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Cindy Vogt...
...the moment at Copenhagen Airport when she realized she had left her cell phone back in the apartment.Early yesterday morning we accompanied our guest, Cindy, to the Copenhagen airport via the metro, and everything went according to plan...until it didn't. After we said our good-byes, and not long after Cindy proceeded through the security checkpoint, we received an e-mail message from her with the startling news that she had left her cell phone back in our apartment! Apparently a kind-hearted soul had allowed her to use his mobile phone to relay the news to us, and to her husband (John) back in Florida. But all's well that ends well, as today Dee and I were able to make arrangements with a Fedex agent to send the phone to the states, hopefully to be back in its owner's hands in a few days.
After seeing Cindy off at the airport, we spent the rest of the day with housekeeping chores, including laundry. This process was a bit cumbersome, since the laundry facilities are shared by the entire building, and the apartment owner had to reserve a time slot for us. Thankfully, she personally helped Dee wash and dry two loads without any hassles from the other tenants, so it went fairly quickly. We decided to take afternoon naps,
then went downstairs to the Cafe Oven Vande for dinner, where Dee enjoyed a great beef tenderloin (served with ratatouille, roasted potatoes and deep-fried red beet slices), while I had a bowl of cream of chicken soup with a crab salad.
Today is our last day in Copenhagen, before we board ship for a 7-day Baltic Sea cruise, and it turned out to be the nicest weather day of our stay---clear blue skies, sunshine and a balmy 57-degrees! The Fedex agent's office, where we needed to deliver Cindy's cell phone for shipment, is located in Frederiksberg, just west of central Copenhagen. So we decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and pay a visit to the nearby Frederiksberg Gardens.
Frederiksberg Gardens (Danish: Frederiksberg Have) is one of the largest and most attractive green spaces in Copenhagen. Together with the adjacent Søndermarken it forms a green area of 160 acres at the western edge of the city. Frederiksberg Gardens is an English-style Romantic landscape garden with winding paths, canals, lakes, small islands and magnificent trees. A large variety of plants and birds inhabit the gardens, including mute swans, greylag geese, mallards, grey herons, and Canada
geese. At one point during our walk, in a remote corner of the gardens, we were stunned to see a pen of elephants! As it turns out, the adjacent city zoo built this special pen so that visitors to the Frederiksberg Gardens would have a viewing area from which to admire these noble beasts.
When we entered the gardens at its northern point, we were soon amazed by the beautiful vistas that greeted us as we walked along the pathways shared by pedestrians, joggers and bicyclists alike. As is evident from today's photo gallery, the trees, waterways, vast open spaces and the wildlife give the gardens the appearance of a landscape artist's canvas. We've been impressed by public gardens in many other places over the years, but this one may well deserve the proverbial Blue Ribbon award.
After walking an hour and a half through the labyrinth of paths that wind their way through the gardens, we reached the Frederiksberg Palace, a Baroque residence located adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands an impressive view over Frederiksberg Gardens. Constructed and expanded from 1699 to 1735, the palace served as the royal family’s summer residence until the mid-19th century.
Since 1869, it has housed the Royal Danish Military Academy.
By this time, we were both tired and hungry, so we exited the gardens and stumbled into Zahida, a cafe/restaurant specializing in Pakistani cuisine. Dee enjoyed the spicy offerings on the menu, and though I'm not a fan of such food, I must admit that the chicken dish I ordered tasted pretty good. After our late lunch, we began walking back toward the metro station where we'd arrived earlier this morning.
Later, after we had returned to the apartment, things became a little wild and crazy on our normally peaceful canal. The gorgeous weather on this Saturday afternoon attracted lots of local merrymakers to this area, many of them sitting along the banks of the canal and the tiny bridge below us, plus many partiers in their tiny boats cruising the canal itself (we observed several near collisions between rental boats). At one point, we could hear and see a small throng of people cheering on the bridge, whereupon a naked young guy proceeded to climb over the railing and jump off the bridge into the canal! He made quite a splash, both figuratively and literally, and received
both wild applause (especially from the female bystanders) and perplexed expressions from passersby as he climbed out of the water to dry himself with a towel.
Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment. The
Collins English Dictionary defines the word as "a concept, originating in Denmark, of creating cozy and convivial atmospheres that promote wellbeing". We could not agree more with this description of the Danish people and their lifestyle. Virtually everyone we encountered was friendly, pleasant and willing to help us find our way, or answer our questions when we looked puzzled or lost. Tomorrow we bid farewell to Copenhagen, but take with us many fond memories as souvenirs.
Dee's Comments: We had such a wonderful last day in Copenhagen! The sun was out at 5:30 AM, we ate an early breakfast, and then walked to the pharmacy for some refills of cough syrup and anti-mucous medication (still bothered by what I believe are pollen allergies). Rode the metro to Frederiksberg station, adjacent to a 4-level shopping mall with 90+ stores, where I received a complimentary tote bag with goodies for presenting a
coupon I'd discovered in the apartment.
Then to the Fedex office to ship Cindy's phone on our way to one of the most wonderful public gardens we have seen anywhere. We did quite a bit of walking, with several rests along the way, but the views were remarkable---and the elephants were a pleasant surprise.
After we returned to the apartment, while enjoying the view from the balcony, we witnessed quite a commotion in the canal below. As Mitch describes above, a guy stripped down to his birthday suit, and then jumped off the bridge into the cold water of the canal! Many partiers riding in boats added to the chaotic atmosphere today. Tonight and tomorrow we pack and prepare for our Baltic Sea cruise.
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Jeni
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gardens, elephants, and naked man oh my!
What an eventful day! At least your last day in Denmark an exciting one! See you next on the sea. Happy Mother’s Day Dee! ?