COPENHAGEN'S Christus

We were in Copenhagen for about two and a half days and in that short amount of time, I completely fell in love with the city!  It was definitely not as sketchy as Rome or Prague, but still just a little bit.  Apparently they have a “hippie district” AND a red light district.  I was able to successfully avoid both districts without trying to so I’d call that a win in my book! I was, however, able to meander the city and appreciate all the beauty in the buildings, both old and new.  Copenhagen is definitely a special place… AND it has a theme park! WHAT?!

                The first full day we had Julia, Ashlee, Sarah, and I all went on a boat tour.  We were able to see the big sights of Copenhagen in a short amount of time, all while sitting on a comfortable seat!  I saw The Little Mermaid statue from the backside and it was as underwhelming as Ruth (my boss) had mentioned.  It is really small and kind of creepy looking to be honest, but I can still say I’ve seen it in person! :D  We also saw the Queen’s house and her son’s.  They have flags that fly on top of the buildings and when the flag it up, it means the residents are home; the Queen was out but her son was home.  The Queen was probably out partying at 10:30 in the morning. ;)  We were also able to go down some small canal streets and saw residential areas.  The buildings are all bright colors and so cute and quaint!  I’d definitely live there if I had the chance!

                After our boat tour we had tickets to visit Tivoli, one of the oldest theme parks in Europe!  If you know me, you should know that theme parks are where I’m happiest.  I will go from open to close and enjoy every minute of my time there!  If only I could find a man that was as crazy about theme parks and I am!  Or at least enable me to enjoy my obsession and smile and enjoy himself along the way. :D  This theme park was really cute and fun!  I was told Walt Disney got some of his ideas for Disneyland through Tivoli.  Not sure if that’s true and I haven’t had time to fact check.  I’m busy! Sue me. ;)  Anyway, overall, Tivoli was a blast!  The rides (though kind of sketchy looking) were really fun and got me pumped up for Disneyland Paris (only 5 days people!).  There was a wooden coaster called, The Roller Coaster, that my group went on like 3 times and I still always forgot where the camera was so my face was just me screaming the entire time.  We also went on a swing ride, but it was on a platform, and also raised really high into the air.  I’m not a big spinning ride fan (teacups kill me) and I didn’t really want to do this ride but I’m so glad I did! The view of Copenhagen from the top was absolutely incredible!  I wish they had an observation tower for those that don’t want to swing in a circle that high up so my friend Bailey could have enjoyed the view as well. 

Thinking about changes like this actually pushed me to evaluate things about the park that I would keep and things I would change.  First of all, smoking areas would have been greatly appreciated!  I mean, has the notion of lung cancer not reached Europe?!  Everyone smokes!  But really, a smoking area would have been nice because they just do it willy nilly and it’s really annoying.  Second, I would have more distinct areas of the park and truly theme everything to match.  They kind of tried but never really hit the mark so I’d work with what they had and improve upon it.  I would keep the stage and the gardens, they are beautiful and definitely well kept.  I’d update the computer system on some of the rides and make them more modern.  On the wooden roller coaster, an employee actually rides it with you and I’m pretty sure controls the brakes at the end.  Like, what?!  Also, there didn’t seem to be any rules, which is probably because no one will sue them if something goes wrong.  Sue happy people are ruining America, enough said.  I would also employ people more people to keep the streets clean.  Overall, I thought the park was very dirty and could have used a million more trashcans!  Enable the guests to help you keep the park clean by giving them the necessary tools!  I also think the bathrooms were gross and they were few and far between, MORE BATHROOMS!  I would also keep the restaurants in the park.  Europeans love food and spending lots of time and money on meal is important to them.  There was an awesome variety of food and I was definitely pleased with my meal.  Overall, I really enjoyed Tivoli!  I tried not to compare it to Disney parks because they are definitely both different and unique in their own ways and I totally respect that!  I loved my time there and would love to go back and visit there again if I get the chance!  Oh also, the ice cream was FANTASTIC!!

After the theme park, we were exhausted so we went back to the hotel and turned in for the night, knowing we needed to be up early for church the next morning.  Church was wonderful!  The bishop was so nice and the ward members welcomed us with open arms.  They had small headsets for us to wear and a translator sitting in the back with a microphone to translate real time.  This was immensely helpful up until Relief Society because my headset started cutting out every few words so eventually I gave up and almost fell asleep.  Though I really enjoy going to church in these countries, I feel as though I’m not really understanding the lessons as much as I could be if it was in my language.  I can’t wait to get back to the United States and really enjoy going to church to learn!  We then were dropped off in the city and walked to see the original Christus statue.  It was in a church called, The Church of our Lady.  It is a prominent statue in the back of the main area and actually took my breath away.  The detail on Christ with the nail prints in his hands and feet really made me appreciate his sacrifice for me.  The main area also have the twelve apostles leading up to Christ, whom is in the center.  We then went back to the hotel and I decided to have a relaxing day like I do when I’m at home.  Sunday’s are my rest and recoup days.  I read lots of Harry Potter and watched a little Netflix, which is so much better outside the US!  Seriously!  I watched a few episodes of Modern Family and just enjoyed the day being in a foreign country! J

Overall, Copenhagen was beautiful and magical and I hope to be able to visit there again soon.  I loved every minute of being there!  Also, I want to learn Danish.