By Jennifer Ciotta

Besides the Karen Blixen Museum located outside of Copenhagen, a tourist can walk or bicycle through the cobblestone streets.  The four royal palaces make up the city's rich history.  In the eighteenth century, King Frederik V ordered the four royal families to build homes, in turn as a reward, he granted them tax immunity for forty years, something to be sought after, even today.  The changing of the guards occurs at noon, similar to Buckingham Palace in London, and when the Queen is on the premises, she flies the royal colors.

The Copenhagen Opera House, constructed from 2000-2004, is a visual masterpiece, rivaling the Sydney Opera House, also built by a Dane.  It resembles an enormous Japanese lantern, yellow and orange lights gleaming from within, meanwhile, the structure itself lies on Copenhagen's shoreline.  The size of the place is overwhelming; for example, there are 1,000 rooms; 14 stories (5 underground); 1500 people can be seated in the main room; and the area totals 41,000 square meters.  One can take in famous ballets, such as The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet; and operas such as Macbeth and La Traviata. 

Tivoli Gardens is perhaps the most popular attraction in Copenhagen.  A high-class amusement park, Tivoli's rides are perched over a small body of water, creating an almost Asian-influenced skyline.  The lit-up rides, especially the Japanese lantern house, set the ambience for both fun for the kids, and romance for the adults.  Some attractions include: the exciting three-loop roller coaster, the pantomime theater originated in 1874, and rock concerts every Friday.  The park has 38 restaurants and bars, ranging from gourmet to cheap fast food.  Last but not least, while strolling around the park at night, one can enjoy a refreshing (and Danish) Carlsberg beer from the fifth largest brewery in the world, employing over 30,000 people.

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