Birkerød & Copenhagen, Denmark

Woke up to clouds but with a beautiful pink sky in the distance so I knew there would be some sun which is amazing for this part of the world this time of the year.

Elke goes horseback riding in Birkerød, Denmark every Sunday where she shares a partial ownership of a horse name Tornado. She also takes horseback riding lessons at the same stable on Thursday nights after work. So this morning we left the apartment around 9:30am and took a train about a half hour to Birkerød station and then a bus about 10 minutes to where the stable is or at least near there and we walked another 10 minutes after that. Elke usually takes her bike and rides from the station even in the winter.

Interesting fact about the Danish, they like to ride bikes everywhere and at all times. I've seen, since I got here, people of all ages, wearing regular clothes, even high-heeled boots, riding in what is now freezing temperatures. There are bike lanes every where in the city and they are being used continuously day and night. Elke warned me when I first got here to never walk in the bike lane because not only would I annoy the bikers I could get hit which I can see would be an easy thing to have happen. You don't see may overweight people walking the streets of Copenhagen and considering they have so many fast food places and devour lots of desserts the routine of riding and walking everywhere clearly has paid off.

So back to the stable. It's large and located in a beautiful residential neighborhood where villas go for 1 million Euros and I'm sure up. It's also just up a hill from a large lake where there were so many people of all ages out walking the hiking trails. I was so cold but these people, many senior citizens included and tiny babies in strollers, didn't seem to mind at all and enjoyed the day out in the dry sunshine.

I got a good picture Elke with Tornado and Tornado with Rolex, yes, just like the watch. Elke had to go and groom the horse and get him ready to ride so I enjoyed watching the little kids taking their lessons in the small arena. They're incredible and the parents are there with them helping them as the maneuver around the rink.  One father was telling me his daughter, who was so adorable and reminded me so much of my Goddaughter, Amelia, was just 5 years old last year when she started riding and now at 6 she was on one of the larger hoses with a cute pink saddle blanket. One horse was a little mischievous with a small girl of about 6 or 7 on him but the instructors quickly got him under control but for a few moments I was shocked at how fast and wild he was running.

There were also two cats at the stable one that looked just like Zaboo but a tiny bit dirty. To be expected I suppose since he lives with a bunch of horses and another cat that was a cross between Zaboo and a white kitty. Both were fat and happy and friendly.

We left the sable a bit after 1pm and did the same trip back bus to train but with a short stop at a gas station convenience store to get some warm tea. We had packed some snacks we picked up at the bakery last night and had these amazing grain bread rolls with milk chocolate in the middle, yum!

There isn't much to say about Birkerød because it's like most suburbs for a large city with houses, some natural beauty like a lake or a park but other than that not much historical references. This is what I found online: " Birkerød is a town and was a municipality in Frederiksborg County on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 34 km², and had a total population of 21,930."

Back in Copenhagen we walked around the main city area coming to the marina where the famous row of pastel colored houses are. It's really beautiful and although it was cold it was nice to be here without all the tourist so you could actually take time to view the marina and enjoy it's beauty without feeling rushed or crowded.

We passed several unique buildings of differing time periods and because Denmark wasn't pumled with bombs during the world wars like many other European countries you have so many dating back hundreds of years and still virtually in perfect condition. We came across a building Elke hadn't been to but had passed many times, Nikolaj Kunsthal, the Contemporary museum here. It was once a church and there is a huge banner outside now for an exhibit that reads "This is not a church." We stopped in anyway because I was curious if part of it was still a church but no, it's just a museum and what a great space for it, the tower from the outside is really beautiful with large, thick buttresses. I was curious about it's history and found this info: "St. Nikolaj Church originated in the early 1200s and is Copenhagen’s third oldest church. As a consequence of the Great Fire of Copenhagen in 1795, the building’s history as a church came to an end in 1805. Since then it has had numerous different functions including, being a fire station, a naval museum and a public library. In 1957 the art pioneer Knud Pedersen founded an art library in the building where works of art could be borrowed. The building has played a key role for contemporary art in Copenhagen ever since. Throughout the 1960s it was the site of a series of major avant-garde manifestations, including some of the first international Fluxus happenings in 1962. In the 1970s the Danish Visual Artists Union was affiliated with the building. In 1981 the building became Copenhagen City Council’s official exhibition space. Since the mid 1990s Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center has developed a strong profile focussing on innovative and experimental contemporary art."

