Copenhagen!

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...

Copenhagen!

Word of advice: do not poke around with your writing late into the night when you really should be getting your rest. Once your mind is focused on sentences spinning on the loom of the day's events, it's hard to get the whole machinery to shut down. [So, I think I got some sleep last night, but I'm not sure!] And another thing: really resist the impulse to purchase a nice new pair of shoes to replace your worn but comfy ones for a trip. These days (and I say this having studied lots of feet out there!) shoes do not a person make. Everybody's wearing stuff that in the past you'd probably have saved for hiking into the Rocky Mountains and you should too.

Just sayin'.

Today the cool and blustery weather continues (as it probably does for the better part of the year). The wind gusts are strong and the occasional shower adds drama to the day, though again, no one seems to care. Pull out the umbrella or button your slicker and move on.

(view out my larger window this morning: you can just see the Tivoli tower; and blue skies, for the moment!)

I try to eat a lighter breakfast, but it's hard!

Still, I do try. The young parents have in mind bakery stops that are about as tempting as they come. I need to make room for a second breakfast!

I set out for their Copenhagen home (which is actually the home of a couple who raised many a child here, if you're to believe the occasional photograph found on display in the apartment).

I'm there just after 9 and the kids are still sleeping -- that's how tired they all were after the long trip, though you'd never know it, judging by their moods!

(still in p.j.'s)

("can I brush someone's hair?")

The plan for this morning is to walk over to the young couple's favorite bakery (Hart Bagery). This is how you get to really know and love a new city or town -- you discover and hold dear a bake shop! As soon as the kids are up and ready, we set out.

It's a lovely walk through the blocks of their neighborhood. We stick to a commercially vibrant street and the shops we pass begin to paint a picture of Danish life for me. 

But nothing does this better than a pause at Hart. There is a short line, though it moves quickly. And the breads and pastries are beautiful!

They're mostly of the kind you'd like for breakfast, or for afternoon tea: cardamon buns (made from leftover scraps of croissant dough and black cardamon then glazed with melted butter -- these become my new favorites!!), Hveder buns, Spandauer buns, and poppyseed croissants with almond cream. But I know that they do a lot, too with fruit pastries (inspiring me to return to making those back home). Some pastries are more traditional to Denmark, but most show the influence of bakers from such places as Tartine in San Francisco, or Noma right here in Copenhagen. When Hart opened in 2018, the line then had 500 people in it and it quickly gained a reputation for being "the best local bakery anywhere." We take several bags of pastries with us...  

... to savor and enjoy at the young family's Copenhagen kitchen table.

It's a reminder of how much Copenhagen has transformed itself in recent decades. That some speak favorably of the bakeries here even as compared with France (these would be people from everywhere but France, I'm sure!) tells you a lot how about how cuisines can evolve, just under the influence of a handful of talented people -- not necessarily born here (the head pastry chef at Hart is from England, though he spent his formative baking years in the sourdough capital of San Francisco, before being lured here to really push the Copenhagen bakery scene forward. All these exquisite baked goods dont come cheap and unlike in France, they probably aren't picked up daily by every household in town, but good bakeries always raise the bar for others and in the end, they all get a significant boost from the new offerings.

At this point, I part ways with the young family. They have some shops to visit (a promised Lego excursion!) and I really should take a nap to make up for last night. 

I spend the afternoon in my room, admiring there what's blooming in Denmark these days.

We all meet up at 16:45 by the Ved Stranden pier for a boat ride along Copenhagen's canals. (We meet up for this with friends of the young family who are in town with their toddler.)

(As I wait for them to arrive, I glance at the benches on the little square. What do you think, Danish grandmothers?)

(here come the kids! my kids...)

We climb onto the flat, single level, open seating boat. 

    

(Primrose is actually in front of the Little Mermaid statue in this shot -- surely one of this city's most iconic monuments! Here it is, albeit from the back.)     

                                                                                                         

In all, it's a superb way to take a look at the city from the water's edge. Dark clouds hover overhead, but we never get the rain. At least not while we're on the boat! 

(the royals live here...)

(Passing by the world's smallest hotel -- a room on the water...)

And now we're all hungry for dinner. 

We walk through Nyhavn, across the river, to Popl. 

This is a take-out burger place, though you can opt for a vegetarian burger. Burgers, fries or potato salad, or green salad. That's it. But on the other hand, it's not just a burger place. It was opened by some Noma people as a pop up place and then it stayed for good. Quality ingredients brought down to the level of the burger. Not fat patties, not overwhelming, just good beef from Denmark, tastily prepared.

But it was  nippy! We all sat at a picnic table and the wind blew from every direction and eventually rain showers passed overhead, leaving us with this:

The land of many many beautiful rainbows.

Determined to do the night well, I retire (relatively!) quickly after that. So much to see and do still... I can't change my footwear, but at the very least I can start the day well rested!

Godnat once again!

Copenhagen!

Last night ended with a bang. As I was wrapping up an Ocean post, I looked out my tiny round windows and saw an explosion of fireworks over the Tivoli Gardens. (I am changing rooms today: a room with larger windows has opened up and I want it!)

I am right across the street from this park and I know that the fireworks are a weekly thing in the summer. I could have watched from my hotel's rooftop, but it was near midnight and my eyes were definitely protesting my long long period of no sleep. 

And the next thing I know it's morning.

I learn very quickly that the weather in Copenhagen is like the weather in Scotland: it changes quickly. I look out those round windows and see wisps of sunshine, but I am not fooled! There will be clouds today. There will be periods of rain. And the temps will hover in the mild 60s F (15-20C) range. I am prepared!

