They are, in fact, so many markets; for the craft
lying in them are laden with provisions of all kinds, which are here
offered for sale.
The Sailors' Town, adjoining Copenhagen, and situated near the
harbour, is singularly neat and pretty. It consists of three long,
broad, straight streets, built of houses looking so exactly alike,
that on a foggy night an accurate knowledge of the locality is
requisite to know one from the other. It looks as though, on each
side of the way, there were only one long house of a single floor,
with a building one story high in the middle. In the latter dwell
the commandant and overseers.
The lighting of the streets is managed in Copenhagen in the same way
as in our smaller German towns. When "moonlight" is announced in
the calendar, not a lamp is lighted. If the lady moon chooses to
hide behind dark clouds, that is her fault. It would be insolent to
attempt to supply the place of her radiance with miserable lamps - a
wise arrangement! (?)
Of the near walks, the garden of the "Rosenburg," within the town,
pleased me much; as did also the "Long Line," an alley of beautiful
trees extending parallel with the sea, and in which one can either
walk or ride. A coffee-house, in front of which there is music in
fine weather, attracts many of the loungers. The most beautiful
place of all is the "Kastell," above the "Long Line," from whence
one can enjoy a beautiful view. The town lies displayed below in
all its magnificence: the harbour, with its many ships; the
sparkling blue Sound, which spreads its broad expanse between the
coasts of Denmark and Sweden, and washes many a beautiful group of
islands belonging to one or the other of these countries. The
background of the picture alone is uninteresting, as there is no
chain of mountains to form a horizon, and the eye wanders over the
boundless flats of Denmark.
Among the vessels lying at anchor in the harbour I saw but few
three-masters, and still fewer steamers. The ships of the fleet
presented a curious appearance; at the first view they look like
great houses with flag-staves, for every ship is provided with a
roof, out of which the masts rise into the air; they are besides
very high out of the water, so that all the port-holes and the
windows of the cabins appear in two or three stories, one above the
other.
A somewhat more distant excursion, which can be very conveniently
made in a capital omnibus, takes you to the royal chateau
"Friedrichsberg," lying before the water-gate, two miles distant
from the town. Splendid avenues lead to this place, where are to be
found all the delights that can combine to draw a citizen into the
country. There are a tivoli, a railway, cabinets, and booths with
wax-figures, and countless other sights, besides coffee-houses,
beer-rooms, and music. The gardens are planted at the sides with a
number of small arbours, each containing a table and chairs, and
all open in front, so as to shew at one view all the visitors of
these pretty natural huts. On Sundays, when the gardens are
crowded, this is a very animated sight.
On the way to this "Prater" of Copenhagen, we pass many handsome
villas, each standing in a fine garden.
The royal palace is situated on the summit of a hill, at the end of
the avenue, and is surrounded by a beautiful park; it commands a
view of a great portion of the town, with the surrounding country
and the sea; still I far prefer the prospect from the "Kastell."
The Park contains a considerable island, which, during some part of
the year, stands in the midst of an extensive lake. This island is
appropriated to the Court, but the rest of the park is open to the
public.
Immediately outside the water-gate stands an obelisk, remarkable
neither for its beauty nor for the skill displayed in its erection,
for it consists of various stones, and is not high, but interesting
from the circumstance to which it owes its origin. It was erected
by his grateful subjects in memory of the late king Christian VII.,
to commemorate the abolition of feudal service. Surely no feeling
person can contemplate without joyful emotion a monument like this.
I have here given a faithful account of what I saw during my short
stay at Copenhagen. It only remains for me to describe a few
peculiar customs of the people, and so I will begin as it were at
the end, with the burial of the dead. In Denmark, as in fact in the
whole of Scandinavia, not excepting Iceland, it is customary not to
bury the dead until eight or ten days have elapsed. In winter-time
this is not of so much consequence, but in summer it is far from
healthy for those under the same roof with the corpse. I was
present at Copenhagen at the funeral of Dr. Brandis, physician to
the king. Two of the king's carriages and a number of private
equipages attended. Nearly all these were empty, and the servants
walked beside them. Among the mourners I did not notice a single
woman; I supposed that this was only the case at the funerals of
gentlemen, but on inquiry I found that the same rule is observed at
the burial of women. This consideration for the weaker sex is
carried so far, that on the day of the funeral no woman may be seen
in the house of mourning. The mourners assemble in the house of the
deceased, and partake of cold refreshments.