We then walked back toward Elke's apartment and just enjoyed all the beautiful architecture a bridge with several spires in the distance, one which is in the far left of the picture and can be walked up from the outside, very scary thought for those of us who are afraid of heights and then there is a spire in the middle of the picture which comes to a sharp point at the top and is all white which is actually sculptures of four dragons with their tails twisted together to make the shape of the spindly dome. It was the old stock exchange in the 1600's and the architect also put in these short doors all along the side of the building spaced just 20 feet or so apart and each stock broker had their own exit which I really can't imagine why that was necessary but there you have it. "Old Stock Exchange (Børsen) - One of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen is the Old Stock Exchange - situated on the island of Slotsholmen and built by King Christian IV (1577-1648 - ruled Denmark and Norway 1588-1648) in 1619-1640. The King was called the great builder and architect of Copenhagen - and had the ambitions to turn Copenhagen into a financial and trade centre by creating this magnificent building that housed the Danish stock-market until 1974. The Danish stock-market has moved to more modern and suitable facilities.  The Old Stock Exchange (Børsen) is built on the gravel filled embankment and dam to Christianshavn - where the foundations were laid on wood piles, which is still supporting the existing construction from that time. The impressive building was placed by King Christian IV right at the entrance to Copenhagen as a prestigious landmark to mark the growth and wealth of the city and to impress Danish as well as foreign merchants that arrived from the sea side. The building had a quay on both sides for easy and direct access to the market with goods and other merchandise from the shipside. The Stock building was designed in the Dutch Renaissance style with its prominent spire of four dragons with their tails twisting towards the top and ending in a spear with three crowns representing The Kalmar Union between Denmark - Norway and Sweden symbolizing the close relationship among the three Nordic countries. The tower and spire is almost 60 meters high and the entire building has survived all of the great fires that have ravaged Copenhagen up to date."

I'm not sure I'll be able to get a good shot of the spire so I took the picture from the internet.

So that was pretty much the day and we headed back to the apartment for a rest before going to a Turkish buffet restaurant for dinner, Riz Raz which was delicious and all vegetarian so great healthy options including crunch falafel balls, some of the best hummus I've ever had and a great veggie lasagna. Buffets seem to be a good choice here for inexpensive but tasty ethnic foods and it's always nice to have a variety of dishes to choose from.

On our way back to the apartment from the restaurant we passed a large church with massive columns in the front. The church of Our Lady is a rather plain church by Catholic cathedral standards and pretty much most churches in countries like Italy, Spain and France but there was something about it that made us take notice and see that the doors were still open and there were candles lit all around the vast open space of the main church room. We went in and found that they were holding their tri-weekly prayer service that begins around 7:00pm and goes until around 11:30pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. They have the church aglow with candle light even on the alter where there is an angel statue and they have candles in the shell-shaped bowl in front of her. It’s a peaceful place to pray and be still and in these evening services they have participants write prayers on small scraps of paper and they either have you read them or they record them and play it back, we weren’t sure Elke did her best to translate from Danish. We stayed a little bit but then headed out.  It’s clearly a wonderful meeting place for all ages seeking a quiet place to reflect and be at peace. I found two pictures on line one showing it in daylight and one showing it ready for the evening services. Here is some internet info on the church: “During an ordinary week, many people pass in and out of the entrance to Vor Frue Kirke. Their business varies. Many wish to take part in the services on Sundays and on holidays, on Fridays or in the morning services on every week day. Or they attend night church on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, or they join in special services, and wedding or funeral ceremonies. They may come to hear an organ concert or a choir, or they may be preparing for their confirmation in classes held at the church. They may be tourists or worshippers who want a quiet moment in the church room, perhaps to light a candle in the globe or study one of the copies of the Bible left out for general use. To them all, the church room is significant because it is different from all other rooms in the buildings that surround them in the city. The church draws a different breath, deeper and more voluminuos. Its breath is born of the function of the room, designed as it is to serve as a special place for meetings between man, his deity and eternity. But the breath also comes out of a historical room used by generations before us - a room of traditions that go back far in time. So, in many different senses, we step into a broad context. After her defeat in the Napoleonic wars, Denmark was deep in debt, so there was little money for building churches. All the same, discussions of various plans led to a decision to begin reconstruction of the principal church in the country with the principal architect in the country, C. F. Hansen from Holsten, at the helm. This also meant abandoning the idea to reconstruct the church in its traditional style. The church would be built in the "modern" style which C. F. Hansen represented and which he had practiced in several remarkable buildings in Copenhagen, Greco-Roman neo-classicism. (Large sections of the old building could, though, be used in outer walls and the tower).”