Day five: our last day in Copenhagen

It’s Monday and we have to check out. All the art galleries and museums are shut and it’s a wet and cold day. Overall, a bad combination. What does happen to be open is Rosenborg Castle, so we decided to head there as we can be inside for a while at least.

The problem with checking out when you still have a day ahead of you, is what do you with your luggage? This was the first chore we had to deal with. My friends had an evening flight and I was staying an extra night to get the train to Hamburg and Lubeck the next day. They deposited their bags at the station and I went to my hotel - WakeUp Copenhagen - to leave mine. I was shocked to find that I had to pay to leave it in a locker and pay handsomely for it. I should have left it at the station with the others.

We regrouped at Coffee Collective where I indulged in another citron pastry as they are so good. The train ticket that we bought at Hellerup was good for 75 minutes so I didn’t have to buy another ticket to get to the cafe. It was a short walk to the castle but the rain wasn’t easing off unfortunately. I’m so glad I had multiple layers and a pack-a-Mac.

Rosenborg Castle

Every tourist in Copenhagen had the same idea as us so when we arrived we had to wait about 30 mins for the next available slot. I think you can pre-book online which is good if you know your precise schedule. It was hard to find somewhere to hang out away from the rain - the locker room was full of people hugging the radiators. I walked around the gardens and noted the soldiers who were on guard. It made me think that these young men could potentially be going to Greenland to defend it against the orange menace.

Rosenborg Castle

Finally it was our turn to go in. There are four floors as well as a basement and deeper still, the treasury. Every room in the castle was pretty over the top in what I can only describe as baroque kitsch. One particular piece of furniture was probably one of the most ugly things I’ve seen in a stately home. I mentioned that Trump would be envious but someone who overheard me felt that it wasn’t tacky enough for him!

Monstrous cabinet

A toilet fit for Royalty

The Crown Jewels were pretty impressive but a lot of the stuff in the basement was a bit gaudy and much of it was stuff like guns and swords that you might find in an Armoury. Also, a huge amount of the artefacts, although beautifully worked, are made out of ivory.

Crowns

King Christian IV crown

Once out in the rain again we looked for lunch spots and found a really nice covered food hall quite by accident close to Nørreport Station on Frederiksborggade. There were lots of food stalls to choose from. The only downside was the lack of enough seating. They are probably reliant on the outside seating area when it’s good weather. Next to the food hall is the Torevehallerne Farmers’ Market.

We planned on visiting the Palm House at the Botanical Gardens but after traipsing through the rain to get there we found that it doesn’t open on a Monday until July. The whole park felt like a ghost town with a few brave souls who probably thought they could shelter in the Palm House, too.

To warm up we ended up in a Joe & the Juice - a chain that seems to be all over Copenhagen. We desperately needed hot drinks to warm us up. We still had time to kill so ended up going to the Illum department store to wander around aimlessly. It’s quite a pleasant shop especially as they have a large Muji outlet - a shop we don’t have in Bristol.

Trump is popular in Denmark!!

At long last the rain had nearly abated but it was time for us to head to the station as Helen and Mike needed to travel to the airport for an evening flight. I walked to the hotel for the second time that day to check in and finally get into my room. The hotel is one of those large modern ones that are fine for a night or two but it lacks charm and facilities such as a kettle. This seems to be a trend that I don’t like!