… is one of my favorite disney cartoons ever.  Not everybody knows that it was based from a fairy tale written by a Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.  I was soo looking forward to see it the first time I went to Denmark.  I was not as dissappointed as the others… maybe because I was aware that she is really small

But hey I do not want to talk about her as she is actually not in Denmark these days.  She is currently in Shanghai as part of the Expo 2010.  Too bad for my friend who visited Denmark for the first time.  It was still not too bad as there are a lot of places to see.  We did a canal tour which gave her the feel of Copenhagen.  The weather cooperated as it was sunny that Saturday…. maybe too sunny for her

I even had a chance to be a mermaid replacement…. I was able to pose like the little mermaid… and it was fun!  I also considered myself a tourist in Copenhagen.  It was my first real summer! It was nice strolling along Strøget all the way to the City hall…. then passed Tivoli.  There was no time to go in so we just made sure that we have a picture. It was a long walk so we decided to rest along the lake near planetarium…. my favorite area in copenhagen… its nice to watch the birds… ohhh… are they geese or ducks?… not really sure.

Last but not the least we went back to Amalienborg castle… overlooking the Opera house. It was a tiring day but a very nice one.  Copenhagen is actually a nice city to visit – especially with the nice weather

Nyhavn

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along the canal tour... Opera House, Maersk among others

my version of the Little Mermaid

along Strøget

City Hall, Tivoli, Georg Jensen (my fave shop)

Marmorkirken, the Opera House, Amalienborg Castle

August 7-9, 2010; Copenhagen, Denmark

I have been in Denmark for a long time now but this is the only time I was able to visit this very nice castle.  This is the second castle I visited in Denmark – the first one was the Kronborg castle in Helsingor.

Getting around in Denmark is not an issue… although at that time the train direct to Hillerod was under construction so we have to figure out another way.  My friend and I tooked the train to Farum and from there, a bus transported us to Hillerod.  From Hillerod, we can either walk or take a bus.  Well, its not really a question since it is still a long walk so we took the bus 701.  And from the Frederiksborg bus stop we saw the castle from afar.

I was actually impressed with this castle.  I guess I have lowered my high expectations since I visited Kronborg castle.  One of my favorite castles I have visited was the Palace of Versailles.  So somehow I am comparing all the palaces with that.  But Frederiksborg castle is impressive in its own way.  You will see a nice fountain at the entrance and a beautiful garden surrounding the palace.  Inside there is a a nice church and a lot of fascinating rooms… I cannot believe that this palace is way from the 1600′s… a recommended place to visit in Denmark.

Entrance

Inside the palace

Fascinating rooms....

Beautiful garden

with my friend M in the entrance

Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerod, Denmark; July 23, 2010

I have started traveling outside Canada since 2005.  I am not sure if it was a bad planning but somehow I was always in the cold weather places during the summer time in Toronto or Copenhagen.  This summer of 2010 I was finally able to schedule my summer holiday in Toronto.  It was a short summer break but it was good enough.

Aside from the regular visit to the shopping mall, we went to the Harbourfront.  Somehow my parents, my sister and my cousin have not been there.  It was a nice sunny day so it was nice walking and strolling along the harbourfront.  We were planning to visit the center island which is just across but we decided to postpone it next time.

Harbourfront reminds me of the harbour in Auckland.  The first time I saw Auckland, I told myself that ‘Huh…its kinda like Toronto….’  Maybe because both cities has its signature tower.  Maybe one day I will jump from the CN tower as well (as I jumped from Auckland’s 192m Sky tower).

CN Tower and the Harbourfront

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with my sister and parents

 Harbourfront, Toronto Canada, July 10, 2010