July 5 2008

26 June 2008
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen….Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!
The song has it right. Most will agree that the city, Denmark’s largest, has a charm that other European cities would like to adopt. With only one skyscraper downtown, there is a small town charm about the place that makes it inviting. The cobbled stone streets add to the old feeling and the small shops that line the auto excluded downtown streets almost beg one to look in the windows.
Copenhagen is a royal city, home of the world’s oldest monarchy ever since King Erik set up permanent residence in 1417. The present Queen Margrethe II, lives in the royal Amalienborg Palace in the heart of Copenhagen. Marty and I walked through the square in the center of the palace complex along with a hundred or so people who were tourist gawking, picture taking or just taking a short cut through the grounds. The palace is interesting in that some past monarch decided to build identical buildings to house each of several princes. Today, unless you have a guide book in hand, it is impossible to tell which is the queen’s house.
While we passed through the palace square, a two car caravan of long black important looking cars made it’s way through the people in the square and entered an entrance that opened electronically. A half dozen costumed guards with M1 rifles stood about doing their thing but none bothered to guard the opening from we peasants watching the scene. We did witness a “changing of the guard” that appeared to this inexperienced watcher to be a bit sloppy with the leader walking in stooped fashion rather than straight and erect.
Our walk through town in search of an internet café took us through the main shopping area along a cobbled street with no automobiles. I was surprised that there were so many people on the streets for a Tuesday morning. A lot of shopping, if not looking, seemed to be taking place in all of the shops. The shops closest to the palace seemed to be for “high end” trade. I recognized a few names such as Louis Vitton and such, all with elegantly prepared windows. As we moved across town toward the Tivoli Gardens the rent obviously dropped and allowed MacDonalds and Burger King to operate amidst discount jewelry stores and book shops.
We found an internet café with a crowd of people hunched over several dozen computers that must have been satisfying some weird fantasies and needs as attested to the few heads rose from concentration as I worked my way to my assigned machine. Other than the fact that the configuration of the key board on my machine differed from my laptop, I was in business. It took a while to clear some 40 messages, mostly unsolicited ads; a privilege I withheld while using shipboard wireless connection at fifty-five cents a minute. I was able to do my computer thing and I was out and on my way within the thirty minutes I bought for a couple dollars worth of Kronnen.
A post office was our next objective and we found one in the next block. In the post office I stood in what I thought was a line for ten minutes before I noticed someone come into the office and head directly for a little machne that provided numbers…just like the butcher counter at Gene’s. Once numbered, I was quickly chosen from among the many to complete my business.
Back on the ship, I had a chance to think a little about the current cruise. Something seemed definitely different from other cruise experiences. As I wondered through the ship in an attempt to define the difference, I was confronted with a major difference. Of the 2500 plus on board there must be at least 200 children, maybe more. As I walked I passed a number of families with children ranging in age from about one year old to teen age. I sought out the area of the ship designed for children’s programs and found dozens of kids of all sizes busily engaged in games and crafts. Tonight during a magician’s performance at the early show a baby crying in the balcony brought the show to a stand still with a good ad lib from the performing magician that brought down the house. Later, as I discussed the difference with Marty who has been on more than sixty cruises in the last three years, we decided that the age of the passengers was definitely younger. Of course, this is summer and many people are on summer vacation. Older seasoned people who like to cruise have probably recognized this long before me and have chosen to do their cruising when school is in session and vacations are over. The few older set passengers seemed less sophisticated than the run of the mill senior traveler and probably in the process, as we speak, of planning to take their next cruise when school is in session.
Before we left Copenhagen, a show announced as a Folkorico took place in the main theater lounge. I expected ladies in dirndles and men in leder hosen to do some local dances and such. What actually occurred was a real treat. An actor dressed as Hans Christian Anderson, during his time, and abut twenty kids of all ages dressed in costume took the stage. Hans Christian Anderson introduced each group of children as representing one of Anderson’s childrens’ stories. Thumblina, Princess and the Pea, The Emperor has no Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl and several others were acted out briefly adding a new quality to Copenhagen, the proud home of Hans Christian Anderson.
Today the Norwegian Jewel berthed at the little coastal town of Warnemunde. We stopped at Warnemunde so that about half of the passengers could take a twelve and half hour trip to Berlin. The trip features a two and half hour train ride each way and costs an arm and a leg. While tempting, I think it would be preferable to find another way to visit Berlin.
This former fishing village has become a popular vacation spot with Europeans because of nearby beaches and the quiet little town atmosphere that is present. Winding cobblestone streets lined with little shops make for an inviting stroll. This morning the sun was shining brightly as shop keepers opened their shops, swept off the walk in front and chatted with their neighbors. I found a bank ATM to provide a supply of euros that I will need in coming months and another post office. As I wondered, I noted ladies seated at sidewalk cafes sipping their morning coffee while men downed beer from mountainous glasses. I decided to get in the spirit of the Warnemunde morning and found a chair at a nice little sidewalk café. I greeted the waitress with my practiced gute morgen and followed with Ich will ein grosse beir…a geselbe, pointing to a huge beer a man at the next table had in hand. Sure enough in a few minutes the waitress returned with a huge glass of beer just like the man next door, I think a liter, and I thanked her with veil danke to which she smiled and responded “bitte shoen”, I finished a Time magazine I had brought along about the same time as I finished the beer. I paid and headed back to the ship quickly realizing that my German ancestry didn’t provide me with the genes that would encourage drinking a liter of beer before lunch. I made it back to the ship without making a fool of myself (I think) and quickly headed to the buffet lunch line to give my stomach something of substance to soak up all of that brew. Lunch and a lot of beer made for a very sound nap.
Love to all,
Grandpa Bill, Dad, Bill and Mr. Berck