COPENHAGEN, DENMARK :: The Rundetaarn, or Round Tower, was built during the reign of King Christian IV - the same guy who commissioned and lived in Rosenborg Castle. It's approximately 11 stories tall, and a circular platform on top of the tower offers sweeping, unobstructed views across all of Copenhagen. It was the Space Needle of the 17th century.

The unique feature of the Rundetaarn is the wide, spiral ramp that corkscrews continuously from the street level to the top. Apparently, King Christian IV did not want to climb up an extremely long series of stairs, so the ramp was designed to be large enough to accommodate a horse and carriage. During the time, an astronomical observatory and a library were also located at the top. A large clockwork planetarium is still up there, showing the position of the planets relative to the zodiac. A church was also added to the side of the Rundetaarn soon after its completion.

Walking up the ramp was fun. It completes seven and a half revolutions over 685 feet. The view from the top allowed me to see the row of large windmills in the sea and the Oresund Bridge to Sweden, which is nearly five miles long! The bird's eye view also helped me to appreciate the organic layout of the city's streets. Despite the seemingly haphazard arrangement of the buildings, there's a certain neatness and cohesiveness to it all that doesn't exist in most American cities. The one thing I didn't like is the featureless horizon. Copenhagen is absolutely flat as far as the eye can see - which is great for bikes - but I'd miss the scenic hills and mountains of the Pacific Northwest.