Given that we arrived at such an unusual hour for both Los Angeles and Copenhagen, we weren’t entirely sure how to deal with our sleep schedule. We showered and attempted some sort of nap though we weren’t super tired. After about 90 minutes we “awoke” not necessarily feeling refreshed or better, but as it was now around 1130, we felt the need to set foot outside.
The temperature was in the 50s, but in the shade it felt cool. We somewhat deliriously roamed the nearby neighborhoods looking for an easy meal. We are staying near an area called Nyhavn, which is known for its colorful architecture along the waterfront. It was also much busier than expected, so we found ourselves dodging pedestrians, vehicles, and bicycles with slowed reaction times. We eventually shot off on a side street and had sandwiches and pastries. We shivered a bit as we ate out on the street before circling back through the Nyhavn area before regrouping.
We weren’t keen on all the crowds, but while trying to get to the Lego store, we found them unavoidable. We eventually aborted all plans to walk the streets, and made a beeline for a park, which we figured would have much more open space to spread out. While this was true, the park was too relaxing at times for Nicole, who found herself falling asleep on a park bench while we had discussions about our covid tests. Our results came back negative from this morning, but the paperwork doesn’t specifically indicate “PCR” on it, which is what most places are looking for. It was a PCR test, but we’d have to show that evidence using an app. Hopefully this is not an issue for our next flight.
I attempted to awaken Nicole by doing some more walking. We eventually wound up by the Little Mermaid statue, which is to Copenhagen as the Manekin Pis is to Brussels or the Astronomical Clock is to Prague. There’s really no reason for the mermaid to be so heavily touristed, but it is.
The strategically cropped photo above hides the reality of the situation just feet away which was about 40 people waiting their turn to have their picture taken with the mermaid statue and then awkwardly discovering that they didn’t know how to pose with a mermaid.
We followed along the riverfront for some time, tripping periodically over the cobblestones as we wound our way back toward Nyhavn and our hotel, the Best Western Huxley. Our next major task was to find food. There were three dilemmas. One being that a lot of the lower brow, casual eating options are closed for the weekend. Second, we really don’t like crowds, so we tried to find things on side streets, and lastly they’re really into mussels and clams and other seafoods that are likely not to fill us up. We ended up getting Italian takeaway from a place called Gnom Gnom Pasta and Sweets. While we waited for the order, we were able to find a tchotchke shop where we were able to purchase all of the necessary pins, magnets, ornaments etc. I had a lasagna and Nicole had Pasta alla Norma, which we consumed with wooden cutlery in our hotel lobby.
Not so fun fact about Denmark, the “Danish” pastry as it were is nonexistent. This is extremely unfortunate as I am quite a fan of the “danish,” having just polished off the remnants of a Racine Kringle before our SAS flight.
That’s all for tonight from Copenhagen. It’s now 8pm, so we know what that means. That’s right, bedtime.
passports & pepto bismol 