Gefion fountain and the Little Mermaid

The Gefion fountain is one of the largest monument in Copenhagen. It was created in 1908 on the Southern side of Langelinje (the cruise harbour).

The Gefjun Fountain depicts an ancient Danish legend of how Zealand (or Sjælland, of which Copenhagen is part of) came into existence.

It was said that a long, long time ago, Swedish King Gylfe gave a promise to Gefjun . She had one day and one night to plough as much land as she can manage, and the land that has been plolughed after one day will become hers.

To maximise 'efficiency', she turned her four sons into oxens and put them in front of a great plough.

During that day, Gefjun and her four sons managed to get the earth to create the island of Zealand. Co-incidentally, the land mass and shape of Zealand is similar to the largest lake (Vanern) in Sweden!

We also went to see the Little Mermaid statue that day. The Little Mermaid statue was a present from brewer Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries) to the city of Copenhagen

 The figure might look peaceful sitting there. However, it has had some pretty bad experience.

In the past 40 years, she has been beheaded, decapitated and vandalised. She has had a bra and knickers painted on her, has been entirely covered in paint on more than one occasion, and has had her right arm and her head cut off. Poor thing!

Matilde classic kakao skummet mælk

This brand of chocolate milk drink is the best-selling flavoured milk in Denmark.

The drink is similar to the Dairy Farm chocolate milk in HK, only that it is not as sweet and it is also more chocolaty. I think it is very delicious :)

I also saw some sovenir shops selling T-shirts with Matilde's face, so the logo must be quite popular!

Royal Denmark

No, we didn't see Mary. According to the security guard, she was spending her summer break at another castle.

We saw a lot of palaces and 'royal' buildings' in the city though.

Christiansborg Palace, now houses the Danish Parliament, Supreme Court, Prime Minister's Office and the State Reception Room.

Amalienborg, city residence of the royal family. There were four identical 'palaces' around this square. "The four palaces wear built by four noble families in the middle of the 18th century on direct orders by the king Frederik V. The King needed a new royal palace but he didn't want to pay. The four families were given tax immunity for 40 years as token for their services to the crown." (Source: http://www.copenhagen.com/tourism/royalpalaces/amalienborg.asp?Menu=Tourism)

The trusty security guide said that the Queen is living at the oldest looking one. The flag pole was empty, she was away with her husband, in their French chateau.

Rosenborg Palace, housing lots of important royal treasures

The Royal Theatre

Buck's Night, Denmark Style

It somehow involves the groom-to-be running around a public park wearing clear plastic and NOTHING else!

We certainly have had a good laugh! :p

- chi sin - made this comment,

SP beware, this is one of the items on your Buck's Nite activity! *evil laugh* muwahahahaaa...

SP made this comment,

Well you need to trick me into wearing a see-through plastic bag. Maybe, JK did not explain the rule of the game properly. The rule of the game is blind-fold, wear a black coloured plastic bag, undress yourself, walk over to the other side of the square following a rope, drink a bottle of beer and come back to tag your team partner to do the same. And guess what, they given the groom to be a transparent plastic after he blind-folded.

Nyhavn (New Habour) of Copenhagen, Denmark

The Nyhavn (literally meaning 'The New Harbour') seems to be a popular hang-out for locals and tourists alike. The street is lined with many restaurants and bars and the outdoor tables are filled up throughout any sunny day. Apparently, the outdoor seats are still popular in the winter, when the heaters are fired up and the restaurants or pub would provide their patrons with a blanket.

The famous fairy-tale author, Hans Christian Andersen, has lived in Nyhavn for some years. However, I can't find the details about his home during those years.

On a side note, did you know that the Danish name for Copenhagen is 'Kobenhavn', which translates to "the buying harbor" ?