#fredericksborg

Seeing as how my past few posts have been about my travels to places outside of Denmark, I thought it was about time for a post about my actual home: Copenhagen. My blog history may be misleading; I actually do spend time here in the city, though probably not as much time as I should. With that thought in mind, I dedicated last week to exploring Copenhagen and its culture.

I kicked off my week of Copenhagen culture with a Danish favorite: a football game! Last Sunday, Shannon, Meghan and I checked out an F.C. København match in Copenhagen's stadium, Parken. F.C. København, or FCK for short, is a professional club team based in Copenhagen. In Denmark, football (soccer to us Americans) is a huge part of local culture. Young Danes are often found kicking around a ball with friends, and football matches are essentially an excuse for two of the Danes’ favorite past-times: national pride and beer. 

Above: A shot of the field. It was only about 6:30pm when this photograph was taken, but check out the sky. Below: A blurry shot of a FCK team member running for the ball. By the way, FCK won against SønderjyskE, another Danish team; the final score was two to zero.

Above: Typical football fan with a Carlsberg. Creepy or artsy? Below: Meghan, Shannon and I looking excited about the game.

Copenhagen cultural escapades continued on Friday. Alison and I dedicated our afternoon to a trip to Hillrød, a suburb about an hour north of Copenhagen that is home to Fredericksborg Castle. The castle was the royal residence of King Christian IV, and its massive interior is honestly breathtaking. Below are some pictures from my time at the castle (also known as my tour of Denmark’s most fantastic ceilings):

Above: The front entrance to Fredericksborg. Below: The first (of many) great ceilings and great rooms; this is the entry hall of the palace.

Above: The castle's chapel. No big deal, it's just gorgeous. Below: A shot of the chapel's organ. It's amazing how rich the colors (still) are!

Above: Getting up close and personal with the organ décor. Below: A shot of some stained glass and crests in the chapel.

Above: More stained glass in the chapel. Below: Casual grandiose ceiling.

Above: The most extravagant ceiling I have ever seen, and I have (now) seen a lot of ceilings. This is in the Great Hall of the castle; dancing and dining occurred here. Excuse the millions of pictures of this ceiling, it was just too majestic not to include multiple photos of...Below: More ceiling. Side note: The walls of this room are not painted; those are tapestries!

Above: Can't get enough of this ceiling. Below: A shot to attempt to put the ceiling into context. Check out that portrait of the queen on the wall; that painting is the cover of my Copenhagen map.

Above: A shot of a very pink room with another fancy ceiling. Below: Pink hallways and fancy ceilings.

Above: More crazy ceiling nonsense. Below: Yet another fancy ceiling.

Above: Room...and fancy ceiling. Below: Fancy ceiling minus the room.

Above: More of the same ceiling. Below: Another fancy ceiling, and the last ceiling that will be featured in this post.

JUST KIDDING THERE'S ANOTHER ONE

Above: Fancy bedroom? Check. Tiny bed? Check. Fancy ceiling? Is that even a question? Below: Up close and personal with fancy ceiling #32.

Above: A shot of the castle from the back. Below: Fredericksborg and its garden. The construction of the castle was strategically cropped from this photograph...I swear, all the castles in Copenhagen are under construction.

Friday night brought Copenhagen’s annual Kulturnatten (Culture Night), an evening in which the city celebrates all things Copenhagen. The city’s institutions are all open late; everything from the Opera House to the new United Nations building stays open to the public for the evening. Hundreds of events go on, and the city literally lights up with light shows and huge crowds of people. For approximately $15, you can purchase a badge that will allow you entry into all the indoor events and institutions. To get our money’s worth, some friends and I toured the Royal Apartments at Christiansborg, the Royal Stables, Carlsberg Brewery, the Round Tower (though we did not go all the way up; there was a half an hour wait), Rosenborg and the King’s Garden, Frue Plads and City Hall. We listened to drum circles in the city squares and attempts at jazz at the Jazzhouse; we snacked on free apples and beer and searched (in vain) for free soup and bread. It was a fun night, but there were so many events going on; it was hard to choose only a few for the sake of time!

Above: Beautiful tapestries in the Royal Apartments at Christiansborg. So much color and detail…Below: Keepin’ it classy with chandeliers and crests at the Royal Apartments.

Above: Shannon, Meghan and I at Christiansborg. Below: And you thought I was done...another beautiful ceiling at City Hall. 

Above: A small section of the brewery's bottle collection. Below: Our Culture Night group at the Carlsberg brewery.

Above: Another shot of the brewery's bottle collection. Below: Light shows at the Round Tower for Culture Night.

On Saturday, I deviated from cultural immersion in favor of extreme tourism. Tory and I went to a Halloween-themed Tivoli, the amusement park located smack dab in the middle of Copenhagen. It was my first time at the park, and it was honestly the most fun I have had in a long time. Tory and I walked around the grounds, stopping in shops and at food stands. To combat the brisk October air, we drank mulled wine and snacked on fancy flødeboller. We rode on roller coasters and swing sets and carousels and boat rides again and again and again, until the park closed and we couldn’t ride any more. The entire day was such a nice escape from the realities of schoolwork and public transportation and responsibilities; though oddly enough, the Halloween décor somehow instilled a sense of nostalgia within me. Copenhagen is wonderful, but nothing can beat the fall season at Connecticut College. Missing my friends and the autumnal foliage right about now!

Above: Halloween at Tivoli means giant pumpkins, witches and Haunted Houses...but Halloween isn't celebrated here in Denmark? Yeah, I don't get it either. Below: Tory and I in front of the pagoda in the park.

Above: Tory and I with our fancy flødeboller; I believe mine was coffee-flavored. Surprisingly delicious…Below: Camels in Copenhagen #wheremycamelsat (yes, I’m talking to you @ConnCollegeLive).

Less than a week of classes separate me from the second travel break and my plans to visit Paris, Berlin and London. I know I say this in every post, but I just can’t believe how quickly the time is passing. This past week was just the surface; there is so much more I have yet to see here in Copenhagen, and I’m determined to see it all. Here’s to keepin’ on adventuring.