August 8 through 13, 2022
One cool feature of Denmark is its proximity to Sweden 😀 They are so close you can take a one hour train ride across an incredibly long bridge (5 miles) and then you're in Malmo, Sweden. No passport or customs check needed! As mentioned in my previous post, we spent a day checking out this cute little town, including its cool architecture and its coastline and its gelato 🍨. And Art got to check off Sweden on his "new countries" list (it was my second time there). I also got to see Helsingborg Sweden on another tour this week (just a ferry ride from Helsingor Denmark which has the famous Kronborg Castle). Gotta love the freedom to travel between European countries so easily👍
It has been a real treat to have two weeks of vacation in one place. For most Americans, that's a luxury 😐. Two weeks allows you to explore more slowly, find the local's favorite places, go grocery shopping, and even learn a bit of the language. I learned that "tak" means "thank you" and "mad" means "food" (gives new meaning to the word hangry). It also allowed us to have some downtime days (usually doing laundry!) and not feel like I'm missing out on seeing another attraction. As we approach the end of our stay in Copenhagen, I am balancing the feelings of "have I managed to see it all?" and "where to next?"
Art and I are also balancing time together and apart. It can be challenging at times, being together 24/7, so we're recognizing the need for separate time and space. Luckily he found his backgammon community in Copenhagen and has been out playing a few times while we've been here (he's actually at an all-day tournament today). I've spent my free time reading (still getting used to the Kindle), learning more about iPhone photography from an online course, and stressing over how often and what to post on Instagram 😜. Our AirBnB has really been great since it's big enough for us to spread out, make home-cooked meals, and not interfere with each other's sleep 😬
Our time in Denmark has been largely wonderful 😀 We've seen many of the highlights and landmarks (Kronborg Palace, Round Tower, Tivoli Gardens, Christiania, Nyhavn) and enjoyed a lovely canal boat ride (which included the Little Mermaid statute). We even tried several "danishes" here though I'm not sure that they think of danishes the same way as Americans do 😂. We've wandered all over the city, gotten "lost" a few times, and happened upon even more picturesque sights! We've been very fortunate with the weather which has fluctuated between "a bit too warm" and "absolutely perfect." Watching the locals zip by on their ubiquitous bikes is impressive and is apparently a year-round custom (you just need the right winter coat 😅). Everyone we've encountered has been friendly and helpful and (mostly 😉) speaks English. The cost of eating out is exceptionally high, but I guess you can't have everything.
We spent one lovely evening at a fancy restaurant (Nimb) next to Tivoli Gardens (the world's third oldest operating amusement park, and an early inspiration to Walt Disney). Celebrated our 29th anniversary (again 😉) with a fabulous meal and a walk through Tivoli. We plan to return to Tivoli once more before we leave, to soak up more of the hygge atmosphere. We learned that the oldest amusement park (Bakken) is also in Denmark so we're planning to visit that tomorrow (cuz why not?). All of this has afforded me great opportunities to practice my new iPhone photography skills. I've already learned lots about how to take better photos without needing a big fancy camera, which I of course brought along on this trip 📸
Enjoy these photos that I chose from the many hundreds (thousands?) that I've taken in the past two weeks 💗 Our next destination will be Stavanger, Norway where Art will get to play in a backgammon tournament and we'll both get to do some serious hiking (Art might need a 4th nap that day 😂).
Deena and Art
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