My overnight flight landed in Copenhagen, Denmark at approximately 10:15am, local time, 30 minutes later than our scheduled arrival. It was grey and drizzly. UGH!
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| Terminal 3 of Copenhagen Airport - the terminal into which I arrived on July 29, 2013 |
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| The Danish flag |
After finding the shuttle bus stop, I took the hotel shuttle to the Quality Airport Hotel Dan (a Quality Inn in the USA). I checked in and had wireless internet, so I was able to email my friend, Timo, about getting together. We had made plans prior to my trip over here . . . actually, I emailed him earlier in June, as soon as I knew it was a possibility I might be doing this contract. So, we made our plans and I took a nap. It was tough to wake up, but I did, showered, and met he and Naja at the hotel around 3:30pm. It was so great to see them, and we laughed about how, when we all disembarked the Norwegian Dawn on May 3rd, none of us thought that we'd be seeing each other in Europe less than two months later! Timo and Naja are half of the aerial group with which I worked on the Dawn, for the majority of my contract. They are a lovely couple, and I'm so happy to call them colleagues and friends.
Naja is Danish, originally from Copenhagen, and Timo is from Finland, but a resident of Sweden. As a result, I really got the full Scandanavian experience from the two of them! We started at a little cafe, the name of which I can't recall, and had . . . believe it or not . . . cheeseburgers . . . which were delicious! We were there for quite some time, chatting and catching up, and by the time we left (sometime around 6pm), the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. It was cool (for my standards), with the temperature around 65 degrees Farenheit (I'm guessing).
After our late lunch, we walked around downtown Copenhagen and saw some fabulous architecture. The Tivoli Amusement Park is the second oldest in the world, having opened on August 15, 1843.
After our walk around this area, we went to, what I'll call the "river area" which is seen in all of the postcards and tourism photos of Copenhagen. En route there, we stopped to take a photograph of Timo and I outside of the Finnish Embassy (remember, he is a Finnish citizen). Then, we stopped at a pub, grabbed some beer . . . yes, even I drank beer . . . and relaxed outside. Like Florida (during the winter months), there are heaters placed around outdoor seating almost everywhere here. But, the Danes go a step further and have blankets on the chairs. It's really kind of neat.
We watched people, chatted lots more and had a great time. At one point, I asked Naja what "pissoir" meant, and, as I suspected, it has to do with urinating. We couldn't figure out why the street was named as such . . . I suggested that maybe after too many beers, people just stand along the river's edge ane pee into it. Nonetheless, she thought it was fun to take a photo of Timo and I under the sign. The part that still astounds me is that the sun is in the background . . . I was fading and at one point said that I thought it was time for me to get back to the hotel. I didn't know what time it was and Timo informed me it was 9:40pm. WHAT?!?!?! But the sun is still out . . . THAT was disconcerning . . . and really threw me off!
Timo and Naja drove me back to the hotel, where we arrived at approximately 10pm, said our farewells, and I fell asleep quite quickly. It was a wonderful afternoon/evening with two wonderful people, and a great beginning to this journey!
