Taking a ride

The kids are having fun in Tivoli during their Christmas opening. In the background is an friend of yesteryear; the copy of the Russian Vasilij Basilica.

Cause for debate

Last year the Russian Christmas in Tivoli was debated hotly among the regular crowd of the amusement park. It was not Danish enough to many and people threatened never to set a foot there again. This year Tivoli has compromised by keeping the Russian area but also by having a Nordic area. I quite like the Russian area myself, but I guess it's a matter of taste.

Getting Warm

If you need some warmth in Copenhagen these days, one place to go is in Tivoli, where the coal braziers are glowing next in the Christmas market.

Basilica again

The last post from Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen for now is this photo the Basilica with the traditional Christmas decorations as a frame. Despite the more negative voices I've heard about this year's Russian theme, I actually think Tivoli has done a good job of weighing the traditional Danish Christmas with the Russian one. Just because it's new and foreign doesn't mean that it's not good.

It's a Garden

Tivoli in Copenhagen is not called the Tivoli Gardens for nothing. They take pride in having flowers and plants making the amusement park looking pretty no matter what time of the season it is. So expect to find flowers blooming or at least with colours even during the Christmas market. These yellow berries made for some nice colours against the clear blue sky the day I went there, so I had to have a few shots of them.

That's a reindeer

Tivoli even got live reindeer at their Christmas Market. These you can't buy, though, they're only for show. But a great thing to watch for the kids.

Also a market

The Christmas opening at Tivoli was actually started as a Christmas market, and that is still very much the case. A lot of stalls selling all manner of Christmas or winter related stuff, like woollen gloves and fur hats, or stuff to eat or drink. It's probably not the cheapest place in town to buy your Christmas gifts, but I guess they have a lot of passers by that suddenly realize that they really do need that big ceramics Santa for the garden.

A tree of hearts

A tradition that still is on at Tivoli during Christmas is the tree of hearts. Hung with hearts that are lit at night and with three giant hearts made out of crystals beside it, it does make an impact on the visitors.

Getting some warmth

Xmas time is also a cold time in Denmark, so Tivoli has made sure that you can get some warmth into those frozen fingers by putting op these coal braziers around the garden.

Open for business

The rides in Tivoli is open for business during the Russian Christmas Market, but remember to dress warm as it might be a tad cold in the wind.

An Icy Peacock

The elfs and the normal peacock on the pantomime theatre in Tivoli, has been replaced this Christmas with babushka dolls (actually they are matryoshka dolls) and a peacock with a ice-blue-and-white colour scheme. The dolls are part of a treasure hunt for children that will take them to various parts of the garden.

The Swan Lake

Another addition to Tivoli's Christmas Market this year is this Swan Lake, referring to Russian composer Tchaikovsky's ballet of that name. And as the swan also has a leading role in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Ugly Duckling and because the swan is the national bird of Denmark, it's a very appropriate thing to have here during the Russian Christmas Market.

Onion Domes

Inside Tivoli Gardens there is quite a surprise to many; a big scale model of a Russian Basilica, the Vasilij Cathedral with colourful onion domes instead of the traditional great hall with jolly pixies. And I must confess that as opposed to many others, I quite like the change.

Something amiss

Each year from mid-November until the end of December the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen has a Christmas market with a heavy emphasis on the traditional Christmas things; Santa Claus, lots of Christmas decorations and the appropriate food. But something is amiss. At the entrance to Tivoli a drummer stands guard, announcing that not all is as it used to be. And he looks suspiciously Russian.

Hatching an Egg of Ice

In Tivoli a Chinese couple makes sculptures of ice every day until Christmas, while the guests can watch the progress. With temperatures below freezing in Copenhagen, this is the ideal climate for this sort of art.

A month of Christmas

For the last couple of weeks, Copenhagen has been decorated for Christmas. Even though many find it cosy, I wouldn't mind if they waited until today with it, as it will get tiring in the long run. However the traditional Christmas Market in Tivoli is always very nice, if a bit overdone. This year they didn't need to use artificial snow, as King Winter came a bit early.

Glögg, slices of apple and ... chili?!?

Many of the Danish Christmas traditions are food-related. The hot red wine with raisins and almonds called glögg is a nice one in the cold, as is æbleskiver (literally slices of apple), which are small cakes of batter cooked in a special pan, so that they are round. In the old days small pieces of apple was included hence the name. But I must confess that the chili peppers are a new one; I'm pretty sure they don't mix too well with the rest.

Christmas starts early

Having just closed after their Halloween week, it's time for Tivoli to prepare for their next opening; Christmas Market starting November 20. This is a replica of Halloween week but with a Christmas theme instead. It's the same stalls selling anything remotely connected with Christmas, the same extra rides and a lot of employees dressed up in Christmas costumes. It is a bit more cozy than Halloween though as Christmas is more traditional in Denmark. Remember Halloween is a newcomer to Denmark, mainly brought to us by stores looking for new ways to wring money out of us, just like Christmas has turned out in the later years. Still I think Christmas Market in Tivoli is nice, even though Tivoli tends to go a bit overboard, and it's obvious that this is a great moneymaker for the park.

Starting tomorrow I'll show you some photos from another of Copenhagen's great attractions; the Zoo.