BL #11: Be a Kid ... Again

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Geo: 55.6763, 12.5681

Everybody wants to do it, but nobody ever can, unless they own a time machine - to relive your childhood again!  Despite being exhausted from another long day of sightseeing, and despite the World Cup final being played tonight, we still found just enough time and energy to go back once more to Tivoli, the favourite place of any Copenhagen kid, and of any Copenhagen adult that still wants to be a kid.  

There are very few bargains to be had in Scandinavia, so true to our Asian nature, we did what we are expected to do when we come across a deal - abuse the Hell out of it!!!  All the Scandinavian capitals offer up a city card that includes admission to nearly all attractions, unlimited public transit, and discounts on tours and restaurants.  Oslo and Copenhagen have particularly good ones, and the Copenhagen Card offers the extra benefit of allowing you to visit an attraction once per 24-hour period, on a multi-day card.

So abuse it we did, finding ourselves once more in Tivoli - but is there anything really wrong with that?  It's well within the terms of use, so of course not!  But our motives were a tad strange, since we didn't go back simply to stroll the grounds once more, nor hit up any of the rides, nor to play any of the carnival games.  We were there for one reason, and one reason only - to eat some more churros!  

Not many would visit an amusement park again, solely for the purpose of eating those greasy little death sticks, though perhaps Calgarians who go to the Stampede every year mostly because of the little donuts or corn dogs might come close!  Truth be told, Tivoli's churros aren't even that good - they aren't even freshly made, simply reheated in oil when ordered, and overly chewy.  But when you want to be a kid again, you just go ahead and do it!

Plus, the churros made us feel better about our slight disappointment tonight at Tivoli - we also wanted to have a hot dog or sausage while there, but every Vendor stand's offering was less than stellar, sitting on the griddle for far too long, and beginning to shrivel up.  So instead, we sucked down our churros and then gorged our faces on hot dogs, huddled across the street from Tivoli, in front of the train station - like a couple of hobos!  Expensive Scandinavia, what have you done to us???!!!?? 

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Photos

Run For Your Life ...
... a big Asian tour group!!!

Creepy Mannequin ...
... even creepier is that his gnarled hand looks like it's a result of a lot of self-pleasuring ...

Optical Illusion ...
... this was painted on a type of corrugated canvas so that when viewed from one angle, it's King Frederik V, and from the other, it's his wife.

Cesar's The Big Thumb ...
... one of the most popular sculptures in the entire museum. We lucked out today, as we still managed to see it, even though it was tucked away under a tent, getting some work done - perhaps a manicure?

Funky Copenhagen Neighbourhoods ...
... this city has some cool little areas in transition, leading to some really cool vibes around town.

Meatpacking District ...
... funky area of town, with its old buildings being turned into a bit of a culinary hotspot in Copenhagen. This outdoor seating was a bit hobo chic, if there is such a thing.

Quick Breakfast On the Train ...
... from Andersen Bakery, another fancier baker in town. The pizza bun was much better yesterday at Holm's - today's was a bit too doughy and lacking in toppings.

A Distinct Improvement ...
... these three Danishes (actually called wienerbrod in Denmark) were quite delicious - flaky pastry, and tasty fillings (lemon, cherry, and apple-rhubarb). A mediocre pain au chocolat rounded out the breakfast, along with a couple of coffees.

Surprisingly Gourmet Lunch At the Museum ...
... you don't normally expect much out of a museum cafe, but this was pretty damn good - two smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches), one with cold smoked salmon and the other chicken salad, and two killer desserts. The first was a sort of giant macaron filled with passion fruit mousse and sprinkled with nuts, and the other was an insanely-good carrot cake with vanilla bean cream cheese icing. The cake was incredibly moist, and the icing may have been the best part - studded with little bits of vanilla bean, and rich and creamy.

Bonjour Vietnam ...
... craving something Asian and scoring a 30% discount through a reservations app provided by the hotel, we tried out this place. Lettuce rolls stuffed with raw tuna, mango, cilantro, and enoki mushrooms, all wrapped in cucumber - not overly flavourful, but the volume of fresh veggies was great.

Bun Bo Hue and Pho ...
... not bad, but not great. The portions were quite small compared to what we get back in Calgary, and postiively miniscule, when you consider the price. Unfortunately, they didn't have the right kinds of noodles, so the pho was served with a narrower version of Chinese chow fun, and the bun bo hue was served with vermicelli. Still, it was a bit of a luxury to be able to find some passable Vietnamese soup here. One thing we noticed was that the bean sprouts are of a different type than we get back home - thicker, more robust, and also more flavourful.

Dessert ...
... we didn't order any of our own, but we were eyeing this family go to town on theirs through the window, as we were sitting on the patio outside - the father noticed us drooling and offered a chance to snap a photo of his sundae.

Snack ...
... since the Vietnamese food left us a tad hungry, we later gorged on these Danish-style hot dogs - stuffed with all manner of toppings, including pickled shallots, onions, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and fried onions.

Desperation ...
... it's an expensive city, so if you can't afford a whole hot dog, you can still buy just a bun to nosh on!