A Taste of Copenhagen
Fourteen years ago we had a Danish exchange student stay with us in Alaska. We have visited with her several times over the past years, and were fortunate enough to have attended her wedding last summer. She and her husband now live in Copenhagen and we couldn’t wait to get together with them.
Our timing could not have been more perfect as she was preparing to start a new job and had the week off from work. Ellen met us at the boat just outside of the city the morning we arrived after running 25km (15 mi) to get there! (There is a train but why ride when you can run?!) We walked to the neighborhood fish shop where I picked up breakfast, lunch and dinner - so excited to find fresh cold water fish again. We then set off to cruise into Copenhagen.
It was a beautiful hot, sunny day of cruising and four hours later we arrived in Kastrup Marina which is about 8km from the city center. After tying up at the public dock (the box berths were too narrow for us) we walked to the nearby beach to cool off.
The day after we arrived at Kastrup Marina, Lars, the owner of another N41 (Sedona, hull # 4) came to visit. We toured Meraki and then drove north to see his Nordhavn, talked boats and electronics and had a nice lunch in Scovshoved Havn where he keeps Sedona.
Our plan had been to spend about a week in the capitol city of Copenhagen, which spreads across two islands - Zealand and Amager, and then sail on to explore some of the smaller islands in both Denmark and Sweden, before circling back to Copenhagen where we would leave Meraki during a trip home in August. Regrettably we’ve had to cut our Baltic exploration short and return home sooner than expected.
In advance of arriving in Denmark I’d emailed and called several harbormasters attempting to arrange a berth for the weeks we would be away, but despite our efforts we’d been unable to secure one. We’d been told repeatedly that they do not take reservations, but that when we show up they would do their best to find space for us. We were growing increasingly uneasy about this, especially given that most of the berths in the marinas we’d visited thus far were too narrow for Meraki. At the same time, our friend, Mads, who lives in Copenhagen had spent hours driving from marina to marina on our behalf, gathering information - far more than we’d acquired via email or online.
We were pressed for time and beginning to feel anxious at not having a plan, when Mads graciously offered to pick us up in his car and drive us from place to place. What would have taken us several days by metro, train and bicycle became an expeditious, successful and thoroughly enjoyable excursion. By mid afternoon we’d secured a comfortably wide berth in a very affordable marina with an incredibly kind and helpful harbormaster. We were hugely relieved to have that sorted and so grateful for Mads’ help. We could now relax and enjoy the limited time we had left in Denmark.
The next couple of days we played hard - packing in as much as possible. We spent one very full day sightseeing with Ellen who gave us a custom walking tour through the heart of the city complete with a canal cruise and the Torvehallerne food market; full of specialty goods, fresh veggies, and amazing little food bars. We ended the day at Ellen and Simon’s home and shared an amazing dinner of Smørrebrød - a thinly sliced piece of dark rye bread buttered and piled with cold cuts, meat or fish, and topped with vegetables, greens and delicious spreads.
We learned that Copenhagen grew from a little fishing town to the cultural center it is today, having survived fire, plague, invasion and just about everything in between. Today it is a vibrant blend of both traditional and progressive practices, a hub of design and innovation and - to our delight, a place for foodies.
There is an incredible food scene here, in fact there are 19 restaurants with Michelin stars in Copenhagen, proving that it has claimed their spot as one of the worlds top rated foodie destinations. But it is also full of small, affordable neighborhood eateries where the food is outstanding and locals become regulars. We sampled the traditional pork and potatoes, smørrebrød, fiskefrikadeller (fish cake), and Kanelsnegle (cinnamon roll), as well as the cutting edge craft beer and award winning organic hot dogs complete with tangy pickles, organic sausages, and fried onions on whole grain bread..
We moved Meraki to a marina closer to the city center for a few days, where the kind harbormaster had held a ‘wide’ space for us. We could walk or bike to see the sights from there rather than travel by train and metro. We walked many of the surrounding neighborhoods, rode bikes through the city center, and enjoyed breakfast with Ellen in the lakes region.
We spent another very enjoyable yet super wet rainy day in Tivoli Gardens - billed as a 19th-century amusement park but actually so much more. It is a blend of eclectic architecture, historic rides, musical and theatrical performances, and beautiful landscaping. Opening its gates in 1843, Tivoli is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world, the oldest amusement park in the world is also located here just outside of Copenhagen.
We’d had a fabulous week in this amazing city culminating in a visit by Ellen’s family aboard Meraki, and a joyful dinner hosted by Ellen and Simon in celebration of her 30th birthday. I feel a profound connection with my two ‘Danish children’ and a genuine affection for their families. We are beyond grateful to have been included and to have all of our Danish people in our lives and so close to our hearts.
