Tom`s travels: Copenhagen (19/06/2017)

After taking an early flight from Helsinki we landed in Copenhagen, and having several hours of layover, decided to visit the city. We took the train that brought us into the city and continued on foot. We passed by the Christiansborg Palace, rebuilt several times, and in the current Neo-baroque style in 1928. It houses the country's parliament, supreme court, and prime minister's office. Nearby we passed by the Borse, or Stock exchange, a Dutch renaissance building dating to the 17th century. After crossing a bridge we were then in Christianshavn, an island-neighborhood filled with canals, boats, and pretty buildings. On the same island, we then visited Christiania, a type of hippie freetown and alternative neighborhood where light drugs are tolerated and artists live and create. After the visit to the alternative side of the city, we headed back over another bridge and reached the old town, where the Nyhavn is located. This 17th-century canal and waterfront was lined by beautiful baroque colorful houses which the sunny day enhanced even more. From the old port, we walked further through the town and reached the Rococo Frederik's Church which we visited. It had an impressive dome which was already noticeable from far away and gave an interesting perspective and scenic point from the nearby Amalienborg Palace. This palace, which is more like a set of buildings, consists of a large octagonal square and neoclassical palaces at the corners that belong to the Danish royal family. We started to get a bit hungry so decided to head to Papiroen, or Paper Island, a popular spot which serves good street food. We grabbed a quick lunch there and then continued the exploration of the city. We reached Rosenborg Castle, a Dutch renaissance 17th-century castle surrounded by beautifully laid out gardens. We opted for the free part, visiting the gardens and enjoying the sun and nature. From there we then headed to the David Collection, a museum holding fine and applied art, particularly on Islamic art. After visiting the museum, we walked further into town giving a look inside the Trinitatis Church, a 17th baroque building. Not far we then passed through the pretty Gråbrødretorv, featuring well preserved baroque houses. Further on we ended up in Amagertorv, probably the city's most central square. Named after the farmers who came from the Amager island to sell their produce, it is now a busy pedestrian area filling with people and shops. We then walked by and entered the Church of the Holy Ghost, one of the city's oldest. Not much is left in the interior apart from a nice baroque altar. Westwards we then reached the Cathedral, known as the Church of Our Lady, rebuilt several times and now featuring a Neoclassical style from 1829. The interior was plain white and did not feature anything particularly interesting. The nearby Gammeltorv, or Old market, the city's oldest, though was quite interesting, with the Caritas Well, a renaissance fountain, standing at its center. It was now time to head towards the airport as we still had to catch out flight to Gdansk. After walking towards the train station we passed by the impressive City Hall, built in 1905 in a National Romantic style. Once there, we then finally took the next train which brought to the airport where we later took our flight to Poland.