Thursday 5th July 2018

After what, and let's be honest about this, my heaviest night for some months, I felt fantastic in the morning. No really. Up at six, had a shower, dressed for the office, packed my bag, and was down at the breakfast bar on the dot of half six in order to avoid the hordes of children the reception had warned me about. I like children, but not at breakfast.

The Danish summer holiday is underway, but the main begins on Friday, even then the roads were quieter driving out of the city centre alongside the tram tracks past the hospital to the office, and again, at seven there was only a few parking spaces taken.

I park near the entrance, and go in, preparing for meetings. Ahead of the curve this very morning. In fact I am a full hour ahead of my colleagues and they arrive to find me having caught up on mails and on my 6th coffee of the morning.

The day progresses with official and unofficial meetings, so come three, I was tired, and so said I was going to go back to the hotel and chill for a bit. And everyone agreed. Yay.

A pleasant drive back into the city centre to the hotel, where there was a surfeit of parking spaces. Which was nice.

Back in the room I raid the mini bar of crisps and a can of Coke, so I lay back on the bed and watch an episode of NCIS. As you do.

Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

My old RAF mate Shaggy was due to come to meet me at the hotel, so I tell myself I deserve to take myself down to the bar on the ground floor for a beer. Yes, I think I deserve that beer. The bartender things I deserve pork scratchings too. He provides me with a half pint glass full. Not as good as butcher's pork scratchings, but my favourite price; free.

Shags arrives, so we have a quick swifter there before he takes me to a new trendy place that does craft beer and food. It was down by the old harbour, where we could watch the ferries and cruise ships coming and going.

The bar, Hantwerk, is in an old warehouse, and the furniture is all reclaimed stuff, so looks trendy. He treats me to the first beer and dinner of schnitzel, which we have to wait for.

In fact continents rose from the oceans, empires rose and fell before the food came; we were on the third beers of the evening when the food came, without chips.

But it was good schnitzel.

In fact they give is a free beer to make up with the near two hour wait, which was nice.

But we were done, Shags had to go home as he had to pick up his wife from work, and I had to get up very early to go to the airport. From there its just a 5 minute drive back to the hotel, where darkness was now falling. I skip cocktails and go upstairs and just go to bed. Shattered.