Copenhagen Cool

We didn’t wake up thinking we do anything hip, but it just happened.

After last night’s feast, along with the breakfast and lunch that preceded it, I couldn’t think of eating but we did need coffee. We tumbled out in search of a cup and everywhere we turned, people were sitting outside enjoying the morning. The Danish love the outdoors and their bicycles – there must be 100,000 bicycles in Copenhagen. There are also some humorous shops.

Just across the canal was a boisterous place, so we trotted over. A little rail car filled with the most interesting people, candles lit all over first thing in the morning, tattoos, piercings and not a heterosexual couple in sight. It was fabulous! We sat in the sun and chatted with crowd and felt 100 years younger.

We ambled over to an exhibit that looked interesting on Greenland and the Faroe Islands. I was thinking landscapes, but it was all this multimedia imagery displayed in the most interesting space.

We finally went over to Nyhavn (the tourist area) and watched this boat turn 180 degrees and go in the opposite direction. It was the most amazing thing – he had inches to spare.

There is a Bloomingdale’s of Copenhagen and it’s called Magasin. We went in and I can assure you that I will not be adopting much Danish style. It is far too hip for me – loose dresses with ankle socks and funky flat shoes, Frilly, puffy short dresses, uber baggy pants that puddle over your shoes…

But the store had a food hall that kept me occupied for quite a while. We decided to do like the Danes and grab some lunch and eat outdoors. The vendors were tremendous, but decisions were made.

There were 6 bearnaise sauces to choose from and 3 hollandaise. It kills me.

We settled on Turkey with curry mayo and cucumber and roast beef with grilled onions and potato salad and the ubiquitous fresh pressed carrot apple ginger juice.

Then we headed into the Kunst Charlottenborg, the premier avant-garde exhibition hall. We digested pleasantly in the theatre watching a documentary on a Brazilian homeless encampment, followed by exhibits that need more advanced education than we have.

We stopped at the amber museum (fascinating) and then the Danish War museum which was extremely well put together. The museum was huge, covered 500 years of war history and was beautifully laid out. Not what we were expecting.

The last thing we had any gas left for was the Glyptoteket. It is a wonderful museum founded by Carl Jacobsen of the Carlsborg brewing fortune. (we learned in the war museum that all soldiers and sailors were given beer to drink daily — how fortunes are made!)

A lovely way to end our sightseeing.

Degas, Gaugin, Rodin and ancient Grecian and Egyptian antiquities, including two mummies!

We were approaching 16,000 steps and couldn’t look at one more beautiful thing, so we headed home and rested for a few hours. Again, Kanalhuset is a haven. Quiet neighborhood, peaceful, spacious room, and hip enough to keep the vibe going!

Dinner tonight was at a modern Nordic restaurant called No. 2. It’s the little sister to AOC, with storied chefs Christian Aoro and Soren Selin. We came into a nearly empty restaurant and thought we had made a mistake selecting this, but our very professional waiter put us at ease immediately. Drinks and the most heavenly bread (and we’ve had some great bread here) put us in a fine mood.

Brad had the pork chop and veloute of potato and morels and I had a grilled romaine and kale salad with capers and chives in a black currant dressing. We shared the smoked trout and a glass of Nebbiolo.

We were just entertaining dessert when 25 Americans from Novo Nordisk swept in. It got loud and ugly quickly, so we headed home.

Another beautiful Danish day on the books! God knows what’s in store tomorrow.