Good morning, Copenhagen! [Doesn't speaking those words in a buoyant fashion remind you of the song Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen? Yesterday, as we were walking across a bridge spanning one of the many waterways of the city, I asked that of my daughter, who was raised by me after all and so surely buoyant songs I would have sung to her when she was little stayed with her. And I asked if others knew the song as well. My daughter smiled in that benevolent way adult kids smile at us and said -- mom, only people over 65 would know or remember that song. I polled our walking group of six adults, only two of whom have reached that privileged age of great wisdom. She was right. Two did, four did not. Oh, the years where you could find meaning in Danny Kaye songs! Years when I thought simple songs like his Inchworm held such great insight into how to find joy in the everyday!]
We start the day at my hotel, the Villa Copenhagen.
(their arrival)
It's not that breakfast here is so exquisite so that it cannot be missed, but it is a full hotel meal and when you're renting an apartment, getting away from the responsibility of putting something on the table (and then cleaning up afterwards) is valuable.
Next, we go across the street for a fuller ramble through the Tivoli Gardens.
A word about this park: I swear, even before I had heard of Disneyland, Denmark, or dinosaurs, I'd heard of Tivoli. In my younger days, it had that reputation of being exquisite and unusual and beautiful. It's an amusement park - established in 1843 (it's celebrating its 180the anniversary this year), it was in fact the first one of its kind.
Disney visited it more than once and it's fair to say that this is where the idea for Disneyland was born.
It's amusement and delight on a grand scale, but it is also a place that strives to be aesthetically beautiful. Flowers, ornate buildings, ponds and fountains.
And plenty of rides. Juniper is too small for them and Primrose is cautious about such thrills (they have a roller coaster called "the Vertigo" which actually turns you upside-down at 100 km/hour -- I read that it was voted the best ride in all of Europe in 2014), but both girls were happy as can be to go on the merry-go-round.
Tivoli gives a nod to today's holiday (Happy Birthday, America!), though I did hear some tsk-tsking about the presence here of all those red white and blues...
I suppose I'm not surprised. There are a few, but not that many Americans here right now. And do we even know when Denmark celebrates its Independence Day? (On June 5th and it's called Constitution Day.)
I should note that one very pleasant thing about Tivoli is that it's not very crowded. Here we are, in July, and there are no long lines for anything. The pace seems leisurely. You're not trying to snag a bench seat or any kind of seat -- there are plenty. And when we spend a good hour (more?) at the Tivoli playground, there aren't pushy kids scrambling to get on the slide or to climb the ropes. It's all nicely tame and with a calm and easy vibe to it. And the two girls love it!
We pause for a crepe snack and after a very brief rain shower, the sun is out and the air feels almost warm! As they all go to pick up the food, I watch the world stroll by and I marvel at how many girls have light blonde braids, or ponytails in Denmark.
It's getting to be mid afternoon now and we split up at this point. I go back to my hotel to pick up a few things. My daughter takes Juniper home for a nap. Primrose lingers at the park with her dad.
Close to 4, I make my way past... bikes! (I cannot emphasize how much this is a biking city! Oh, one could argue that there are more cyclists in Amsterdam, but those guys over there are crazy, holding no respect for rules of the road or pedestrians. Danish bikers are like Danish street crossers: disciplined! But oh, are there ever many bikes! The bike racks are overflowing with them (double decker in the back of the photo!).
As are the streets, though almost always with dedicated bike lanes.
I'm walking now to the young family's neighborhood.
I have several important boxes to tick off tonight: first, my daughter and I head out to a local cafe to pick up some sustaining warm beverages. Then she and I go to the grocery store to get some dinner foods. For the girls. And me. Tonight is the big dinner night out for the parents. A long time ago, I offered to sit for this one and I stock up on foods now that will make the kids and me happy in the late afternoon and evening.
The parents get ready and leave before the girls are up from their naps.
I think Juniper is a little surprised to see me and not them at wake up time, but she takes her cues from her big sister and if Primrose is okay with the state of affairs, she goes along.
And when Juniper is beyond tired (I promised parents I'd keep them up past 9p.m. to keep to their late European bedtime schedule), there's always the tablet and Primrose's shoulder to keep her calm. For a little bit anyway.
(By 9, Juniper was virtually pulling me to her room to get her pajamas and to put her down in her crib. Primrose, on the other hand, was still bargaining for one more minute at 9:30.)
It must be late by the time I set out for the hotel. It's almost dark outside! Of course, in these days, it never gets fully dark here at night. Maybe for an hour or so, but by 2, the gray light of the new morning starts taking hold.
Godnat everyone! And no rush to get up tomorrow. We are all sleeping in after this beautiful day! That's what vacations require of us: to shed routines and to embrace the novel delights of each day.
With love...
