Copenhagen - August 18, 2018

It was much cooler this day than it was nine or ten nights ago when we bought that ventilator to survive. Still, we reassembled it and had it going strong. I thought, tonight's snoozing will be great!

We had most of the day here to enjoy. We left the ship early morning and since there is no good public transportation from the cruise terminal, we hired a taxi and ten minutes later we were at our Airbnb apartment. The young owner, Julie, let us in early, hours ahead of the ordinary check-in time. How nice!! Before she left, Julie, told us about wonderful places to visit, showed us exactly where our apartment is located on a map and pointed out grocery stores, the Metro and the best restaurant for authentic Danish food . . . all the basics.

Julie said we needed reservations for Sopromenaden, the Danish food restaurant, and suggested we dine there tonight. We made our plans . . . first we'd walk to the restaurant, make reservations there then walk to the Nyhavn: lovely canal that you always see in photos of Copenhagen and maybe take a canal tour. After lying on our backsides all day yesterday, relaxing and reading, the long but pleasant walk did us good.

We made dinner reservations for half past seven at Sopromenaden and moved on. We passed landmarks that we had seen or visited last year. It felt both good and odd to find ourselves familiar with things in Copenhagen. It never fails to amaze us; people all over the world are nice. As we sat on a park bench checking our map. We noticed a small but strong dog barking at the ducks in the lake. That little boy was doing his due diligence to make sure those ducks didn't consider coming up to the sidewalk. As the man walked by we spoke to him saying that his doggie was a truly good boy! The man relished in the fact that we paid attention to his little full-blooded Dachshund man-doggie, Nyam. He told us the breed was expert in fox hunting but Nyam was a great hunter of birds and deer. He was trained to neither bark nor run after the hunted but merely pointed out the prey to his owner. If after a shot, the deer happened to be only wounded, the owner said he's let Nyam loose. He's find the injured animal and the owner would take over the rest. That long dog with its oversized head was a gorgeous bundle of muscles and its coat was as sleek and shiny as a seal. A dog's version of Mr. Universe!

Farther along, I took pictures of a little girl feeding the ducks. I asked her permission first. Mom said ok and seemed pleased and flattered. We also took photos of many wonderfully styled buildings from the early 1800's. We simply encountered one beautiful one after another. Often, Stan or I would remark, I could live there.

At Nyhavn, the place was a hive of activity. It was Saturday so in addition to the throngs of tourists still in the area, the local city folk were out too. While locals enjoyed the street-side bistros with wine or coffee and lunch, all the tourists wanted and got a shot of them with the canal in the background. We did too. Actually we took the very same photo last year but at that time, we were in heavy coats, hats and boots.

We stopped for a lite lunch in the area at Restaurant Els. We had typical Danish food. I had spicy pickled herring with red onion, capers and dense bread. But just a bit less adventurous as I, Stan had sausages, red cabbage and mustard with the dense dark bread. We both thought our dishes were good and tasty, but we also agreed that these dishes are not something we might crave once again once we get back home. But as it is said, when in Denmark . . . do as the Danes! We'll try the local stuff while we are here for certain but when in Atlanta, we will get back to collards and peas; steak, burgers and of course, Mexican food. Probably no pickled herring there.

During lunch the wind picked up and we opted out on the canal ride, especially since the temps might feel cool plus, we've been there, done that. We walked along the canal to a route to take us back to our apartment area. Honestly, Stan is a master at recognizing landmarks and relating them with maps. He always intuitively knows the best route home. I on the other hand need the map in front of me. I like to see street names and cross roads. Stan goes by landmarks. Then we debate. Invariably, though, we get there but it is always by Stan's good natural sense.

Once in the apartment, we rested our feet a bit then struck out again for a grocery store to buy a few items for the house. Good Stan, he took us directly there, first one to one grocer, Lakta, then another, Irma (think Whole Foods) and finally to ALDI where we felt at home and bought wine, cream for our coffee, peanuts and pretzels. We also confirmed that among the three stores, we will return to ALDI when we shop for tomorrow night's dinner and next morning's provisions.

Yep, the evening was finished up with a dinner at Sopromenaden. And it was something special! We were told that Danish food is a bit heavy. It was but it was so good! Stan had a fish they call Plaice (it's flounder) and I had a typical Danish roast beef dish that included baby potatoes, lingonberry sauce and vegetables. I ate and ate and I still took a take-out plenty enough for breakfast the next day.

The evening was fine; the weather was very pleasant for a stroll home from the restaurant. But our chic Danish apartment has no air conditioning, and while the scorching temps are no longer here, to my taste, it's still too warm to sleep comfortably without a/c. We kept our bedroom window open and reassembled our little ventilator (fan) to bring in the night air. Street lights stay on all night. For those of you who have heard my sleeping requirements - pitch black, band aids or tape over all the green, red and blue led lights, complete silence and temps at 68 degrees or below - you can just imagine my night. Grrrr.