#223: Tivoli (pg 314; 2nd Ed pg 338)

May 20, 2018

The parade

The final float of the parade was a "shout out" to Walt Disney, who came here several times, taking notes and getting inspiration for Disneyland.  Tivoli is the 2nd oldest amusement park in the world and, at the time Disney was dreaming up his amusement park, most of the amusement parks were somewhat "seedy."  He loved Tivoli because it was clean and family friendly and it had gardens and flowers and added beauty to the area; it wasn't just about the rides.  He came here in 1951 taking copious notes and then opened Disneyland 4 years later. 

And they make the biggest cotton candy I have ever seen!

And little Ella spent no time diving in!

The carousal 

Ferris wheel

Star flier

Charming Tivoli "streets."

Dave read that the best part of Tivoli is seeing it at night with all the lights, so we purposely planned on staying into the night and all got excited when we started seeing the lights come on. 

We found this playground at the end of the night.  Wish we would have found it earlier!  It was awesome!  All of our kids ages 5-11 loved it!!

Verdict:  Yes!  My kids declared this their absolute favorite part of our week in Copenhagen.  Maybe I loved seeing it through their eyes, maybe it was the beautiful weather, maybe it was history, or maybe it was just Tivoli.  I love that it's not too big.  I love that it's right smack dab in the middle of the city.  I love that it's clean.  I loved that it wasn't too busy.  It's definitely a Must Do!

Cost/critique:  I will say this.  My one complaint about Tivoli is the cost.  They charge you just to enter the gates, which doesn't include anything aside from the privilege of being inside the gates.  Sure, you can walk around and see the parade, but if you're with kids, you're obviously there to ride the rides.  You can purchase individual tickets (which are 30DKK/ $5) but all rides are 1-3 tickets and most of the rides my kids want to do are 3 tickets, so it is $15/person/ride.  Crazy!  So, you're basically forced to buy the "bracelet" which gives you unlimited rides.  But that's an additional 230DKK ($38)/person.  The entrance fee is 120DKK for those 8 years and older and 50DKK for those under 8.  So basically you're paying $58/person for those 8 years and older, which is a lot considering it's a small park with a fraction of the rides you see at most amusement parks.  I think they should either just charge you a flat rate ($30-$40 would be reasonable) to enter which includes the rides OR let you enter for free and then pay for what you do.  But to get you at both places seems a little sneaky and overpriced.  My one other complaint is that there were quite a few rides (and keep in mind there are maybe only 20 rides in the whole park) that my 7 year old (who is super tall - easily the height of most 8 or 9 year olds) couldn't ride.  We went to Disneyworld 2 years ago when she was   5 and I could count the number of rides on one hand that she couldn't go on.  But here she was a year and a half later at a much smaller park being told she couldn't go on a bunch of the rides.  Disappointing.  But even with those criticisms and "areas of improvement", it's still a not-to-be-missed place to visit. 

#222: Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

May 20, 2018

I was the only one in my family who really cared about seeing this, so while they had lunch, I split off from them and headed over to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

There is a beautiful courtyard right in the middle of the main floor and then rooms are attached to all sides of this main courtyard that are filled with beautiful sculptures.....

Such as this (Ernst Henri Dubois's The Prodigal Son)

And this (Eugene Delaplanche's Music)

And Auguste Rodin's The Kiss

Selfie with The Kiss

Rodin's The Good Genius

Paul Dubois's Joan of Arc

Rodin's Eve

Rodin's The Blessings

Rodin's Victor Hugo

Rodin's The Burghers of Calais

Edgar Degas' Sculptures

Verdict:  No.  This isn't something you need to do before you die unless you are a die hard art lover. But it is a very impressive, very beautiful museum with some pretty spectacular works.  It was a particular highlight for me to see The Kiss. I really enjoy Rodin and this museum has the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside of France.

Cost: 115 DKK/adult.  Age 19-26: 85 DKK.  Under 18 is Free. Admission free for all on Tuesdays.

#221: Ida Davidsen (pg 314; 2nd Edition labeled as Denmark's Culinary Revolution, pg 337)

May 18, 2018

Ida Davidsen with my crew.

Mytravel buddy Tanner is with me.

Grandpa is looking through the window in the back.  Why is he looking through the window, you ask?  Because it was CLOSED!  BOO!!  We went there at lunch time (~12:30) on a Saturday.  And it was CLOSED!  I couldn't believe it.  I even looked up the sandwich I wanted to try ahead of time (The Housekeepers Snack for 75 DKK) - I figured I should do some research since there are ~250 options to choose from! But somehow during my menu research, I neglected to notice that it is closed all weekend long, every weekend.  Plus holidays.  Plus evenings.  It is only open from 10:30am - 5:00pm (the kitchen closes at 4:00pm, but you may sit and finish your meal up until 5:00). 

