Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Copenhagen 2

Yesterday the forcast was sun with showers. We wandered to the tour boat quay and found that the clouds had receded and the sky was blue. So on the open top boat we hopped, very surprised that the hours cruise costs less than a coffee , all drinks here being very expensive. And lovely it was around Nyhaven and the sheltered canals by the expensive apartments of Christanhaven. Then, the moment we got out onto the open water of the outer harbour the rain hit. Cold driving rain. Basically for the remaining forty minutes I hunched down between the bench seats the mercifully large hotel umbrella serving as a tent balanced on the seat backs. Each time the sodden guide announced something worth looking at I'd raise it a tentative inch have a peek then hunker down again. I nearly got decapitated at the end when we went under an extremely low bridge and only just got the brolly down in time as by then my fingers were so cold they had stopped working. It was only when we got off that Dennis who was on the seat behind me confessed that all the rain was dripping off my 'tent' onto his trousers. I came off dry and even his boxers were wet! I am such a bad wife!

Still, the Danes obviously cater for such weather as their outdoor cafes supply not only braziers but blankets as well so were were able to eat outside in warmth for lunch. It is amazing how much of a language you can pick up from signs and menus and in Den's case from watching Notting Hill with Danish subtitles whilst I was last blogging. When I went up he knew the Danish for such useful phrases as 'Ooops a daisy', 'groovy', and 'there are pictures of me naked all over the British press'.

Today was forecast as thunder and lightning and has been sunny and warnm all day. We went to the fanous Tivoli Gardens as it opened at eleven to find that the gardens are no more than flowers in concrete planters and surrounds and that none of the attractions or 46 restaurants opened until between twelve and two thirty. We were not amused having paid seven /fifty to get in and watch staff brushing litter up because that was the only activity. Still, this being me we ended up with a full refund and a pass to go back in free later!

By this time I little fed up with Copenhagen we decided to go to Sweden for lunch and got the train to Malmo, almost, but not quite, resisting the urge to hum 'Waterloo' as we disembarked.. Lunch was had under two blankets in a pretty square but Malmo is like any other pleasant European town really. You could be anywhere. Save that I was a bit stumped when I read my first menu and realised that it wasn't in the Danish I have already come to expect. We also now have sterling, Euros, Danish Kroner and Swedish Kroner in our pockets and shops seem to happily take the latter three interchangably or even in combination if you are deperate. Tivoli was a bit more bustling on our return but is still vastly overerated but as we stumbled on a great Indian restaurant around the corner we are now full and happy and ready for bed.

By the way if anyone reading this has emailed me and wonders why I have ingnored their response it is becuase I cannot get email here just access to this blog plage for some reason. Probably becuase my menu orientated Danish cannot cope with the messages about cookies that I think are what are flashing up all the time!

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