. . .Wonderful Copenhagen!

Goddag!

I conked out around 7 pm last night, got about four hours of good sleep, and then it was over.  I was awake.  I spent most of the night reading Patrick Leigh Fermor’s travel memoirs and wishing I could write about my trips the way he wrote about his—on the other hand I’d rather sleep indoors, and I’d prefer not having my passport stolen or being mistaken for a smuggler.

Even though it was the middle of the night I enjoyed waking up in Copenhagen.  My apartment has plenty of space although the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen are the size of postage stamps.  Washing dishes or my face results in splashing.  Maybe I’ll get used to it.

Strolling around licking windows long before things were open.  I walked by Tivoli and the train station.  And here’s some news you can use.  There’s a free public toilet in the square in front of the handsome town hall, but it’s open only when the town hall is.  The one at the train station costs five krone, which is about eighty cents.  Fortunately I needed neither.

I walked down Stroget the famous pedestrianized, street, which is actually a series of streets and squares—or plads as we Danes say.  Most of the shops are European chains, fast food outlets, or boutiques, but there’s some good window-licking to be had at the amber shops.  There’s a Sephora, too, and I will be visiting there, you can bet.  The biggest department store in Scandinavia anchors one end of Kongens Nytorv or the Kings New Square. I strolled around some canals and around the courtyard of Christianslot, which used to be a royal residence.  Maybe I’ll go inside on a later visit.

My target was the huge National Museum.  Most of Danish History can be viewed here, but I was especially after Bronze and Viking age goodies.  I enjoyed the artifacts from the Greenland settlement.  Not every one would appreciate the array of tools, weapons and even preserved bodies, but I did.  One thing threw me off however.  The museum featured words by modern artists that were meant to blend in with the artifacts. The naturalistically creepy mermaid skeleton was an obvious hoax although I wondered how many folks would fall for it, but others looked just like the real thing and were identifiable (by me anyway) only by the absurd stories attached to them.  One I recall was a sword used by a Bronze Age Queen to behead rabbits as those were the only food her son would eat.

Of course one way to get my attention is with period rooms, but I found the marvelously intricate wood carvings even more compelling.

Then my brain began to buzz in that annoying way that indicates the jet lag has caught up with me.  I tore myself away and went hunting and gathering.

What’s for dinner?

Smorrebrod!!  The word translates literally to buttered bread, but it’s so much more.  It’s the culinary icon of Denmark.  These aren’t dainty tea or American style sandwiches but rather are works of art that follow strict rules as to what kind of bread goes with what.  I went into the shop attracted by the copious display, and the motherly shop lady explained the toppings to me and packed my choices up to go.  For my cultural research I chose the most traditional sorts.  Your mileage may vary.  Now remember we eat it properly on a plate with a knife and fork Danish fashion.  Picking up the smorrebrod with one’s hands is vulgar, tourist-like behavior. The smorrebrod are open face, and you can find pictures on the internet if you want to see what they look like.  Here we go.  The reason that a potato on bread doesn’t make sense to you because you haven’t tried it.  Here is our buttered rye bread dense and tasty on its own topped with potato slices which taste good and especially potatoish.  On top of them sits raw onion, a lettuce leaf, a slice of tomato and a piece of bacon.  Yum!  Like all Northern Europeans, Danes love their herring.  Me, too!  Danish pickled herring is a bit sweet and is accompanied by more raw onion, tomato and what looks like capers.  If I were still in Amsterdam, I’d say leckker!  Then we have liver, beets, caramelized onion, and lettuce.  Now I happen to like liver, so I think this is a great combination.  Sometimes it’s made with liver paste—which the Danes like with cucumber on top, but this is an actual slice of liver.  Mmmm.  The contrast of the liver with the sweet beets is good.  I just got the three sandwiches, and they were plenty filling.

Farvel