January Dreaming is an annual series in which we (I) complain about January’s blah-ness (I was taught this by my mother) and share memories or anticipation of good times in warmer climes. I was jazzed when Jason from the Jason Likes to Travel blog commented yesterday on my other Copenhagen-focused January Dreaming postthat he’d love to go there, so I decided to finish out the 2025 January Dreaming series with the second installment of our very brief Copenhagen trip from last summer. I was a little over-confident about my time management, and didn’t have time to get to it until today, Feb. 1 – but that’s ok, it’s a January dream that’s being shared in February. (I make the January Dreaming rules here at Glover Gardens. 😎)
Copenhagen is stunning in any light, and we saw two extremes last summer. Both were very, very enchanting, and both highlighted the city’s many charms. To catch you up if you didn’t catch the previous post, my son and I had a very long afternoon walk through the city on the day we arrived. This post covers the rest of that day and the next day, a very short stay in Copenhagen before we headed to Amsterdam.
The Golden Evening Hours
Flowers are in abundanceAfter a rooftop dinner – that’s not a background and we didn’t use a filter; that golden light on those buildings is the REAL DEAL. I’m on the far right and my son is next, then his Dad and fiance’ – we had such a good time!We took pics from the rooftop of Tivoli Gardens in the background, but I was just as interested in the rooftop flowers in the foregroundTivoli Gardens alongside modern architectureA wider angle, with the golden light spread across the cityWe walked past a statue of Hans Christian Andersen in front of the public library on the way back from dinner; check out the golden light behind him (also, he was such an interesting character! did you know he was a travel writer in addition to this other literary works?)City Hall on the right as we returned to our hotel in the golden light; it’s after 9 pmOur hotel, Skandic Palace, in the golden hour
Walking Through Town
The next day was misty and overcast, mysterious and intriguing.
We strolled through the pedestrian shopping areaWe met Hans Christian Andersen again in the Lego Store – did you know that Legos originated in Denmark? (you probably did) but did you also know that LEGO comes from the Danish phrase “leg godt”, meaning “play well”?The city is full of statues and public squares; this is the Equestrian statue of Christian V, dating back to 1688, when it wade made of gilded lead; it was recast in bronze in 1939My son captured me capturing the architecture from Kongens NytorveAnd I was photographing him at the same timeCheck out all those flowers!Kongens Nytorve translates literally to “The King’s New Square”, but it’s amusing that it’s round; check out all the people enjoying this lovely public space on an overcast and misty summer day
Nyhaven Harbor and the Boat Tour
Nyhaven has a plethora of restaurants, bars and shops and a unique history, but that’s a post for another dayColorful centuries-old buildings line the harborWe made a great decision to take a harbor and river tourThe bright-colored buildings remind me of Legos; everything is so picturesque!
I didn’t take pictures during the boat tour, as I was sitting on an inside seat – but I highly recommend it.
Our Copenhagen stay was too short! The last part included that most relaxing of traveling pastimes, people-watching.
Solo for a short while, I enjoyed a glass of rose at Italiano, sitting outside and taking in the ambience; this restaurant has been in business for 73 years!
Still solo, I caught some jazz before dinner, an early set at Charlie Scott’s. It was delightful! Dinner at Amalfi, also al fresco, was wonderful, and of course we talked about when we could come back to this lovely European city
Thank you, Jason, for inspiring me to share the rest of this travel experience. Like you, when I see pictures of places I haven’t been, I want to go there! And when I see pictures of my past travels, I want to go back.
That’s what January Dreaming is all about—even though it’s February.
Thank you so much, Jason! You really did inspire me – that’s what bloggers do for each other, right? Coincidentally, I was at a dinner last night with two of the other travelers were in the group, and one of them brought up the rooftop experience. “Life-changing,” she said. It really was magical.
As always, I appreciate the feedback and comments. It’s always so nice to know that someone is out there; the stats tell that story, too, but in such a dry way – and they don’t tell you if someone liked what they read!
Amazing light. 👍🏻
Glad I could help inspire you to finish off sharing the experience. So many more great photos! Those rooftop views in particular are stunning!
Thank you so much, Jason! You really did inspire me – that’s what bloggers do for each other, right? Coincidentally, I was at a dinner last night with two of the other travelers were in the group, and one of them brought up the rooftop experience. “Life-changing,” she said. It really was magical.
As always, I appreciate the feedback and comments. It’s always so nice to know that someone is out there; the stats tell that story, too, but in such a dry way – and they don’t tell you if someone liked what they read!
Really enjoyed this walk with you through your brilliant photographs. They really show off the sights.