By Alan K. Lee
Introduction
If Copenhagen is a bucket list destination for you and you are trying to decide between it and any other place, you can’t go wrong by picking Copenhagen. It wasn’t particularly high on my bucket list, but Scandinavia in general was, partly because all four of my grandparents were born in Scandinavia (none in Denmark, though). So, a tour of Scandinavia won out when my wife and I were planning our latest adventure. Copenhagen just happened to be the starting point of the tour. And we couldn’t have been more delighted by the charm and history of the city. We enjoyed our visit immensely. It’s a very cool place and I would love to go back someday.
The City
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and its largest city. Its population of 670,000 and metropolitan area population of 2.1 million make it very similar in size to Portland, Oregon, where we live. Copenhagen is a much more international city than Portland, though. In fact, the closest city to Copenhagen is Malmo, Sweden, only 15 miles away as the crow flies. The two cities have been connected by a road and rail bridge since 2000, making travel between the two cities and two countries quick and easy. And Copenhagen is very much a European city.
Copenhagen, especially the old city center, is bounded and defined by water. The name Copenhagen translates to Merchants Harbor and the city has been a center of maritime trade since its inception.
Most of the city is located on the island of Zealand. A smaller part is on the island of Amager. An even smaller part is the islet of Slotsholmen, the location of Christiansborg Palace. In addition to the channel separating Zealand from Amager, the city has numerous canals and side channels, so that no part of the city center is far from a waterway of some sort.
And one of the best ways to get an introduction to the city is by boat. We booked a small (twelve passenger) boat tour on our first full day in Copenhagen that was well worth the price. Our captain described the city’s sights in ways that were both informative and hilarious at times. We learned a lot and laughed a lot on that tour.
There were many people on the water that day (and every day that we were there). In addition to the tour boats, both large and small, there were many kayakers out exploring the city, and many others in private boats and rented “Go Boats.”
We found the city and its people to be friendly and welcoming. Denmark (and all of Scandinavia for that matter) ranks high on both the lists of the happiest places in the world and those having the highest quality of life. And you don’t need to learn any Danish to get by. Almost everyone speaks English.
History
Archeological evidence indicates that the Copenhagen area has been inhabited for at least 5000 years, and probably much longer. Copenhagen itself originated as a fishing village in the 11th century. The city of Copenhagen dates to the 12th century construction of a fortress on the site of what is now Christiansborg Palace. The original fortress was replaced by Copenhagen Castle in the 14th century, which was torn down and replaced by the first Christiansborg Palace in the 18th century.
We spent one whole day exploring Copenhagen’s history, touring Rosenborg Castle (finished in 1624), Christiansborg Palace, and the Amalienborg Museum (in one of the four palaces making up the Amalienborg Palace complex). The three palaces (or “slots” in Danish) can be visited on a single combination ticket. Rosenborg Castle is the only one of the three that requires a timed entry ticket, so visit it first if you want to see all three.
We also visited Kastellet on that same day, a former fortress near the site of the Little Mermaid sculpture that continues to house military buildings (of no particular architectural interest) that are surrounded by a beautiful public park. And we ended the day with a visit to Freetown Christiania (see below). That made for a long and tiring, but very interesting, day.
Rosenborg Castle
Rosenborg Castle (Rosenborg Slot) was built by King Christian IV as a summer residence in 1606, then expanded to its present size in 1624. Some of Christian IV’s possessions, including his private writing cabinet (and his bathroom) are on display. And everything on display can only be described as magnificently opulent.
The Knight’s Hall contains the coronation throne, queens throne, three life-size silver lions, and twelve tapestries from the 17th century. The Danish Crown Jewels can be viewed in the castle basement (which has a separate entrance from the main castle).
The King’s Garden (Kongens Have), also known as the Castle Garden, is located adjacent to the castle. See the Parks and Natural Areas section below.
Christiansborg Palace
The original Christiansborg Palace (Christiansborg Slot) was completed in 1745. A fire in 1794 nearly destroyed the structure, which was then replaced by the second palace, completed in 1828.
