Copenhagen by Bus and Boat - April 3, 2017

Elvis lives! I tell you, Elvis lives. I am so relieved! I've always wanted so much for him to still be among us, just incognito. And there he was! He was on our boat tour today. I did not get a chance to chat with him but I very much wanted to! I could hardly stay in my seat. I know he needs his privacy so I was careful not to annoy him. I just sneaked a snapshot every now and then.

Our eyes are tired. We have seen so many beautiful sites . . . one spire after another, elaborate municipal buildings, broad boulevards, churches, castles, canals, posh apartment buildings, museums and more museums. We wonder, where did all the money come from? Long ago conquests? Yes, absolutely, primarily from joint-holdings with Norway in what now is the Virgin Island and Tamil Nadu, India. Although we passed a docked Danish submarine that thankfully saw service in Iraq, the Danes today seem more interested in defense and do not seem interested in conquering anyone. Today's wealth primarily comes from their talents in technology and design but also their great wealth comes from utilization of their natural resources such as oil, natural gas, gravel, sand, limestone, chalk, clay, and salt.

The folk here today simply love their lives in Kobenhaven. All the people we have talked with tell us they know they live in a beautiful place. They know living here is expensive, but they manage. They enjoy the good life of living in simple, small apartments which they adorn with fresh flowers or their suburban homes accessible with train commutes. The many streams, canals and harbour waterfronts are an important attributes to their lives. They appreciate their fantastic restaurants, great beer and a fine selections of good wines. They seem to work hard, dress well and once in the city, they ride bikes everywhere. There are more bikes in the city than cars.

We began the day with the Hop On - Hop Off Bus. Actually we saw many of the same sights we saw yesterday but we heard a bit more info about them. I had a carb-rich breakfast today of yogurt and oatmeal so as my blood sugar dropped I became ravenous. About that time we were back at Nyhavn - the street along the new canal lined with restaurants. So we hopped off. The day was absolutely gorgeous. In fact, we had been told that maybe we brought the good weather. Otherwise, the young man said, "the week of summer we have in Denmark is great."

We lingered over lunch of lobster soup and a fish plate and wine.

Next we took a boat tour. The perspective from water is totally different than that from land. We boated through canals to see the Christianborg Palace, the Black Diamond, and Christ Our Savior Church with its "stairs to heaven" spire. We boated past the modern and expensive-looking glass Opera House, and at our farthest point, we past the Little Mermaid statue, a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen, the father of fairy tales, they say. He is most famous for The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and of course, The Ugly Duckling. An interesting point is that we actually saw swan, several of them, on the streams and parks leading toward the Little Mermaid.

The day was almost gone when our boat ride ended. We found our way to a train station to take us "home." I am amazed at how quickly we, adapt to "home." And how quickly in a land we have never visited, learn to find a way to get from point A to point B. It is magical! Actually, the magic occurs in the people that we look to, ask or those who simply volunteer to offer a word of direction with a smile. That's God working.