Today was a big museum day with a bonus - free access to the Butterfly House at the Botanical Garden.
Breakfast with Tony & Michelle and say bye to them as they head to the airport.
First stop is the Geological Museum - Part of the Natural History Museum.
This is the Agpalilik meteorite on display at the entrance. At 20 tons it is one of the largest meteorites to hit the earth.
A large part of the display is dinosaurs and their evolution. This is a Protoceratops family.
This is a Tarbosaurus bataar and is closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex.
The other main feature in the museum is the rock and mineral collection.
This critter is called a Coelestin, and is related to something colloquially called a Thunder Egg by my rockhound parents
This is a display of rock that fluoresce under UV light.
I wont bore you with endless mineral and rock samples.
My ticket for the Geological Museum also got me into the Greenhouses and Butterfly House at the Botanical Gardens, so off I went.
The Succulent display
The Butterfly House was next. Hard to get them to stay still for photos.
King Swallowtail
Not sure about this guy
Malachite (?)
The big blue winged butterflies were the hardest to photograph.
Peleides Blue Morpho. The tips of many of their wings were damaged, probably from hitting the sides of the house.
Before you think I know anything about butterflies, I took a photo of the poster showing the dozen or so species they had.
The water plant house:
Giant water lilies from South America - they may grow up to 2 metres across.
Mangroves. They can grow in water too salty for plants by utilizing various mechanisms: excluding the salt from entering, let it accumulate in older leaves that fall off, or excreting it through glands in their leaves.
In one of the tropical houses is a Wollemi Pine, thought to be extinct until a small patch of them were found near Sydney, Australia.
And, a couple of photos from the ever popular Carnivorous plant display.
It's unfortunate that I am so botanically challenged to not be able to fully appreciate the displays.
The sky cleared and the day turned warm, but I had another nearby museum to visit - the National Gallery of Denmark. This is a collection of Danish and International Art. Today the entire European wing, about 1/4 of the collection, was closed, but it still left a great deal to look at.
There is a small French Art 1900 - 1930 section to visit first. A couple of Picasso's and various others.
A self portrait by Matisse
Matisse's portrait of his wife.
(Oops, I'm crooked again - it wasn't the painting.)
The largest gallery I visit is Danish & Nordic Art from 1750 - 1900.
I quite liked this work by Frederik Sedring because it is of the Marble Church when it was sitting unfinished (remember my story from yesterday)
In a Roman Osteria by Carl Bloch.
This was a period of Realism for Danish Artists. You could get right up very close to the canvases and see the delicate brushwork.
The Lifeboat is Taken Through the Dunes by Michael Ancher
Onto the modern Danish artists exhibition.
To be honest, the modern stuff doesn't generally turn my crank. but there were some interesting pieces.
By the time I was through the modern section and the Installation Art (which I understand even less) my eyes were pretty much crossed and it was time to go.
As usual, this museum would take multiple visits. I didn't even look at any of the statues on exhibit.
As I left, a nice shot of the museum pool with the Rosenborg Palace behind. I did see somebody sitting on one of the chairs in the water earlier.
The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is starting today, so the Palace grounds were full of people listening to the group there.
Here's an entrepreneur at the festival - a cute little 3 wheeled coffee wagon with a real Cappuccino machine in the back. Add ice cream and I'll bet she's making a killing.
Here's a question for all you female fashion types - how would you like to have to contend with cobblestones in spike heels? It looks dangerous to me!
Off to watch the football (soccer) game.
Packed up the bike this morning, It managed to fit reasonably well into the box I was given. So, that officially makes the cycling portion of the trip over - unless I rent a bike 😢
I still have to make up some maps of the ride and hopefully post them.
Off for a walk to ultimately check out the Little Mermaid (can't come to Copenhagen and not do that).
On the way, walked around the Citadel, an old 'star fortress' (due the shape). The ramparts are well preserved and nice to walk around.
It is still active as a military area, but very subdued & peaceful.
Lots of these barracks style buildings.
I love these old mortars - probably more dangerous to those who were firing them than the targets.
And here she is - The Little Mermaid.
