Tuesday 7 June - Copenhagen

A later than planned start, probably due to being parked under a tree so that the sunshine didn't wake us. Not to worry, our plans today were a visit to the city of Copenhagen. The map the site owner gave us, together with advice, clearly showed we could “do” the city on foot, with just a little help from public transport at the start and finish, so after breakfast we settled Jamie down with plenty of water, shade and ventilation and set off.

Everybody of course wants to visit The Little Mermaid and the best way for us was a 20min walk to the water-bus which then took us along the harbour right to the far end of our exploration. This was clearly the best, and cheapest, way to see the old harbour front, much of which has been or is being redeveloped, retaining the old charm and character where feasible. There is a lot of modern construction going on too, but thankfully it is being restricted to the edges where it is obvious old industrial buildings have been demolished. (Unfortunately most of the photos we took suffered from reflections, making them unuseable. Sorry.)

Debarking a few minutes walk from the “attraction” we were immediately overwhelmed by dozens of tourist coaches and hundreds of tourists all headed for the statue, given to the city by a benefactor in the early 1900s, of the character from one of Hans Christian Andersons fairy tales, the Little Mermaid. Coupled with the souvenir sellers, cafes, coffee and ice-cream stands, it was quite a circus – but the actual statue? Can you see her?

See the white dot in the middle?

Not being totally surprised, we took our photos then headed back towards the city centre. There is much beautiful architecture to see, much of it nowadays resurrected as musuems and art galleries although the Royal Apartments are impressive, complete with patrolling guardsmen.

Starting from one of the large open squares, we then spent an hour wandering along what is said to be the longest pedestrianised street in the world – don't know about that as it has to cross a couple of main roads. But strolling in the hot sunshine was very pleasant as it was not too crowded, most tourists being ferried around by coach. We eventually came out at the other main attraction for Copenhagen, the Tivoli Gardens.

Lego stores everywhere

It turns out that this is pay-to-enter and although for around £20 each it looked a worthwhile visit, we really only had an hour to spare when it needs a day. Reluctantly we left it for another time and headed for the Central Station and a bus back to the campsite. A helpful driver put us on the right bus and only 5 mins later we were dropped off quite close to “home”. Interestingly, due to the way the public transport system works, our 5 min bus ride cost us exactly the same as our 45m water-bus ride earlier in the day!

Local hostelry

We were quite impressed with Copenhagen and, as the guide books say, you can cross the entire centre in half an hour. Consequently it's easy to explore.