Copenhagen Adventures by Disney June 5, 2015

Well, it is our official last full day of our Escape to Copenhagen prior to boarding the Disney Magic on Saturday.  Just a reminder, if you don't want the details from the ABD Adventure, you may not want to read.

Woke up about 5 a.m. this morning but went back to sleep until 7 a.m.  We had a meeting time of 8:15 a.m. for the motorcoach for the day so up and at um we go.

Met up with Amber and Robyn.  Today is Viking Day.  Amber and Robyn greet us with their Viking wear:

We start our journey for the day by travelling to the Viking Museum.  It is about 45 minutes from Copenhagen.  The museum opens at 10 a.m., but we were there about 9:15, so we got a private tour before the museum opened.  It is beautifully situated right on the fjord.

We learned about the different viking ships and how the vikings actually sunk some of their longships in order to block the waterways so enemies could not enter.  They have re-created one of the longships from the Viking age from being able to figure out what it looked like from what they salvaged from the water.  This Viking Ship was called the Sea Stallion.

 Our tour guide explains about the wood used and the elasticity of the wood in order to make the longships.

Then the builder of the longships, shows us how the axe is used to chip away at the wood and to get a smooth surface.  The axe was shaped differently than those axes we see in use today.

Re-creations of other viking ships are in the water here.

 Elaine and I model our viking attire:

We head inside to see some of the actual pieces of the Viking ships that they were able to salvage out of the water.  Our tour guide is awesome and gives us lots of information.  In 1962 they built a cofferdam of sheet piling around the blockage in the water so it could be drained.  In a period of four months pieces of all five ships were excavated and brought to land in tiny little fragments.  They were able to assemble what was left to try to figure out what they actual were like.  There is also a movie playing in the theater room but we had kind of seen it on the motorcoach so did not go in.

Wool sails were used on the viking ships and the Viking Ship Museum is participating in a research project on manufacturing, processing and using wood sails.  The process involves Danish and Norwegian weavers and sail makers and boat researchers and seamen.

Wood sails have been used in Scandinavian and North Atlantic waters since the Viking Age.  Preserved sails from Norway have shown that loom types and binding systems were determined by resources and traditions and are highly characteristic of individual localities.

The wool yarn was spun using a spindle until well into the 19th century and on the Farroe Islands and Iceland, the cloth was woven on a warp weighted looms.  Such vertical looms allowed the fabric to be woven more tightly than was possible with horizontal shaft looms.

Looking from inside the museum out to the Fjords.

A group of tourists decide to become Vikings (we did not do this, but there is an opportunity to do so at the museum for a fee).  I didn't pay much attention to the price.

It was then time for lunch at Cafe Knarr at the Viking Museum.  I must say, the Viking lunch was spectacular.  100% better than yesterday.

I started with a blueberry apple drink.  Delicious.  Many different flavors to choose from.

Next was a bread, fresh out of the oven.  They actually had sea salt on the crust.  I asked the chef when and how he puts the sea salt on cuz it was so delicious.  After rising the bread, but before he places in the oven, he sprinkles the sea salt on it.  I am definitely going to try this at home.

Our first course is a cod with a puree of cauliflower.  Yummy!

Next are three different kinds of meat, all wonderful.  Everyone is enjoying the meal.

This is the vegetarian option that Amber had:

Then we had some type of berry (not sure what kind) with some ice cream.  Oh my gosh, it melted in your mouth and the berries had an incredible flavor.

After lunch, Olaf and I visited the Rope Maker's Shop.  He wasn't there, but took some pictures with Olaf hanging out with the rope.

Olaf hanging out on the motorcoach.

Now we are headed off to see some castles!  The first castle we went to was the Frederikbeorg Castle.  It was a model of the renaissance architecture built in the first decade of the 17th century

The fountain of Neptune.

The prison at the front of the castle.

Built in the year of 1736.  We did not go inside this castle.  It actually had a fire back in the day and it took many years for a private person to purchase it, and then eventually it went back as a historical site to Denmark and is now managed by Denmark.

Then we took a 45 minute ride to the Kronborg Castle.  The Kronborg Castle was immortalized as Elsinore in Shakespear's Hamlet.  First saw a beautiful swan and her new cygnets (babies).

 Then our tour guide met us for a private tour of the castle.  Many interesting facts for this castle.  The most interesting is they don't know if Shakespeare actually ever entered this castle, but they do know that he knew people that were in the castle because he used some of the details in Hamlet.

A monument to Shakespeare.

The Royal Apartment was on the second floor of the castle. 

You can see Sweden from the castle.

This is the ballroom where they hosted parties that would last from 3- 30 days.

The inside courtyard of the castle.

After our visit to the castle, it is time to head back to the hotel for a quick break (45 minutes) before we head out to dinner.  We get back at 5 p.m. and we are on the go again at 5:40 p.m.  There is no rest for you when you are on an ABD.

We are now headed to the Carlsberg Brewery for a private visit to the museum, horses and dinner since we are going after the brewery is closed.

These are the Jutlan Horses that are used at the brewery.  At the height of their use, they had over 200 horses that hauled the barrels into Copenhagen to the local places.  Now the horses are basically used as ambassadors for the brewery in parades and shows.

Notice how the horse is doing a Jamie pose just for Scott.

 A walk outside the brewery where we are headed to the museum for our private dinner.

These elephants line the street as the entrance to the brewery.

We then headed into the museum which was closed to the public, and they had set up our dinner in one of the rooms where there were statutes and paintings.  We had a delicious potato salad of some kind.

Amber toasted to our group before dinner

We had a chicken breast with white asparagus and a parsley puree.  Once again, the food was incredible.

During the salad, the dinner and dessert they served a different kind of beer with each course, but since I don't drink beer, I didn't take any pictures.  Those that did, said they enjoyed it.

For dessert, they served this unbelievable chocolate, cocoa extravaganza.  It had cookie dough, chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownie maybe, and other stuff, don't know all of it, but if they served it on the Disney Magic I would be eating it every night.

Then to top it off, we got some chocolate candy afterwards.  Yummy!

It was now going on about 9 p.m. or so, so we all headed back to the motorcoach for our trip back to Tivoli Hotel.  It ended up being the warmest day here thus far.  And not as breezy as the previous days.

In the morning, we are to have our luggage tagged and ready for pick up by 9:30 a.m. and then we will board the motorcoach for our 20-25 minute journey to Oceankaj to get on the Disney Magic for 34 nights!  We will be stopping at the Little Mermaid Statute on our way to the port.

It is now midnight again, so goodnight, for the last time, from Copenhagen!  It has been a wonderful week.  Can't wait for the next part of the journey.