Danish Beer and Smørrebrød in Nyhavn

In the center part of Copenhagen is a place which name is impossible to say for anyone other than a Danish person: Nyhavn (translated as new port) – it looks like an easy word but it is a mistake to think so. It is a 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment district stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbour", the canal has many historical wooden ships. Nyhavn was constructed by King Christian V from 1670-73, dug by Swedish war prisoners from the Dano-Swedish War 1658–1660. It is a gateway from the sea to the old inner city. Danish author Hans Christian Andersen lived at Nyhavn 18 for some years. You have to take a walk and admire the colored buildings and the ships and try a Danish beer, like Carlsberg or Tuborg, and eat a traditional sandwich called Smørrebrød.

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Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
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Chiar în centrul oraşului Copenhaga se află o zonă care oricum aţi face nu o să o pronunţaţi aşa cum o fac danezii: Nyhavn (portul nou în traducere liberă) – pare simplu dar nu e aşa. Este un canal din secolul al XVII-lea ce are de o parte şi de alta case colorate ce găzduiesc restaurante, cafenele şi baruri. Pe canal sunt numeroase vase istorice, majoritatea de lemn. A fost construit în timpul regelui Cristian al V-lea între 1670 şi 1673. Canalul a fost săpat înainte de prizonierii suedezi şi făcea legătura cu centrul oraşului. La numărul 18 a locuit şi Hans Christian Andersen. Merită să faceţi o plimbare şi să admiraţi casele colorate şi vasele istorice, să beţi o bere tradiţional daneză (Carlsberg sau Tuborg) şi să mâncaţi un sandwich tradiţional Smørrebrød.

The Little Mermaid of Hans Christian Andersen

The icon of Copenhagen is for sure the Little Mermaid Statue. It is a character from a fairytale of Hans Christian Andersen (you have to notice the motto of my blog under the title, which is also written by him). The statue was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, who had been fascinated by a ballet about the fairytale in Copenhagen's Royal Theatre and asked the ballerina, Ellen Price, to model for the statue. The sculptor Edvard Eriksen created the bronze statue, which was unveiled on 23 August 1913. The statue's head was modeled after Price, but as the ballerina did not agree to model in the nude, the sculptor's wife Eline Eriksen was used for the body. The Little Mermaid statue is only 1.25 metres high and weighs around 175 kg. The Copenhagen City Council decided to move the statue to Shanghai at the Danish Pavilion for the duration of the Expo 2010 (from May to October), the first time it had been moved from its perch since it was installed almost a century earlier.

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Denmark For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Simbolul Copenhagăi este în mode evident statuia Micuţei Sirene. Ea este un personaj al cărţilor celebrului autor Hans Christian Andersen (trebuie să citiţi şi mottoul acestui blog (sub titlu) care îi aparţine, de asemenea, autorului danez). Micuţa statuie este pe malurile apei, pe stânci. A fost comandată în 1909 de Carl Jacobsen, proprietarul Carlsberg, şi a fost inaugurată pe 23 august 1913. Carl Jacobsen a fost fascinat de baletul despre Mica Sirenă şi a comandat ca statuia să fie realizată după balerina Ellen Price. Ea nu a acceptat să pozeze nud pentru Edvard Eriksen, aşa că doar capul o reprezintă. Soţia sculptorului a fost modelul pentru corp. Statuia are o înălţime de 1,25 metri şi cântăreşte 175 kg. A fost mutată pentru prima dată în 2010 la Shanghai la World Expo în cadrul pavilionului danez. În locul ei a fost instalată o sculptură a unui artist chinez.

