Cousins, Culture & Copenhagen
The last two days have been a little bit cuckoo in the best possible way.
After arriving in Denmark, we immediately headed across to Sweden to visit one of Cotty's second cousins once removed. It was a lovely visit and a reminder of how many interesting family connections are scattered around the world.
From there we crossed back into Denmark before making our way to Helsingør to visit our friend Sarah's mum, Pia. She welcomed us warmly into her home, made Cotty an amazing dinner, provided me with the luxury of a proper shower, and gave us a comfortable place to spend the night. After several days of ferries, parking lots, it felt wonderfully indulgent.
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast, Cotty took advantage of the shower, and then the three of us headed off to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
What a place.
The museum itself was fantastic, but a surprise highlight was a completely unexpected Canadian encounter. While chatting about the AGO, I was overheard by a lovely woman from Toronto. A few minutes later we discovered that not only were we both Canadian, but we'd attended rival high schools in Ottawa. The world continues to feel remarkably small.
After the museum, Pia dropped us at the train station and we headed into Copenhagen for a self-guided walking tour that Sarah had thoughtfully put together for us.
It was absolutely perfect.
We started at the Design Museum and then wandered through the city taking in the sights, neighbourhoods, architecture, and atmosphere. I took an outrageous number of photos — far more than anyone should reasonably take in a single afternoon — but Copenhagen made it impossible not to. We made it to the Freetown Christiania which was really cool and we could have spent longer there but our feet were begging us to head back to the gnu.
Heading home, turned into a small Amazing Race challenge. With only seconds to spare, we raced through the station. Cotty went into full ninja mode, locating the ticket machine, buying our tickets, and getting us onto the train with what felt like about thirty seconds remaining before departure.
The ride back to Helsingør was relaxing after the excitement, and we were delighted to see Pia's smiling face waiting for us at the station.
As if we'd not been spoiled enough already, she then treated us to the most delicious dhal and rice for dinner.
We arrived as Sarah's friends and are leaving feeling like we've made a new friend of our own.
Tonight, we expect to sleep very well indeed.
Scenery
A collection of the views, streets, buildings, and moments that made me fall a little bit in love with Scandinavia.
Art
From museums to unexpected corners of the city, these are some of the pieces that made me stop, look twice, and smile.
Chairs
I didn't set out to photograph chairs, but Copenhagen had other ideas. Somehow they kept finding their way into my camera roll.
Manhole Covers
Apparently I have a weakness for beautifully designed infrastructure. Here are a few of the manhole covers that caught my eye along the way.
Blue & White Vases I Did Not Buy
A collection of blue and white vases that I admired, photographed, and left behind. In truth still longing for the one in Portugal - haha
