DAY

The flight through to Iceland was uneventful. Richard managed to sleep more than I. I got a couple of hours then was awake the rest of the Atlantic crossing. I couldn’t sleep through passing over Greenland into Iceland, two places I thought I’d never see., even from the air. Both were incredible but Iceland had the most unique geology of any country I’ve ever been in.

Near the Reykjavik airport, the landscape was flat, rock-strewn, and brown. There was one small patch of green and that was it. It was all tundra vegetation but barely a sign of spring. So flat you could see 100 miles or so it seemed.

 We were in Reykjavik just an hour, before boarding our 3rd plane to Copenhagen. When we arrived in Copenhagen, our trip was nearly ruined. I used the toilet (it’s not called a restroom in Scandinavia) and the hook was very high on the left side of the stall, not on the door in front like it is in the States. Anyway, I walked out and was through Customs when I realized I’d left my camera hanging on the hook!

I was sent on a goose chase until I got to the information counter at the other end of the airport, far away from the toilet and my camera. I couldn’t go back through Customs to get it, and the guy at the information counter was very slow to respond to my urgency. When he finally did, he was throwing out roadblocks as to why he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t send a man into the ladies room (ask a woman to do it I told him), he couldn’t send someone through customs (get someone on that side to look) – anyway, he finally called on his radio and the search was made. Ten minutes later, a young man came down beaming that he had found my camera! He was so happy. The complete antithesis of the “helpful” man behind the counter. 

We took an electric train 3 stops to our Scandic Weber Hotel near the Center Train station. First thing was an hour nap, then change of clothing and go walking. We were a couple of blocks from Tivoli Gardens and had ribs for dinner at Bryggeriet Apollo at Tivoli. This restaurant is a mini brewery. Tivoli Gardens, from the outside, seems more an amusement park than a garden. 

After dinner, we changed at the hotel, then walked the city 4.5 miles, covering over 6 miles for the day. However, we couldn’t find any Danish pastry shops for dessert so we bought a piece of chocolate at a sweet store in the train station. The travel film we saw said their was a pastry shop on every corner. Not in this part of Copenhagen which, by the way, is pronounced and spelled Cobenhavn by the Dahnish.

 At the train station, we also bought two small bottles of Gatorade and 1 bottle, also small, of Evian. That came to 54KR ($10). Dinner was $56.

Today we walked our little doggies off. First thing though, we had a nice shower and a breakfast of ham and cheese, hard boiled egg, Danish, flat bread and apple juice.  We did a walking tour of Cobenhavn past the canal, the Hans Christian Andersen statue, buildings dating to the 17th century, plazas, and wide squares. It rained all morning, some of it a drencher.

 We stopped at a local hamburger place for sandwiches. I had something called tzatikis which consisted of cucumber and olives in a heavy cream sauce on a 10 inch hoagie! Then it was back to the hotel to get out of our damp clothes and rest a bit.

The afternoon excursion was toward the wharf and Nyhavn. We saw Hans Christian Andersen’s residence and another statue of him. We also saw where to get the boats for the canal ride.

The sun was shining brightly so we decided to bike from the hotel to the wharf. The bikes are free in Cobenhavn. Put in a coin, take a bike, and get your coin back when you lock the bike. These bikes are colorful, adjustable, and heavy. Definitely difficult to steal but not to wreck. We did see a few banged up and without seats. 

Motorists pay the equivalent of $4 each time they come into the city. If you have to drive to the city on a daily basis, this could get expensive fast. As a result, it is a very bicycle friendly city with special lanes for the bikes and fewer cars on the roads. Pedestrians have the right of way in Denmark and in Norway, even if they jaywalk.

We left the bikes at the wharf and walked to the Little Mermaid statue, a hefty hike. As predicted, the statue is rather small but it attracts a crowd and people climb down to get their picture taken next to it. Actually, it’s about life-size.

We took the train back to the hotel. Our walking tour of the day included Frederiksborg castle (from the outside), the Marble Church f(from the outside), the Royal Palace (from the outside)…  We also strolled through two parks. 

Dinner was a Chinese restaurant, the China House. It was good if simple. Then we talked to our daughter using the internet as a telephone. The hotel, the first and last on the trip to do so, had wireless connection in the room so we could use the laptop. The computer said we walked 5.5 miles. The GPS (we brought the portable system) said we did 8 miles. I’m more inclined to believe the GPS.

Another full day. We were so worn out from the past two that after breakfast, we went back to bed. We woke around 11:30 and went to Tivoli. I was very pleasantly surprised once we got inside. It was lovely with a lake in the center and hundreds of tulips. There were pipe water fountains with air bubbles gushing up in clear plastic tubes.

The thrill rides were at least 50 years old for the most part. Only two seemed modern, a parachute drop and a no bottom, twisting metal roller coaster. One coaster actually was so old it had a brake driver on every train! This is a guy that rides the coaster with the kids and pulls a lever to stop the car. Wild and out of the 40’s. then there was a carousel that had a horse that rocked back and forth instead of up and down, spin cars, an elephant with an Indian style carriage on top, a giraffe with two seats – very cool. For there kiddies, there was a carousel that had a fire engine, motorcycles, a locomotive. And there were 1900’s cars on a track that parents could ride with youngsters. Also, there was an amusement arcade.

We skipped lunch, instead sharing a softice ice cream. When we left the park, we got our wrists stamped so we could return in the evening for the lights.

After reorganizing, we took the train to Nyhavn and took a canal boat ride in one of those flat boats that hold 100 people. It was a great hour, especially as the sun was shining today.

Interesting note. Richard wears transition lenses. They were so dark they were black. They never get that dark in Florida even in direct sunlight. Northerners really need to protect against UV rays. They are much worse in the north then we have in the south. 

We took the train back to the hotel and ate at a Chinese restaurant nearby called the Golden Bamboo. It had the prettiest décor of any restaurant I’ve ever been in and the food was the best we’ve had so far.