COUNTRIES

Arriving by ferry in Helsingor. It's only 4km from Sweden

Kronborg castle in Helsingor, immortalized as Elsinore in Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

The castle controlled the entranceway to the Baltic Sea. All ships had to pay toll depending on the value of cargo

The captain of every ship had to state the value of cargo. The king had the right to buy it for the price the captain stated

Buildings around the castle

The facade seen from the square inside Kronborg Castle

Kronborg was considered the strongest fortress in Europe

The narrowest point of the Oresund, the sound between Denmark and Sweden

Marina in Copenhagen

The statue of The Little Mermaid. Surprisingly small, it's a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction

Copenhagen Opera House, one of the most modern opera houses in the world. It cost over $500 million!

Amalienborg Palace, the winter home of the Danish royal family

The Royal Guard outside Amalienborg Palace

Carlsberg museum. Carlsberg is the 4th largest brewery group in the world

Carlsberg's Bottle Collection, the largest collection of beer bottles in the world (over 20,000)

In Copenhagen 36% of all citizens commute by bicycle

There are many street performers in Copenhagen

The National Cathedral of Denmark

Nyhavn - my favorite place in Copenhagen

Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront. It used to be notorious for beer, sailors, and prostitution

This is how teenagers celebrate the end of school year

They hire old vehicles and drive around cities making a lot of noise, drinking beer and just having fun

Climbing the statue of Christian V was on the "must do" list for many of them

Gammel Strand

Copenhagen is one of the most popular cruise destination in Europe (310 cruise ships in 2008)

Christiansborg Palace, the only building in the world housing all three branches of government (parliament, government and Supreme Court)

Copenhagen City Hall (Radhus)

Buildings opposite the City Hall

Statue of Hans Christian Andersen. His stories have been translated into over 150 languages!

Oresund Bridge, the longest in Europe, connecting Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden