Classic Copenhagen

Everyone woke up and ate at different times, and after my leisurely wake up, I walked over with Wayne to Sahans's Butcher and Kebab and picked up lunch. It was a nice walk and I got to try the beer that Geranium gifted us in our tote. The meal was delicious and very hearty! Here’s a photo of the beer:



Also, here’s a photo of beloved Dali who loves sitting in this chair - the dogs have been quite affectionate since I’ve gotten here!



Eventually, Rachel and I motivated and took the train into the city and we headed to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek which is known for its French and Danish collections, sculpture, and was the private art collection of Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries. The building itself was beautiful and the art outstanding, and just across the street from the station:









Then Wayne met us at the Joe and the Juice at the station and we entered the famous Tivoli Gardens which was also across the street. Tivoli is the 2nd oldest amusement park in the world and what inspired Disneyland. As Rachel notes, it’s magical and I found it incredibly accessible. Last time I was here, they were closed as they were preparing their Christmas decorations and now, they were celebrating flower festival so we enjoyed the decorations and ambiance…

















We rode on two roller coasters that were really fun - I think it has been decades since I last rode a coaster. Rachel also had the Tivoli app and you could scan QR codes to download the photos:









Tivoli really has diverse and solid dining options, including a three Michelin star restaurant. I also noticed there were many folks purposely eating here as it was lovely, contained, and they probably have an annual pass. It truly is a pleasure garden and not just about the rides.

We decided for dinner, Anarkist for pizza and I actually had the same beer I tried in Aarhus. Afterwards, we walked through the park, enjoyed the lights, and even saw Elíasson designed light pieces (same artist who did the Aarhus Panorama and NYC Waterfalls), and crossed the street to the train station for home. 

At home, we finished our game of Five Crowns which I bought for the family to enjoy. Despite being the most familiar with the game, I lost since it’s not over until the Kings go wild! 

Truly, Tivoli was whimsical and the day very chill. It really was a Sunday funday and classically Copenhagen.

Days Like This

Here’s Nico and Finn - the new two pets in this household of animal lovers. Throughout the years and my visits, I have met a bearded dragon, chameleon, and even searched for a lost hermit crab. Since I’m not used to birds just flying at me with some regularity, I have yelped a few times as they got their daily exercise. This morning as they preened each other, they hung out on my knee while I was on the sofa:



We eventually motivated and walked over to a local bakery and had pastries and iced lattes. It was a short walk, but were careful as we maneuvered on sidewalks with Ben’s wheelchair.

After resting at the house, Rachel and I motivated to visit nearby Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, not to be confused with Frederiksberg Castle in Copenhagen. It was only about a 20 minute drive and Rachel missed it when the family visited before, so I was a perfect excuse to go see it.





The famous Neptune Fountain is in front:



This is the Rose Room and the reliefs were very 3-dimensional including the incorporated antlers:



The ceilings were impressive:



As well as the Audience Salon:





The Great Hall:



But we were most impressed with the Royal Chapel:





The castle also is the National History Museum and Portrait Gallery. So the top floor includes many paintings as well as photos of the Royal Family. This was helpful as Rachel reinforced her knowledge for her residency exams. This painting à la Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” was interesting as well as in front of cushioned bench:



The gardens were well-manicured and a couple was taking photos after their wedding which was held in the chapel (timing feels appropriate as my family is in Korea at my nephew’s wedding):







We returned home to get ready and timed the nearby 150S bus to head into Copenhagen. We could have also taken the train, but the bus was direct and convenient.

Our agenda for the night was to dine at Geranium which is the 2nd restaurant in Copenhagen to be named World’s Best (NoMa was 1st) and the 1st Danish restaurant to win 3 Michelin Stars. We had eaten at NoMa last time I was here and actually had gotten off the waitlist for Geranium, but had decided one fine dining experience was enough over the course of a trip.

Since we had more time to plan, I was able to book this months ago and was really looking forward to it as a colleague said it was better than NoMa and I totally agree. The service, ambiance, and food were all world class and struck the perfect harmony of excellence and ease.

Curiously enough, it’s located on the 8th floor of the Parken Arena, home to concerts and FC København. Rachie and her husband had even seen Metallica here! We learned the owner is a huge football fan (obviously as most Europeans are), but it did have a lovely view of the Fælledparken, a popular park and soundproofing.

Chef Søren Ledet’s cooking is considered “one of the most technically correct and visually arresting” and works with local biodynamic farms to source indigenous Scandinavian produce. This was evident through the course of the meal!

Here was the entrance next to the arena parking lot:



Our elevator selfie:



The menu which we enjoyed with bottles of Danish sparking wine and riesling from Alsace served by the French-Canadian sommelier:



Some of the up close dishes due to the beautiful detail:



The phenomenal caviar supplement:



Consommé with truffle:



Hannah from the Dominican Republic, took us on a tour of the restaurant including the cellar which houses 24,000 wine bottles:







At one point, our waiter Mateo from San Marino jumped in our photo. He was wonderful and I loved how he was preparing to tell us where San Marino was and the 3 of us obviously had a good handle on geography. The servers and chefs were all lovely. We met someone from Korea, Italy, and of course Denmark. But these world class kitchens are highly international with the best of the best from around the world and I love hearing about their backgrounds and how long they have been working at the restaurant. They also seemed to enjoy that technically we were not all tourists.



We ordered herbal tea and when I saw this cart rolling towards us, I gasped they were really going to the source as our server clipped the various types for the teapot:





And of course, my famous and obligatory food collages:





When we were wrapping up, the bus was scheduled to leave from the other side of the park in 20 minutes and we grabbed it for the straight shot home. 

What a wonderful day and evening! So much has been difficult for the family recently and to have such a nice day and phenomenal meal, it was truly a euphoric experience and I’m so glad my hosts enjoyed it as much I did!

Odense

Today I leave the Jutland peninsula, the continental portion of Denmark and head to the island of Funen, or in Danish, Fyn. There was potential that Rachel would meet me in Aarhus, but ultimately decided we’d rendezvous in the middle. Our live locations this morning and a visual of the plan:



After transferring trains in Fredericia, we crossed the Old Little Belt Bridge - here’s a photo including the New Little Belt Bridge in the distance which only handles cars:



We decided on Odense as the family has never been, but also was curious on the town. It’s the hometown of Hans Christian Andersen, most famous for his fairy tales such as “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, “The Little Match Girl”, “The Ugly Duckling”, “Thumbelina”, and of course, “The Little Mermaid”.

After finding parking in the underground city garage, we explored the Hans Christian Anderson House where I learned about his life and read more about his stories. Here’s Rachel turning into a beautiful swan - the displays and exhibits were lovely:



He also had a hobby of making cutouts and here’s one on display:



Here’s the memorial hall where we left messages on the tree:



The museum is attached to his birth home which we perused and admission includes his nearby childhood home which we decided to skip.

We decided on sushi for lunch and enjoyed the lunch price fixe at Koi Sushi which had tempura, dumplings, tuna tataki, and of course, sushi.

Our plan was to visit nearby Egeskov Castle, considered the most preserved Renaissance water castle in Europe. However as our lunch was leisurely, and we were tired from sitting in the sun, we decided to head home.

The new home, just north of Copenhagen, is totally adorable and I got to see the dogs and meet the new bird pets. We enjoyed wine from a bag and played a card game that I brought the family.

We played with the idea of heading into the city, but decided to relax and eat tofu curry and rice and catch up. My health app alerted me my behavior had changed with the reduction of steps, but I enjoyed the day reconnecting with the family and looked forward to the rest of the weekend!