Copenhagen

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Wonderful, beautiful Copenhagen.



This is a great walking city. Mother Nature greeted is each day, both here and in Paris, with severe clear blue skies. Then someone got on her nerves and the days soon turned cloudy with sprinkles or even a downpour. Still nothing could dampen our enthusiasm to explore.



We walked from the City Hall to Nyhaven, took a canal boat ride around the harbor saw the Little Mermaid and stopped at a cafe for lunch. We sat outside under the heaters and wrapped in a blanket we had the best Irish coffee ever, except for Bob & Bev's. Joe had fish and chips. The chips were rated AA+ while I enjoyed a shrimp salad sandwich (A).



We hopped on a Ho-Ho bus and rode the circuit, planning our foray for the next day. We have found that the little restaurant near our hotel suits us very well and has the best porter ever, Limsfjiordporter. It even beats out Guiness in my opinion. We had several meals there and with the exception of an over cooked weinerschnitzel each was very very good.



Today the city Hall clock bells are not ringing. We miss them. We walk to the HoHo stop and visited the residence of the royal family, Amalienborg Palace. Although they were in residence, they did not come out to invite us for tea. Bummer. The guards patrolling carry serious arms. They are not just for show. Hoped to visit the museum but my knees just couldn't take the stairs. Instead we went into the "marble church" so named because it was supposed to be made of marble but had to settle for stone. It was a peaceful retreat after walking in the cool wind.



We planned to hop on the bus back to Nyhaven for Irish coffee but walked the couple of blocks instead. Wrapped up in our blankets, under our heaters, we watched the parade stroll by. The Danes are handsome people and usually walk with a smile on their face. There are some very, very tall men. Our waiter is a Dane but his accent is a bit Irish, a bit Australian. His tag line is "no worries". His is a comprehensive job, waiter, busboy, umbrella erector and even weeding the cobblestones. It probably isn't in the job description but he seems not to like standing around. There are all kinds of boats moored on the canal from charter boats and tour boats to small sailboats. My favorite is a fairly large wooden vessel flying the Danish flag. The owner looks the part of a seaman, sporting a grey beard. He has two dogs and he puts out a special ramp for them to come aboard after their morning walk.



Later, we walked back to the hotel through the Christiansborg area enjoying the architecture when the skies opened up. Ducked into a cafe, sat by the fireplace and enjoyed nachos and porter. By the time the rain let up and we got back to the hotel we both wanted a nap. Got up late, enjoyed our stingers at the bar and headed to our hangout for dinner. We are familiar faces to the staff by now. Enjoyed another fine meal and Limsfjiordporter the off to bed.



Our last full day in Denmark took us to Roskilde by train to visit the Viking Museum. A fellow at home suggested it and he was spot on. One, the train speedy and clean. Two, Roskilde is a charming town and three, the Museum was worth the trip. Five Viking vessels were found offshore and were restored to various stages. Much of the wood and all of the ropes did not survive the centuries but there was enough material to learn just how they were put together. Now current day boat builders use the same type wood and replicas of the ancient tools to build operational vessels that take visitors around the harbor. To get to the Museum we had to walk down to the harbor from the train station about a mile and a half. That did in my knees big time. There were demonstrations scheduled which both of us would have enjoyed but I just couldn't do any more. We taxied back to the train and headed to Copenhagen, hobbled to the hotel to get off my legs. Never got to Tivoli as planned, just grabbed lunch and headed to bed. Went to the bar for stingers and then straight to back to bed not even out for dinner.



We checked out of the hotel and taxied to the Airport, sorry to leave this wonderful city but anxious to get home. My knees are in terrible shape and nothing I do seems to help. The prospect of getting to the gate was daunting so I asked for assistance. What an experience. I had to walk through security before I could get help. While my knees screamed, the woman in front of us had to unpack her carry on three times before all the liquids and gels were removed. Iced tea? What was she thinking. Anyway a wheelchair brought me to a waiting area and shortly before boarding, a cart picked us up and took us to the gate. If I had to make the walk on my own I would never have made it. As it was, Mad Max raced us through the shops and corridors at a breakneck speed. I hung on for dear life. We were facing backwards so we could see the people he nearly ran down. Got to the gate just as they began boarding and were whisked right onboard.



When we landed in Amsterdam, the plane had stairs. Two other ladies besides me had asked for assistance. We managed the stairs to the ground and looked in dismay at the stairs up to the gate. Never mind. We were escorted to a vehicle, looked a bit like an ambulance, and were driven around the airport to a transit area. Here we were met by another wheelchair and dropped at a cart area. We sat for a while until another couple joined us and then off to the gate at a moderate speed. No, not the gate, another security check. Off the cart, into a wheelchair and into a gigantic mess waiting to go through. We joined the priority line and patiently waited, enjoying the sign "Working hard to improve your security experience". Not even close. Then we were barreled through the mob of people waiting to board, 408 to be exact, and were boarded along with the first class passengers. Though I know I would still be in Copenhagen Airport without assistance this was the most bizarre boarding ever. So here I am trying to decide if I can make the next two trips I have planned that involve air travel.



Random thoughts. One way or another I will get back to Paris. Everyone was nice to us and very helpful to Ed. When I go again I will go for a couple of weeks so I can take my time and see all the sights I want to see but have time to rest my knees.



Copenhagen is as charming as I remembered. I love having liver pate and cheese for breakfast. Our hotel room was small but the view, amazing! Joe had bacon, eggs, and Danish pastry and he pronounced them very good. The croissants with marmalade were yummy too. I hope we can find the porter here. It was the best.



In my next life I want to travel around Europe by train. It's such a civilized way to travel. On our flight from the U.S. On Air France, I paid for an upgraded seat in a row two across. Good move for Joe but the seat was one of the most uncomfortable I have had. It was definitely not designed for a woman my height. The back support and the headrest were to high to be of any value. On KLM on the way home I was well and truly trapped in a window seat. The seat itself was comfortable but there wasn't enough leg room for the even tiny me. I take back what I said about flying. And I four more to look forward to.

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