Copenhagen sightseeing

Monday morning we were up and out the door to see the sights of Copenhagen.

First challenge was to negotiate the train system-catch the small private train from the small station nearby, and then transfer to the larger public train travelling in to Copenhagen.  This proved to be somewhat more difficult due to the fact that we needed to buy a ticket from the machine on the train-and the instructions were written in Danish only. A friendly lady helped us to change our Danish notes into coins using a different machine, and then select the correct ticket type and feed the money in.

Small house on the way to the station with thatched roof.

Our local station

The instructions we had been given were pretty good, and once we were inside the trains they did have a display showing the stations in order, which helped to reassure us that we were "on the right track" so to speak.

We stood in the grand central station in Copenhagen wondering which way to go, and had to go outside to try to figure out which street was where. As you would expect there were cycles aplenty.

Cycles outside the central station

The local "hop on, hop off " tourist bus had a stop nearby so we went and parted with some  holiday cash in exchange for a set of headphones and a seat upstairs.  A lovely British lady (recording)  spoke to us about Copenhagen, describing the landmarks and imparting local knowledge and history as we went.  Coming from Australia it is a bit difficult getting our head around buildings centuries old, and the tiny worn cobblestones and bricks, weathered copper roofs, and ornate metalwork and craftsmanship really accented the age.

A short stop allowed us to visit with the little Mermaid (who is smaller than I thought she would be)

After one loop we hopped off of the bus and took to our feet to explore in a bit more detail.  First stop was a rooftop garden built over the old railway yards ( now situated between two huge office blocks).   Strawberries grew in the planter boxes and an unusual ramp path (to allow access to wheelchairs, cycles and skateboards) led up to the next level from the street.

Special rooftop garden over the old railway yards.

Next we strolled along the main canal, noticing how different it was from the Dubai canal-about the same width, but uncluttered by people, boats and traffic.  Kayaking must be popular in the area and many kayaks were stored there and there was a practice slalom set up, and also an amazing kayak slide ( we assume to practice coming over waterfalls/ rapids)

Kayak slide

Next stop was the pedestrian streets in the center of town ( a series of joined malls).
These are some of the old streets where traffic  is now banned, and allow the free access of walking traffic to part with their money. Like our Rundle Mall street performers were making their mark, and we were met by the unexpected sight of many Father Christmases complete with brass brand parading along!

The white fellow is Pierrot-who features heavily in the Tivoli shows along with Columbine and Harlequin

One of the small side streets was quite ornate, and steps had ramps on them for pushers or bikes.

Ornate covered side street

The canal area was teeming with life as Denmark is in summer holiday mode. The colourful buildings were quite a sight along Nyhavn Canal with the tourist boats and the various others tied up along the sides.

The colourful cafes were doing a roaring trade, and the cobbled streets were hard on the feet, but gave a sense of history. 

 We headed back towards the station feeling warm and weary, passing by the sculpture of the merman and his seven sons beneath the water-we could see him pretty well with our polarizing sunnies on, but the photo doesn't really do it justice. You can sort of see the figures under the water. It was kind of spooky looking down at the outstretched pleading arms of a child under the water, and the weedy environment in which this sculpture lives. So many were walking past and not seeing what is beneath the ripple of the surface.

We strolled back past the famous Tivoli Gardens (finding a cache too) on the return stroll to the railway station and uneventfully bought our tickets and returned home with no further assistance required. 

In the evening a few of the Sollerod club members arrived and we went for a training run in the forest over the road. Since it is light until 10 pm  there is plenty of time to do such things after work. Normally there would be many more than the 6 of them training on a Monday night, but it is the middle of summer holidays and many are away for their traditional summer break.  We used a course set using the permanent controls, and both Trevor and I managed to make many errors -but I definitely took the wooden spoon. Somehow both of us have not yet got our "internal compasses"calibrated, and we kept going off line.  It is also quite different mapping, with 2.5 m contours, and brown symbols used more for what we might call water courses. 

A shared dinner followed the debrief session. All lovely and interesting people. It is tempting to become a Sollerod member and to become truly a part of them, but I fear we are extremely outclassed and could possibly be an embarrassment to them.

We shared lots of conversation about the weekly coaching process and I can't help thinking that many of us in SA would be better orienteers if we had the benefit of a similar session each week also. Food for thought.

We fell into our beds at about 11 pm content with the day's activities. We are so lucky to be able to visit here, to enjoy such warm hospitality from Kirsten and Bo and to have the health to enjoy it.

The following day we had a lazy day while Bo worked from home, and when Kirsten came home we all went out for tea at a great spot near a lake. The place there have an outdoor spit BBQ and offer a huge array of salads and a great choice of cooked meat. We sat at an outside table enjoying the lake along with many family groups.  The chef is a south African , so the BBQ is in that sort of style. We were not allowed to pay for dinner.

When we got home Bo's son Andreas came over with his sister (Carolina) and we shared a birthday cake. (Made by Bo with a lot of effort to a traditional recipe which their family have used for a long time).

This was our last night staying there in Holte. The next day we headed for Sweden and left the security blanket of friends who speak English and the language of the country we are travelling in.