Sixteen hour day. This pace could start to get tiring. We "slept in" i.e. did not set an alarm. After a quick breakfast buffet at our ultra-modern cool-looking hotel on the water in Copenhagen, we took the train one stop to the main train station (Kobenhavn H), got tickets to Malmo, Sweden and were on the train moments before 8 AM. Alex knows so much about navigating Copenhagen, having lived here as a student. The only way he had gotten around was by walking and public transportation. Being on Alex's team is the BEST!
As bad as last evening's luck was with getting things accomplished, today's luck (and Alex's skill) ROCKED.
The big picture/bottom line of the day is that we completed 22 scavenges. Not in chronological order, but by type of activity, we:
1. Visited 2 museums (Glyptotek art museum - saw Van Gogh's Landscape from St Remy, a headless Apollo and Rodin's Burghers of Calais; and the Nationalmuseet - saw Sun Chariot and Royal Collection of Coins and Medals; but passed on the Erotica Museum because it is out of business).
2. Toured 1 castle (Rosenborg Slot, after strolling through the King's Gardens).
3. Visited 1 library (referred to as the Black Diamond, it is the Royal Library and is a striking angular black building situated on the waterfront -- an addition to the original grand library).
4. Climbed 1 tower (Rundetaarn, built in 1642 as an observatory and still used as one today), up its stone spiral ramp.
5. Saw 1 world clock (inside the Rathaus, and noticed that its time was off by one hour due to daylight saving time).
6. Visited the world's largest hostel (well, maybe...the desk clerk said it's the largest in Europe and Europe is in the world).
7. Went to 1 beach (Amager - to see what we could see - Germany across the water but it was too rainy to see Sweden and we held up our bathing suits to pose for the pictures).
8. Had beers in 2 bars (the "Library Bar" overlooking the waterfront at the Black Diamond and Bankerat, a funky bar decorated with weird composite sculptures of animal head skeletons and stuffed animals).
9. Ate 1 Danish hot dog (Rod Polse from a Polsevogn - mobile hot dog wagon; where we ordered Fransk style - in a bun with a mayo mix the Danish refer to as French Hot Dog Dressing). 10. Shopped in 1 toy store for Legos and found out what the name Lego means ("play well").
11. Searched in 1 cemetary for the grave of Soren Kierkegaard, in the rain, on bicycle, for one hour.
12. Rented 2 bicycles to do scavenges (bikes are scattered around the city and are free for use with an automated coin deposit mechanism so that you get your deposit back when you return the bike - SO BRILLIANT!)
13. Rode on 1 one-hour cruise of the canals
14. Produced 2 "public service announcement" videos (one for "No Diet Day" with Alex stuffing his face with candy, and the other offering a theory on why sculptures frequently involve men and horses). 15. Took 2 trains that ride over the Oresund bridge that links Sweden and Denmark (round trip to Malmo, Sweden, where we spent less than 1 hour and took the required 4 photos of typical Swedes - we snapped people biking, shopping, working and driving a Volvo with a NY Yankees hat; 3 commercial boats and 2 plazas).
16. Took 1 stroll on Nyhavns (pronounced "new houn" and is Copenhagen's signature completely charming, picturesque harbor), where we had dinner with Alex's Danish host family who he lived with almost five years ago and who are warm, comfortable, funny, and fabulously good-looking
17. Attended 1 performance of the Royal Danish Ballet, at the new performance hall on the waterfront. Our evening was the highlight of the day. The program was "Director's Choice" and included classical tu-tu-type work, mime, loud techno, edgy, funny,
provocative, and a bit of Hava Nagila thrown in.
A day well spent!