Before I get to today’s adventures I want to share what I think is an interesting fact. Flying over from the US we first landed in Iceland and then caught a connecting flight to Copenhagen. In the Iceland airport I simply showed my passport, had it stamped, and then proceeded to the next plane. There were no immigration nor customs forms to fill out. Once in Copenhagen I collected my luggage and walked out of the airport to the waiting van with no forms nor no re-checking of my passport. Today when we went to Sweden there was no checking of our passports or any identification. Talk about OPEN BORDERS! I’m just saying?
Now, on to my adventures for today. We proceeded from the hotel to take the subway to Christianshavn station to catch the bus for our trip to Dragør. Located at the station were some sculptures of Inuit (Eskimos).
This one shows them processing seals.
One standing with his kayak loaded with seals.
A kiosk at the station.
From the station we could see the Helix Spiral Tower of the Church of Our Savior. It has an external staircase that you can climb and was built in 1752.
We arrived at the fishing port of Dragør. The port was founded in the 12th century. In early 16th century, King Christian II invited a group of farmers from the Netherlands to settle here to grow food for the Royal family.
I found it hilarious to see a bottle of chocolate milk in a store offering a chance to win a trip to the USA to drive Route 66. I think whoever wins might be disappointed when they find out much of the route no longer exists.
This boat has some very historical background as it was used during the Nazi Germany occupation of Denmark to help smuggle some of the 7,000 Danish Jews out of Denmark to neutral Sweden. It is one of the few remaining boats used. Due to the efforts of theDanish resistance, almost 99% of the Danish Jewish population survived the Holocaust.
We stopped in a seafood store and got some smoked shrimp to try. It was delicious.
A fisherman unloading his morning catch of cod.
There are many well preserved buildings that are hundreds of years old located along a maze of alleys with cobblestone streets. Some of the homes have the old style thatched roofs.
A Christmas decoration representing a Nisse. In Denmark it is tradition that the Nisse (Christmas elves) can be a little on the mischievous side. They are one of the most familiar creatures in Scandinavian folklore.
The town was setting up a Christmas market for the day.
Straw pigs.
A large pile of straw for the kids to play in.
Another Christmas tradition is the Advent calendar candles. You can see the numbers on the candle and they are burned each day until one number is gone.
Some more Nisse.
The Øresund Bridge is a combined railway and highway across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. From the Denmark side, we boarded the train at the airport station. The train first goes through a 2 1/2 mile section of tunnel under the strait to emerge above ground and connect to the 5 mile bridge. It is the longest combination road and railway bridge in Europe.
We arrived in Malmø, Sweden which is the 3rd largest city in Sweden and the 5th largest in Scandinavia. There are many old buildings dating back to the 16th century.
The city municipal building is going through a renovation.
A statue of King Charles X Gustav stands in the Stortorget square. He is not very popular with the Danish people as he was the one who took the Malmø area away from Denmark. Boo!
We have no idea why a huge lamp was located in one of the town’s squares.
This building had signage that said it was originally built in 1580 with renovations completed in 1846 & 1910.
St. Peter’s Church is the oldest building in Malmø. It was started in the early 1300’s and was added to until the15th century.
The Turning Torso building is a residential tower built in 2005 and is the tallest building in Scandinavia. It is considered to be the first twisted skyscraper in the world. It is 623 feet tall and has 54 floors.
We returned to Copenhagen just as nightfall came. Time to rest for tomorrow’s adventures.
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