Copenhagen, Denmark 9/28-10/5/2006

We're in Copenhagen's airport around 4 p.m. arriving from Edinburgh, Scotland.   Miles has booked us a room at a hostel downtown called "Sleep-in-Green".  He has sent directions to get there via email.  We take the train and bus successfully from the airport to the hostel.  Checked into the hostel, we are the only 2 in this huge dormitory of 4 beds separated by temporary walls.  I go down the street to a restaurant, have a glass of wine and phone Miles from the pay phone in the restaurant/bar.  We'll meet him tomorrow for lunch.  He'll have Luffa, the big guy from Iceland at the hostel's desk,  give me a map of where to meet him.  We go to dinner at an Italian place and have lasagna splitting a salad with Janeen.  Back to the hostel and there is an Indian girl in our dorm.  She is very happy to see us as we're the only 3 in this huge barracks.  She closed all the windows and blocked her cubicle with a chair.  We 3 have the place to our selves this one night.  The best night at this hostel.  I slept pretty good.  Upstairs to have some coffee.  They make the best coffee at this hostel.  We meet Miles for lunch @ Bibi's sitting outside on cafe tables.  He looks great. Working for UPS dressed in his brown uniform and reminding me of the States.  He's waiting for SAS to open up hiring pilots.  He looks like a pilot and will look great in that uniform.  He tells us how to buy our 10-clip bus ticket which lasts us the entire time in Copenhagen for $19.62.  Miles goes back to work and we shop in some of the cute stores buying some post cards.  I lose Janeen again.  She just drives me nuts.  Sometimes I think she has no eyes!  We tour the circular tower which has a wonderful view of Copenhagen.  Unfortunately, Tivoli is closed for the season only opening again for Halloween and Christmas.  We have to leave the hostel every day from noon to 4 which is a pain-in-the-ass.  They clean the hostel at this time and want everyone gone.  I complain saying "this is my home now and what do I do if I am sick?".  They say they would make exceptions if that was the case but for now, that is the rule.   We walk around and head back to the hostel.  It's gotten a little chillier and rains a bit each day we're here.   I buy a delicious apple torte that has marzipan in it too.  Their pastries are wonderful.  I buy bottles of Malbec for k100 or ($5.69 ea.) and use my debit card successfully.  Never know anymore when it will work and when it will give me a headache.  We go to dinner at Scala, the restaurant down the street where I called Miles.  The pay phone at the hostel is broken.  Scala serves one meal a day and today it is beef brisket w/horseradish sauce and potatoes.  A glass of wine is K20 or $3.40, not too bad.  The exchange here is 1 Krona = $5.87.  There is a guy in the restaurant who buys us each a drink.  Then 2 more.  We talk a bit.  Thank him and tell him no more.  Back to the hostel where we had to move earlier.  They have us moving everyday!  We're up early this next day, Saturday, and we're going to Miles and Anna's for breakfast.  We take the bus the wrong way but figure it out and get off catching the bus immediately going the other way.  We finally arrive at Miles & Anna's about 10 a.m. instead of 9 and we have no way of phoning them without a cell.  It's OK though because the morning has been hectic for them.  They live on the fourth floor in an apartment that Anna's Dad owns.  It has 2 large rooms, a small kitchen and smaller bath.  The kids are in a room together and Miles & Anna's bed is in the common room where we eat.  They have no TV and have made a conscious decision in that regard.  Fred would approve!  We have a nice breakfast, meet Rose 3 and Isac 4 months.  She is very cute and has the body structure of the Krizmanics.  Isac is very cute also, blue eyes where Rose has dark brown.  We have a wonderful breakfast of Danish rolls, soft boiled eggs, cheese, bread and butter.   We're all going down to city center together.  It's a beautiful sunny day.  We buy a phone card and I get batteries with Miles help.  We go to a park where a photographer has a show on of wild life photos.  They are very good.  We sit in the park with the kids and Miles & Anna bump into friends.  There is an art show or flea market going on in the park.  I buy some cool earrings.  We get the transit system back to Miles & Anna's stopping en route for carryout Mexican.  I have a burrito, nothing like the one in Chicago but OK.  We take the bus back after using the calling card to call Amy and Mark.  Janeen makes several calls not connecting and we check the Internet.  Back to the hostel and to sleep.  The hostel is full now and the dorm rooms holds more than 35 people, I think.  There is another dorm room upstairs where the eating area and desk is to pay for your room and buy their delicious coffee.  There is a guy that keeps everyone up this night trying to get attention, I guess.  