In the Latin District I wanted to ascend the Round Tower to take in the panoramic views of Copenhagen.

The red brick tower was built in 1642 as Europe’s first and oldest observatory.

But it was about an hour before the tower was open and so I found a bench and sketched the tower (featured sketch).

It was a little challenging to get the cylindrical perspective correct. This is why the pencil sketch is so important before you add any ink to the page. I think of it as the skeleton of the sketch before adding the muscle (pen and watercolor.)

I was second in line, behind an American family of four whose teen boys seemed more interested in looking at their phones rather than the amazing architecture and history that surrounded them. I was certainly glad that smartphones didn’t exist when I first visited Europe in the late 1980s.

What is unusual about the tower is that instead of climbing steps to get to the top, you climb a brick paved circular ramp.

It is rumored that Czar Peter the Great rode his horse up the 34.8 meter tower. In 1902 an automobile repeated the feat. Apparently there are still skid marks from the drive but I could not find them.

The staircase to get to the observatory is so narrow that there is a stoplight because it is only one way traffic. After a short wait I was the first at the top, having passed the American family on the circuitous way up. The view was certainly worth it!

On top of the Round Tower is an observatory, which is the oldest in all of Europe.