Copenhagen

To Copenhagen, for a few days of sightseeing and culture.  We certainly know a lot more about Danish history than ever before.

We began in the National Museum, where we were intrigued by the collections of objects recovered from the bog, or Moss.  It was the custom to place objects in the bog as sacrifices, and there is some evidence of human sacrifice too.  Conquered tribes would have all their weapons given to the bog.  In this case, a large ceremonial vehicle was dismantled and buried in the bog.

From there we went on to the Slotholmen or Castle island, taking in lunch at the Black Diamond Library café on the way.  We toured the Christiansborg castle, where the Danish Parliament sits and the Prime Minister has his office.  We were struck by the lack of security at any point around the building, unlike, for example, the British Museum.

This is the third version of the castle as it burned to the ground twice and was rebuilt in the early 1900s.

Chandeliers and damask everywhere but also some unusual imagery of wild birds.

On the way to the Castle Island we passed the Stock Exchange building, dating from the early 1600s.  Who could account for the fantastic spire on the top of this building?

We went down under the palace to look at the castle ruins, a very strange experience.  At the time of the last rebuild they excavated the remains of the earliest fortress and, instead of filling them in, they used reinforced concrete arches and built the palace and its huge tower on the top.  So we were able to see the original walls, well, baking ovens and drainage system.  

After all this, our feet were telling us to call it a day.