He turns on his light and makes all kinds of noise knocking things about.  He is a very strange guy from Holland we all think.  Up around 8:30 a.m., upstairs for coffee and walk for a Danish.  We're meeting Miles & Anna for church.  We find the church after overshooting and they are arriving at the same time.  We're on time!  Hooray!!!!!  The service is a combined one with a few churches but not many people.  Decline in attendance, same as in the States.   A priest from a typical Danish church starts the prayer.  He has a pleated white stand-up collar and a black robe.  Another man named Andy heads up the singing.  They have the songs and scripture on a screen for eash reading.  After church here is coffee and cookies and visiting down stairs.  We walk around city center and get food at Bibi's again.  This time I have a beer, tuna pita and share chips with all.  We stop for coffee wandering around.  The kids are getting tired and they suggest we go on th canal tour and meet them back at their place.  The tour is an hour and very nice, pointing out various sights; Queen's Palace, Andersen's home and The Little Mermaid plus more I can't remember.  It's a little cold.  We meet them back at their place, hang out for a bit and take the bus back to the hostel.  It's Monday, 10/2/2006, we sleep in and make no plans today.  I get coffee, walk for a Danish and check the Internet.  We haven't had a move since I spoke with the girl Saturday morning before leaving to meet Miles & Anna.  We have to leave at noon so head for city center.  I stop by the insole store and buy some expensive insoles.  I hope they work good for me as the boots I had made in Vietnam do not have much support.  We walk up to The Little Mermaid, check out the marble church.  It's raining and cold, raining on and off.  We head back to the hostel, buying Danish and stopping at the Lotus for bad Chinese food, back to the hostel and to bed.  Tomorrow we've been invited for dinner at Rikke's apartment, Inge's oldest daughter.  Inge is my sister's exchange student from 36 years ago.  Next day it's that wonderful coffee again and a walk down the street for the daily fabulous Danish.  We stop and shop at some of the antique stores which line the streets of this neighborhood.  I buy a Mardi Grae plate and a lovely purse mirror of sterling plate.  We head to city center again and stop at Tiger because Janeen wants to shop.  It's a kind of Pier 1 type store with lots of inexpensive items.  I get some hair combs.  In city center we go into a book shop and I find a nice book on Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales for the girls that is in both Danish and English.  We go to lunch at Bibi's again and have another disagreement.  Bump into Miles as this is his territory with his big brown UPS truck on these pedestrian streets of city center.  Head back to the hostel stopping for cheese, strawberries and a pear at a local outdoor fruit stand.  Take a nap till 7 and get ready for Rikke to pick us up.  Janeen has bought some flowers for her.  Rikke is a little late so I go upstairs and call.  Grandma Liz tells me she just left.  Her apartment is very nice and we have a wonderful Danish dinner prepared by Grandma Liz who is Inge's husband Jesper's Mom and of course Rikke's Grandmother.  She serves us pistachios and olives in pesto with white wine before dinner.  Liz has made homemade bread, veal & pork meat balls which are very light and delicious, boiled new potatoes, salad with avocado, garlic stuffed olives and hazelnuts.  After dinner we have a wonderful berry tart with sour cream and coffee.  The meal was wonderful and the evening truly enjoyable.    Mia, Inge & Jesper's middle daughter, joined us.  She is leaving tomorrow for the States and a wedding of the girl where she was an exchange student in Elk Rapids, Michigan a few years ago.  I actually had met Mia at O'Hare airport as she was waiting for her return flight back to Denmark.   Meeting Liz was so great also.  They all live here in Copenhagen with the exception of Mia who is still at university in a town to the north of Copenhagen but south of their home town of Hjorring where Inge & Jesper live.   Rikke takes us back to the hostel and we're to sleep before you know it.  Up earlier.  Upstairs for coffee and eat my Danish from yesterday along with straberries and some cheee and crackers.  I buy the Danish cross at the antique shop for Amy and the grape scizzors at another antique shop here in the neighborhood.  Take Miles to lunch and we sit in the park as the restaurant is full today.  He's free tonight as Anna has gone to her parents till next Tesday with the children.  We'll meet him at their apartment at 6.  We're going to the Royal Copenhagen outlet not far from Miles or Rikke's apartments.  Rikke has found it for us.  We take the metro and some lady helps us find the outlet store.  I buy 4 cool candle ornaments for the Christmas tree that are a tradition here in Denmark.  