Copenhagen and the Fjords of Norway: Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!

Copenhagen has more bikes than cars!

We spent three nights in Copenhagen prior to our cruise, and the city really is wonderful. The atmosphere is tranquil and almost soothing. Life seems simpler here, and the streets are filled with people riding their bikes to and from work. In fact, Copenhagen has more bicycles than cars!

The weather was ideal, remarkably sunny and warm. We especially enjoyed the balmy evenings when the sun shone until almost 11:00 p.m. Later on, we learned this was the warmest and driest May ever recorded in Copenhagen.

Kathy and Anne pose in front of the infamous
Steel House

Our home base was a hostel called the “Steel House,” a budget choice in an extremely expensive city. The hostel was nicely situated for touring and provided air conditioning (a rare commodity here) but fell way short in other amenities. Kathy described the rooms as prison cells, and Frank thought actual cells might be roomier! The large bed was hemmed in on three sides with no side aisles, so you had to climb in at the foot of the bed and “swim” toward the headboard (using dug-in elbows to propel yourself). God help you if you needed to go to the bathroom quickly in the middle of the night!

Anne in the tiny Steel House room

As if the bed wasn’t challenging enough, the only floorspace was a super narrow aisle at the foot of the bed. With the two of us, every maneuver was a struggle since we had to constantly move things around and try to stay out of each other’s way. It was a real adventure (or maybe a nightmare?). Fortunately, the bed was comfy, just stupidly placed and cumbersome to use. The bathroom was fine – it actually seemed spacious compared to the bedroom. We had some good laughs at the Steel House’s expense (like referring to it as the Sh*t House) and figured our ship cabin would feel like a palace after this!

Atmospheric old Copenhagen

We were anxious to learn more about this tiny country of just 5-1/2 million Danes (about half the population of New York City) and began our education with a walking tour called the “Hygge and Happiness” tour. Hygge (pronounced HOO-gah) is a Danish concept with no real English equivalent, meaning something like contentment, like the feeling you get drinking a beer with friends or sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold night. The other participants were no shows, so we ended up having a private tour with just the three of us and our very knowledgeable guide Morten, a really nice guy who shared some hygge with us along with his favorite parts of Copenhagen.

Typical backstreet with farm roses growing along side
the old houses

We wandered around atmospheric backstreets from bright orange former army barracks to a street known as the Roses Street. Many houses here have what Morten called “farm roses,” rose bushes growing out of the cobblestones right next to the houses. And they were all in bloom!

In the King's Garden
with Hans Christian Andersen

We made two foodie stops: one for some real Danish pastry and another for a chocolate tasting. We ate our pastries in the King’s Garden by a statue of homeboy fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen. We learned that Hans lacked social skills (may have been slightly autistic), and he didn’t even like children. He dgid have a knack for imposing on friends for free room and board. He once stayed in London with Charles Dickens for five weeks, prompting Dickens to write: “Fresh fish and houseguests start to stink after three days!”

Sampling pink Ruby choclate

We tasted Danish chocolate at the Peter Beier Chocolate Shop, a very modern and upscale establishment. We tried lots of different types of chocolate including Peter’s new pink chocolate called Ruby, supposedly the first new chocolate variety since the introduction of white chocolate. Our favorite was a beer-flavored truffle specifically created for the Carlsberg Brewery. Apparently, the beer and chocolate combination is not easy to make, but we thought it was well worth the effort!

Another favorite stop was the Library Garden, a hidden gem behind the government Archives with a fountain and lots of blooming rhododendrons. Overall, the walk was an excellent introduction to Danish life.

The stunning Queen's Library

Our second tour covered key sites in the city along with a canal boat ride. The tour included a visit to Christiansborg Castle where Anne’s favorite room was the Queen’s Library with white paneling, carved ceilings, magnificent chandeliers, and two stories of book shelves. A booklover’s delight! And a stop at Rosenborg Castle to see the crown jewels of Denmark. Anne would be happy to “borrow” the emerald and diamond tiara.

Nyhavn, one of the prettiest spots in Copenhagen

The canal boat tour took us all around the city, passing through beautiful neighborhoods, and of course, the statue of the (very) Little Mermaid, the symbol of Copenhagen, who sits on the edge of the harbor. Our guide told us vandals have hacked off the Little Mermaid’s head more than once, but the city will keep fixing her up no matter what, because they love her. After the boat ride, we ate lunch alongside the colorful harbor called Nyhavn, the prettiest spot in the city.

Frank and the twin brother

We had a strange incident one night. We were eating dinner when Kathy thought she recognized our waiter from the previous evening (who we really liked a lot). Frank thought so too and called the guy over. What followed was a confusing conversation that seemed to indicate a case of mistaken identity. But then, the guy said, “I do have a brother.” A twin brother! He and the previous night’s waiter were twins! We all laughed so hard, and then the guy insisted on buying us a round of drinks. What a crazy coincidence. We meet the most wonderful people when we travel!

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