It’s going to be a lovely day with sunshine and a high of 27C. Presently it’s very misty. Coming into port there is lots of reclamation going on and wind turbines out in the water. OMG it quite a huge city built on canals like in Venice but just a little newer… lol! I am sure that is all reclaimed land.

Apparently the weather here is like ours at home…. Upside down with cold one day and next day hot like today at close to 30 C. Winters are not quite as cold as it once was.

Across from where we are moored is a very interesting faculty. I have copied something you might be interested in. — “The intersection of winter athletics, sustainability and hygge (that Danish quality of coziness) has birthed a new travel destination, and it opened to the public on October 4.

CopenHill, also known as Amager Bakke, is a Copenhagen-based heat and waste-to-power plant designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group and built in 2017. It’s also a place where people go to have fun, and it has launched its newest attraction: an artificial ski and snowboard slope”.

First stop on tour is the Little Mermaid erected in 1913, has quite the story created by Hans Christian Andersen. It is beautiful but much smaller than imagined. Climbing down the rocks to have a picture taken was quite treacherous… very slippery. Maersk shipping co. took the Little Mermaid to the Shanghai Expo in 2010. Top of it was modelled by a ballerina but bottom model because the ballerina would not sit for that portion, was the artist’s wife. It is considered it a love monument because of the story behind it that was created by Hans Christian Andersen.

It was pointed out that the low-rise yellow flats built by King Christian IV in 1660 for mariners partly because during the Middle Ages 1626-1726 there was 3 meters of dirt in the street so he built them to keep the mariners healthy.

Hygge… means rest for the soul.

Next stop….Queen Margarethe II residence (castle) called Amelienborg. While we were there someone from our group got yelled at by guard for being within 2 meters of building. It was built in the Baroque style. It is comprised of 4 residence buildings plus museum. Flags indicate if any are in residence. None were today.

Statue of the king on horseback facing the church was facing the church to show his power came from God. Church called “marble church” from Greenland.

The queen was born in 1940… makes much of her own clothes, actually is quite an acclaimed artist. She is also a chain smoker. After much flack she has agreed to not smoke in public…. not quit. She is very respected and loved mostly because she does not hold herself above anyone else. Denmark has the oldest flag in world. The crown prince is married to lady from Tasmania.

Christiansborg’s Palace built in 1164 ad, the original royal residence… installed toilets in 18th or 19th century but the waste was dumped into moat that surrounded the palace so it smelled badly. In 1753 there was afire at Christiansborgs so the royals changed residence to Ameliasborg.

There is approximately 35% of commuters using bicycles but government would like it to be 50%.

We went past Trivoli gardens. It has the oldest rollercoaster in world.

Christiania is a free state … communes of old hippies but became drug trading area. It has a population of 900 with 350 children. They gave free concerts on Sundays. It has more visitors than Trivoli gardens so police choose to allow it to continue. It was from here that a bike with basket in front for children and groceries was developed, costs about 12,000 Kroners ($2100 CAD). Children went to school outside commune cuz instructors were so high they couldn’t even remember their own names… lol.

Next we are to drive from Denmark to Sweden on the Oresund Bridge a bridge/tunnel system was opened in 2000AD. The tunnel is 3.5 kms long. Because it is near Kastrup airport they could not have anything high near it (like a bridge). Then there is an artificial island that is 4 kms long called Pepper Island and natural island next to is called Salt Island where there are now 400 species of plants … some from seed from 1000 kms away, birds and rabbits (some people must have dropped them off cuz rabbits can’t swim…lol). Then a 8 km bridge. Toll gates are only on the Sweden side but share the take. By 2050 they figure it will be paid for.

With the tunnel, concrete elements were built on land and then placed on seabed with 10 meters of water above. Ships that cannot pass under 56 meter bridge have to go over top of this tunnel.

Wind turbines are being invested in as an alternative power supply because there are no rivers for hydro power. They are also looking for alternative power supply since Putin has invaded Ukraine.

Now you are allowed to import 50 bottles of alcohol into Sweden but it must it be for personal use only. As you approach Sweden there is a checkpoint that they used to check for immigrants sneaking in, predominantly from Syria but now they check for smuggled alcohol. It is cheaper to live in Sweden than Denmark and so lots of commuters actually live in Sweden. It is a 20 minute train commute to the airport in Denmark where many work.

On the Swedish side to go to Malmo that “Mal” means sand and “mo” means lots of. There is no natural harbour so they dredged and made beaches with all the sand.

In Malmo, they built in 2005, a very strange looking building called Turning Tower. It is made up of 9 cubes pre-fabricated and then erected, has an echo skeleton and will only move a maximum of 30 cms in a tornado or hurricane. The guide said with things like this that mankind can build why do they have to have wars. So I suggested like what Putin has done, he must be very insecure that he has to attack other countries. He has small man syndrome. She then said that he was like Hitler in that he had a problem of a small “dick”….lol!

Castle near we stopped for lunch was built in 1434

Lilleborg meaning “little square”. That is where we stopped to have lunch.. lunch for 2 very small pieces of fish with chips and a beer cost $37.50 CAD….ouch!

Malmo seems to be built on canals like Copenhagen. There is 340,000 population in Malmo…. Lots of immigrants 50% of inhabitants have some relatives that are immigrants. 170,000 out of the 10 million Swedish population were immigrant asylum seekers. A lot of immigrant children are involved in the selling of drugs and because of that, killings. 48 have died so far this year by shootings involving drug gangs.

Then we head to Lund. The area around Lund, is the best soil in Sweden providing 50% of agricultural needs of country in what is called “Skane”.

The Tetra-pak originated here in Lund, Sweden.

We stopped at what was a Catholic Church originally but now is Lutheran … was built in 1145 in the Romanesque style. It originally had flat ceiling but now arches inside. There are 90,000 parishioners that attend it. Crypt means hidden so is in basement. In 1398AD the main altar built.

2nd day Copenhagen-Christiansborg Palace and the Tripoli Gardens

The Royal yacht is in harbour, where we stopped again to see the little Mermaid. To the left is a tower guardhouse of King Christian VI, then naval building…….then the “ski hill” that you can rock climbing. It is actually a garbage burning facility.

300 miles of bike lanes in C. This guide says that 50% of people use bicycles to get around

It took 100 years to build the church at Ameliensborg… at the royal residence. They started to build it using Danish marble but that was too expensive….and so it say unfinished for most of that time. To finish it they sandstone.

1167 was the beginning of a palace or residence at Christiansborg Palace. It was finished 1907. It is used for the Supreme court, Parliament and reception rooms of the Queen. Smaller receptions held in the first hall we see. In a 1884 fire, pictures were rescued and put in the replaced palace. There is seating for 60 in the dining room. It took 1 year to produce 1 square meter of tapestry in the great hall. (Holds 400 people). It took ten years to complete all the 17 murals. Velvet room is used as reception room not necessarily very important political people.

Danish fishermen smuggled Jews out to Sweden. Many died in the seas.

Spiral tower.. trade centre started by Christian IV

Next we go to Trivoli Gardens. 1843…2nd oldest gardens in the country.

100,000 people use train system

I am having a lot of trouble downloading….will send more later. If you click on the little pictures they should enlarge