August 8-9, 2018

We traveled via luxury bus and ferry to Copenhagen from Hamburg. The bus ride was smooth as glass but the ferry ride was something special. Our bus drove itself into a mammoth ferry ship alongside cars, campers, cars, 18-wheelers and other buses. I will repeat, this was a huge ferry. Ours did not, but other of these mammoth ships ferry even trains across the sea between Germany and Denmark. It was a 45-minute ride across the North Sea and it was great! It is a virtual must-do for anyone traveling in this part of the world. Once loaded on the ferry, all passengers must exit the vehicle and spend the ride on one of several decks overlooking the water. Spacious passenger decks were available outside and inside - take your choice. There are plenty of seats and plenty of opportunities for a sandwich, snacks or coffee. I'm a lifelong people watcher, and this particular time of year we have learned is the month-long holiday time for Europeans. This equals good observing. I locked in on a family of lean blondes. They were all tall; mom, dad, daughters and one son. The youngest daughter captured my ultimate attention. She looked to be about 6 and had obviously just learned to do a cartwheel. Probably after being cooped up in a car for hours and now finding herself in a broad space, this young child simply exploded with cartwheel after cartwheel. After several in a row, she'd take a momentary break, slick her hair back and go again. Oh, did I say she had curls?? What a cutie! After a while, she added finesse and slipped a pair of flip flops on her hands and did cartwheels in flip flops. She would end her routine with a posed finish, suitable for an Olympic event. She nailed it. I remembered my days of being able to do a perfect cartwheel and suddenly thought I should join her. Oh, pick yourself up off the floor. No, I didn't do a cartwheel with her but I sure wanted to. I was intrigued too with a very active boy of about 7 years who had a head of flaming orange-red hair with curious blond temples. I thought he might grow up to be an amazing athlete or rock-star; maybe not, but he will certainly be a lady-killer in his days to come.

Along the bus ride and the ferry sailing, we saw little but beautiful serene, rich-looking farmland. We passed field after field of freshly combined wheat or other cereal crop (we call the grain crops). We saw farm complexes that looked like small villages. They included family houses and houses too for the people who cared for the animals, the farm equipment and the fields. I picture families sharing a meal together. I can almost smell and taste the stew abundantly filled with chunks of browned lamb in a broth with plentiful potatoes, carrots and onions stewing on the stove while a loaf of fragrant dense bread browns in the oven. I imagine theirs is a style of hard but rich living, indeed. In reality though these farm owners probably raise children in the right way and then send them off in a brilliant way to Eaton in England, NYU or MIT in the new country.

Across the body of water, we re-boarded the bus and finished the last leg of the trip. We were put off the bus not in a bus depot in Copenhagen but literally on the side of a street. We gathered our luggage and walked to the city's central station a few blocks away to find a taxi to take us to our hotel. Our hotel was called Cabinn Scandinavia. It was a multi-story building that looked like it had been constructed in a modular fashion, room after room arriving already outfitted with beds and bath. Just screw them together and voila, you have a hotel. ??? First you must understand, Copenhagen is a very expensive place to live and even much more expensive to visit. Hotel costs are outrageous! The hotel was functional however. Perfectly functional!!! I often see cute pictures of tiny houses and I wonder how would one manage in a space like that? This hotel allowed us to taste that experience. We managed fine, of course. The temp in Copenhagen was even hotter than in Hamburg. Yes, it's green here - that's what we came to see and experience. But it's also far more hot and dry than it's been in many, many years. Even before the shock of our tiny-house hotel room, we knew there was no air conditioning. Stan in his usual charming way managed to snag a fan for our room. With the windows wide open, the fan set to blow directly on us, pulling in the cooler air from the outside and without a stitch of clothing we managed to sleep.

Before bedtime, we walked the area, taking pictures of the lovely homes and shops and seeking out a place for spaghetti - our go-to dinner when we are tired and a bit flabbergasted. We walked and walked and finally settled on a stylish place that had no sketti but served the best hamburger and best fish and chips sine our last visit to J. Michaels in Panama City Beach.

Next morning we took a long fast walk along the waterway that was just outside our hotel's door. I kept thinking how lucky these people are to live in the midst of this city. It is beautiful with views of water and classic old mansions and they have the opportunity to ride bikes to work or run errands along dedicated bikeways with lovely bridges crossing canals where ducks and swans are feeding. Sources say the Danes are among the happiest in the world. No wonder.

We were in Copenhagen only one night but the flavor is just as I remembered from our visit last year. What a wonderful place for young active people. There seems to be so much going on. It's a happy, busy, historic, cool, productive, smart place to live - a bit expensive, but good none the less!!! I'm looking forward to our three days here at the end of our Baltic cruise to explore the city a little more at a leisurely pace.

We were scheduled to board the ship at noon. We arrived early and they processed us early. How nice! No lines; no hassle at all. First thing we did was treat ourselves to a Bloody Mary and proceeded to meet and make friends.