In 1849, when Denmark became a constitutional monarchy, the first Danish Parliament met in the south wing of the palace. The only king to use the second palace as a residence was Frederick VII, from 1852 to 1863.
The second palace also burned, in 1884. Construction of the current palace was completed in 1928 and is the seat of the current Danish Parliament, as well as the Danish Supreme Court and the office of the Prime Minister, making it the seat of all three branches of the Danish government.
Amalienborg Museum
The Amalienborg Museum is located in one of the four buildings making up Amalienborg Palace. The palaces surround a central courtyard with a statue of King Frederik V at its center. The structures were originally the homes of four noble families, but were purchased by the Danish royal family after the original Christiansborg Palace burned in 1794. The palace has been the official residence of the royal family ever since.
Parks and Natural Areas
Copenhagen is a beautiful city with many parks and natural areas. The largest park in the central city is Kongens Have, adjacent to Rosenborg Castle.
The park has large open areas, shaded lanes lined with trees, a formal rose garden, and a children’s playground. There is also a monument to Hans Christian Andersen, and a café (the Herkules Pavillon Café).
There are many other parks that we did not have time to explore, including Faelledparken, about a mile north of Rosenborg Castle, and Amager Faelled, on Amager Island about a mile south of the city center.
Art and Architecture
Statues, monuments, and many other public art exhibits are scattered throughout the city center. And there are many art museums and galleries in the old city, including the Nicolaj Art Gallery and the Ny Carlesberg Glyptotek.
I’m a big fan of architecture in general and Copenhagen has a wide range of building styles from centuries old churches to ultra-modern office buildings. The images above are only a tiny slice of what you can find in the city center.
The Little Mermaid
Edvard Eriksen’s iconic bronze sculpture is one of the top tourist attractions in Copenhagen and not to be missed. Although not imposing (the sculpture is less than five feet tall), it has been captivating people ever since its creation in 1913.
The Little Mermaid sculpture was inspired by the 19th century Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. It was commissioned by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, one of the ten largest beer brewers in the world. He was inspired by a ballet based on the fairy tale and wanted the ballerina, Ellen Price, to model for the sculpture, but she refused to pose nude. The model was actually Ericksen’s wife, Eline Ericksen.
Nyhavn
Another iconic location in Copenhagen is Nyhavn, where brightly colored buildings house cafes, pubs, and townhouses along both sides of a canal. Hans Christian Andersen lived and wrote in three different houses in Nyhavn. Built in the 17th century, Nyhavn (“new harbor”) was once home to sailors, merchants, taverns, and bordellos. Today it a mecca for tourists.
In summer, Nyhavn is a great place to get a beer and relax in an outdoor café, as long as you don’t mind the throngs of tourists that flock there. In winter, it is home to a Christmas Market that is something of a tourist attraction of its own.
Freetown Christiania
In 1971, counter-culture journalist Jacob Ludvigsen declared a former military barracks on Amager Island “open” and Freetown Christiania (more often just called Christiania) was born. Christiania was, and still is, an intentional community akin to a hippie commune.
One of Christiania’s most contentious (mostly to outsiders, but also to a lesser extent to Christiania residents) provisions was open tolerance to drug use and drug dealing. Aptly named Pusher Street became home to open stalls selling cannabis, but hard drugs were only slightly less publicly sold. The cannabis stalls were removed by the residents and Pusher Street was dug up in 2016 after two police officers and a citizen were shot by a cannabis dealer. Cannabis is still widely tolerated, but hard drugs are not.
Ownership of the former barracks was bandied about in Danish courts until the Danish Supreme Court ruled that the state was still the ultimate land owner. But Copenhagen and Christiania leaders came to an agreement that resulted in the newly created Foundation Freetown Christiania acquiring 19 of the 84 acres of the former barracks. Residents of Christiania went from squatters to the legal owners in 2012.
