Tivoli Gardens

Upon hearing the news that we were moving to Denmark for 6 months, most people asked:

"Are you going to Legoland?"

and / or

"Are you going to Tivoli Gardens?"

The answer to both questions was "yes", and after last Wednesday's trip to Copenhagen, we have now been to both places. The experiences could not have been more different, and Tivoli came out on top. Legoland is a typical amusement park, cast towards smaller children, and without truly exciting rides. Tivoli Gardens was a different sort of amusement park. It stands apart from other places I have been because of its ambiance, its size, and its ice cream. And compared to Legoland, Tivoli has really fun rides.

The most visible ride in the park I have now named the giant tower swing of death. I actually did not go on it, although Katie and Bev did. Bev thinks I have named it properly. Katie thought it was fun. Hank and I looked at the thing and said

"hey let's do the roller coaster that goes upside down three times. That sounds like fun."

Shudder... The other rides were more sane, but stil fun. By all Danish accounts, Tivoli has the most exciting rides among all of the Danish amusement parks. Though we have only sampled two of these, I have to agree. Other exciting rides included a freefall ride (ie the Dragon's Descent at Funtown), a non-inverted roller coaster, and some turn in a circle until you are sick rides.

But before all those rides, we noticed first about Tivoli the ambiance of the park. The place is small, and layered. Rides are under other rides. Shops and food kiosks are under the rides. And all of this is to the outside f the park. The central area is devoted to real restaurants and nice gardens. And at night it all lights up to form a dazzling sight. The ambiance turns an otherwise boring boat driving ride (max speed 1/4 knot) into a fantastic night time light display.

And finally, who ca forget the ice cream? We had been warned. Dbean said "the best soft ice cream in the world is in Tivoli Gardens." Umm, ok. Was she right? Yep, it is pretty darn good, although there are many varieties! At first puzzling, this turned out to be quite good as we could sample the different types in order to make a definitive statement. So:

The ice cream is quite good. It is the best soft ice cream I have tasted. When combined with warm crepes and jam (the Danish way), it is really really good. So you have all now been warned. If you go to Tivoli, get the soft ice cream.

If ever in Copenhagen, and you have any interest in amusement parks (or you have kids in tow), go to Tivoli Gardens. It is fun, and also a window in time. It is an old park, built in the 1840's, and has distinct feeling to it that is not dissimilar to the feeling of old-time beach boardwalk amusement parks (like Santa Cruise). Different, yes, but distinct, and worth experiencing.