Beautiful, Beautiful, Copenhagen

Up at the crack of dawn for a room service breakfast and then off for a seven hour shore excursion from here (Denmark) to Sweden. To get there, we drove through a 5 km tunnel then over a newly constructed bridge. We learned that there is a Danish TV program called The Bridge which is as addictive as Downton Abbey. It's a police drama about a murder that takes place on the bridge on the border between the two countries. All the Brits on the bus raved about it so will have to see if it makes an appearance in North America.
Our first stop was in the historic city of Lund, a university town which houses 40,000 students. We had too short a stop here as we would have liked to explore more. The cathedral was built in the 11th century and housed an enormous astrological clock. We even went into the crypt. Then to Malmo. We visited a new area famous for its twisted torso condo built as a landmark surrounded by low rise apartment buildings and distinctive homes thoughtfully laid out and surrounded by water and parks. Although the cost of homes and condos was inexpensive when first built, the price now is 40,000 to 50,000 krone per square meter. Homes in Copenhagen cost even more. The area was a mix of commercial and residential. Ottawa city planners could take a lesson from this development for the old Rockliffe Air Base and future development of Lebreton Flats.
From there we drove around the city with our guide pointing out interesting landmarks. Had a photo stop at a fortress built in Renaissance times complete with a moat. Then on to the original part of the city. Some buildings dated back to the 11th century. Here we had a guided walk which included a visit to a beautiful apothecary, half timbered, classical, baroque, and Renaissance styled buildings that surrounded spacious squares. Visited St. Peter's Cathedral where some original frescoes from before the Reformation were discovered. The only reason they survived was that they had been hidden when the church had been divided and part of it used as a firehall. A quick stop at a Pavilion built for the World's Fair in the early 1900s surrounded by a forest whose huge trees had been clipped into hedge form. We figured that someone had to use clippers at least 50 feet long. As it was pouring rain, this stop was brief.
We retraced our steps back over the bridge to Copenhagen - one could spend many days here exploring this beautiful and vibrant city. Too bad we set sail tonight and are only here for one more day at the end of the cruise. Our guide pointed out many of the highlights as we drove past Tivoli Gardens and other attractions. We had the requisite stops at Amalienborg Palace where the Royal family resides and, of course, the Little Mermaid where our guide took our picture in the pouring rain.
Tonight we plan to pig out on pizza and hamburgers from the room service menu so we don't have to get dressed up.