Today, Christiania is one of the top five tourist attractions in Copenhagen. It is home to many artists, and public art installation are common, including one of Thomas Dambo’s giant troll sculptures. Other troll sculptures of his can be found around the world, including one in Portland, only a few miles from my home. The Christiania Art Gallery is also a place you might want to visit. (Bring Danish krone if you might want to buy anything – they don’t accept Euros or US dollars). There are also numerous shops and cafes, including Café Nemoland.
Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens (often referred to as just Tivoli) is an amusement park located in the middle of Copenhagen with 30 different rides and many other attractions. It opened in 1843 and has been in continuous operation ever since, 183 years and counting. It is the second oldest continuously operated amusement park in the world, second only to the Dyrehavsbakken (or simply Bakken), which opened to the public in 1756 and is also located in Denmark, not far from Copenhagen. We did not visit Tivoli, but if you have young children or are just into thrill rides, it might be a must see attraction. It gets somewhat mixed reviews, though. Most of the criticism seems to be due to the cost of admission. An entrance and ride pass (for ages eight and up) currently costs about $60. Children 3-7 get in for half price and children under three get in free.
Practical Matters
Today, Copenhagen is a sprawling metropolis, but the old town section of the city is compact and walkable. Getting around is easy, either on foot or by the efficient, safe, and quick Metro train system or municipal buses. Our hotel was several miles from the city center, but only about a five minute walk to a Metro station and a 15 minute train ride away from the old town center.
Denmark is part of the European Union but uses its own currency, the Danish krone. Euros are accepted most places, though, and even American dollars in some places. And almost every place accepts credit cards.
Pubs and cafes are found everywhere in the city center, especially along the waterfront and in other touristy areas. You don’t really need a guidebook. Menus in most cafes and restaurants are printed in both Danish and English, some in English only. And almost everyone speaks passable English, so if you have any questions just ask your server. Servers are paid a living wage, so tipping is optional, but appreciated. At some of the cafes and pubs that we ate it wasn’t even an option, but where it is 10% is sufficient.
There are many hotels and other accommodations available in downtown Copenhagen. Prices (including taxes and fees) for hotels generally start at about $350 per night on summer weekends, but can be much higher depending on location and degree of luxury desired. Our hotel, several miles from the city center, was a little over $300 per night and was more than adequate.
Conclusion
Copenhagen’s a fascinating place, especially if you love to be on the water, with a long and interesting history, friendly and welcoming people, beautiful art, architecture, and parks, and far more to see than we could in the three days we had there. A week (or two) would have been better. But our visit was long enough to fall in love with the city and its people. I heartily recommend that, if you can, you should visit at least once in your life. It’s really a magnificent city.
Posted September 20, 2026
All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted
No visit to Galway is complete without a visit to an Irish pub, and there is a long list to choose from in downtown Galway, particularly in the Latin Quarter. We sampled a few pints at Jack J. Foley’s across the street from Eyre Square, Blake’s Bar on Eglington Street, a couple of blocks from the square, and Seven Bridgestreet, which is both its name and its address.
Vienna is also a city of many beautiful parks and natural areas. After our walking tour of the medieval center, we crossed the Danube and spend some time in a beautiful park on a long, narrow, tree lined island between the main channel of the Danube and the Neue Donau side channel.
BASEL
Since our guide book didn’t cover Basel at all, we didn’t know quite what to expect. But, after disembarking the ship in the morning and taking a taxi to our hotel, we took advantage of having the rest of the day to explore the city.
We first headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art, part of the 
After touring the museum, we spent the rest of the day sampling Swiss cuisine and exploring more of the city center, including 
I later learned that Basel is considered by many to be the cultural heart of Switzerland. The Kunstmuseum (linked above), which opened in 1661, is the oldest public art museum in the world. The Museum of Contemprary Art is also the oldest contemporary art museum in Europe. And the and the University of Basel, founded in 1460, is the oldest university in Switzerland. Clearly, there is a lot of history here.