The Silver Lions from Rosenborg

The place that I love the most in Denmark is a castle located in the center of the city and so well camouflaged by the buildings and a beautiful park: it is the gorgeous Rosenborg Castle. It is a small building, much smaller then Frederiksborg Palace, built in 1606 by Christian IV as a country summerhouse. Like Frederiksborg Palace it was built in the Dutch Renaissance style. The castle was used by Danish regents as a royal residence until around 1710. After the reign of Frederik IV, Rosenborg was used as a royal residence only twice, and both these times were during emergencies. The first time was after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794, and the second time was during the British attack on Copenhagen in 1801. Among the main attractions of Rosenborg is the Long Hall, completed in 1624, originally intended as a ballroom and around 1700 it was used as Royal Reception Room. It was not until the second half of the 19th century that it became known as the "Knight's Hall". Christian V had the hall partly modernized with twelve tapestries depicting the King's victories in the Scanian War. The stucco ceiling seen today is from the beginning of the 18th century. It shows the Danish Coat of Arms surrounded by the Orders of the Elephant and of Dannebrog. Among the main attractions of Rosenborg are the coronation chair of the absolutist kings and the throne of the queens with the three silver lions standing in front. Of special interest to tourists is an exhibition of the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia located in the castle. The castle is situated in Kongens Have ("The King's Garden") which was embellished in the Renaissance style.

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Denmark For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Cel mai mult mi-a plăcut în Danemarca un mic castel din centrul capitalei Copenhaga: Rosenborg. Este situat în centrul oraşului, în mijlocul unui parc, nici nu te aştepţi ca acolo să fie o minune pentru că dinspre stradă nu se vede nimic. Castelul este micuţ dar foarte cochet, fiind iniţial construit ca şi o casă de vacanţă pentru regele Cristian al IV-lea. Ca şi Palatul Frederiksborg, şi acesta a fost construit tot în stilul renaşterii olandeze începând cu anul 1606. A fost folosit ca reşedinţă regală până în 1710 iar apoi doar în momentele de urgenţă: când a ars Palatul Christiansborg în 1794 şi când Copenhaga a fost atacată de britanici în 1801. Impresionantă este Camera Lungă terminată în 1624 ce avea ca scop să fie sală de bal şi apoi a fost folosită şi ca sală de recepţie. Abia de la jumătatea secolului al XIX-lea a fost cunoscută ca Sala Cavalerilor. Cristian al V-lea a comandat 12 tapiserii ce prezintă victoriile regelui în războiul Scanic. Tavanul este ornat cu stucaturi ce reprezintă stema daneză şi Ordinul Elefantului. Atracţia principală este reprezentată de tronul şi cei trei lei de argint de dimensiuni mari. În subsolurile castelului este o colecţie impresionantă de bijuterii ale coroanei, coroanele regilor şi alte obiecte preţioase. Rosenborg este situat în Kongens Have (Grădina Regelui) şi este un parc care înconjoară castelul realizat în stil renascentist. 

Frederiksborg Palace and the Order of the Elephant

I will continue to talk about Denmark and today I want to share with you my point of view of Frederiksborg Palace, one of the greatest and beautiful that I have seen. It is located in the city of Hillerød, very close to Helsingør and Copenhagen, also on the Zealand Island. The palace was built in Renaissance style on three little islands on the lake located there. The oldest parts of the castle date back to 1560, and were built by King Frederick II, after whom the palace is named. Most of the current palace, however, was built from 1602 to 1620 by Christian IV and follows the Dutch style favored by him. After Christian IV's death in 1648, the palace was used mainly for ceremonial events, primarily the anointing and crowning of the Absolute Monarchs in the palace church. Since 1693 the church has also been used as Knight's Chapel for the Order of the Elephant. In 1850s, the palace was again used as a residence by King Frederick VII. During the night of December 16–17, 1859, while he was in residence, a fire destroyed a large part of the main palace's interior. Reconstruction was funded by public subscription, with large contributions from the King, state and the prominent philanthropist J. C. Jacobsen of Carlsberg Brewery. A large collection of notable paintings by the Danish painter Carl Heinrich Bloch are in the palace. Commissioned for the palace, these paintings largely depict the life of Jesus Christ. The gardens are built in English and Baroque style and worth a walk. The only thing that I did not like about that place is that in the beautiful chapel are presented the names of the recipients of the Order of the Elephant. The only name that was erased from there is Nicolae Ceauşescu, the Romanian dictator. Awarded on the November 1980 state visit to Denmark, but revoked by the Queen on December 23, 1989. The insignia have been returned to Denmark and Ceauşescu's name has been deleted from the official rolls. I think that if the democratic World accepted his visits in London (see his meeting with the Queen), Paris and Copenhagen, this was a boost of energy for a dictator. Because of that it is not fair to erase the history and revoke the title.

