Copenhagen

Hans Christian Andersen has provided a couple of links to ease my transition from hot, bustling New York to cool, relaxed Copenhagen. There's a giant bronze statue of him in Central Park and another one here opposite the Tivoli amusement park. Then the iconic sculpture of his Little Mermaid at the edge of Copenhagen's harbour reminded me of the Disney musical I saw on Broadway.

If there's anything the Danes love more than Andersen, it´s cycling and their royal family. There must be more bicycles here than in Amsterdam, ridden by all ages and hardly a helmet in sight. Even I got into the act, using one of the city's free bikes. You deposit a coin to unlock the bike and get your coin back when you return the bike to one of the racks.

I'm enjoying all the sumptuously-decorated royal palaces. I even came across one by accident. While wandering through the modern National Museum I suddenly found myself in an original eighteenth-century grand hall. They'd cleverly constructed the museum to adjoin the Crown Prince's Palace.

There are no highrise buildings in the centre of the city. The view from the top of the Round Tower encompasses a dazzling array of historic spires.