our second day in denmark was spent walking all over copenhagen and exploring the city. we started at the little mermaid statue which was perfectly magical. it was beautiful and so much closer to shore than i expected! once we got into the heart of copenhagen we stopped at a hot dog stand and i tried one of their famous red snappy hot dogs with spicy mustard (i have been hearing nicolaus talk about these since i met) and they did not disappoint! i am not a huge american hot dog fan, but these were so. much. better. 
then we walked over to the royal homes and watched the "changing of the guards." apparently it's a big deal everyday when the guards switch duty and they march around and police have to hold the crowd back as we all watch and take photos. i think it's really interesting to be in a country where royalty still exists, and while i think a lot of that system is pretty messed up, there is a certain throwback charm about keeping all of those traditions.
from there we walked around and had lunch at nyhavn (the place with all of the colorful houses on a harbor), which was one of the things i was most excited to see. it was unbelievably darling and unlike any architecture i've ever seen. feeling refreshed after some food and resting our feet, we walked over to the chapel with the original Christus and twelve Apostle statues.  right when we walked in there was loud organ music playing, and the room was more massive and beautiful than i had ever imagined. it was overwhelmingly breathtaking and incredible and spiritual to walk around there and try to soak it all in.
then we headed over to another castle, which was the newest one we saw and the one that the queen still actually uses. it was just as elaborate and amazing as the other castles we had seen. i don't think i will ever be able to wrap my mind around how much time and manpower goes into every single detail in one of those castles. 
by the time we were finished with our tour, it was time for tivoli. i didn't bring in our camera so we don't have any photos from it, but it is the amusement park that walt disney got his inspiration from for disneyland. and the amusement park i've heard all about since i met nick's family. but i'm not gonna lie, by the time we got there i was feeling pretty worn out and amusement parks already make me feel pretty anxious, so i wasn't feeling too hot about the whole thing. but i had heard so much about tivoli, that i was determined to go and enjoy myself. once i got inside and got a fresh, salted pretzel and a soft ice (it's the danish version of soft serve ice cream...but SO much more delicious. it's just like frozen cream mixed with heaven) in my belly, and saw all of the aaaamazing wooden decor i got a second wind. it was so beautifully decorated that i felt like i had been transported to another time and place - the amusement park in pinocchio kept coming to mind. plus it was so much cleaner than any other amusement park i've been too - really all of denmark is so nice and clean.
i'm also a big fan of all the mellow kid rides, since i'm just one big scaredy cat of heights and all that. but somehow nicolaus and his little sister emma convinced me to go on the worst ride first. the kind of ride that lifts you insanely high into the air and then rockets you down. i about died. nicolaus and emma couldn't stop laughing at how beyond terrified i was...haha slightly embarrassing but what can ya do? i hated it. but i also loved it as soon as we were done. i was shaking from the adrenaline rush and pretty happy that i had survived. they proceeded to take me on all of the scariest rides to conquer my fears, and i will say by the end i wasn't even overly afraid on the more mellow rides! aaand they came on some of the kiddy rides with me :) we spent hours there going on nearly every ride and walking around their incredible gardens, feeding friendly ducks right out of our hand and the whole thing was just a dream. 
by the time we passed out in bed that night, my feet were sore from walking, voice hoarse from screaming and cheeks hurting from smiling. it was a good day :)