Wish You Were Here...: Cooling down in Copenhagen

C had some meetings in Denmark last week, so I went ahead and met him in Copenhagen on Friday. Generous of me, no? I checked the weather prior to packing and noticed the temperature read the same as Brussels, roughly 35 degrees Fahrenheit. What I didn't take into account was the fact that Copenhagen is a coastal shipping mecca; what appeared to be an almost tropical landscape as my plane landed (I'm jaded after enduring a real winter) turned out to be nothing more than freezing, gusty wind near an ocean. But hey, there was sunshine and salt water. This California girl was happy.

C and I met up in the airport and headed to our hotel, the Best Western Mercur. I'm not yet a hotel snob, so I typically just look for a budget hotel with good reviews and free breakfast; this hotel fit the bill perfectly: Clean, well located, "American" breakfast (read: more than just bread & cheese) included, and well priced. Copenhagen is not a cheap city, so this was a good find. The friendly gentleman at the front desk handed us a city map and off we went. First stop: Lunch at a cute little place that served nachos. I don't remember the name of the place and it wasn't all that spectacular, but they served nachos and these two Mexican food-deprived Californians smiled. Next: Shopping along the Stroget, Copenhagen's famous pedestrian shopping street. We strolled the 1 mile stretch of cobble stone sort of aimlessly; it's my favorite thing to do, just walk until we end up somewhere else. The great majority of Copenhagen's churches, palaces, and towers surround this area, so we managed to see a few of them along the way.

Saturday we were up and running, ready to head to Nyhavn. Nyhavn is an adorable little spot speckled with colorful facades and sail boats. It was also home to Hans Christian Andersen, author of The Little Mermaid and The Princess and The Pea, among many other brilliant stories. I'm told the façade of his original home, 9 Nyhavn, hasn't changed since its erection in 1681. We walked down past H.C. Andersen's home and looked out over the ocean before realizing our ears were freezing off and we totally underestimated this "coastal breeze". It was cold enough to warrant a quick stop at H&M for extra scarves to wrap around our faces. I may have dragged C into a bar to have an Irish coffee, too, but that's neither here nor there. On the way back to Nyhavn (yes, it's so cool that we wanted to go back an hour later), C spotted the black furry hats of the Amalienborg guards marching one street over. We joined the little crowd following behind them for an impromptu march through the streets of Copenhagen. It. Was. Awesome. I've only seen the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery and Buckingham Palace, both of which require a fair amount of distance (if not a huge fence) between the onlookers and the guards; being so close to the action this time was great. The march ended at Amalienborg Palace, home to the Danish royal family, and the changing of the guard ensued. C hoisted me up onto a light pole so I could capture photos atop the crowd (see below).

A boat tour awaited us in the afternoon, post hot dog (Danes love hot dogs) and cinnamon roll at Lagkagehuset (Trip Advisor never steers me wrong). I try to stay away from sightseeing tours, but they do come in handy when trying to see a large city in a short amount of time. Plus, it was cold and the boat had indoor seating. The tour took us up and down several canals and past all of the buildings we walked around the night before; one building, the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, is the oldest stock exchange in the world. And another, right in Nyhavn, sold tickets for the infamous voyage of the Titanic. We stayed in Nyhavn (have I mentioned I love Nyhavn?) for dinner at Gasten & Galionen. Amazeballs. If you're ever in Copenhagen, you must must must go there; you'll nosh on lobster, oysters, mussels, steak....I died and went to heaven. Paired with perfect company, it was a great way to end the day.

We didn't have much time to sight see before heading to the airport on Sunday, but I was hell bent on seeing the statue of The Little Mermaid. While the statue pays tribute to H.C. Andersen's story, I know the Disney version best. I used to dance furiously to "Under The Sea" in my parents' living room, in my underwear. I always ended the dance with a back walkover. I know all the words to "A Part of Your World" and "Kiss The Girl". I also cry when I see the Ariel portion of World of Color at Disneyland. Too much? Sorry I'm not sorry. OK, so C was a good sport and he took me up just beyond Nyhavn to see the statue. I had a little bit of a full circle moment as I stood looking at her, feeling all of the nostalgia I mentioned before; I wasn't a pantless little girl dancing to a Disney soundtrack that long ago, and now I'm an adult living in Europe with my Prince ~~Eric~~ C. Time flies when you're having fun...