Verdict:  No.  Normally I wouldn't count a restaurant that I didn't actually eat at, but in this case I can already tell you that my verdict would be "no."  I looked through the windows at the small, unassuming dining area.  I researched the creative, colorful menu extensively online.  And I respect businesses closing for religious reasons (i.e.. Chick Fil A on Sundays).  BUT if you're going to be closed all weekend every weekend plus every evening, every holiday, etc and all you are are a gourmet sandwich place, you're not going to make my "must do before you die list."  I'm sure the sandwiches are delicious and delectable. But for this to make the list over Rosenborg or some of the other amazing sights we saw in Copenhagen such as Church of our Lady and Church of our Savior, climbing the 400 steps all the way to the top for spectacular views of the city is just ridiculous. 

#220: Hotel Angleterre and Kommandanten (pg 312; 2nd Ed Listed as Danish Design, pg 336)

Friday, May 18, 2018

The lobby.  It's small, but elegant and tastefully decorated with gorgeous flowers.

Verdict:  Normally, I would have spent more time here.  Even if I don't stay at hotels, I thoroughly explore them, have a concierge show me around, eat at a restaurant, etc.  But for this one, I had four kids in tow, so I was somewhat limited.  But I spoke with the doorman and saw enough to still have a verdict and the verdict is No, you don't need to see this or stay here before you die.  There are 92 rooms and suites starting at ~4,000 DKK/night (~$670).  There are so many other life experiences you could enjoy for less money, so in my opinion, it's not worth spending that on one night at this hotel.  HOWEVER, the service is superb, the clientele notable (they were rolling out the red carpet as we were there in anticipation of a member of the royal family arriving) and the history significant (established in 1755).  But what may be best of all, is it's location, right across the street from Nyhavn. So, if money is no object, then this is the perfect place to shell it out and soak in all of the above perks of staying here.  But if you're on a budget, then stop by here for a visit, maybe have a drink, then walk across the street to hang out in Nyhavn, stay at hotel for 1/3 of the price and spend your Kroner on the other sights and sounds of Copenhagen!

Note: I finally purchased the 2nd edition (copyright 2011) of this book (in Feb 2019). I am trying to merge the two when places are the same and putting separate entries when additions have been made.  This was a tricky one because the new addition "Danish Design" mentions so much (the 2005 Opera House that we cruised by and had family pictures taken nearby, the Dansk Design Center, etc), but it also mentions this hotel, so it didn't seem right to count this as two separate entries.  Thus, the same entry or "checkmark" for these two things. 

#219: Vienna (pg 85 2nd Ed)

Well, Vienna ended up being an unexpected "checkmark" but I'll take it!

We were supposed to fly as a party of 8 (my husband and our 4 kids and my in-laws) on Wednesday, May 16th direct to Copenhagen.  But our flight got canceled, so they ended up dividing us up onto three different flights, all of which had layovers throughout Europe.  Tanner and I ended up having an 8 hour layover in Vienna.

So, once we landed, we hurried off the plane and hopped on the CAT for 21 Euros R/T from the airport to city center (in 16 minutes) and hit the ground running!

On the airplane, someone had recommended Stadtpark as a nice place to visit, so that was our first stop.

The park has statues of composers throughout.

And there is a lake with lots of fish, birds, ducks and swan.

My son Tanner's favorite part!  He loved feeding them.

From there, we headed to St. Stephen's Cathedral.

It's massive, ornate and incredibly impressive!

Next, we made our way to the Mozart Haus. Mozart lived here from 1784-1787. It was during this time that he wrote his famous "The Marriage of Figaro." It is the only apartment that he lived in that is still in tact today. 

And then we dined at the Cafe Pruckel, a Vienna institution of over 100 years.

Vienna!

Verdict: Disclaimer:  We left on a 5pm flight out of DC (11pm Vienna time) and arrived in Vienna ~8am (2am DC time).  Neither of us slept at all on the plane and we were both crazy tired during our time here.  We would have done and seen more and felt better doing it if circumstances had been different.  But we tried to make the most of it! So, here's what I think..... Austria is an absolute must-do before you die (last time I was here, I stayed in Innsbruck and it was just so breathtakingly gorgeous).  But Vienna was "just another European city." Granted, I love European cities, so naturally, I loved Vienna, but unless you're a die-hard Mozart fan, there wasn't anything that necessarily made Vienna a"must do" over other European cities.