More souvenirs

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Copenhagen, Denmark, life, sandwiches, Tivoli garden

I came across this picture and it reminded me of Copenhagen and the wonderful smørrebrød sandwiches they have.

On a trip to Copenhagen to visit friends, I discovered those open face sandwiches at lunchtime, so simple and good.

Open face smørrebrød sandwiches and such a variety on dark rye bread, wonderful idea for lunch.

Always enjoyed my travel to Denmark, there is a certain aesthetic quality to the country.

The other site I like visiting in Copenhagen was the Tivoli Gardens, it is a magical place and it is more than 178 years old, opening in 1843. The creator of this amusement park / garden was Georg Carstensen who convinced King Christian VIII to give him a Royal Charter to create this place on 15 acres on the ramparts of the old city. The argument he used was to say to the King, ”when people are amusing themselves they do not think of revolution”.

From its beginning Tivoli included a variety of attractions: buildings in the exotic style of an imaginary Orient: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, flower gardens, and mechanical amusement rides such as a merry-go-round and a primitive scenic railway. After dark, colored lamps illuminated the gardens. On certain evenings, specially designed fireworks could be seen reflected in Tivoli’s lake, a remnant of the moat surrounding the city fortifications.

In 1874, a Chinese-style Pantomimeteatret (pantomime theatre) took the place of an older smaller theatre. The audience stands in the open, the stage being inside the building. The theatre’s “curtain” is a mechanical peacock’s tail. Will had spoken to me about this curtain and he has at home a small paper and wood reproduction of the theatre. From the very beginning, the theatre was the home of Italian pantomimes, introduced in Denmark by the Italian Giuseppe Casorti. This tradition, dependent on the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, has been kept alive; it portrays the characters Cassander (the old father), Columbine (his beautiful daughter), Harlequin (her lover), and, especially popular with the youngest spectators, the stupid servant Pierrot. The absence of spoken dialogue is an advantage, for Tivoli is now an international tourist attraction.

The pantomime Chinese theatre with the famous peacock tail curtain. I found this old fashion pantomime wonderful. I think Will was a little surprised I liked it so much. Tivoli also has real live peacocks walking about, a peacock is a very big bird and can be nasty. So just yield to them on the path, they do not give way.

Hotel Nimb in the Tivoli Garden, quite beautiful. It is a Luxury boutique hotel.

Harlequin and Colombine part of the pantomime show.

If you go to Copenhagen, stop to spend some time at Tivoli, it is well worth it. Have a meal in one of the beautiful restaurants or just stroll about admiring the gardens.