the ride was both invigorating and demanding. Many locals and other tourists used the bicycle path at the same time - it is clearly a popular sport around here. But what picturesque place to ride!

Anyhow, most of us walked the few hundred metres from where the ship was docked into the heart of the town, and browsed in the little shops looking for something unique to take home.  And Durnstein did offer something unique, since this is the district where apricot trees abound. You could buy anything with the flavour or aroma of apricots - from apricot soaps and lotions to chocolate-coated dried apricots to apricot jams and chutneys to apricot liqueurs to brandied apricots. And of course there also were many goods with apricot motifs on them, such as oven mitts, aprons . . . 

At the end of the day we all assembled at a beer garden for a special treat - a ‘Sundowner’. This beer garden was located at the edge of the town and overlooked a vineyard and the river - a great view! We were served huge platters of all kinds of meats, cheeses, pickles and other delicious treats as well as crusty bread rolls and drinks, and then the fun began. We had two great musicians who performed many popular songs and had everyone singing along, eventually persuading some to get up and dance. This was no ordinary dance, however. It precipitated great laughter when those who got up entered the spirit of the show. We all then walked back to the ship, very contented with life - and with our apricot parcels. 

By the way, to give you some idea of the performance of a ship's WiFi, and I bought a package which the ship called 'the fastest internet on the sea', it took me 3 hours to upload these photos, while it would have taken 5 minutes in my London hotel!  Very frustrating, but I wanted you the see this lovely region of Austria. 

Walking through the woods between Melk and the river.

Another view of these lovely peaceful woods.

Our first view of Durnstein from the river.

The main cathedral in Durnstein - viewed from the river ship.

A close-up of the stunning blue cathedral tower.

A view of the Danube from the bike path as I walked into Durnstein. 

Walking into the town of Durnstein through its wide city wall.  

In the courtyard of the cathedral.

The door into the cathedral. I did not go inside.

Walking along the long, narrow main street of the town where most shops were located. 

Walking down the street where the beer house was located. Its entrance was the first door on the left. It had both a lower garden and a larger entertainment area upstairs.

The men were about to dance 'Zorba the Greek'.

The view from the upper entertainment area of the beer house towards the vineyards and the river. 

Back to the River Cruise - the wonderful Abbey of Melk, Austria

Back on the morning of 8th June, we had the most interesting time visiting the extraordinary, historic Abbey of Melk in Melk, Lower Austria.

The abbey is a vast complex situated on a big rocky clifftop overlooking the town and the Danube river. The vistas from there were superb - forests, rivers and large areas of vineyards and market gardens growing products such as strawberries. Its most memorable features that we were allowed to see, however, were its vast library and its church, which was built in the baroque style, both of which contained wonderful frescos. 

We were extremely lucky to have a very passionate, knowledgeable local guide show us the key features of this Benedictine abbey and tell us some of the stories behind it. 

The abbey was founded a few years before 1100 AD, when the then emperor of Austria gave one of his castles to the Benedictine monks. Within the next century they not only established a monastic school at the abbey, but also became renowned for their extensive library, especially for its extensive collection of manuscripts and for its production of manuscripts, not to mention its frescoes. Now its library houses millions of the most beautiful leather-bound books, and countless medieval manuscripts, including music manuscripts. It is little wonder that there is a reference to the library in Umberto Uco’s ‘Name of the Rose’.  They have now started a project in which experts are starting to digitise the library’s collection. Given the sheer size of the collection, that process will take years and years. 

The abbey was so famed for its school and library and its academic stature that it remained intact when Emperor Joseph II closed many of the abbeys in Austria between about 1780 and 1790. Joseph was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa, and also the older brother of Marie Antoinette. Like his mother, Joseph had a great social conscience and believed that religious institutions should be serving their local community by educating its children and giving medical and other care. So he issued an edict that he would close all those institutions that failed to do so.  Our guide told us she believed the fact he cared for the poor is why Joseph himself did not come under attack during the period of the French revolution. His young sister was not so lucky . . . but then, apparently she was not so concerned for the people. (Having said that, I do not know enough history to make sweeping statements about his sister.) 

The abbey also survived other threats during the Napoleonic wars and WW2. For a while its school and other assets were seized, but now they have been returned to the abbey and apparently the school now has about 900 students. We were not permitted to see the school, however, as you would expect.

The buildings we saw were not part of the original buildings. What can be seen now is the abbey that was built between 1702 and 1736.  The outside of the church was being restored whilst we were there. We were not permitted to take photos inside the abbey. My few photos from the outside will give you some idea, however, of how stately and impressive this abbey is.

I took this photo in the entrance of the museum part of the abbey before discovering you were not to take photos inside.

The entrance archway into the main courtyard. 

The top of the archway, showing when the building was completed.

One of the lovely statues at the entrance archway.

The main entrance into the abbey.

One of the modern frescoes that was added during more recent renovations. There are four of these, one facing east, one facing west, and so on.

Another view of the courtyard.

One of the views from the balcony outside the museum and reception room.

Another view from the balcony.