Japan Zoologisk Have

I spotted this postcard in the Copenhagen Zoo shop last Saturday and, well, how could I not buy it? I have no idea why this exists. I mean, I assume it is from an old poster for the zoo (much like London Zoo has) but just why exactly it has a samurai on it I do not know. I’m not sure there was anything particularly Japanese about the zoo and I can’t think of any specific animals they had that are native to Japan. But hey, cool postcard!

Copenhagen: Day 3 of 3

Day 3 of 3 (Sunday 29th March, 2015):
Sight-seeing canal and harbour tour-boat, a little bit of sunshine (even though the forecast was for heavy rain!), one last stroll of the Copenhagen streets, finding [the closed] Tivoli gardens and heading home.

We gave our feet a well-earned rest and hopped on a canal tour boat. The tour was excellent and highly informative.

I packed my sunglasses back in the suitcase this morning as it had been grey all weekend and was again first thing – plus the forecast was for heavy rain.

It did rain later on, but I still spent the first part of the tour being dazzled by the sun.

Royal island residence

The Little Mermaid, as viewed from the sea

The boat roamed off into Christianshavn, an area we hadn’t seen much of on foot.

The ‘Church of Our Saviour’. It would have been good to see this up close – amazing architecture.

A Danish eco-architecture design project – looks like the Eden Project!

Stormbroen, the attack bridge, is a very old bridge in Gammel Strand.

Part of Christiansborg Palace – the palace that was built, burnt down, built, burnt down, built… and remained.

One the left: the Royal Danish PlayHouse. One the right: the Copenhagen Opera House

This building doesn't look like anything special but the ground floor is home to the ‘best restaurant’ in the whole of Denmark, some say the whole of the world! It's called Noma.

The lowest bridge of the tour, back in Nyhavn. We realised that these low bridges must mean that the ships moored up don’t actually go anywhere… ever. As they have tall masts and sails!

No. 4, the narrowest building in Copenhagen. Not easy to photograph in a square format.

I loved the Danish combination of bold painted brickwork and large imposing doors.

Camouflage! One of my favourite photos of the trip.

A door belonging to the Round Tower, but not the main door. 

And the main door of the Round Tower!

A dude with an axe and Christiansborg Palace.

The tiled street floor of Strøget, the main shopping street.

Rådhus

Tivoli is arguably the must-see tourist attraction for visitors to Copenhagen… aside from the fact that it wasn’t open when we were there.

 This is Mr Hans Christian Anderson gazing across the road to Tivoli.

 We had to make do with what we could glimpse through the fence.

Lots of neat shop signs in Copenhagen too – this one is for a puppet theatre, I believe.

And that is where the photographs end, for we went off in search of a late-lunch and then headed to the airport.

See Day 1 here. And Day 2 here.

Copenhagen: Day 2 of 3

Day 2 of 3 (Saturday 28th March (my birthday), 2015):
In search of breakfast, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg park and palace, the Round Tower, Strøget shopping street and the Lego Shop.

Morning in Nyhavn

Breakfast of black coffee and rye bread at Baresso – a Danish coffee shop chain.

The Happy Wall (with my initials)

Zoo!

First animal at the zoo: flamingo

“Yep, that’s right. I’m in the zoo but I can fly outta here whenever I want”, said the Heron.

We are all primates.

Auditions for the latest Guinness advert

The red panda was very sleepy.

The tigers were particularly impressive (or tiger, non-plural, in this case).

Delicious creamy tomato soup with rye bread crisp, plus an equally tasty rhubarb lemonade.

Every time I have been to a zoo in the last 10 years – which is a good 4 or 5 times, including today – the wolves have always been hiding. Today was the same, although ironically we did glimpse one, through a wire fence, from outside of the zoo – as their enclosure borders the main park that the zoo sits inside. So, here is a wolf sign and some paw prints instead.

I found a wolf in the zoo shop. Steve bought one for me, as it was my birthday afterall, although mine is a bit smaller than this fella.

Frederiksberg palace – a typically yellow Danish building!

Frederiksberg park

I love this bridge.

There is fine architecture to be admired everywhere in Copenhagen.

The Round Tower

Fountain in the square on Strøget – the longest pedestrian street in the world.

The only LEGO shop in Denmark, funny because it’s a Danish company/product.

History of the LEGO logo

Just a small section of the Nyhavn buildings made from LEGO

See Day 1 here. And Day 3 here.