So the alarm rings at 2:00 am and oddly enough the party is over across the street at the nightclub. We got everything packed up and rolled our suitcase out of the hotel and down the hill towards where I had made a web reservation for a pick-up at 3:00 am. I was hoping that they would remember to show up, because there are not a lot of people we could call to get a ride to the airport this early in the morning. When we arrived at the bus stop there was some relief because an older Japanese couple were there already waiting. The sun was just starting to rise and it was damn cold out there – I hoped that the Japanese couple hadn’t been waiting too long.
At 3:00 am we had our hands in our pockets trying to stay warm, and looking forward to the mini-bus but no cars appeared to help us. I saw a taxi parked down the street with the driver idling the engine, so at least we had that (expensive) option if it came down to a rush for the airport. Kuniko was just starting to lecture on the importance of professionalism in business when the mini-bus appeared at the corner and came to pick us up. Hooray! The driver was looking for one more Japanese person, who was obviously not there, and so rather than wait we took off. I wonder what happened to the missing person. Too much fermented shark?
The mini-bus took us back to the terminal, and we re-boarded a big bus, and this time they left right on time rather than waiting for the bus to fill up. It was a 45 minute drive to the airport, this time in a darker and slightly spookier situation. We listened to 80’s pop music on the radio and watched the ocean passing by on the right. At the airport things were just starting to open for the morning. We checked our bag by ourselves, and then went inside to look for some breakfast. Things were opening slowly, but when hot food became available we were right there for a ham and egg sandwich, a cheese omelet, and two mimosas.
From Iceland to Copenhagen, Denmark it takes only about 3 hours by plane. The flight itself was very smooth and we could enjoy the views down on Denmark and all the beautiful peninsulas and islands (most had farmland from coast to coast). The only hitch in the flight was an Icelandic devil child who sat behind me and was completely bonkers. He was about six years old and enjoyed screaming at random times, kicking and hitting the walls, grabbing my hair from behind, and pushing his arms through the seats to pull and hit me. His mother sat next to him trying to handle a toddler in her arms, and didn’t seem to notice. She apologized once I think, but with her accent and my skill with the Icelandic tongue it was hard to say. It was the first time in a long time I had seen anyone completely lose and give up on controlling their kid.
So we landed, changed money (from a pushy clerk) and then caught a train to Copenhagen central station, which was totally easy. The train ride was just 10 minutes or so, and then we were on the platform. We had to climb some steps (lugging the suitcase) to get out of the station but then we walked around a construction area and found our hotel just nearby, the Absalon Hotel. The hotel was a beautiful boutique style place surrounded by strip clubs and erotic wear shops. Hotel good, neighborhood exotic!
After checking in we went right back out to explore the city. It was in the early afternoon, which is the peak time for tourism, so it was a little hard to get where we wanted to go. We had to walk around Tivoli Gardens (a theme park in the middle of the city) then along busy streets taking care not to use the bicycle paths. Copenhagen and Amsterdam took their bicycle paths very clearly – they get right of way and you have to keep your head up or you’ll get clipped (or at least yelled at). As we walked around the city you could quickly see the age of the big stone buildings and really it felt like stepping into history. The lanes were a little more narrow here, and we walked through many beautiful squares and parks. We reached the popular waterfront Nyhavn, and even more people were here taking pictures and coming very close to falling into the canals on the waterfront. This place was one of the main things we wanted to see, and now that we arrived we had to share it with lots of people, cars and bike traffic. Luckily we would be able to come back later at an earlier time and avoid all this.
We also visited Rosenborg castle, built at the end of a big city park, and Kuniko made a pilgrimage to the LEGO store. LEGO started in Denmark, and so it was a special visit to see the store and look around. Kuniko was hoping to buy a Star Wars stormtrooper keychain to replace the one she has carried for many years, but unfortunately they didn’t have any – only Kylo Ren. Bummer!
Afterwards we visited the Stroget area of Copenhagen, which is filled with old stone buildings, cobblestone streets and various shops. There were a lot of tourists here, but we turned one corner and ran across one of those charming squares built around a fountain, a big oak tree, and surrounded by outdoor tables and umbrellas for people to eat, drink and relax. We instantly knew we wanted to hand out here, so we picked a restaurant with a nice menu, and sat down to an early dinner. In Denmark the traditional food we wanted to try was smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches). Kuniko ordered one covered with little shrimp, and I had a tartar classic – raw beef, capers, an egg yolk, and onions and greens. Both sandwiches were excellent, and we had some Danish beers to wash them down.
Sitting on the square was great – I love when we can find places like this. Since I wanted to stay a little longer we extended our order with a couple glasses of wine, and enjoyed the cool weather and just watched people passing by for a while.
Eventually we decided to head back towards our hotel. On the way we passed by the train station again, and decided to try some hot dogs (also traditional Danish food) at a stand that was set up outside the station. We ordered two – one was just “rod polse” that I heard was the most traditional (but it wasn’t that exciting) and another (I forget the name) that had a bun, lots of relish and fried onions, and it knocked our socks off. Wow – so good!
We cut through the station to get back to the hotel, and passing by the exotic underwear shops we went back up to our room and called it a day. The plan: get up early tomorrow and beat all the tourists to the most popular sightseeing spots!
