Tag: Mindreankret

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Finally, my fifth visit to Denmark… And it was about time!

As you might know, my last trip dated back to May of 2019, not long before a little thing called covid hit us without warning. Little did I know that it would keep me away from my favorite big little country for so long.

Four years!

But we’re back, and though it seems like the Danes had a rather rough springtime start, the clouds parted as soon as our plane landed in Copenhagen. It was a long and weird trip (that’s a whole seperate story), but now we’re here, and the new journey can begin.

We were off to a great start, when we reached the customs’ desk (I bet you’ve never been excited by that part of any of your trips), and I noticed that the customs’ agents were stamping the passports of the travelers ahead of us in the file.

Note that during a previous trip, I had asked for the stamping of my passport, and had been told that the customs didn’t do it anymore in Denmark, which had been a huge disappointment for me.

So when I got all enthusiastic as we got to the stand, the agent started to chat with us. He was quite impressed, because, as he mentionned, most travelers just come to Denmark as a step in a Europeen or Scandinavian tour. The mention of my fifth tour of DK put a wide smile on his face, and the stamp he left in my passport, one on mine!

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After a quick stop at the airport’s 7 Eleven to get Danish SIM cards (again, another story… I’m still angry at Virgin), we were off to our home for the next three days.

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Grethe, our host, was waiting for us at the sixth floor of her building. She was kind enough not to laugh when she saw us panting our way up the last couple of steps. She welcomed us warmly into her home, and showed us around.

The apartment is nothing short of a museum. Grethe has so many artworks – paintings, drawings, pictures, scuptures, ceramique, and fancy glass pieces… The place is also a paradise for book lovers, given that you can read Danish LOL. I understand most titles, but I’ll have to settle with a small children’s book if I ever have time to sit back and read a little before we move on.

After making ourselves at home, we decided to take a walk downtown, just in case the wonderful (yet quite windy) weather wouldn’t stick.

I had to admit that after four years, I was a little rusty. After my first four visits, I didn’t need a map of the city anymore, unless I needed to get somewhere very precise. I knew my way around the different neighbourhoods, knowing where the major buildings were, and keeping an eye on the differents highest towers.

We did walk almost pointlessly for a while. We’ll blame that on the more than twenty four hours without any sleep!

But finally, I did find our way back to the first spots I wanted to see.

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First stop was Kongens Nytorv. The above pictures might not look particularly impressive, but it was the first time I saw the famous downtown round about without any construction.

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Though not a delicacy, a Danish hot dog always sits at the top of my list of to-do things when I arrive in Copenhagen. And after a couple of hours of walking, these were very welcome!

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Second stop, the very (VERY) well and widely known Nyhavn canal. Most probably one of the two Danish emblems you have seen, even if you’ve never paid attention to the country (the other one being the Little Mermaid, of course).

And Mindeankret (The Memorial Anchor), the reminder monument of the Danish sailors’ lives who lost their lives at sea, during WWII.

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Ravhuset (The house of Amber), a classic for me in Copenhagen. Because amber is one of the emblems of Denmark, and I don’t care what other countries say; Danish amber is the best (and Danes will agree with me LOL)!

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The Marble Chapel. Again, first time I could see the beautiful church with a load of scaffolds around it. A must-see, if you ask me, and you can get in for free (but I recommend making a donation).

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On our way back to the apartment, we did make a few stops, not necessarely worth of taking pictures… We helped a group of men who, and I quote ”were drunk, and about to get high, and just wanted to have a souvenir of their day together the next morning”, by taking their picture (I was voted ”Best photographer” for said bunch of pictures, but I am not sure if the title still stands this morning).

We checked that some of my favorite stores had made it through the pandemic (so far, so good!). We went shopping for everyday products we just couldn’t (or didn’t want to bother) travel with. And we went to the grocery store to get something for dinner.

By 4 PM, we were completely burnt out, and could keep our eyes open. I have no clue how we managed to eat and not fall asleep face first in our plates.

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Fiskfrikadeller with a pasta salad, and (of course) remoulade!

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This was taken just prior to losing counsciousness under our duvet.

I hope you’ll enjoy following us along our trip, and I hope to keep up with the daily posting, hehehehe.

I’ll try to at least come and share a couple of pictures every morning.