Wednesday, August 22, 2018: Copenhagen: Amelienborg, Rosenborg, National Geographic Meet Up

Well, today we find out that we really aren't visiting four Scandinavian capitals.  No, the itinerary hasn't changed.  We're still going to Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo.  What we found out is that it is a challenge for Finland to be considered a Scandinavian country.  So, it appears that we are going to four Nordic capitals, only three of which are Scandinavian.  Who knew?

After a leisurely and unremarkable tour through the Carlsberg section of town, we meet up with our National Geographic expedition group.  There are 22 of us plus two guides, Elizabeth and David, who will be with us for the entire tour.  Elizabeth, who is Swedish but has lived in Denmark for thirty years, will serve as our local guide in Denmark.  We save group introductions for social hour later this afternoon.

First stop is Amelienborg, the palace of the queen of Denmark.  This is where the queen lives.  The difference in security between the White House and here is stark.
The palace is guarded by King Frederick V.
No visit to Copenhagen would be complete without a visit to the statue of the Little Mermaid, made famous by Hans Christian Andersen.  I didn't walk here at 5am.  We  must make do with a photo snapped during the bus stop in mid-afternoon sunshine.
We visit Rosenborg Castle on the inside this time after stopping by outside on Monday ...
where we visit the crown jewels of Denmark.

Our fellow Nat Geo travelers are self-introduced later in the afternoon.  Bev discovers Sandy who is dressed eerily similar.  Even more eerie is that Sandy is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and both Bev & Sandy went to Northern Iowa University.
Our introductory dinner tonight is at Nimb Brasserie on the edge of Tivoli.
We have a great time chatting while dining in a great atmosphere.

The room in the restaurant has a mirrored ceiling which makes it irresistible to take a selfie.
I dine on beef tenderloin.
 Bev dines on Haik caught in Danish waters.
 Bill finishes with chocolate and sorbet while Bev has sorbet and fresh fruit.
And we finish with coffee served in Royal Copenhagen china, of course.
Tomorrow, we are off on a tour of northern Zealand.  Goodnight for me.


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