Friday 14th August 2015

Wednesday

With a start, I wake at six, look at the clock and decide I can lay in bed for a while longer. I awake again at five past eight.

Thankfully the meeting did not begin until half twelve. And so I get dressed and walk along the corridor to reception and into the restaurant for breakfast. I try to be healthy, I have a large plum and an orange before hitting the fresh rolls and finishing with a pastry. Back to my room to have a shower and try to look presentable.

For the first time I used the 'do not disturb' sign on my door so I could get some work done before deciding I had caught up with work at ten past eleven. I programmed the sat nav and at least it decided we should travel to the offices along roads I faintly recognised. I was early, so gave me chance to read up and be ready for the meeting. My colleagues arrived just before midday, so we go inside to sign in, and find we are early enough for lunch, which is always nice.

The meeting last three hours, and we were only slightly further forward by the end of it, but hey. It happens. The meeting breaks up with hand shakes and thanks. It is half three and i am not flying out until the morning. So, this is the situation I planned for and came prepared.

This was the 4th time I had been to Copenhagen, and yet I had not seen the city centre so none of its fine buildings. Therefore, this was much chance. I had even brought my best camera, and was now more than in the mood to go for a wander and do some snapping. I ask where the best area is to go and where to park, and I am told that Tivoli is as good as any, and all the city is within half an hour's walk. So, I program the sat nav for the centre and set off.

It took me down wide streets, lines with cyclepaths and bus lanes, but it was all very civilised, and not like a city at all. All was well until we crossed a bridge as I neared the centre, when the two lane toad merged to just a one, and so there was a bit of a scramble to get in line and carry on. I am directed down wide streets between huge office blocks with shops on the lower floors, until I finaly see the sign for a parking haus. I turn in and much to my surprise, I find a space, the reason for which became apparent when I tried to leave, but more of that for later.

Outside the parking haus, I see a large square in front of me, decorated with rainbow flags, balloons and other such things. This is the Copenhagen Pride celebration, and I think it looks lie fun so I wander over, and among it I find an ornate fountain, and a distance marker to what I take to me viking sites through Denmark. I take a few shots, across the square I see a road leading off, so I go to investigate. It seems to be a long street, leading through the tall town houses, which also had shops , bars and restaurants on the bottom floors. Looks interesting, I thought, so set off down it.

I am thirsty, so stop at a bar and order a small citrus beer, which I sit outside and sip as the world walks by. This is the life I think.

I carry on and a few hundred yards of wandering past yet more bars and eateries, I come to a large square, packed with people, but there is a continuation of the street the other side of the square, so after taking a few shots I walk on. Where was I going? I had no idea, but I was hoping to find the spiral tower, or the harbour, or just interested to see where the streets would lead.

The street ends, and in front of me is a huge square, most of which had been fenced off, for what I am guessing by the signs on the fence, the construction of a new cinema or something. But I do see a sign delaring this to be Nyhavn, or New Harbour. Which I wanted to go, so waiting to cross the busy road, I walk over and I see that this is where most tourists come to either eat icecream, drink beer or strum a guitar.

A branch of what looked like a canal ended at the square, and it was lines with brightly coloured merchants houses, and the water was over half-filled with old and ancients ships or boats. On the sunny side of the water, the quayside was chocked with people, so I stayed in the shade, as the photos looking across the water were perfectly lit.

I walk round and in the middle of hundreds if not thousands of people, just wandering along, some eating ice creams, some like me, snapping away.

I check my watch, just gone six, and despite having had lunch at midday, I am hungry, so decide to try one of the eateries I had spotted earlier. I fancied a burger. For a change.

So I begin to walk back, but instead of the quiet street, I realise I had stumbled on the man shopping street, full of peopl and so crowded and noisy. After ten minutes I get fed up and wander down a side streat to fnd the street I had walked down earlier. Having found that, I tried to sit at a pavement restaurant in the hope of attracting a waitress to take my order. On the third attempt, I am served and they take my order for a BBQ burger with a dark beer.

The burger is good, and sitting by a window I can see people wandering past, so I can do some people watching. That done, I realise I am shattered, so decide to walk to back to the parking garage to collect the car. It was at this point I found that the parking charge was £14 for just the four hours. But then, I noticed as I walked back, I had parked very next to the entrance to the Tivoli, which explained why it was so expensive.

I program the sat nav, and it takes me back the way I had come, before picking up a main road out of the city and out to my quiet hotel in the suburbs. I had tome to pack, phone Jools before I was almost falling asleep listening to the radio. Enough for the day, enough for the week, I just want to get home for the weekend. Outside, dusk fell with a cloudless sky and just the sound of the Copenhagen massive driving past in their souped up Ford Focuses.