Vor Frelsers Kirke

Commissioned by King Christian V as sort of an encore to his Nyhavn project, the large brick church, Vor Frelsers Kirke, took 14 years to build and was completed in 1694.



It wasn't until over fifty years later, however, that the signature spiral topped by the orb and statue were added like the whipped cream and cherry on top of a sundae.



According to the guide on our canal tour, the figure at the top of Vor Frelsers Kirke (the Church of Our Savior) is Jesus with a flag proclaiming with his banner the victory of Christianity over the world, represented by the orb below Him.



I failed to verify that on the web, but it sounds right. Today, it seems that Christianity is in retreat.

Copenhagen, like London, is a good-natured city in a country that values freedom of choice.

This freedom attracts people from all over the world,
including Muslim immigrants from repressive countries who have been welcomed to fill the low paying, entry level jobs that declining birth rates of natives have left vacant.

Projections of the future for Europe show it becoming predominantly Muslim by the middle of this century, if birth rates continue on the current path.

Native Europeans have, in any case, to a great extent become mostly secular, placing religion into a box of history.



Anyone visiting Europe, however, can't help but be drawn to the many cathedrals and churches, including the Church of Our Savior, if for no other reason than to enjoy the architecture and art encompassed therein.



And, of course, when there are more than 400 steps leading to amazing views, there's a certain pull for those who want to prove themselves equal to the challenge or simply interested in enjoying the panoramas from the top, which was certainly true for Amy and me.



After walking up a couple of flights of steps to get to the ticket booth, I had to scramble back down to where Julie waited in order to come up with the price of admission of 25 Kroner each, because they didn't accept credit cards or Euros.

It was worth the effort and money. As Amy said, “I wish we had more time to enjoy the views,” but we needed to get back to the hotel to pick up Jay and head to the ship.



We managed to see a lot of Copenhagen despite...could it be?....only being there about 28 hours, including the time we were asleep. Time flies when you're having fun, but you can pack a lot of fun into time if you pay attention.