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Rămânem în Danemarca şi astăzi vă povestesc despre palatul Frederiksborg. Este situat în oraşul Hillerød şi este foarte aproape de Helsingør şi Copenhaga, tot pe insula Zeeland. Palatul este construit în stil renascentist şi este poziţionat pe trei insule de pe lacul cu acelaşi nume. Numele este dat de regele Frederick al II-lea, cel care a început construcţiile în 1560. Cea mai mare parte a palatului a fost construită de Cristian al IV-lea între 1602 şi 1620 în stil olandez, preferatul regelui. După moartea monarhului a fost folosit pentru majoritatea ceremoniilor regale. În capelă au fost încoronaţi o parte din regii Danemarcei. Capela este acoperită cu plăci ce atestă acordarea Ordinului Elefantului diverselor personalităţi mondiale. Preşedinţii români Ion Iliescu şi Emil Constantinescu au primit şi ei acest ordin cavaleresc. Urât în opinia mea este că statul danez îi acordă ordinul lui Nicolae Ceauşescu în timpul unei vizite de stat în 1980 dar după Revoluţie i s-a retras acest titlu. Este urât că după părerea mea Europa nu trebuia să-l încurajeze cu astfel de titluri şi dacă a greşit să-şi asume greşeala şi nu să şteargă istoria. Alţi dictatori, vezi Josip Broz Tito, au în continuare numele acolo. În 1850, palatul a redevenit reşedinţă pentru regele Frederick al VII-lea. A fost distrus de un incendiu în 1859 şi refăcut din donaţii publice, mare parte fiind suportată de filantropistul J.C. Jacobsen, patron al fabricilor Carlsberg. Pictorul danez Carl Heinrich Bloch are o colecţie de tablouri cu Isus, special realizate pentru palat. Trebuie să vă spun că vizita acolo durează mult pentru că se vizitează tot şi dimensiunile sunt impresionante. Grădinile merită o atenţie aparte, ele sunt construite în stil englezesc şi baroc. 

The spotted owlet that wishes me good morning

I have been lazy most of last year, but this year,  I have been pushing myself to wake up and head out for walks in the morning. And the motivation is a spotted owlet that greets me with a scowl whenever I chance upon it on my early walks. The owlet and I are half asleep but we spend a few moments gazing at each other, it looks down at me and makes a face and I grin at it.

On my birthday however, I took a few photographs of the bird and I found out there were two of them , probably nesting in that little hollow of theirs. Only one posed for me, that too rather reluctantly, while the other flew away.

I decided not to disturb them again by taking pictures, but we still greet each other every morning .

I saw it today as well on my morning walk and it did come out and sun itself on the branch for a while before disappearing into its home

Traveling in Denmark

With the richness of cultural heritage and tradition, Denmark become as one top tourist destination in Europe. Many travelers came along just to visit, witness, and experiencing the alluring natural beauty that Denmark can offer to their visitors. The usual visited places in Denmark by most travelers:

