strolling in Copenhagen before breakfast

I woke up at the crack of dawn despite the jet lag because I knew that this was one of the last chances I had of exploring Copenhagen during this visit courtesy of UNLEASH Innovations Lab 2017. Armed with my trusty map and camera, I started my walking tour of the city at H. C. Andersen Blvd... of course. After all, he is the city's most famous author. There is a museum dedicated to his memory in Solvang, California. Little did I know that in about a year and a half, I'd be walking the real thing!

The storyteller himself, Hans Christian Andersen. We meet again, sir.

The buildings along the boulevard have designs that are inspired by the tales of fairies, princesses, and dragons. True, I'm a few centuries too late to wonder at listening to these stories but still, it's fascinating to see that the city has been able to preserve this rich cultural tradition despite the industrial feel of the city. It was tempting to stop and mull over the architectural styles and the aesthetics of the ornaments; however, I wanted to see other places too. So I continued walking.

  

Design seemingly inspired from Hans Christians Andersen's fairy tales (seen around the City Hall)

And then there's Tivoli Gardens. At 6 in the morning, it was so quiet... a big contrast to the shouts, the amusement park music, and the lights that made me notice this place when we first arrived. It turns out to be one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, created originally so that people would be distracted from politics. Unfortunately, for this trip, I could only look at it from across the road. I'm sure I'd have the chance to see it again someday. But for now, I had to be content with just seeing the exterior because there were so many things to see and I only had two hours to roam the streets.

Tivoli Garden, seen from the Ny Glyptotek, on my way to the Meat-packing District

I took a right turn at Ny Kongensgade ("New King's Street") and crossed the Frederiksholm Canal to approach the Marble Bridge. I have to say that the view of the row of buildings here is so colourful; so easy on the eyes and so photogenic. I wonder why there weren't more tourists. But yes, I was here around 6am. Naturally, the rest of the touristy crowd were still in bed. This bridge, apparently, is important because this was where the Swedish Army assaulted Denmark in 1659 during the Second Northern War. I'm not well read into the history of Denmark still but I bet that this happened around the same time that the Hapsburg Empire was divided between Philip II of Spain (he is the Philippines'  namesake and son of Charles V) and Ferdinand (Charles V's brother)... things I learned while reading the book Game of Queens.

View of the Stormbroen ("Storm Bridge") from the National Museum of Denmark

In this area, I was surrounded by quite a number of historical buildings. The Prince's Mansion, which now houses the National Museum of Denmark, was on one side; the Christiansborg Palace, the only building in the world that houses the three powers of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) was on the other. Ah, so this is why Slotsholmen, the island where the Palace is located, is called the "island of power".

Design detail of the façade of the Prince's Mansion

The Royal Stables of the Christiansborg Palace (taken from the Marble Bridge entrance)

As I continued following the canal (which, after the Storm Bridge, is now called Slotsholmen Canal), I was able to see the Thorvaldsen Museum. I found the architecture of this building to be quite different from the palace and the mansion... definitely, the museum was an eye-catcher. 

The Thorvaldsen Museum

Rounding the bend of the canal, I finally reached the other side of the Christiansborg Palace. That was where I met fellow UNLEASH participants who also took the chance to walk around before we got too engrossed with our activities in the innovations lab. They were on their way to Nyhavn, a tourist spot, so I tagged along with them.

Photo with the UNLEASH participants at the Nyhavnsbroen

Nyhavn ("New Harbour") is picturesque thanks to the brightly coloured façades of buildings lining the waterfront. The canal is absolutely crowded by boats and I wondered at how those boats got in because there were bridges for canal crossing (not just in Nyhavn). It is most likely that these bridges can be raised enough to allow water transport to pass. What I also noticed was the number of padlocks attached to the bridge we were standing on. It's a trend that is catching on in Los Baños and I've always wondered at its meaning.

Nyhavn

Nyhavn used to be Hans Christian Andersen's home. I wonder what stories he weaved out here, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the busy fishing port area. At almost 7:30am, however, it hardly looked like a fast-paced area... but again, I was there quite early. Tourists were already flocking the area but it wasn't crowded yet.

Anyway, I had to stop my walking tour at Nyhavn because I had a long walk back to the hostel. Despite the short tour, I was satisfied because I've always felt that the best way to know a city is to walk in it. However, I'd like to go back someday and learn more about the city. A morning is hardly enough to get to know Copenhagen.