Very peaceful & serene
Until you zoom out with the camera - then chaos. Half a dozen tour buses disgorging folks, everybody getting selfies with her (you don't need a picture of me with her). I will admit it was fairly easy to get pictures of her without being photo bombed. People were being respectful.
From another angle. The little gal has been abused in her life: head cut off (three times I think), arm cut off, paint poured over and blown off the rock with explosives.
It's tough being a celebrity
The Peace Angel Statue statue nearby.
A nearby lamp standard with this guy on top!
Nearby also is St. Alban's Church with the fountain & statues in front.
Copenhagen has modern buildings as well - the Opera House.
Somebody moored nearby who couldn't get into the local yacht club. Called Avantis. 200 feet long - crew of 16 or 18 (I guess the wife doesn't have to cook).
The original owner sold this one and built one a hundred feet longer - maybe because it didn't have a helicopter pad on it.
Sheesh!
I stopped by the Marble Church on the way back. Not very old. Designed in 1749, but various (mostly financial) issues and problems kept it from being finished until 1894. It stood partially finished as a ruin for 150 years.
It is basically a round room supported by 12 pillars.
Here's a shot of the dome from inside. The lighting was not good for photos of the entire inside.
Last photo today - our restaurant for dinner.
Tony, Michele & I had fish and chips at this floating restaurant just down the way from the hotel.
A delightful evening.
Turned out to be a busy day. Bagged two churches, listened to half of an organ concert, nice lunch, visited a castle, Botanical Gardens and part of a museum. Here's the details.
First church: Holmens Church. What struck me was the wood. Lots of it and beautiful. As I understand it, the church was founded around the 1600's to serve the sailors.
Note then model ship. It was added in 1904, based on a 1697 drawing of an admiral's ship.
Second church, which is no longer a church. This is calle dthe Rundetaarn, or Round Tower. The old church is behind the buildings.
The top of the tower is now used as a sightseeing point with city views.
This circular ramp makes 7 circuits around the tower before it turns into stairs for the final climb.
I wonder if anybody has ever snuck a skateboard up here.
A couple of views of the city from the top.
I believe this is the Marmorkirken, or Marble Church.
This is the steeple of the church attached to the tower.
There is an art gallery in the old church, but nothing that struck me, other than this clock. What time is it?
Back to Holmens Church for the second half of an organ concert. Rather nice. Of course, I couldn't recognize any of the selections, but thew organist played his own composition at the end and it was interesting.
I met one of the other riders at the church (Becky), so we went to lunch.
This is the classic postcard view of Copenhagen. Since I'm saving you the price of a postcard, I think you should send me a quarter. 😀
Our lunch restaurant is the green one (I think).
All the shady seats outside were taken, so we sat inside. Here's the view from our seat.
After lunch I headed for Rosenborg Castle. Here's some of the gardens. They have had so little rain recently that the lawns are suffering.
Two views of the castle.
What impressed me inside was how ornate everything is. The castle is Danish Renaissance, dating from 1606.
This is a view of plaster and painted ceiling.
A settee - imagine having to clean in here.
A large tapestry
The coronation thrones in the Knight's hall, protected by 3 silver lions.
There is an online tour of the castle that you can access with your smartphone during the tour (me - wot smartphone?)
Go to this link and click on the picture "Your Tour Starts Here."
http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/castle-history/
For me, it was off to the Botanical Gardens.
This area had a number of displays about beer making and the associated plants. The details are lost on me, but I like the result.
The Butterfly house with some greenhouses in front. Might go into it later.
One of the very peaceful areas of the gardens. There are benches in shady spots, many with people quietly enjoying the area.
After the gardens I dropped into a museum called the David Collection. It is a huge display of Islamic items.
I only made it through the top floor (beginnings of Islam to about the 10th century) before my eyes glazed over and I had to leave.
A tapestry
Weapons
Sculpture.
I got back to the hotel to meet a bunch of riders from 'Pub Ride 2,' the group that was 3 days behind us.
Talked to them for a while. We (Pub Ride 1) was thanked many times for ironing out the bumps on the tour, notably that they eliminated most of the cycle convoys that proved problematic for us. They went off for their 'Last Supper.'
There is a small French Art 1900 - 1930 section to visit first. A couple of Picasso's and various others. 
