Postcards from... Copenhagen

Copenhagen had long been on my list of places to visit and I was in the process of planning a trip when the Danish cartoon row occurred. Since some British newspapers had stupidly reproduced the offending images, I thought the better of it and decided not to go. Six years later, when the furore had long died down, I finally booked a flight to the city of my dreams.

Founded as a Viking fishing village in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital in the mid-15th century. Its name, København in Danish, derives from Køpmannæhafn meaning "merchants' harbour", which reflects the city's origins as a harbour or place of commerce.

A splash of colour on Nyhavn

Having located my accommodation, I set off in search of Nyhavn (New Harbour). Commissioned by King Christian V (r. 1670-1699), Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment area lined with brightly-coloured townhouses on the northern side and lavish mansions on the southern one. In the past, it was notorious for beer, sailors and prostitution. It would later become home to the 19th century Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), who is alleged to have lived there for 18 years.


The hustle and the bustle

Colourful townhouses

Nyhavn was the one thing I really wanted to see in Copenhagen. It's also just about the only thing I saw in the sun. Well, that and Strøget, often said to be the world's longest pedestrian shopping street. This is actually a myth, probably spawned from the fact that when it opened it 1962, it was the longest pedestrian street in the world. But much has changed since then.


Standing on Strøget looking towards Amagertorv



Dutch-style building on Strøget

One of the things I enjoyed most about Copenhagen was simply wandering around the streets (on the one sunny day I had, at least). The downside of all that aimless wandering means that I can't remember where the following pictures were taken.

Quiet street



One of the many bikes in the city

An unlocked-but-still-there bike

 

 

Statue that appealed to me

The blue skies were a (very) temporary thing, so most of my photos look like the ones below – dull, grey and lifeless. But I took them anyway because I didn't know when or even if I'd be returning to Copenhagen.

One of the must-sees in the city is Amalienborg, the winter home of the Danish royal family. Originally built for four noble families, the palace comprises four identical classical buildings set around an octagonal courtyard. In 1794, when Christiansborg Slot, the then royal residence, burned down, the royal family bought Amalienborg and moved in.


One of the four classical buildings

Grumpy guard

When Christiansborg Slot burned down, the Palace Chapel was also destroyed. The then king commissioned the architect, Christian Frederik Hansen (1756-1845), to rebuild both the palace and the chapel. Work on the chapel commenced in 1813 and, like the new palace, it was designed in the neoclassical style. Thirteen years later, the chapel was inaugurated with a service commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity to Denmark.

For the next 100 years, the chapel was the parish church of the Royal family. It saw weddings, confirmations and lyings-in-state. In 1884, it narrowly avoided being burned to the ground during the second Christiansborg Slot fire. Its luck was to run out in 1992 when, once again, the chapel was destroyed by fire.

The chapel was rebuilt and restored to its former glory. In 1997, it was inaugurated in connection with Queen Margrethe II's silver jubilee. Since then, it has seen many major royal events, among them the baptism of Prince Christian in 2006.

The interior of the beleaguered Palace Chapel

Beautiful benches

 

For lovers of castles and palaces, Denmark is an obvious choice. And, having seen Amalienborg, I made my way to Rosenborg Slot. Built in 1606 in the Dutch Renaissance style, Rosenborg was designed to be a summer home for the royal family. The palace is situated in Kongens Have (The King's Garden), which is the country's oldest royal garden.

 

Rosenborg Slot

 

 

Walking in the country's oldest royal garden

One of the city's biggest attractions is Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park and pleasure garden that was opened in 1843. Its founder, Georg Carstensen (1812-1857) persuaded King Christian VIII (r. 1839-1848) to allow him to create Tivoli on the grounds that "when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics".

Tivoli was designed to be a magical place, home to exotic buildings, an old-timey bandstand, cafés, amusement rides and a scenic railway... It really comes to life after dark when coloured lamps illuminate the garden and reflect on the lake, the exception being dull, grey days like the one I experienced. I was left completely disappointed.