BERN
We wandered our way through the medieval center and down to the Aare River at the point of the peninsula that the old city is located on. The Aare is strikingly beautiful, colored turquoise blue by the glacial silt it carries. We lingered along river for a while before crossing the relatively new (built in 1840) high bridge (Nydeggbrucke) on our way to a couple of cold beers at the Altes Tramsdepot, a restaurant and pub housed in what was once a transit center.
The restaurant and the viewpoint next to it provide a good view of the river and the old city. And below, along the river, you can sometimes see brown bears, which are the symbol of Bern, in the Bear Park (Barenpark). The bears were not out and about when we were there, though.
Just downstream of the Nydeggbrucke, the older Untertorbrucke is a good vantage point to photograph the river and the high bridge. The current Untertorbrucke was constructed in 1489 to replace a wooden bridge built in 1256.
Back in the medieval city center (all of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), we visited the 
Originally posted February 27, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and reposted February 9, 2024.
So, how to experience the real New Orleans? Well, you probably have to spend a year or two there to really get to know the city. It’s a complex place. But if you don’t have that kind of time, my first recommendation would be to find a place to stay in the French Quarter. It’s the historic center of the city and the city’s cultural heart. Most of what you’ll probably want to see and do you’ll find either in French Quarter itself or close by.
Since my wife and I are both art lovers, another thing that we always do in a new city is spend at least some time exploring the local arts scene. Sometimes that just entails visiting local museums and art galleries. But we also seek out local artists and art related events when we can. The 
Touring one of the city’s many cemeteries turned out to be one of the more interesting things we did on our visit. Because the land New Orleans is built on was originally a swamp, and much of it is below sea level, the dead are not buried in the ground, but are interred in above ground crypts or tombs.
When we were there, we were warned that some of the cemeteries were dangerous places to visit and should be avoided. That may have changed, but check before you venture into any of the city’s cemeteries. There are organized cemetery tours that you can take, but we preferred to go on our own. One of the cemeteries that was said to be safe, and the one we visited, was St. Patrick Cemetery No. 1, on Canal Street near the end of the streetcar line.
Many of the tombs there are large, elaborate, and impressive, holding the remains of many generations of the same family. The larger and more ornate ones are generally well kept up, but many of the others have not been maintained and are crumbling. Many are just ruins, empty and abandoned. One has to wonder what became of the bodies.
Music is an essential component of the spirit of the Big Easy. Whether it’s traditional Cajun fiddle tunes, blues, jazz, swamp rock, zydeco, country, or a fusion of some or all of those genres, music permeates the city. Street performers are a common sight in the French Quarter any time of the day or night. And there are probably hundreds of clubs throughout the city offering live performances late into the night, every night. Take in as much of the music as you can while you’re there because it’s such a vital component of the city’s spirit.
Gig Harbor, Washington is located on Puget Sound near Tacoma. My first visit came about eight years ago. At the time it was one of the few towns on Puget Sound that I had not explored. I had heard testimonials to the town’s charm. And charming it is, at least the historic downtown along the waterfront. Like 
The museum is located where Donkey Creek flows into the harbor, and when the salmon are spawning you can watch them swimming upstream from viewing platforms in Donkey Creek Park, across Harborview Drive from the museum.
Tourism is more important than fishing to Gig Harbor’s economy today, but a small fishing fleet still exists and is still important to the cultural identity of the town. On the first weekend of June each year, during the Maritime Gig Festival, the fleet gathers in the bay for a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony.
