If you like history (as I do) and you are in Copenhagen, then a visit to the National Museum is a must. And it's free!
I visited the section covering pre-history up to the Viking age.
The Sun Chariot, early Bronze Age, ca. 1400 bc, evidencing amazing workmanship and knowledge.
It was found when a bog in Sjaellands Odde (where I was later to visit) was ploughed for the first time. The chariot has now become the symbol for the area. I have a porcelain plate of the symbol given to me by the mother of one of my two friends. Much treasured, it is too.
After a day of soaking up history and culture we needed to soak in some fresh air.
Taking a stroll along Copenhagen's lakes. My outfit for the day was a M&S taupe 7/8th chinos, Next crotchet-trimmed top and White Company taupe trapeze cardi. And the holiday bag! I wore my M&S snakeskin flatties with this.
Next day we "enjoyed" a bit of a mooch and a shop around the city, again walking past the lakes, through the side streets and along Copenhagen's very long walking street, Stroeget.
I say "enjoyed", because just look at this ...
This is picture of a man getting pretty tired of shop-mooching, here in the Mads Norgaard shop.
And then here, a transformed man who found the men's section and bought himself this stripey top! Doesn't he look great (nearly) in it?
Now this always happens. We go out shopping for me (I wanted a stripey top and a loose shirt). We come away from the town with stuff for him!
As usual, a short while into the walking and the mooching we were feeling peckish. We headed for the Illum, the posh department store of Copenhagen and its renowned food hall. It's years since I've been to eat in Illum. Oh my, how it has been transformed!
It covers the building's top floor and has a whole range of different eating areas, catering for different tastes, diets and fancies.
A lobster bar. A renowned fish restaurant.
Italian and Paleo.
We opted for the balcony restaurant serving traditional Danish food and we were not disappointed
The views from the balcony were wonderful. That's the Round Tower in the background. Lots of steps = I've never been up it. My sister has. So I don't need to :-).
You need binoculars to people-watch! I loved looking down on the beautiful buildings. Isn't the façade on the right pretty?
We chose traditional Danish open sandwiches with a modern twist.
Yup. That's another prawn and egg sarnie for me!
But such a huge serving of beautifully fresh prawns. I had to leave some :-(.
His Nibs enjoyed the curried herring, which he totally devoured! Prettily served, huh?
The store sells many luxury goods. I came away with nothing but a stuffed belly!
I moved on to Magasin, a store which includes some own-brand stuff more fitting for the pensioners' purse. Here I found the stripey top on my list, in cream and grey here . I also took home it's best mate in light blue and white. Well, I felt sorry about separating it from its mate :-).
Nice and long. Just what I wanted.
And rather embarrassingly, I needed to get some of those little granny-type mini socks as my feet were so hot and all this street walking was making my usually-comfy flatties rub on them. That's touristing, eh? Hurting feet make you do things you wouldn't normally do at home! Like buy granny socks. I found a quiet spot to slip them on immediately. Aaahhhh, the bliss ...
We needed to rest said tired feet, so we popped into my friends' favour coffee place, Tranquebar.
It's a bookshop which serves absolutely excellent coffee.
It also sells super colourful reversible silk embroidered scarves. Trouble was, I had so many favourites I just couldn't decide.
I did buy a fab book for the grandkiddies, however. It is a bookshop, after all.
When I could find the inclination and motivation to move again, I bought a couple of loose tops from H&M on the way home, one in khaki and one in cream (sorry, no photos, too complicated!).
All items crossed off my list, then.
But no. A pair of Birkstocks jumped in my rucksack too w.hen I popped in their shop!
Like this but black.
A bit off-message but apparently a much-needed item. Because from that moment they came off my feet only when sleeping or swimming!
How are you on Birkenstocks? Do you love 'em too?
So I kept them on and the walk home was even more blissful. So blissful that I found myself floating into Starbucks for a Frappucino. My first ever. Wow! Am I the last person in the developed world to try this?
I admired the colourful and innovative bikes on the way home too.
As a pedestrian and as a motorist, one has to be so careful of the cyclists shooting everywhere around the town. And they have the right of way.
And with no capacity left for shopping, food or drink, home to bed.
Must remember to take off those Birkenstocks!
A la perchoine.
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