ARRIVAL IN COPENHAGEN

Tuesday 18 Aug

Arrived in beautiful, beautiful Copenhagen this morning after a very long flight via Singapore and Helsinki. The day is warm and sunny with the usual breezes this part of the world is renowned for. Those pesky wind turbines our brilliant PM regards as noisy, unhealthy and ugly, proliferate on land and sea pumping out clean energy and proclaiming their innocence. We drag our suitcases three or four blocks along cobbled pathways shared with innumerable bikes to tonight's accommodation.

Balcony View Of Clean Energy For Copenhagen

We stay in the Maritime Hotel in the Nhavn District by the waterfront. It is not a salubrious hotel but clean, with free internet and a buffet breakfast included. We were fortunate to get access to our room immediately and began sleeping off the inevitable jet lag.

Copenhagen is located on a number of canals reminiscent of Amsterdam or Venice. So we began our visit with a canal boat tour via Netto Boats. My research indicated they were best value for money compared with others and we spent a very pleasant and informative hour on the canals that weaved past new and old magnificent buildings - our Queen Mary's palace and nearby cathedral, Parliament House, opera house, museum - the usual suspects, but in their old world 16th, 17th, and 18th Century finery.

Wednesday 20 Aug

Michele's hip is not travelling too well so we attempted just a short walk back to Kongens Nytorv Metro Station with plans to buy some grog to take on the ship. It is a charming city that has retained its old world exterior along cobbled, winding streets. Magnificent church spires poke suddenly out among the laneways as we hobble along on three legs to an historical open square with central fountain. Glass doors to a very large 18th century building open into a Scandinavian cave of multiple floors of a modern department store. We find the grog in the basement and retrace our steps to the Maritime Hotel. Then it's a short taxi ride to the port where the Eurodam awaits nestled up alongside a much larger cruise ship. The taxis are doing a roaring trade frenetically ferrying passengers to and from the port and it is obvious how significant the cruising industry is to the economy of a country. 

 

Embarkation onto the Eurodam is reasonably painless in a queue that snakes back and forth within the terminal and suddenly we are aboard Stateroom 6169 at the stern of the ship. While M undertakes the onerous task of unpacking the suitcases, I escape to the Administration Desk to report that M's card won't open the door and needs to be rebooted. I am unsure if the attendant is male or female but her name tag says Fran Cisco so clearly Filipino with an American/Mexican twist. Anyway she informs me this happens when the card is placed near to a magnetic source and immediately attributes it to my magnetic personality. Old joke. I've heard it before but join in the merriment anyway!

While waiting in the queue, as you learn to do on holidays of this nature, I strike up a conversation with an attractive young lady, possibly late 40's, who is from New York. She is a journalist, writer, real estate agent from Manhattan and is travelling on her own. This is not her first visit to this area of the world but she is taking a break from work and from looking after her elderly mother. She has just arrived on board. too and is a bit concerned about some of the noises emanating from the adjoining cabin. Sounds of high passion - if you get my drift. I mention the scene from when Harry met Sally (or whatever it was called) and she nods knowingly. She is wondering what she might do about it and I suggest she offer to join them as that might bring it to a halt. She thinks that a good idea until she considers that they may accept. It's amazing what conversations you can have with perfect strangers- it must be my magnetic personality.

Anyway, with newly rebooted key card, I return to the cabin to rescue M from being strangled by two coat hangers at the back of a cupboard and inform her I have invited a nice young lady to dinner with us at 7.00pm tonight. It is smart/casual tonight so no need to go to a lot of dressing up and most people arrive for dinner in the clothes they came on board with including my new friend who duly arrives at the appointed hour. We then join three other passengers, two from Perth and another widowed lady from Florida and have a very enjoyable meal together. In the course of dinner conversation I did learn that Pamela from Manhattan is 57 (but certainly doesn't look her age) and has some painful feet and back problems. Still a little weary from that long flight and all the unpacking, M and I retreat for a reasonably early night and hope that the occupants of the cabin either side are similarly old and tired.