Getting out on the water is both great fun and a way to view the waterfront from a different perspective. You can rent kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and electric boats at 
If you’re thinking about paying Gig Harbor a visit, a good place to start is the 
My wife and I timed our first visit to coincide with the Gig Harbor Beer Festival. We’re from Beervana (also known as Portland), after all, and we frequently seek out new opportunities to sample craft beers that we’ve not tried before. Gig Harbor has four craft breweries: Gig Harbor Brewing, 7 Seas Brewing, Wet Coast Brewing, and Dunagan Brewing. We sampled beers from all but Dunagan at the beer festival, and we both found a number of beers to our liking, even though we have very different tastes in beer. We’ve attended the festival (now called the Gig Harbor Beer and Cider Festival) several more times since that first visit. Gig Harbor Brewing and 7 Seas Brewing have taprooms located on the waterfront in Gig Harbor. Wet Coast has a taproom just off Hwy 16 in the newer part of Gig Harbor. And Dunagan’s Irish Pub and Brewery is located about a mile south of Wet Coast, also just off Hwy 16. Of the four, only Dunagan’s serves food. If you want to eat as well as drink, try the Tides Tavern or one of the other establishments listed in the Gig Harbor Guide.
One restaurant that you should not miss is 
Coming down off Trail Ridge we stopped on the continental divide at Milner Pass (at 10,759 feet you actually come down in elevation from Trail Ridge to the divide). We did a short walk there along the shore of Poudre Lake and, of course, took a photo of the continental divide sign before heading south.
In 1859, Colorado City was founded and later became the capital of the Colorado Territory before the capital was moved first to Golden, then Denver. Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 just east of what became known as Old Colorado City. Colorado Springs grew rapidly and eventually Old Colorado City became incorporated into the growing city, and is now a neighborhood west of downtown Colorado Springs.
The park is very popular and parking can be a problem, but there is also a large overflow parking area just west of 30th Street if the visitor center parking lot is full. There is a pedestrian tunnel under 30th Street to get from the overflow lot to the visitor center. The park also operates a free shuttle bus in the summer that runs from the visitor center to the center of the park with stops at the overflow parking area and the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.
The park, originally called Short Sand Beach State Park, was created in 1931 through the efforts of Oregon’s first State Parks Superintendent, Samuel H. Boardman. Boardman was a fervent believer that of as much of the coast should be preserved in public ownership as possible. Many of the state parks along the coast were created under his stewardship. Short Sand Beach State Park was renamed in 1958 to honor former Oregon Governor 
Devils Cauldron is a spectacularly beautiful little cove on the north side of Neahkahnie Mountain. It can be reached by either a one mile hike from Short Sand Beach or a much shorter hike from where the Coast Trail crosses Hwy 101. To access the shorter route, drive south on Hwy 101 from the Short Sand Beach parking lots and look for a gravel parking area on the ocean side of the highway. Follow the Coast Trail north a short ways to a signed junction. The Devils Cauldron viewpoint is just a quarter mile walk from the parking area.
On your way back to the trailhead look for another trail branching off to the south. The junction here is unsigned and the trail is sometimes overgrown and impassable. But if it’s open, the trail leads to a narrow shelf of rock that falls away on three sides to the ocean below, and the cliffs of Neahkahnie Mountain tower over the viewpoint to both the north and south. It may not be a place for people with a fear of heights, but it’s one of the most awesome places on the entire coast.
Oswald West State Park is about a two hour drive from Portland, so it’s easily doable as a day trip if you’re from the Portland area or are visiting Portland. But if you want to make a weekend of it, there are plenty of other attractions on the north Oregon coast beyond Oswald West. 
Overview:
Getting there:
Trailhead:
The hike:
The Townsite Trail takes you along the river through a mixed woodland of Douglas fir, bigleaf maple, and red alder with partially screened views of the river. There are several user-made trails leading down to the water, but they are steep (and dangerous if the ground is wet), so be careful if you want to get to the water for a better view of the river.
At about the one-mile mark you’ll come to an open field on your right and you’ll see a boat dock ahead on your left. There is a small parking area here with a restroom. Head down to the dock for the best views of the river on this hike.
Coming back up from the dock, look for a trail to your left. This will take you to Champoeg Creek where it flows into the Willamette. The trail then loops back through the forest and comes out into a clearing. Follow the edge of the clearing back to the restroom above the dock. From there, retrace your route back to the trailhead at the Riverside picnic area.
Best time to go:
Champoeg State Park: 
Posted October 26, 2023 by Alan K. Lee