Copenhagen!

Well it was a flying visit, we did not have much time to sight see or shop.  The reason for the trip was to apply for Henry's passport in the flesh at the Australian Embassy,  that was all achieved ok and hopefully it will be here by the end of the month.

This short trip was also a little test to see how Henry would cope with flying before he embarks on the 25-30 hour journey to Australia in 2 months time.  He did very well,  take off and landing did not bother him at all as he did not seem to register any difference in cabin pressure.  On the trip over he slept for about 2/3 of the flight and was easily entertained for the last 1/3.

 Sleeping children make flying easy bearable, however he did none of this on the flight home and a lot more entertaining was required.

 Olga had purchased some baby headphones and uploaded a heap of children's songs and nursery rhymes on to her ipod

and Henry found these quite entertaining and soothing, especially on the return trip.

I have not been to Copenhagen before (other than the airport) and it is a lovely historic city, I liked what I saw and look forward to going back and exploring further when I have more time.  Where we stayed was fairly central but still a quiet area.  The hotel was old, as they mostly are in the city area but quite comfortable with breakfast and hot evening buffet included in the price.  

Stairwell of the Hotel Neptun

We appreciated the evening buffet meal, when travelling with a young child it was great not to have to  go out at night in search of a restaurant.

 Henry really loved grazing across an assortment of food at the buffet...he particularly enjoyed the melon.

Our days were either broken into with flying or the appointment at the Australian Embassy and trying to keep to some normalcy for Henry when it came to nap time, so our sight seeing was limited.

I have realised I am not a very good tourist as I never feel the need to tick off a list of must things to see...been to Paris and not the Louvre, now been to Copenhagen and not the Tivoli Gardens.  I usually tend to just immerse myself in the area by walking around and stumbling across things...I am not good at planning ahead and enjoy just seeing how the day unfolds.  Copenhagen is a shoppers dream as there is such an array of designer stuff and fashion wear.  I also am aware that I am not really into shopping,  I have never understood the attraction many women have for shoes, fancy clothes, perfumes, cosmetics, girly stuff etc...even when I was a teenager...I dressed for comfort and have never worn or had any desire to own an array of fancy high heels...I think I may have missed out on some female gene. Of course I love antique and second hand shops and there are heaps of those, so when I visit again I will (try to plan ahead) make sure it is over a weekend when the market days are on...I don't buy much as I have enough already...but I do like to look.

I did not take many photo's as 2 out of the 3 days I was carting luggage to or from the airport and hands were full. The photos I did take are very random and just of things that caught my eye as we walked past. 

 This is of a restaurant near our hotel with animal skins on the chairs...I suppose to add a bit of warmth whilst you dined outside.

 Strange looking street lamp

 Of course in Copenhagen bicycle riding is huge, everyone seems to cycle and bikes are everywhere!

 The city is very well designed for bike riding with specific bike paths (helmets are not required) and this seems to be the main form of commute for many. 

We walked past these apartments a couple of times each day, they became a landmark for me, I knew where I was when I saw these.

Each row/street seemed to have an animal name.

This is Haregade (Hare Street) I could also work out that there was a crocodile and dolphin street amongst them.

I found the cobbled roads and historic architecture aesthetically pleasing to my eye.

 

 Even though Iceland was under Danish rule for a long time the architecture is completely different.

 

 There are sculptures outside most buildings and almost on every corner

 

 This was a very sculptural tree that had these knobbly growths which will probably spurt forth greenery in the next few weeks.

 On the way to the airport we walked past a lego shop and I quickly snapped these photos

 

 I was particularly enthralled by the huge lego tapestry like image on the wall behind the life size models.

I had intended to visit a couple of art stores for printmaking supplies but did not manage to get to the ones that had 'said' supplies however I did stumble across another art store where I bought a small guillotine for cutting paper...something I have wanted for a while. On my return to Iceland I found an art store in the centre of Reykjavik and bought a few things there...they had a good array of general art supplies and a not too bad selection of rag papers, which is good to know for future reference...however no printing inks...which is another good reason for a return trip to Copenhagen in the not too distant future.

I noticeably missed the Icelandic water....the tap water in Denmark was not that palatable and even the bottled stuff did not taste as good as Icelandic tap water which is pure spring water without chlorine or any other chemical additives...one of the first things I did when I hit Reykjavik was empty my bottled water from Denmark and refill from the tap.

The trip back to Iceland was also timed to pick up Olga's brother Kristinn (from Australia) who is on  a Europe/America tour and staying a month here to spend time with Olga, extended family and of course become acquainted with his nephew. The journey home to Sauðárkrókur took longer than usual as we stopped a few times to let Henry stretch his legs and unwind a bit as he was a tad over being strapped in a seat...aah home sweet home...always appreciated more when you have been away!