 

The one bright spot



A duck that looked like it had had its head removed and then sewn back on

Some of the coloured lamps

Tivoli on a grey day

I had wanted to visit for Copenhagen for so long so I was disappointed that it didn't live up to expectations. I'm almost certain my disappointment is as a result of four days of near non-stop rain. There were bright spots of course, which gave me just enough of a taste of Copenhagen to know that one day I will be back. But this time I'll be checking the weather forecast more carefully.

Exploring Portugal: Valença do Minho

Following a brief exploration of Viana do Castelo, I caught a train to the second and final stop on my itinerary, Valença do Minho. A walled town located on the bank of the Minho river, which establishes the border with Spain, Valença do Minho has a population of around 14,000 and was officially recognised as a city in June 2009.

The city's origins date back to Roman times, reminders of which can be found in two of the roads. There is also a 1st century Roman milestone inside the fortified walls marking the 42 mile distance on the road connecting Braga, then known as Bracara Augusta, to Tui in Spain, which the Romans called Tude. However, the city as we know it was founded in the 12th century by King Sancho I, the second king of Portugal (r. 1185-1212). At the time it was called Contrasta, which means "village opposed to another", in this case Tui in the Spanish province of Galicia. The name was changed to Valença in the 13th century by Sancho's grandson, King Afonso III (r. 1248-1279).

I'm afraid I don't know very much more about the city's history. So instead of prattling on about things I'm not qualified to talk about, I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

A section of the well-preserved fortified walls

The main street inside the walls

  

The archway joining the two halves of the walled town



Another look at the fortifications

Iglesia de Santa María dos Anjos



Capela da Misericórdia

Yet another glimpse of the fortifications



Capela de São Sebastião

View across the Minho to Tui in Spain

The old International Bridge connects Portugal to Spain

Inspired by the work of Gustave Eiffel, the bridge was completed in 1884



From the bridge, it's a short walk into Tui in Spain

The Minho acts as the border between Spain (on the left) and Portugal

Exploring Portugal: Viana do Castelo

In June 2011, with my contract almost at an end, I treated myself to one final trip. With Saturday classes finished, for my last weekend, I visited two towns I'd long wanted to see, the first of which was Viana do Castelo.

I had attempted to visit Viana do Castelo some seven months earlier. My efforts were thwarted by the hideous weather, and I got no further than the shopping centre above the bus station. This time I am happy to say, I was far more successful. I caught the 08:10 train from Braga (who knew that existed?!) to Nine, and then changed for Viana do Castelo, arriving at 09:30.

My first dilemma was how to get out of the train station! Seriously. Somehow I had missed the big footbridge! Some fifteen minutes later, I figured it out and my sightseeing could truly begin... but first I had to locate the funicular to Santa Luzia do Monte. This time it was not my failing, but Rough Guide's. They had marked the start point for the funicular in completely the wrong place on the map! I eventually located the funicular, only to find it was closed. According to Rough Guide it opened at 08:00 daily. According to itself, it opened at 10:00... Rough Guide fail! To cut a long story short, I managed to get to the top, where I passed a happy half hour or so taking photos and ascending the building to get the best views.

La Basílica de Santa Luzía



The rose window

View across the River Lima

View of the Atlantic

Back on the ground it was time to explore the town. The only drawback was the temperature – 30°C (86°F)and rising. It was NOT good sightseeing weather! My first port of call (pun intended) was the Gil Eannes, a former Portuguese hospital ship now permanently moored in the fishing harbour.

Commissioned by Grémio dos Armadores de Navios da Pesca do Bacalhau (the Portuguese guild of codfish fishing ship owners), the Gil Eannes was built in 1955 at the naval shipyards in Viana do Castelo. The ship served as a hospital ship in the Newfoundland and Greenland seas. In 1973, following its last trip, the Gil Eannes was abandoned in the port of Lisbon pending demolition.

