This morning we landed in Copenhagen
to VISIT MICHELLE!!!
Michelle starts her new job next week as a city guide. So, we put her tour guide skills to
practice. She took us on her walking
route through the city, giving us the historical highlights. Copenhagen has that old European feel, more
so than Dublin. We learned all about the
Royals, Hans Christian Andersen (Danish storybook writer, The Little Mermaid,
and Danes love him!), culture, and much, more.
I love that buildings are painted bright colors. We made a stop at this hot dog stand Michelle
raved about, and oh my, we had these delicious hot dogs wrapped in bacon (Danes
love their pork too). On the side was
Dijon mustard, a more tomato-y ketchup, and French fried onions. Alan said he was going to eat one every day
we were here.
[me & michelle]
[awesome doorways]
[On the sand track where the royal horses get their exercise]
The weather is mild here, even
though word has it, the temperature is supposed to be warm this weekend. However, there are outside patios, EVERYWHERE. The sun comes out and Danes fill the streets
to soak it in. Interestingly, if you
look at the patios, all the patrons have their chair facing toward the
sidewalk, instead of facing each other.
Perhaps a people-watching thing?
Most restaurants have blankets hanging on the back of the chairs; chilly
afternoons don’t deter anyone. We
wandered to Nyhavn (New Harbor) and relaxed at the end of the pier for a
bit. It was really nice.
[Nyhavn]
In true Michelle fashion, she
kindly made evening plans with her friends so we could meet them all. First, we stopped into where her cousin works
and had this amazing glass of freshly squeezed blood orange juice. Then went to dinner with 3 of her friends at
a modernly designed Danish restaurant.
Alan and I are trying to eat meals that we wouldn’t normally get in the
States. He ordered smoked pork as his
main course, and I had potato salad with herbs and scallops. Then for an appetizer we had smoked
veal. Everything was great! They have an interesting concept here; you
choose how many courses you want instead of set menu items. So, if you want 2 courses its 200 kroner, 3
courses 250 kroner, etc. And you get to
pick whichever combinations you want.
Michelle also has a job as a
bartender at the new Hostel. So, we went
there next to watch the big Chelsea vs. Munich football match (soccer). Backpackers filled the bar from all over the
world, cheering on the teams. Michelle’s
friends introduced us to the traditional Danish shot – Fisk. It tastes like
Jager and peppermint. I choked down 1;
they made Alan take 4, ha. Her friends
were so nice and we appreciated that they spoke English all night, so we could
join the conversation. English is nearly
perfect in Denmark, as they start to learn it in school at age 9. One friend also explained to me that it is
the universal language here in Denmark, and if you aren’t sure if someone is
Danish, you start the conversation in English.
However, not all words are commonly used. For any of you who know Michelle, she snorts
when she starts laughing really hard. I tease her about, all the time. Per usual, I got her snorting pretty loud and
I started announcing how I love her snorting.
One girl says a little delayed, ‘Oh now I get it Michelle, snorting that
pig noise you make when you laugh.’ It was just so innocent the way she
asked. And…as you can imagine we all
started laughing again. We went to a few
places after that, then headed ‘home’ at a measly 2:30 am (up for 20 hours,
don’t say I am not a trooper!) As we
approached the hot dog stand, we of course couldn’t resist…and bought 2. So freaking good!
[Alan taking a shot of Fisk. See Chanette's face on the left, ya that is what I looked like!]
[Danish hot dogs. I know what we are making next MSU tailgate]
Unfortunately, we don’t have free
Internet at our American Marriott hotel.
$30/day. Hiss. Copenhagen is a very expensive city. So, we decided to skip the Internet cost, and
save it for something more fun!
Therefore, my posts are going to be a little delayed until I get access.
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