Copenhagen Day 3: Church of Our Saviour

The 45-minute walk down to the famous Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn was well worth it. I almost turned back half-way there because it started raining, but I’m so glad I kept going — especially since it stopped raining after a few minutes. I had no idea how much it cost or when it opened, but it worked out perfectly: I got there at 10:55am to find that it opened at 11. At 11 on the dot, the gate was opened and the carillon bells played. I was one of the first people to go up.

And when I say “go up,” I mean up. Stairs and stairs and more stairs with tiny dark rooms (mostly housing the carillon bell system) along the way. 400 steps in all.

These stairs get progressively more steep and narrow as you get higher — and then they spit you outside to a very small deck.

Just when you’ve caught your breath, you look up and realize you’re not actually at the top. There are 150 more stairs that go up a winding external staircase that was built in the 1700s. Only one person at a time can go to the very top because it’s so narrow.

Fact: The first things that you want to say at the top of the Church of Our Saviour are OH MY GOD, HOLY SHIT, and JESUS CHRIST PLEASE DON’T LET ME FALL OFF THIS THING.

I carefully walked back down shaking, almost in tears. It was one of the most intense and coolest things I’ve ever done. Towards the bottom, people were piled up waiting for others at the top to come down. An American man who was visibly annoyed with waiting loudly asked, “Is it even worth it?”

Absolutely.