Well, today was everything that yesterday wasn't. Once again, we couldn't have had a more picture perfect day with the sun shining and a high of 67. Not trying to make our Texas friends jealous, just sayin'. At the same time, we're hoping our yard at home is still green!
We did not have an excursion booked for today but the ship had a shuttle that carried visitors to the city center. We didn't have anything specific planned. We just basically walked around so I could take photos, buy some Christmas ornaments and postcards and then make it back to the bus pick up point in time to be back on the ship for lunch.
A voyage like this is divided into several segments. Some of us are on for the full 51 days; others come and go for different segments. Today was the day that folks from this last segment got off and a whole new batch of passengers got on.
"Changeover" days are really busy days for ship staff. Actually, every day is busy (work, work, work!) but these days are even worse because hundreds of people are trying to get off the ship so that within a few short hours hundreds of other people can get on. That means tons of luggage being moved around, rooms having to be completely changed out, dining venues crowded with new passengers and their carry ons, safety meetings, staff changes and such. In short, it's organized chaos.
In order to make things less crazy, the 51 day passengers were invited to eat in the Dining Room (vs the more casual Terrace Cafe) at noon in order to make the cafe less crowded. Normally one doesn't wear shorts in the Dining Room but today it was o.k. to dress more casually since many passengers were returning from excursions or outings.
We've been on the ship long enough now that many of the staff personnel call us by name (Mr. & Mrs. Ward). Everyone is sooo nice! So we were greeted at the Dining Room where we enjoyed Cuban sandwiches for lunch. We honestly can't complain about the food on the ship. There are many dishes we don't like and won't eat, but that doesn't mean it's not good food; it's just not to our tastes. But trying to please the taste buds of hundreds of people at the same time would be an impossible feat, so there is always something for everyone.
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| bikes, bikes and more bikes |
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| filling the sidewalks |
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| bikes are everywhere! |
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. It was originally called "Havn" (meaning "the harbor"). It is considered one of the safest, most beautiful and culturally rich cities in the world. The monarchy is the oldest in the world and Queen Margreth II lives in the center of the city. She can trace her heritage all the way back to the Viking Age. The streets are narrow and there are tons of bikes everywhere. Many streets are narrow and very old cobblestone. They do have bike lanes but you will get cussed at if you accidentally step into one (like I did). Thankfully I do not understand Danish. ha!
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| a public park |
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| a library? |
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| beautiful fountain |
Stores and restaurants were getting ready to open and locals were
having their coffee and reading their phones in the outdoor cafes when we first arrived. We
spent a little time trying to get our bearings. Ronnie likes to
understand where we are on the map; I prefer to ask people "which way is..."
and between the two of us we usually manage to get where we want to go. I
wanted to photograph the colorful houses on the canal and by the time we found them
and started to walk back to our pickup point, the streets were getting more crowded. I apologize that I can't identify some of the landmark photos but I'm posting them anyway.
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| flag of Denmark atop hotel |
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| making sugared almonds |
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| they smelled soo good! |
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| mugs personalized with Danish names |
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| ceramic colored houses for sale |
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| colored houses line the canal |
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| boats also line the canal |
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| couldn't quit snapping! |
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| from both sides now |
When we were in Amsterdam, we saw more bikes than I've ever seen on city streets. But I'm not sure Copenhagen doesn't have them beat. Anyway, we've enjoyed our 2 days in Copenhagen - both the rainy day and the sunny one! As always, I took way more photos than I've posted, but hopefully they will give an idea of what the downtown area of Copenhagen looks like.
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| no bike lane? no problem! |
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| cute little biker |
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| streets getting busy with pedestrians and bikers |
Barb: WOW! I looove the colored houses along the canal. We have always liked Amsterdam, but I might like Copenhagen better! What a lovely day to explore. Did Ronnie find a bike to ride? I can't imagine feeding the ship-we are not picky eaters, but I am sure they have seen and heard everything.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I would have emptied the store of sugared almonds. They are such a favorite of mine and Greg loves to smell nuts being candied. Did you find any candles? They are known for scenting beeswax candles there.
Barbara, you know what it smells like when you walk into Buccees? That's exactly the way those almonds smelled and it made the whole street smell good! I LOVED the colored houses too! And we saw more today in Gdansk, Poland which I will post hopefully in the next day or two but they weren't quite as colorful. We hit a different country almost every day and I'm having a hard time keeping up! I do love the smell of beeswax candles but I don't burn candles because they cause Ronnie's asthma to flare up and I've also kept birds for many years. My only complaint on our sight seeing is that there just isn't enough time for shopping. But then maybe that is a blessing... ;-)
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