7/27: Day 1: Arriving to Copenhagen

 Well- we successfully completed another transatlantic journey over to Europe. There's so much to worry about flying these days with delays, baggage, etc, but all in all, it was a smooth flight. The leg to Paris was ~7.5 hours and not exactly pleasant, but passed fairly quickly. I did a little nap, a fair amount of reading, eating dinner, breakfast, and then getting whipped by the computer in chess.

     Navigating Charles De Gaulle wasn't exactly exciting, but we made due and got to our gate with tine to spare, if surprisingly little given the amount we started with when we arrived. Another short(ish) ride to Copenhagen (just under 2 hrs) and we (thankfully) grabbed Kate's bag at the luggage carousel and were on our way. I was indeed able to purchase extra data when we landed, so walking out the door, I could map transit to our Airbnb. So much has changed even since when I started traveling internationally, much less 30 years ago.

     That said- it had suggested the metro, and we were ushered towards the National Train system, which was faster, but for some reason google wasn't suggesting. Still a work in progress, I suppose. Despite this, it was pretty slick to buy a ticket and find the train. Nice to have the experience of taking transit from other cities.

     Got to the Airbnb and met our host briefly as she delivered us keys. We'll be staying here 2 nights, then leaving for 2, before returning for 2 more and then leaving to Stockholm for good. The apt is small and cozy. All the stereotypes with chic designs and efficient layout. The bathroom is pretty tight quarters though. Hard to even bend down.

     Grabbed a smorrebrod from a cafe across the street, which were decent, if not amazing. This is supposedly one of the most Danish dishes they have. Then we got had and were charged for tap water (listed as bottled). Such is life.

     We napped for a couple of hours (and resisted the urge for more), before lacing up the shoes and heading the few blocks to the Soerne, a necklace of paths surround a set of ponds. Lots of people out and about with great views of the city.

     We rinsed off and spent a bit of time googling inviting restaurant options. This is the new equivalent of waffling on window fronts as you wander the streets and the time gets later. Good to consider your options, but at some point, you just need to pick a place.

     We opted for Killer Kebobs a few blocks from our house. It looked cheap and filling, which I needed after running a calorie deficient for most of the last 24 hours that I just didn't see to be catching up on. 

     The food was excellent. Fast-foodish, but delivering on all the fronts we thought it could. 

     We spent after dinner strolling the streets, vaguely heading towards the city center which is a short walk from our place. Copenhagen has all the European char and vibrancy with lots of people out and about. Compact streets, pedestrian friendly, old buildings, charming squares, it felt wonderful to be back in the "old world". Finished the night up with a quick trip to buy some groceries and then off to catch soe more sleep.

     A fantastic arrival to Denmark.