Onward to Copenhagen

Thankfully our departure flight to Dubai was on time so we boarded hoping to get some sleep . Unfortunately the cabin crew had a different agenda which included serving us with a breakfast Omelette at 4am - we made an attempt to eat it but sleep was what we needed so settled back hoping to get a couple more hours. Fortunately the flight was uneventful (or was I just too exhausted to care!) however our arrival into Dubai at 8.00am meant I could happily tick off flight No.3.
 
 
Our arrival into Dubai airport was not at all like our previous visit. Despite flying with Emirates (whose hub is Dubai) we were off loaded onto the tarmac in 35 degree heat. Buses eventually arrived to transport us to the Terminal where we were herded like cattle into the immigration queue before finally reaching the terminal lounge to indulge in a quick coffee and comfort stop. 

 
 After our brief stop-over we booked in for our flight to Copenhagen only to repeat the process of being herded on to buses to be off loaded yet again onto the tarmac to make our own way up the huge flight of stairs onto the plane . Sally and I were questioning our recent purchase of wheel-on hand luggage after having to carry it on and off the flight. Dubai prides itself with having the best airport facilities in the world however the service on this occasion was definitely a zero. Ironically having just flown from a third world country into Dubai we all agreed the boarding facilities in Sri Lanka on this occasion greatly surpassed those of Dubai.

 
The flight to Copenhagen was pleasant enough and once again we were well looked after by the Emirates crew. (4 flights down, 7 to go!)  After clearing immigration and customs we made our way to the train station and armed with our Copenhagen cards we managed to catch the correct train into Copenhagen Central. After much pulling and pushing of suitcases over cobble stoned streets and asking locals for directions we finally arrived exhausted at the Mayfair Hotel.  We booked in and after a welcome shower collapsed on our beds for a "Nanna nap" having just completed a tiring 21 hours in transit .

 
Copenhagen was not what we’d imagined. I think Sally and I had both expected a pristine city with beautiful buildings however our first impression indicated it was not. Perhaps we watched too many Hollywood movies in our youth about wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen so we arrived with unrealistic expectations but after our three day visit the city has grown on us. (I'm sure learning our hotel was situated in the "Red light" district also helped a little!).

 
If you listen to anyone who has ever travelled in Scandinavia the first thing they mention is how expensive it is and we would have to agree. For example, the cost of a cup of coffee is 39 DKK or around $7 AUD and a sandwich costs 150 DKK or roughly $30 AUD. Fortunately for us we are staying in a hotel that provides a light evening meal, breakfast and afternoon tea and a great self serve coffee machine 24/7 – so we utilise this service whenever possible.

 
On day one to familiarise ourselves with the city we did the "Hop-on-hop-off" bus tour and arrived at “our Mary’s” Palace (Amalienborg) just in time to watch the changing of the guards . We also toured the Palace Museum to learn a little more about the Danish Royal family. The Palace is in a lovely setting with the four residences angled into the main square overlooking the water. We lunched in the popular canal area then climbed back onto the bus to complete the “red” tour then changed buses for the “yellow” tour. By this time we were all “toured out” so strolled back to our hotel to see what was on offer for afternoon tea.

 
In the evening we strolled to the famous Tivoli Gardens which were close by. The Tivoli Gardens are home to a permanent amusement park located in the most beautiful of garden settings. The gardens are also home to a wide variety of restaurants serving every conceivable cuisine. The Tivoli rides cater for all ages however as "seniors" we found it a very pleasant experience to just roam through the gardens where many families were enjoying their day out. As grandparents, we all wished we were sharing this fascinating experience with our grandchildren as they would just love it!   

 
Day two we decided to jump on the “Hop-on” bus again as we had enough time left on our ticket to take us to Rosenborg Castle . Unfortunately the ticket seller had other ideas - telling us our tickets had “expired”. We tried to protest that our tickets were valid for 24 hours but to no avail – we had met our match!  We did have one last retort in telling him we would not recommend his bus service to anyone – so if you're visiting Copenhagen in the near future - don’t ride the “Step on Step off” red and yellow buses as you too could be ripped off!

 
We felt a little better for our rant after being taken for a ride “literally” fortunately for us our Copenhagen card gave us access to alternate transport so we hopped on a train and arrived at Rosenborg Castle just in time for opening.   We enjoyed our tour of the Castle as it is very authentic having been maintained in its original state. We also toured the Treasury where the Danish crown jewels are located - it was a bonus to see so many beautiful gems being maintained in all their original glittering glory.

 
Following a long walk from the Castle we lunched along the popular canal strip yet again . Sally and I shared a beautiful medley of open sandwiches of shrimp, roast beef and chicken they were all very appetising but also very expensive at 245 DKK!

 
To enjoy the outdoor dining experience along this strip you need to be prepared to share with your fellow tourists as there are no individual tables. We were lucky to be seated next to an interesting couple from Finland who were excited when we mentioned we would soon be visiting their country. They were much less impressed when we mentioned we would also be visiting Russia!

 
Following lunch we utilised our Copenhagen cards yet again for a canal and harbour cruise. Despite the heat, we enjoyed seeing Copenhagen from a different perspective and our guide gave a very informative commentary. We disembarked opposite Christianborg Palace (the home of the Danish Parliament) and decided to pay a brief visit before hopping on a bus to central station and the short walk back to our hotel .

 
Once again we timed our arrival perfectly to enable us to enjoy one last afternoon tea at the Mayfair before heading upstairs to pack in readiness for an early start the following morning.

 
Following our disastrous trek to the hotel over the cobble stoned streets on arrival, Sal and I sought and found an alternate route for our return trip to the Railway station. After breakfast and with Trev joining the convey we made our way to the station with ease then proceeded to the airport by train for our flight to Bergen.