Copenhagen, Denmark - July 29-August 4

(Bill – city versus countryside, my BBQ idol, and wine and a baguette on the dock)

We arrived in Copenhagen via another extremely cheap flight, this time on Sterling Airlines for $75 each, from Amsterdam. Copenhagen is much different than I expected. It is a busy, thriving city, which I had expected; however, the architecture is much less impressive and plain compared to the modern glassy architecture built amidst old stone architecture type city I had anticipated. It is much more expensive than other parts of Europe. For example, a “normal’ dinner for two with two drinks cost between $80 and $100. If you go “fancy” you can easily double that. McDonald’s Big Mac meal, or menu as they call them, will cost you $10 – not that I would know from experience. The weather is still on the chilly and gloomy side with highs in the mid-60’s and rain off and on, but I prefer this to the 100 degrees plus we would have encountered if we had stayed south for July/August. One interesting thing that we found in Copenhagen is that the Danish eat dinner much earlier than other cities we have traveled through in Europe. On our first night we almost didn’t get to eat because we were looking for a restaurant after 9:30pm. The city is very much a walking city with people of all ages walking through the self proclaimed “longest pedestrian mall in the world”. I’m pretty sure Amsterdam claimed the same thing. Funny!

On our second full day in Denmark we took an hour train ride to the top of Zealand, the island on which Copenhagen is located, to visit a few castles and seaside towns. Once we got 5 minutes outside of the city center the terrain changed completely. The countryside of Denmark is extremely beautiful. Flat, green, and lush, dotted with quaint family farms and quiet seaside towns. My favorite was the seaside town of Helsingor. Besides the beautiful castle (apparently the setting for Hamlet) that overlooks the North Sea, Victoria and I found an amazing outdoor restaurant that overlooks the harbor and castle. Small with a modern décor and no more than 10 tables, the kitchen, which consisted of a wood burning grill/barbecue, was located outside with the tables. One head chef (who I surmised was the owner and is truly my “BBQ idol”) and one assistant chef prepared all of the meals. Although it was a bit out of our price range, once I saw and smelled the chicken kabobs, local salmon, and fresh vegetables on the grill there was no stopping us. Needless to say we enjoyed dinner and a few glasses of wine/beer, which gave us a little taste of home, and it will always be a memorable experience.

On our third full day in Copenhagen we did a little self-made (read – random wandering), self-guided walking tour of the city and found Nyhaven. Nyhaven is a restored area of Copenhagen on the canal with docks lined with old sailing boats and a number of outdoor cafes. When we arrived it was “happy hour somewhere” so we found a shop and bought a bottle of wine, shocking I know, and a baguette and enjoyed them on the dock next to the cafes underneath the sunset. Another memorable experience.


(Victoria: Family Reunion, Iced Coffees, Bog People and Bill’s Hidden Talents)

The second we stepped off the plane I felt something funny…a connection…a familiarity. Bill will laugh at me for saying this, but I felt as if I were in the middle of a massive family reunion. It was as if I were seeing Elizabeth and William doubles around every corner. Blondes – and not the California golden blondes – snow blondes – were everywhere. Tall and tanned, slim and muscular, casual and hip fashion, and good teeth – okay, so these don’t all apply, those of you laughing about the tall part can stop now…Anyway, it was strange to see so many babies that looked as if they could be my niece or nephew. It made me miss Elizabeth and William even more. And there were lots of babies. Supposedly Scandinavia has a decreasing native population – not in Copenhagen! I saw pregnant women and new moms in abundance. They push the most massive prams I’ve ever seen. They were like moving beds! These were definitely for strolling purposes because there is no way they would fit in a car. Some had a baby and an older sibling in them and there was still room enough for shopping bags. We heard very few sad babies though, so maybe there is some wisdom in the size.

On the first evening there I immediately spotted the Starbucks imitator, Barresto, and conveniently made sure to pass it the following morning. Oh, the comfort of ice blended coffee. I love it. Luckily we could get free internet there and so spent an afternoon planning Norway and sipping “Iced Blends” – even Bill had them – yes, Bill Clinton (his photo was on the wall).

One of my favorite days was spent at the National Museum in Copenhagen. They had an amazing collection of artifacts from early nomads to the Vikings to early Christians. They had large boulders with runic inscriptions, early Bronze helmets and swords, and then we got to the Bog people. Yes, real people preserved in the Danish bogs. It was truly unbelievable. One lady even had her hair – reddish blonde. Their clothing was still intact; their features could be made out. And they dated from 1000 to 2000 B.C.!!!

I really liked Denmark. The countryside in Zealand was beautiful. Frederiksborg Castle was so neat. It was really well preserved and we got to go in all the nooks and crannies. It was what I think most people expect of a castle – winding stairs, long halls, dark corners, a moat, and turrets. I was less impressed with the “Hamlet” castle as it had been used as a military base from the 1750s to 1920s and was not put back to its Renaissance splendor. However, the town was darling and could see Sweden just across the water. We also went on a longer train to Funen, “the garden island,” to the town of Odense, the birth-place of Hans Christian Anderson. We went to an open-air museum and I encountered the most enormous pig/hog/whatever it was I’ve ever seen. Now I am fully aware that I am no farm expert, but this was a record holder. I’m talking State Fair Champion. It could feed all of Los Angeles. I also learned that my husband is an excellent stilt-walker (always, a back-up career to remember).

Oddities or Things We Noticed

(Bill and Victoria)
Hans Christian Anderson is THE MAN in Denmark. He has so many streets, restaurants, and pubs named after him that it became a joke. They are also celebrating his move from Odense to Copenhagen, so every single museum has a “special” HCA exhibit.

Sunsets are starting to last longer. It stays light until around 9:30pm.

They use as much paprika in their cooking as the Strong/Tanzey family does. I love it!

They have an ingenious hot dog invention/creation. Instead of cutting the hot dog bun in half, they poke a hole vertically through the bun (but not all the way), and then they squirt whatever “dressing” wanted inside the hole, and shove the hot dog in. Now the hot dog is sticking out of the bun and each bite is ketchup covered without it falling out. No mess, no clean up. I enjoyed a few of these.

Open-air museums with period buildings, people dressed in period costumes, and farm animals are big in Scandinavia. They are neat, but there are an awful lot of them.

We went to a live Blue’s bar one evening and had a hilarious experience – maybe it was the many pints??? Aside from meeting an eccentric American living in Southeast Asia and a former Swedish Ambassador, who apparently met each other in Bosnia, the local Blue’s singers sounded as if they stepped off the plane from Mississippi. But when they spoke in between songs they had extremely thick Danish accents. Showbiz.

There seems to be some sort of traveling American Indian band following us on our journey. We’ve seen them in Amsterdam, Belgium, and now Denmark. They have elaborate head dresses and dance around to drums and synthesized, yes synthesized, other instruments. Very random.