Denmark 2016: Days 1 and 2

We just returned from an incredible family vacation in Scandinavia. We spent ten days exploring Copenhagen and Stockholm and had the best time. We took tons of pictures, so the next bunch of blog posts will be heavy on our vacation photos.

On board the plane and ready to go! We left on Sunday, July 3 and one benefit of flying in the middle of the holiday weekend was that our plane to London was pretty empty.

The boys were so excited about this trip and had been counting down the days til our departure. They are both excellent travelers, though we did have some upset tummies (due more to extreme tiredness than motion sickness).

We spent five nights in Copenhagen and rented an airbnb flat just around the corner from the vibrant Nyhavn waterfront. Having an apartment as a home base was fantastic. We had plenty of room to spread out and a washer and dryer to keep up with laundry. We felt like locals!

A kind woman saw me snapping a picture of the boys and offered to take a family photo for us. We were so jetlagged but it was a gorgeous afternoon in Copenhagen so we just explored a bit in the Nyhavn area. You can see the colorful 17th-century townhouses behind us on the canal.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner on the canal and then ended the night with ice cream before crashing hard.

On our first full day in Copenhagen, we walked to Rosenborg Slot, built by King Christian IV in the early 17th century.

 

Amber chess set

Coronation thrones flanked by three massive silver lion in the Knights' Hall

 

Crown jewels

After the castle visit, we walked to the Round Tower. 

The views of Copenhagen from the top are incredible.

 

Gene is the master of finding yummy restaurants, so he took us to Det lille Apotek (The Little Pharmacy), which is Copenhagen's oldest restaurant and dates form 1720. 

 

The food was classic Danish cuisine, so we enjoyed open-faced sandwiches and beer. It was all delicious!

After lunch, we visited Sankt Petri Kirke (Saint Peter's Church), which was built in the mid-15th century and is the oldest building in central Copenhagen. We weren't able to go inside as they were closed on Tuesdays. 

Our primary reason for visiting St. Peter's was because my grandfather attended St. Petri Skole as a youth in Copenhagen. I loved being able to show the boys where their great-grandfather spent much of his time, and I loved walked the streets knowing that my grandfather had been there too.  

We ended the day with dinner 

and a stroll along the Nyhavn Canal.

Our Scandinavian vacation was off to a fantastic start!