The canal tour was a really great way to see the city. We started our tour at the inside end of Nyhavn. This canal is one of the most famous areas of the city. There are lots of old boats docked here and the buildings are all painted bright colors. It is also on this street, above the canal, that Hans Christian Anderson lived at different periods of time.
Some of the sites that we saw from the water on our canal tour were:
(1) The Opera House: This is a relatively new building and it is a very striking design. The center section is all rounded glass exterior, and I understand that the lighting changes
during the evening, but we never saw the building at night.
(2) Christianshavn: This is a residential area across the harbor from the central part of the city, and a canal runs right through it. Many areas around Copenhagen have been built on fill and much of Christianshavn has such a history.
(3) The Little Mermaid -- NOT! The Little Mermaid is a small statue that sits on a rock in teh harbor north of the city. The statue is based on a character in a story by Hans Christian Anderson, and this statue is one of the most famous sites in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, about one week before my visit, the statue was removed and shipped to Shanghai for an international world's fair. It will be gone for about six months. So, I missed seeing it! Instead, we were shown the spot where it usually sits. There was a family there taking
pictures of their daughter who had climbed onto the Little Mermaid's rock and was sitting where the statue usually sits. I am sure that this will become the new touristy thing to do.
(4) The City: The last part of the canal tour took us through a canal that runs by Slotsholmen, the Borsen, and Holmens Kirke. So although we had seen these spots earlier, we now got to see them from the water.
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