goddag hej!

Well, here I am in Copenhagen.  It is so surreal to be here - in Europe - in Denmark - in Copenhagen - by MYSELF!!  WTF!  I am currently sitting in my pj's, posting pics to flickr, drinking red wine (that I got from 7-11) and listening to CBC.  Yes, it always goes back to CBC.  Thank god for web radio.    The voice of Jian is never very far away:)

Where to start?  First off, the flight to Frankfurt.  I used to HATE flying.  I mean, it was my top 1 or 2 things that produced great amounts of anxiety and fear.  Well, I gotta say that things have changed.  In the last few years I've mainly flown with my children and let's be honest - that is just not fun.  Not fear inducing, but just a pain in the ass, really.  A shitty diaper just after take-off?  C'mon!  Anyway, the 9 hour flight seemed to go by very quickly.  I don't know if had anything to do with the fact that I haven't been alone for 9 hours in a very long time, or the glass of vodka and "chill pill" I took.  I even watched an Adam Sandler movie?!  Hmmmm, all I know is that I woke up for breakie and we were landing in Frankfurt.  From there I transferred and flew to CPH.  I got in and took a cab to my hotel.  What a great little hotel.  It's brand stinking new so it feels fresh and squeaky clean.  I got upgraded to a double room upon arrival.  It took quite some time to figure out how to use the bath faucets.  Damn sleek Danish designs!  There is a bus shuttle that takes me right from hotel to the main square in the heart of the city.  It runs every 15 min, so it's a handy way to get to the action.

Today I walked from Tivoli :

by the old shipping docks of Nyhavn:

with a quick trip through the King's Gardens and then on to my final destination of Nørrebro:

This once blue collar neighbourhood has now been gentrified and is a hub for artsy folks and funky boutiques.  I loved wandering the streets, meandering my way through the cobble stone paths.  This city is very easy to navigate and I never got lost once or felt in danger.  Easy breezy.  I did see many interesting boutiques and stopped for a delicious cuppa, only to ask a local about why most of the stores were closed.  Apparently they close at 3pm on Saturdays.  Huh?  Saturdays??  Isn't that the working woman's day to get shit done?  Very odd, in my North American eyes.  Nonetheless, I took the opportunity to window shop (cheaper) and take pics of the beautiful city.

I made my way back to the centre of town, the soundtrack of my steps was a combination of Ray LaMontagne, Angus and Julia Stone, Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin and Vitamin String Quartet, just to name a few. Lovely.

 

I stopped for dinner at Cafe Europa.  It was a lovely, authentically Danish cafe.  I feasted on the:

FISH PLATTER
Shrimps from the island of Rømø & crispy bread, Ceviche of sea bass, spiced herring from Christiansø with potatoes, smoked salmon with spinach & Hollandaise sauce, tuna mousse with lime.
Bread & butter.

Yum.  I stopped at 7-11 for my bottle of vin (class-ay) and headed back to catch my hotel shuttle.  Oh, I forgot to add that I did do a wee bit of shopping.  I picked up the oddest little things.  Drew - you would think it is so typically Cherry.  Odds and sods - cupcake liners, tights, cute Band-Aids etc.  It's that damn Danish design that makes everything look good - even mundane objects.  What can I say?  I'm a sucker for that.

I'm now waiting for my family to get home so I can Skype with them and see their beautiful faces.  I love traveling.  It reminds me of who I am, what I love and most importantly, who I love.  xoxoxox to Bobes, Annie Bannannie and Lilooshka.