We are here in Copenhagen. After 2 months of scrambling and the shedding of ‘the stuff’, we have fully arrived. Blurry and excited. Another beautiful day is unfolding. A canal cruise with ‘Hey Captain’ is on the docket. We stumble down to hotel breakfast. Getting lost twice. It’s a maze, but we find our way to the crowded dining room with all the other late sleepers. Fill our bellies with croissants, fruit, yogurt, eggs, cheese, assorted salami and hummus. We are certainly not is the USA any longer.
We go back out to the cobble stones and please ‘mind the zooming bike lane.’ They go fast! Kenny grins again. Silly man. He operates the GPS on his phone to the most picturesque canal in Copenhagen – Nyhaven to join the canal cruise. We arrive early as I begin popping anti-nausea pills for potential sea-sickness. I’ve always been the delicate flower to Kenny’s sailor.
We finally step onto the small 12 person motor boat with our Captain Anton. He is a twinkle-eyed 28 year old young man with an easy laugh. Kenny and I sit near the back as least bobbing up and down. I just may be ok. Captain Anton begins the tour and the sights unfold.
We pass under walking bridges and float by ancient buildings. A spiral church. The Opera house. There are sun bathers laying all over the piers as this is the first warm day in weeks. Amusingly, all the sunbathers are pale yet fit as fiddles. Not a lot of warm sun here this month for suntanning.
After about an hour of cruising, we arrive at the beginning again to disembark. Lunchtime. Another outdoor cafe. Another Apersol Spritz please. A lovely foursome of German ladies sit down next to us. Two 50something daughters and besties with their mothers in tow. The mothers are also life-long besties, 75 years of friendship. The ladies have come off one of the large cruise ships for the day and are trying to pack in all the sights. They are on a time schedule yet afternoon beer is essential along with stories to share. By beer’s end we had an open invitation to stay with them in Munich, “My sons are moved out and I have 2 bedrooms for guests. Do come!” With a quick exchange of numbers, they are off to see the Little Mermaid as we finish drinks.
We wander about the cobble stoned streets again. Kenny would like to go faster and I would like to meander. This leads to bickering and long sighs. Finally in a fit of marriage temper I tell him to ‘go ride one of those damn bikes’ as I continue to meander. I have GPS too. I can find my way back. After a few churches and King Frederick’s old digs, a castle, I do.
We meet up later at the hotel. Both of us reset from our mutual ‘time-out.’ Discussions of downsizing our luggage ensue and I am sure I can drop down to 3 bags full…especially if Kenny carries the dirty laundry in his ‘I’m hiding a dismantled bike bag’ too. We fall into the king cloud again. Happy. Tomorrow we move into the Airbnb in Frederiksberg. Just across the city. I hope our bags will fit. And god help us, no more stairs…fingers crossed!
Project Empty Nest 