Arrived in Copenhagen Airport a couple of hours late but safe and sound and was met with a big smile and open arms by Johannes. We took a brand spanking new subway into the city but I was too excited to catch up with Johannes to pay much attention to my surroundings except everything looked as if was just built yesterday. Caught the 5C bus from Nørrport to their neighborhood on the other side of the big lakes that border old town. They live in a very hip neighborhood filled with foreign faces and countless shwarma shops. I quickly renamed the main street “Shwarma Street.” One of the shores proudly noted on its facade that it was written up in the NY Times. Johannes was convinced that they all worked as a coop and pooled their receipts as who could they all survive? As the elevator was under repair (since 1900) we climbed the steps to their flat (4th floor) Alina graciously gave me her room and permission to play with any of her toys. More about this later. Steine brought out snacks and we talked till late catching up on all the gossip of Crescent Street. 

Monday August 14th

Next morning I was part of the morning routine. Johannes bright eyed and far too fresh faced greeted me with a huge smile and offer of coffee. Alina wandered in with droopy eyes and a countenance that proclaimed: I’m not as yet ready to start the day. Steine,five month pregnant, tried to smile but also proved to be not quite ready for prime time. Johannas, full of vim and vigor, made us all look poorly with his limitless good cheer and unstoppable patience and enthusiasm. I’m not convinced that he is at least partly bionic.

My first morning was also Alina’s first day of second grade and I asked to go with Johannes as he walked her to school. I fooling asked Alina if she was going to take her new teacher an apple – a decidedly un Danish thing to do. She insisted on doing it anyway and I learned not to make ironic jokes around a seven year old. He teacher was a very serious and attractive blond woman who promptly asked who I was NOT, unfortunately, because she had other interest in me, but because she wanted to know who this stranger was in her classroom. Alina quickly found her friends and told us it was OK to leave. 

In honor of my first morning we went out for coffee and breakfast. First to their favorite local coffee place. There are unlimited choices in this area with a coffee shop on virtually every corner or at least those not already taken by a shwarma shop. Partially caffeinated we moved on to the trendiest breakfast restaurant – written up in The NY Times as a must visit. Of course we would have not gotten in had it been the weekend being the hippest place in the hippest neighborhood.

Breakfast was wonderful – and Steine did us proud eating for two but I did get samples of everything she ordered including a gorgeous waffle smothered in whipped cream.

With that Steine and Johannas donned their bike helmets and went off to work and I strolled toward old town to visit my old haunts. I pass through Jork’s Passage a tiny glass covered passage that I walked thru every day on my way to school back in 1977. And there I was on the walking street filled with the best and worst of the city shopping and, of course, tourists.

Town hall square as I remember it

I turned left and made my way toward Town Hall Square. But word had gotten out and the city warned of my visit has cordoned off not just one side but almost the entire plaza. There was one narrow corridor open down the middle so one could scurry across. 

Turned around to head to Nyhavn and the beautiful space Kongons Nytorv or Kings New Square adjacent to it and the terminus of the walking street. Passed by the Metropolis Building once the location of our classrooms in 1997. Also a porn theater on the floor below us. Both are no longer serving in this way today.

Kongons Nytorv as I remember it

As it looks today

Arrived at my destination to find another construction site. To be fair the subway below ground was completed but the landscaping was just piles and piles of granite cobbles.

I walked away along Nyhavn a canal lined with brightly colored buildings and old wooden ships lining both sides of the canal.

Nyhavn

I was headed thru this to the new bridge over the to christianhavn. The new bridge WAS completed after many months of delays due to the engineering of the moveable parts to let boats pass thru. On the other side were a collection of food pavilions a mere shadow of what had been just across the way.

The new bridge. The center retracts to let boats go through.

Last year Johanns and Steine had taken me to PAPIRØEN an old warehouse filled with dozens of “street food.” kiosks.

PAPIRØEN Food warehouse last year.

Now it was just a pile of rubble – the city was demolishing the site because of “health reasons.” Replacing it with what I don’t know.

Took my time walking back to the flat enjoying the warm weather and stoping for more shots of coffee along the way.

Dinner was meatless Monday and Steine made an excellent vegetarian dinner out of the Jerusalem cookbook in my honor. Johannes’ brother and a friend Brigite also attended. The conversations was wide ranging and full of sarcasm. The evening passed way too fast and was so engrossing that I neglected to take any photos. :-((