Saturday, May 24, 2014

Tivoli: Pleasure Garden

In 1843, Copenhagen got their very own Tivoli which means pleasure garden and is the home of beautiful trees and flowers, an amusement park, live music, the Tivoli Boys Guard and much more. Tivoli grounds were popping up all over Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries and instantly became very popular. It was an immediate and huge success when Copenhagen got their very own Tivoli. It is said that "Tivoli will never be completed" as it is every changing with new rides, buildings and entertainment. For more information click here.

I had the pleasure of going to Copenhagen`s Tivoli at night on their "Friday Rock" with my good friend Maria and during the day with Cam and Etta. Two different but fun experiences.

Tivoli at Night
I never thought I would have the opportunity in the near future, let alone only 9 months after Etta was born, to travel Europe with a good friend. But to my pleasant surprise, my friend Maria jumped at the chance to visit Europe and spent 10 days with us in Copenhagen. We had a LOT of fun together, but one of the highlights was definitely a night spent at Tivoli.

At night Tivoli is majestic. If you are here I highly suggest checking Tivoli out a night. There were lots of kids and babies still there at 9:30 pm when we arrived. I was very surprised and even thought "Why did we not bring Cam and Etta?" 

When Maria and I walked in it was a beautiful garden with lights hanging in the trees, among flowers and in ponds. It was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately because it was at night the pictures I took did not turn out that well.


Tivoli during the Day

I'm sure that all of our traveling has made me more easy going and helped to make taking Etta out feel a lot easier lately, but I am also sure that the amazing weather of late has also helped a lot. The lack of wind and the nice sunny days seem to leave me happier and more relaxed as I take care of her. I guess it`s just nice to not have to worry about chasing down wind-blown baby blankets or to see Etta looking up at me from her baby carrier with those deep blue eyes in shock and the wind soaring past her face. Well, there was no wind in Tivoli today, and needless to say, we all had an excellent day!  

Tivoli during the day, specifically a nice sunny day, has lots for the whole family. For children of all ages there are different fun free shows, a free playground, changing rooms, and of course lots of rides if you choose to get the pass for the rides. 

This is how our day went:



Since Etta was in her play time right when we arrived we headed straight to the playground. Right beside the playground is a place where they occasionally do short kids shows perfect for kids under the age of about 6. Etta was just the right age to enjoy the singing and laugh at Rasmus, the giant bear.

Etta and Cam hanging out. To the left is a really cool restaurant ship and to the right is a beautiful garden where we ended up feeding Etta all her meals. We also spent a good chunk walking through the gardens during Etta`s nap. During Etta`s nap we also went to the older part of Tivoli and got Churros with chocolate and ice cream. We would have taken a picture but we ate them too quickly.

A couple of other proud parent moments: It was the first day Etta pulled herself to a stand by herself. She also spent a good 30 minutes rolling in the grass and laughing at people who were passing by. Tivoli is great for a baby who is an extrovert.

Near the end of the day after Etta had her afternoon nap at Tivoli we were all smiles.
Sunny days honestly just do that to me. 
Getting ready to leave and we see the Tivoli`s Boys Guard again. They march through the gardens playing instruments a couple of times during the day. The Tivoli`s Boys Guard was founded in 1844, 170 years of tradition right there!

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