• Aalborg. Consider as fourth largest city area of Denmark that strategically located beside the Limfjord. The beautiful views that can be found in Aalborg include Aalborg Historical Museum, Aalborghus Castle, and Jens Bang’s House.
• Billund. It became famous due to amazing gardens and lakes offered by this place.
• Aarhus. This entirely consider as second largest city area of Denmark that solely situated at Jutland. Recommended venues for sightseeing include wide arrays of churches, museums and various amusement parks. Some of this includes the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Churches of Our Lady, Tivoli Friheden as amusement park.
•  Bornholm. It describe as breathtaking island that entirely lies in Baltic Sea. As several churches existed on this place, this became the mere reason upon gaining its popularity. 
• The Copenhagen. Copenhagen currently consider as the capital city of Denmark solely emphasizes the breathtaking cities surrounding Scandinavia. In this city, there numerous places to visit upon that include Copenhagen Opera House, The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen Harbor, and Copenhagen Zoo. 
•  Esbjerg. Popular as Denmark’s one largest fishing harbor and still remain as economically essential city in Denmark intended for oil and offshore activities. 
• The Odense. Odense is known as third largest city area in Denmark that filled with various palaces, churches, and museums. The churches that can be found include Saint Canute’s Cathedral, Vor Frue Church, Hans Christian Andersen Museum, and City Museum Montegarden.

Hamlet’s Castle

In a morning from late October I have arrived in northern part of Zealand Island, in Denmark, to visit Hamlet’s Castle. Even it was October and the wind was blowing everything, the day was so beautiful making it a great trip. The real name of the castle is Kronborg and it is located at the narrowest point of the Øresund sound so you can see on the other side of the sound the castle Kärnan from Helsingborg in Sweden. The castle's story dates back to a fortress, Krogen, built in the 1420s by the Danish king, Eric of Pomerania. He built a powerful fortress to control the sound. Kronborg acquired its current name in 1585 when it was rebuilt by Frederick II into a magnificent Renaissance castle. In 1629, a moment's carelessness by two workmen caused much of the castle to go up in flames. Only the Chapel was spared by the strength of its arches. Christian IV put great efforts into restoring the castle. The Swedish conquest of Kronborg in 1658 by Carl Gustaf Wrangel and they have built an advanced line of defence so it was considered the strongest fortress in Europe. From 1739 until the 1900s, Kronborg was used as a prison. From January 17, 1772 to April 30, 1772, Kronborg was the place of imprisonment of Queen Caroline Mathilde (Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales), sister of George III. From 2000 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that for sure worth a visit.

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Denmark For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Într-o dimineaţă de octombrie, am ajuns să vizitez şi castelul lui Hamlet din Danemarca. Deşi era octombrie şi bătea vântul îngrozitor, cerul era albastru perfect şi vremea era minunată. Am ajuns prea devreme aşa că am fost primii la cumpărat bilete. Imediat s-a aglomerat căci membrii Comitetului Olimpic (după ce au ales Rio ca şi gazda a Jocurilor Olimpice din 2016) au fost aduşi să viziteze şi ei castelul. Numit Elsinore în piesa lui Shakespeare, castelul Kronborg se află în nordul insulei Zealand, în cel mai îngust punct al strâmtorii Øresund, astfel încât se vede Suedia pe celălalt mal, unde se află o cetate pereche: Kärnan din Helsingborg. Din anul 2000 castelul este inclus în lista Patrimoniului UNESCO. Pentru a controla strâmtoarea, regele danez Eric de Pomerania, l-a construit în 1420. În 1585 a fost reconstruit de Frederick al II-lea sub forma unui castel Renascentist; numele este tot de atunci. În 1629 a fost distrus într-un incendiu din care doar minunata capelă a fost salvată. Cristian al IV-lea l-a refăcut în 1639. În 1658 a fost cucerit de suedezul Carl Gustaf Wrangel şi a fost întărit astfel încât a devenit cea mai puternică cetate din Europa. Între 1739 şi 1900 a fost folosit ca închisoare unde a fost închisă şi regina Caroline Mathilde, sora lui George al III-lea (rege al Angliei), în 1772. Astăzi e muzeu şi e vizitat de foarte mulţi turişti. Impresionantă este micuţa capelă care este dominată de o orgă minunată. Merită să ajungeţi până la acest capăt de lume să vedeţi acest castel.