Almost 25 years later, TV presenter José Hermano Saraiva, the sponsor of the ship's last trip, launched a campaign to save the Gil Eannes, and it worked. The following year, the ship was restored, part of it was transformed into a 60-bed youth hostel while the rest was turned into a museum.


Crossing the bridge to get to the Gil Eannes



Boarding the ship



View from the cabin

The entrance to the museum

Having seen the ship, I made my way back into town, but it was just too hot too sightsee. So, I located a nice park, and sat in the shade watching the world go by. When hunger forced to me leave, I made my way slowly up the hill to the air-conditioned haven that was Viana Shopping. After a quick lunch, it was back to the park for an hour of shadiness, before catching the 14:12 train to Valença do Minho, the last place I would visit in Portugal.

Exploring Portugal: Póvoa de Varzim

When I came to Portugal, I made it my goal to see as many places as possible. From February onwards I was working six days a week, which meant that I was restricted to places within easy reach of Porto.

By June, with my time in Portugal fast running out, there were very few easy-to-reach places that I hadn't been to. However, there was a beach I hadn't yet visited and that was Póvoa de Varzim. So one Sunday in the middle of the month, I caught the 10:34 train to Porto. From there I got the metro to Póvoa de Varzim, where I spent a pleasant few hours.

Though much bigger than I had imagined, Póvoa de Varzim was quite a nice town, with pretty streets and of course, the beach. I probably took the long way to the beach, walking almost to Vila do Conde before I realised I was walking in the wrong direction! Doh!


Halfway to... the wrong place!

Having found the beach I was somewhat disappointed to find that the sand was very gritty, and underfoot it hurt! So my beach adventure was fairly short-lived. It was pretty though, and surprisingly empty for a warm June weekend.


The view to the right

The view to the left



Watchful seagull



Walking along the shore where the sand was less gritty

Exploring Portugal: Braga

I arrived in Braga in late September 2010. My new flatmate (and colleague) and I set off to explore the city that was to be our home for the next nine months. Despite being Portugal's third city, it was surprisingly small...

Braga's history dates back thousands of years to Celtic times when a tribe called the Callaici Bracarii or Bracarenses occupied the area. Around 136 BC, the Romans began their conquest of the region, and in 20 BC, the city of Bracara Augusta was founded. The city was to become an administrative capital of the newly-founded province of Gallaecia (comprising northwest Portugal and modern-day Galicia).

The Middle Ages saw the city changing hands several times, falling first to a Germanic people called the Suebi and later the Visigoths. In the early 8th century, Braga was captured by the Moors. In 1040, the Christian forces of King Fernando I of León and Castile (r. 1037-1065) ousted the Moors.


Top of the fountain in front of the south wing of the Archiepiscopal Court

One of the first things we came across was the attractive Edificio do Banco de Portugal (the Bank of Portugal building), which was designed by the architect João de Moura Coutinho. I was later to discover that it looked even better against a backdrop of blue sky.

The Bank of Portugal building on a summer's day

A stone's throw from the bank was Praça da República (Republic Square). This huge square is the heart of the city and is a fantastic place for people-watching from one of the many cafés. My favourite, and the oldest one in town, was Café Vianna, which has been serving residents and visitors since 1858.

Praça da República

 

 

The flower-lined Avenida da Liberdade

 

By far my favourite place in the city was Jardim de Santa Bárbara (Santa Barbara garden), a relatively modern creation backing the eastern wing of Paço Arquiepiscopal (Archiepiscopal Court). Even on a dull day in late September, the garden did not fail to impress.

In full bloom

The garden with the remains of the medieval arcade of the palace in the background

Walking towards the Archiepiscopal Court

In mid-December, I was on my way back from Vila do Conde. Arriving in Braga later than usual, I was treated to a glorious display of lights from Arco da Porta Nova (the Arch of the New Gate) all the way to Praça da República.

The light-lined streets

Floating presents

Café Vianna in all its lighted glory