But first, breakfast, which at the Villa is downstairs in their courtyard restaurant. Except that I doubt anyone ever eats outside. It's just not the climate for it. Perhaps the name should be "Adjacent to the Courtyard."

Normally, a breakfast in a big hotel is uninteresting in that guests have expectations and they are uniform, no matter where they travel. Hotels strive to meet them (except for the French who hold fast to the idea that outsiders are not going to dictate what foods a French person should serve). So you see the same stuff everywhere. Eggs. Bacon. Bread. Recently, everyone tries to present a credible croissant. Cheese, meats, and what I call hotel fruits (lots of melon). Still, in hotels that care to bend toward the local, you do see a little bit of a country's flavors and the Villa cares a lot about local (their Scandinavian shampoo and body lotion are awesome! I want to take some home!) and so I get to fill my plate with what I believe to be real Danish favorites. And the one really nice thing about eating breakfast at a big hotel is that they can afford to bring in variety. You can taste more than one cheese, more than one pastry, more than one bread, and pick your own favorites for the week.

Now, we all live with stereotype ideas about other lands and I bet you and I will have come here with some pretty standard ones about Danish foods. Like, that this is where Sara Lee danishes were invented! In fact, a version of the American sticky danish which we all grew up with is popular here, but it was introduced fairly recently (in the 19th century) by bakers who came here from Austria. And indeed, you can deconstruct this even more, because some would say that Poland planted the seeds of the yeasty pastry into the minds of Austrians, but then in those years, much of Poland was under the Austro-Hungarian rule, so pastry origins can get pretty complicated. Putting all that aside, you can comfortably say that the Danes love their danish-like pastry, though it looks a bit different here and often comes with cardamon. This is the Villa's breakfast pastry presentation:

And this is my breakfast, which has the very common here rye bread (again, we have this in Poland and I love it!), the "danish" bun, a bit of salmon, Danish yogurt with a Danish strawberry jam that is beautifully runny and flavorful, Swedish cheese, Danish cheese, and here's a treat -- awesome strawberries!

And I have a dessert! A second cup of coffee with something that I swear is a cross between a danish, a croissant and a fruit tart!

I really haven't time for much else this morning. I promised I'd meet the young family at the airport at around noon, and so I just have a few moments to walk over to their apartment (about fifteen minutes away from my hotel). They chose a lovely residential neighborhood and the walk in fact is very nice...

I pass a small grocery store and notice the berries. Wouldn't it be cool to take some over now to their Copenhagen home...

And then I am back on that fast little train that within fifteen minutes puts me right in the land of planes, travelers and suitcases. 

The four travelers were lucky on several fronts: the kids both slept well on the overseas flight, the flights were all more or less on time, the suitcase did arrive with them. Were there snafus? Of course! It took 90 minutes for the suitcases to come out on the conveyor belt. That is a long wait for little ones, and, too for me, as I stand with camera poised, ready to capture the moment they step outside. But, we all managed just fine and here they are!

My daughter is a superb planner and she knows better than me the fastest way to get close to their apartment and so we all take not the train, but the subway (imagine -- the Copenhagen people have a choice of speedy options!).

During the ride I hear more of the details of their trip -- how Juniper entertained everyone at the gate by trying hard to do a real jump (she is almost there!), how Primrose told anyone and everyone that she was on her way to Copenhagen to visit her grandma (leading all to think she was going to reunite with her Danish relatives) and all the while, Primrose chatted away and Primrose looked around her in amazement. So much has changed so quickly!

In the apartment, after some snacking and exploring...

... the kids are settled down for a nap. I go out to grab a cup of coffee...

... and eventually, we all head out... 

(ready to go! "can I take my goldfish crackers?"))

(loves to ride the tiny elevator)

(so windy!)

... to do some grocery shopping at the local supermarket. This is always a lovely part of foreign travel: visiting a grocery store that does not overlap in many ways with yours back home.

(like in France, their grocery baskets are on wheels; no big shopping carts here...)

(someone else likes the idea of rolling it around!)

In the evening we go to a place that is again familiar to the parents, as they'd been there before. I dont know how to describe it except to call it a neighborhood of brewpubs (scores of them!) that opened in what I think is the old meatpacking district. The one they like is called WarPigs -- a place that is styled after the smoked BBQs of Texas, but with a Danish twist.

It's crowded, happy, very informal and everyone is in great spirits!

It's now after 8 and way past the kids' bedtime, but the parents want to shift them to a later schedule, so they propose we walk over to Tivoli Gardens for a first but certainly not last visit there. For me it's perfect because my hotel is close by. For the kids it's perfect because even if you do not ride the rides (they'll do that another day), just walking through this famous and old fashioned park brings out sparks of joy, even if you've been traveling forever and you are on a totally weird schedule and everything around you is crazy different.

Here we are, amidst showers and sunshine, pausing for ice cream for the kids...

(Danish people do not pause in their fun just because it rains; they merely take out their umbrellas!)

And in the end being magically embraced by a rainbow, making this truly a memorable end to their first day here. Hey, my first full day here!

We part ways now. I marvel at their stamina! They bravely trudge home as I turn toward my hotel. 

(the hotel's courtyard has a lovely glass dome, converting it into an expansive lobby...)

We'll meet up tomorrow morning. 

In the meantime, I enter my new room, feeling happy about the bigger windows! 

(A real dilemma: would you like small windows with a great view or large windows with a lesser view? I tried both. Turns out big windows trump great view!)

It is of course wonderful to be here with "the kids," but moreover, it is also wonderful to not be the planner, the one responsible for choosing the right amount of food, of walking, of excitement. They make all the day's decisions. I merely go along and for good reason! They choose well!

Until tomorrow then! 

With so much love...