Copenhagen Sunday (Day 2)

Got an early start on the bus to see Copenhagens "Little Mermaid" as we have to be back to be picked up at three to board our ship to Norway.  There was an "Iron Man" event going on today, so much of the normal get on/ get off route was disrupted by road closures.  The narration that was so bad yesterday, just got a lot worse today.  We hopped off at the stop to see the "Little Mermaid".  The harbor area was beautiful this morning

And here she is

We hopped back on the bus and saw a few more sights on the way back to the pedestrian street.  

Decided to go see one of two palaces (not the one the current King and Queen live in).  We picked the Royal Reception rooms at Christiansborg Slot and set off with our handy dandy map.  If you know aything about Mis' Terry's sense of direction, you will appreciate this next shot.  She was trying to get directions to the Palace.

This building is where Danish Parliament meets and contains the Royal Reception rooms used for some State functions.  The rooms are quite beautiful

The Queen attends Parliament on Mondays and this little red building that resembles a rocket is where her guards stand.  There is one just like it on the other side of the entrance.

The Royal Family

My favorite room was the Library.  The Queen's Reference Library belongs to the Danish Monarch.  The library was established by Frederik V, but was badly damaged by the fire of 1794.  In the second fire of 1884, most of the library was saved.  The library contains over 90,000 books, 10,000 of which are contained in these two rooms.  Incidentally, after the second fire it was decreed that all buildings in Oslo must be built of stone to prevent destruction during fires.

The Library is often used by the Prime Minister, who borrows it from the Queen to hold lunches or dinners for foreign guests.

The library's decoration was originally financed through a collection on the Danish island of Funen.  For that reason, only craftsmen from Funen worked on its interior.  The ceiling painting, with its seven elegant storks, is the work of Johannes Larsen, an artist from Funen.   

Another of the reception rooms was the Green Room, so named for its green silk walls and also the bird paintings over the doors

This is the Great Hall where the Queen holds receptions and state dinners.  It contains many beautiful tapistries

The current King and Queen

the chandeliers are made of glass from the famous island of Murano in Venice

and last the Throne room

On our way out, one last shot with the standard.  We then walked back from the other big square which anchors the longest pedestrian street. 

Once we arrived back at the hotel and retrieved our bags, the taxi was there to pick us up to go to the ship that will transport us to Oslo, Norway.  

Arrived at the ship and got our bags into our spacious sea view cabin

and went to get a drink as we set sail

We had dinner in the little Italian eatery on board and by the time we finished the boat was going through some pretty rough water.  We decided to walk down to see what entertainment was available.  I told Terry I would buy her a glass of wine as I owed her a little money.  We decided we needed bottled water for the cabin and went to the little store on board.  As we were coming  back up to the entertainment deck, I was feeling a little queasy.  I said to Terry that I didn't believe I wanted any wine in my tummy and she said she wasn't so sure she did either.  By the way, have I mentioned that a glass of wine can cost from $12.00 to $20.00 here in Scandinavia.  One does not want to waste that on a queasy stomach. Ha.  Food is also quite expensive.  Sitting down was much easier on the tummy, so we picked the piano bar and listened to some great piano and old tunes that you could sing along with.  It took your mind off your queasy stomach as well.  We opened our bottled water for cocktails and it turned out to be carbonated, which also helped to settle the tummy.  During intermission, the piano player came over to talk to us.  He was a Canadian who lives in Romania and works on a boat that travels between Copenhagen and Oslo.  How weird is that.

Ah well, he was a great pianist and very entertaining.  We went off to our beds happy and no longer queasy.  Tomorrow morning Oslo.