I couldn't sleep so I ended up going down to breakfast quite early this morning. The spread is substantial, I was pleasantly surprised. They had a lot of different breads and pastries, hard boiled eggs, yogurts with toppings, cold cuts, cheeses, jams, orange juice and lots of coffee. After breakfast I decided to head out to the waterfront. It was very quiet at that time of the morning, and especially compared to the night before. Oddly, there were police putting up barracades at places around the harbour although pedestrians were able to walk past. I eventually walked by a long table with lots of people putting out thousands of plastic cups of water and cutting up oranges and bananas. Marathon! What a happy coincidence. A small crowd of people were strolling to this area to sit and wait for the runners so I joined them. About half hour later, the first runners came by with their entourage. Pretty soon the pack was huge. I watched while the largest part of the pack ran by before continuing my stroll up the waterfront and past the Cast Museum with a replica of Michelangelo's David out front. This museum apparently has replicas of all kinds of statues from different eras, but it's only open in the afternoon.
The Amalienborg Palace is located here and is the home of the reigning Queen of Denmark and the future home of the Crown Prince and his family. In fact, the Prince's home is being renovated and is open to the public for viewing before they move in. I decided to kill some time on a lazy Sunday and wait in line. The public rooms are all decorated ornately, with plaster ceilings and gilding. There is a lot of artwork commissioned for the palace, all by contemporary Danish artists. Some of the art referred to contemporary events, others to aspects of the Prince's and Princess' history. This year is the 70th birthday of Queen Margarethe and there is a special exhibit in one of the palaces. Rooms are laid out in historical detail to reflect various former monarchs and a couple of rooms highlight the Queen's history through her clothing (wedding dress, mourning gown, etc). Since the Queen is in residence, the guards (wearing bearskin hats just like the Buckingham Palace guards but with blue uniforms) did a changing ceremony. Unlike at Buckingham Palace, the audience stood practically right next to the guards with only a handful of police to keep people in line.
From the Palace, I headed to Langelinie, which is where the Little Mermaid normally sits. I already knew that she was shipped to Shanghai for the World Expo, but I figured I should at least see where she is normally found. The spot is next to a moated fortress, Kastellet. At the spot where the Mermaid would normally be found, there is a large video monitor installed by chinese artist Ai Wei Wei showing the Mermaid in her pavilion in Shanghai in real time. A couple of little blond Danish girls took turns sitting on a nearby rock posing as the mermaid. Luckily, there is a replica of the Mermaid statue at the entrance to my hotel.
By this time, I'm starving, and there is a little outdoor cafe, Sommerhuset, nearby. I ordered some hot tea and a roastbeef sandwich. The restaurants that have outdoor eating areas all provide fleece blankets for guests to wrap themselves in if they choose. It's a good idea since the temperature is very changeable. After lunch, I strolled back to Kongens Nytorv and the pedestrian-only street called 'Stroget'. Most shops are closed on Sunday so there is not a lot of commerce happening but there are lots of people nonetheless and there are street hustlers working them. My long walk is meant to take me to the information center near Tivoli, but I unhappily discovered it to be closed on Sunday! So, back to the hotel for a rest.
For dinner I decided to stay close and found Cafe Victor referenced in one of my guidebooks. It's on the other side of the square and I can sit at the zinc top bar. I had an excellent halibut with risotto and dill, which is a very popular herb around here. Although the US dollar gets a decent exchange rate with the kroner, food is very expensive.
At 8:00pm it's still very light out, but it's been a long day, so a quiet evening is in store.
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