That's Copenhaaaagen not Copenhahhhgen

How days at sea can go by so fast is still a mystery. You’d think a day of nothing to do would drag along, but somehow the days just zip on by. Of course, with two lectures to occupy our time perhaps it should be no surprise. It was a working day for Dennis. He had a lecture at 11 on Copenhagen and Helsingborg and a second lecture at 1 on Oslo, both of which he had to prep that morning. Then he had desk hours from 5-7, so he was tuckered out by the end of the day. The rest of the group attended both entertaining lectures. Julie, Luther and Rebecca played a good round of Fill or Bust in Skywalker lounge way up at the top of the ship. It was a cold and windy day, so no sitting outside on deck. We had a casual lunch followed by some time in the shops.
It was formal night, so everyone got dressed in their finery for dinner. It was a fine looking bunch! After a drink at the lounge it was time for bed to get ready for Copenhagen.

We’re still in Copenhagen and will be until 4 am tomorrow. We headed off the boat and started walking into town. The weather was still cold and windy, but the rain was holding off. We passed where the Little Mermaid usually lives, but she is visiting Shanghai now so we moved along to the big square of the Amalienborg Palace with its four palaces and guards in beefeater hats. Frederick Church was our first official stop. The church is more commonly known as the marble church since it’s made of gray marble, and it had the apostles hanging out on the ceiling and a pretty organ. Then it was off to Our Saviour’s church across the canal. This was a gorgeous church, very light and airy, with statues of the angels, a highly decorated gold baptismal font, and an incredibly ornate organ. The steeple of the church is a twisty thing with touches of gold. Quite unique.

After all that walking, it was time for some sustenance, so we found a bakery with some seriously yummy pastries and coffees. The Danes do know their danish! We were close to Cristiania and figured we should at least walk through the bastion of few rules and free society. It was a colorful community with lots of street activity and bathrooms that Juliet decided were better left unused – no doors on the stalls. Then we hopped on the (free!) subway to whisk us to the shopping street, Stroget. It’s full of all sorts of fancy and pretty shops. After a bit of shopping, we found a traditional Danish place for lunch. We all tried new things, and it was all tasty. Then we tried to find a small museum where Hans Christian Andersen had been. It’s housed in a department store, of all places, that used to be a hotel where Andersen had stayed. The down side was that the museum is now closed; but on the upside, Juliet go a new watch and Jennifer and Kim got new sunglasses. So all was not lost! We decided to head back to the boat to regroup and reenergize (except for Jennifer and Kim who seem to have endless energy). They have just finished a canal boat tour and are looking forward to Tivoli. The rest of the gang walked in the rain and hail and wind back to the ship where we collapsed with our tired feet up. Luther got some grit in his eye, blown in by the wind as we walked, so the ship’s doctor fixed him up with an eye flush and patch and orders to come back tomorrow. His good eye is isn’t very good at seeing so he’s not too pleased, but he’s hanging in and the eye will be just fine. It has of course provided Julie with some good photo ops. She is threatening to draw an eyeball on the patch, but Luther hasn’t said yes yet.

Now the question is what to do next. We’re thinking that dinner on the ship is a good idea since the city is pricey and it’s cold out there but warm in here. After that we may head to Tivoli Garden. It would seem wrong to be here and miss it, but again there’s that warm in here cold out there factor. Of course the Absolut Vodka ice bar also beckons. Hmmm….

Can't believe we're missing a woot off. We'd better go check it out. Bye for now!