I let Kat sleep in a bit Monday morning while I showered and did some laundry. We didn't have anything specific planned for our first day in Copenhagen other than the city walk tour in our guidebook. My phone still wasn't connecting to the networks here so I was going to have to rely on my paper maps to navigate.
Once we were both up and ready to go we grabbed a quick pastry and a warm drink and a nearby bakery and then took a spin tour of Radhuspladsen which included a grand city hall and a statue of Hans Christian Andersen looking at the side entrance to Tivoli Gardens. From there we followed the Stroget, a grand pedestrian boulevard, lined by eateries and shopping centers. I was in dire need a few toiletries I had run out of during the trip so we stopped at the Flying Tiger, a 20 kronar store. I was only able to find some deodorant wipes and a few of those awful dental floss pick things. Kat assured me I could use her deodorant if the wipes turned out to be insufficient.
We wandered off the main Stroget for a little while and toured the old university district. I find it interesting that in many of these cities the old church districts inevitably become red light districts, industrial districts become filled with trendy restaurants, and at least in Copenhagen the old brothel district became the university district.
As we strolled through the grounds at Sankt Peders Church we were approached by a nice lady that wanted to share the history of the place with us. It seems that the locals are really very proud of their city. Next we checked out the neoclassical Cathedral of Our Lady, which seemed a bit drab on the exterior but was very impressive on the inside. It really did feel like an ancient temple with its high arched and coffered ceiling, thick columns, and marble statues.
At the twin squares of Gammeltorv and Nytorv we stopped for a beer and a shared snack at a corner cafe. We ordered a smorrebrod to share, an open faced sandwich served on toast. It wasn't our favorite meal so far. The topping was a kind of chicken salad, but made with far too much mayo.
The guidebook tour took us past the Christiansborg Palace Chapel just as TV crews were documenting a long line of mourners filling into the chapel to pay their respects to the recently deceased Prince Consort Henrik. It seemed that those in line were VIPs and the crowds were just observing although all were dressed in dark colors of mourning. We passed by as inconspicuously as we could in our brightly colored touring gear.
Our next stop was the sliding bridge, also known as the kissing bridge because of the way the two ends of the bridge come apart to let ships through and then come together and kiss when they pass. We headed out to the middle of the bridge for a quick kissing selfie and then continued on to Nyhavn.
Nyhavn, or New Harbor, was a colorful waterfront with old wooden ships moored along it and lined by cafes and sausage wagons. I was still hungry so I stopped at one for a quick polse, the local sausage, with the works. Then we stopped at Hviids Vinstue, a cozy basement bar, for a couple of their legendary hot spiced wine or glogg which was delicious and warmed us right up. Kat needed something to eat with vegetables in it so we found a small grocery store that had pre-made falafel wraps for her, and I got some much needed toothpaste. As we left Kat realized she'd misplaced her sunglasses somewhere and went back in to check. Luckily someone had found them and had taken them to the clerk so she ended up getting them back. People are very helpful here.
We wandered the waterfront past the Royal Danish Playhouse and then walked through an interesting art installation entitled "The Wave", by Vertigo. Eventually we ended up at the Amalienborg gardens and palace where Queen Margrethe II lives. It was a short walk from there to check out the domed Marble Church.
The day had gotten more overcast and colder but we pressed onward to Kastellet Park and the Gefion Fountain. The fountain was impressive, but would have been more so if the water had been flowing. We proceeded along the old ramparts all the way out to the Little Mermaid statue. She is quite small and easy to miss if you don't know to look for her. In fact another touring couple on bikes stopped and asked us directions to the statue before we had found it ourselves. The statue reminded me quite a bit of the girl in a wetsuit in Vancouver, sitting on a rock out in the water.
It was late afternoon at this point and we were both getting tired and footsore. Kat was beginning to freeze so we started back for our room. We took some shortcuts and discovered a little playground equipped with hammocks of various types. Kat eagerly tried them all out.
We were back at the room by 5pm and we took a much needed break. After fiddling with my phone for a bit it started behaving properly again. We decided to get some takeaway from the Thai restaurant from across the street for dinner and we ate it in the room while watching some terribly acted true crime TV. It was glorious.
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