Copenhagen, Denmark had its beginnings more than 850 years ago as a fishing village. Today it is huge with a population of 1.2 million . We went on a “Copenhagen by Foot” tour in the morning. Our first stop was this well known statue below.
For those of you who enjoyed Disney’s Little Mermaid, I am happy to report that Copenhagen’s Hans Christian Anderson created the first Little Mermaid story. His version however did not have Disney’s happily ever after ending.
Our guide was a 26 year old college student finishing her master’s degree. In Denmark, the taxes are about 40% and higher for larger incomes. For that, all of the schooling is free up to and including university up to the master’s degree. College students get a monthly stipend to help them through their schooling. Other benefits include free health care and five weeks of mandatory vacation. Boys must serve in the military for 4 months. However there is a lottery system and only those who get from 1-200 must serve; the numbers go to 25,000!
In the afternoon, we took a canal boat ride to see Copenhagen from the water. Going under the bridges, the guide warned us not to stand.
After we left Copenhagen, our captain announced that a bad storm was heading directly in our path. Instead of stopping at Aalborg, Denmark he was going to change our course and head straight to Stavanger, Norway.
That meant we had another day at sea on Tuesday, October 2nd. By the afternoon, the winds really strong and the waves were high. I tried to walk on the treadmill at the fitness center, I spent most of that afternoon sleeping. The good news is that we did safely dock at Stavanger, Norway that evening around 9:00 that evening. I felt much better when our ship was anchored. Tomorrow we’ll explore the Norweigan town of Stavanger.
Your pictures are so clear and pretty! When Angie was a junior in high school, she went to Denmark with the People to People organization. Looks like a nice day until it started storming.