Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen
A happy day today in Copenhagen, the best berth we could have ,as close to everything as we could be.
Hop on Bus at the Quay ,charged to our ship, so a speedy process ,in efficient Danish style.
We didn’t love Denmark in the past ,found it unfriendly, and things didn’t work so well..Today was great, we saw lovely places, and met nice people.
Able to view all the main sites, and decide what we liked ,as you cannot see them all of course .We chose Nyhaven first, it is an area of brightly painted houses ,on canals with all the old boats ,traditional craft, some being restored ,but a lot used for charters. A nation of Islands, so the seas is a large part of life here. Canal side cafes ,all different and attractive. We explored it all ,of great interest to Sam ,and moved on for coffee, the Danes are good at coffee, average 4 cups a day…but no mocha, however they gave it a go, and very good it was..
Bikes to the fore here, very much so, and such innovative add ons for them ,children transported in many ways .You do need to be very careful ,as bikes have their separate track, and then a footpath, they go at great speed..!
Such a strong , attractively built city, is Copenhagen, the new matches the old ,a lot, then they have huge and outstanding new creations. In need of rain ,like everyone around of course. We did the whole circuit, and then I decided on the Palace I needed to see, and it was walkable, so we set off along the waterfront ,wide walkways, waterways and stunning statues ,the prettiest part. The little Mermaid was absent last time, being re bronzed, so today she was along the way ,she is small, but very lovely ,and really sort of is Copenhagen..
The birds here are huge…[like the people, another tall strong race, ] but even the sea gulls, I said is that real, it was, but the biggest ever..Swans, so huge with many cygnets ,so gorgeous, hissing at Asian visitors who were far too close. They beat a hasty retreat!
Onward to the Palace , Amalienborg. I am very interested in this Royal Family ,Margarethe ,the Queen, is a very clever woman, speaks many languages ,and is a talented artist as well, they are much loved by their nation ,supported by 85% of the people ,in a country that is very far thinking, it is apparently unusual .Then of course there are Mary and Fredrick and the children.[ Plus another brother and his Family] .The Palace is HUGE, it is a wide semicircle, immaculate , changing of the guard ,all very regal ,and seeing the Balcony we often see them on, the courtyard where Mary biked the children to school, in their little cart, like all the Parents in Denmark .I loved it all, and wondered what Mary thought when she came from Tasmania, must have been rather over whelmed.. it is the biggest Palace I have ever seen.! She is very much to the fore, speaks the language, and perfect for the part it seems.. It is near the water, with gardens across the road, on the waterfront.
We had a traditional Danish Hot Dog, harbourside ,not as we know it, a great tradition here, not a frankfurter in a bun..All nicely cooked ,large sausage type, cut and browned, flat wider bun ,toasted, pesto, chilli, sausage ,onions ,pickles ,tomatoes, rocket, mayo, gherkins, ketchup and cheese…! Made by lovely young people, who enquired of our origins ,and had never met people from NZ. This all took sometime ,so we had nice chats ,after we ate, I went back and said how good it was, and how it is the little things you recall, that make a place special..We also met a young sailor ,from a beautiful Tall Ship, just nearby ,been in Spain and far places ,it was named simply, Danmark, he was interesting and friendly, and they sailed off again, majestically, before us, to more interesting places in the world. A training vessels for sailors.
We had a line of pretty shops adjacent to our berth today so nice to wander and look at local things. We sailed at 4.30 with Hot dogs on deck and Danish beer ,a far cry from our lunch ,but many seemed to enjoy.. Good to meet fellow NZ’ ders ,they are getting off in a day though..
Our show tonight was very professional and the talent of our singers as good as any ,singing the well loved classics.
It is blowing tonight, we have been with a good view of the Coast of Sweden for a long time ,the most movement since we began.. Its fine, and need to rest after a very full and good day in Denmark.Baca selengkapnya