We walk towards Miles's apartment as we have time to kill and pass by a Danish pastry shop buying one for now and another for tomorrow.  Can't resist these wonderful pastries here in Copenhagen.  Get to Miles place and he's home.  We're going back to City Center for dinner.  We go to an Italian place, Restaurante Florence where the salad is delicious but the entree just OK.  Miles gets a lazana that looks very good and Janeen and I get penne with beef and porcini in a tomato sauce.  We say our goodbyes to Miles and head back for the hostel and to sleep.  Tomorrow we catch the train north to Hjorring and a week with Inge and Jesper.  Miles has shown us the train to take to the main train station and transfer for the train to Hjorring.  We're up at 6:30 a.m. with the alarm, shower and pack up.  We leave for the bus stop about 7:30.  Get to the bus stop at the end of our street and all the buses passing are full.  We have all our luggage with us so we take up some room on these full morning buses with people going to their jobs.  Start walking towards the train station and then the third bus passes us and appears to be somewhat empty.  I'm ahead of Janeen, stopping where I can to take a load off and rest as I am backpacking all my stuff.  I cross the street and get to the train station and sit on the concrete blocks that are just outside the entrance.  I see Janeen on the corner and I think she sees me.  Then she goes to the Metro elevator in the middle of the street she is walkikng on and takes the elevator to the Metro instead of following me into the main entrance of the train station.  The Metro is actually underground and below the train level.  I head down to the S4 level where Miles had showed us to go and I'm there at 8 a.m.  I sit and wait and wait for her till 8:40a.m.  Now I think we're going to miss the 9 a.m. train connection to Hjorring.  I have my ticket and the seat tickets for both of us.  She has her own train ticket.  She does not have Inge last name, address or phone number with her.  I have all that information.  So I go looking for her.  I talk to a guy who has seen her down at the bottom of the stairs to the Metro from S platform.  I check upstains, the hall from the Metro, the ticket station and she tells me there are other trains, we just lost our seat money, which eivdently we never needed to purchase!!!  I go back down to S4 an ponder what to do??????   It's now after 9 and I have missed the train.  I decide to go to the station H where we catch the train to Hjorring.  I inquire, after calling Miles who tries to calm me down and gives me some advice.  I report it to the Station Office and he makes an announcement for her to come to the office if she is in the train station.  I call Inge and leave a message and call Sleep-in-Green and leave a message for Janeen if she should call there.  I'm now sitting in the train station on a bench with my backpack sitting next to me on the right and a pay phone on the wall on my left.  An old man sits next to me and demands the pack be put on the floor.  I decide to eat my Danish and the strawberries I have left.  The sugar pack is there and the strawberries still look good.  I add the sugar and sit there eating them trying to calm myself down and decide what to do?????   Wait some more.  Check my luggage k100 and go back to Norresport Station in City Center.   She's nowhere????  I go back to the main station H and get information on the noon train.  Call Inge again and leave a message that I will be on that train and call Sleep-in-Green to leave that message and also the numbers for her to contact Inge.  Buy a coffee and a sandwich for the train.  Get my luggage and go to S7.  The train is just coming in.  Get on the first car which ends up to be a smoking car.  The train leaves and I'm calmed down now.  Buy a coffee and chips to go with the sandwich.  I ate the Danish horn and strawberries sitting in the station H.  I hope she's in Hjorring!!!  I can only imagine that she's caught the train there. The trip is nice except for the smoking car.  They really are heavy smokers here.   The countryside is lovely.  We go thru many towns.  There are lots of wind Mills, thru a tunnel and over bridges.  Get into Aarboug and change trains.  It is the train sitting ahead of this car.  I'm finally in Hjorring about 5 p.m. and there is Janeen.  She had caught the 9 a.m. train as planned.  How she missed me I have no idea except I may have been looking for her when she arrived at the platform.  She's sitting with some Danish man who has befriended her.  She doesn't feel she was wrong at all.  I tell her I feel she owes me K120 and also that I have used my phone car up on all these calls.  I just don't understand her ways?????  I call Inge and she's here very shortly to pick us up.  We are both so excited to see each other again.  It's been 36 years......next Hjorring, Denmark......Inge & Jesper's home..........