Christmas in Copenhagen

We flew from Paris to Copenhagen on Dec 22nd, and stayed at a hotel located just two blocks for Tivoli.  That night we wandered around the Christmas outdoor market and sipped glog.  The next day Aggie and I spent about 4 hours in Tivoli, Copenhagen's premier amusement park which also has a big Christmas market that has many vendors with locally made arts and crafts.  It was a cold day and I bought a handmade knitted Scandinavian style hat to keep my head and ears warm.  Good of after skiing on a cold day (I wear a helmet while skiing).

 

Aggie's brother, Alex, and his girlfriend, Emily, flew in that evening and we all went to dinner at a very good small Danish restaurant near the hotel which was packed with locals.  We got there about 9 and waited 30 minutes for a table.  I expected to see a lot of smorgasbord restaurants, but we did not eat at one while were there for four days.  The next day was December 24^th and all the museums and most of the shops were closed. 

We walked for miles all over Copenhagen, ending up at the famous little mermaid.  On the way back to the hotel I convinced them to stop at a karaoke bar where I sang two songs.  Some of the patrons were excellent singers and we enjoyed the music. 

On Christmas morning we got up late, had breakfast, then opened gifts in our apartment.  Aggies brothers gave me some joke gifts:  A pair of underwear in the design of the Danish flag, and a horned Viking hat.  We went for a long walk to Christiania which was originally established as a type of commune, but is now a place where marijuana is sold in various forms from about ten vendor booths, each with a name like, “Marijuana Doctor.”  There are several big signs at the entrance to Christiania. That say, “NO PHOTOS.”   About 1000 people live in Christiania, but now there seems to be almost no economic activity other than the sale of marijuana.

My left foot was hurting from my toe operation so I took a bus back to the apartment, rather than walking.  That night the boys and I picked up some take out Chinese food and brought it back to the apartment.  It was the only bad meal I had in Copenhagen.

The next day we flew back to Paris and drove to Troyes.  It was fun seeing Copenhagen again.  I was there for New Years in 1968, but did not go to Tivoli or see as much of the city then.  It is a small city,  very clean and architecturally interesting. Everyone speaks English because it is a required language in all the schools.