TIA
Copenhagen
When booking this trip, we had the option for a long layover in Copenhagen. Normally a long layover sitting in the airport is brutal, but if it’ s long enough, it’ s a great opportunity to explore a new city. This layover gave us about 10 hours between flights, so it was time to explore. A 15-minute train ride from the airport took us to the city center where we found a souvenir shop to store our bags and began to see what Copenhagen had to offer.
The age and beauty of the architecture in European towns is always striking. The details of the stonework and grandeur of the palaces and churches are just not seen in modern buildings. To begin, we found a small café for breakfast and people-watching as the city began to come alive for the day. Being so dependent on cars in the U. S., it’ s great to see people hop on a bike to ride to work, although it may not be so charming in winter. Next, a short walk to Christiansborg Palace allowed us to wander through an 800-year-old palace that once housed royals. Today, you will find the
Dubrovnik’ s Old Town.
Danish Parliament, Supreme Court and Ministry of State on-site. Again, everywhere you look you see such a level of detail in the architecture and stonework that it seems impossible that it is this old.
As we continued through downtown Copenhagen, we stumbled upon Nyhavn. If you have seen pictures of the city, you’ ve likely seen this neighborhood. It’ s a vibrant neighborhood teeming with art galleries, restaurants and bakeries framed by gabled row houses in bright colors. A walk along the canal in Nyhavn is a great way to see the city. After some more unguided wandering, we headed back to the airport for the flight to Split, Croatia.
Split
The options for well-known hotel brands like Hilton or Marriott were limited, so we took a chance and booked a small boutique hotel next to Diocletian’ s Palace. This turned out to be the perfect location. Traffic can be rough in a city designed centuries before the automobile, so if you can get yourself within walking distance, your stay will be much more enjoyable.
A walk through Diocletian’ s Palace is like stepping back in time. Built in the third century as a retirement palace for the Roman Emperor Diocletian, this palace is more like a small city. The 200- plus limestone buildings are built with stone from the nearby Brac Island. You’ ll see this beautiful limestone throughout Croatia. Several square kilometers give you countless alleyways to explore the history this city has to offer.
One of the more prominent structures is the Cathedral of Saint Dominus. The cathedral, originally built as a mausoleum for Diocletius, was later dedicated to Saint Dominus. This was a victory for Christians, as Diocletius mercilessly persecuted and killed approximately 150,000 Christians. Saint Dominus was one of those beheaded by the Emperor. The ornate chapels are a sight to behold, and you even have the option to walk to the top of the tower. A word of warning, though: you must be in decent shape and not afraid of heights because there are a lot of stairs. However, the top of the tower offers a bird’ s-eye view of the historic city.
As we departed from St. Dominus, we wandered into the Peristyle. This area, once the central square, is a gathering place in town. In the evenings you may find musicians performing free concerts or a street theatre performance as people enjoy an espresso or glass of wine.
Christiansborg Palace.
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