Copenhagen is another port that we’ve been to before, albeit 10 years ago. We saw most of the main sights back then, so we wanted to spend today going a little off the beaten path, and not being too fixed in our plans.

We caught a bus from the cruise terminal to the closest metro station, then a train for 4 stops.  This isn’t our first rodeo with European public transport, so once off the bus, we strode confidently across to the metro platforms.  We turned round to see everyone else from the bus following us, Pied Piper style. I hoped we weren’t about to embarrass ourselves by taking the wrong train; turns out our stop is the end of the line so that couldn’t happen.

Our loose plan was to start from Nyhavn, and follow the trail around the canals and harbour.  You can do a full 13 km loop walk, or shorten it by cutting across on any of the various bridges.  Nyhavn is of course the iconic Copenhagen area with a canal full of sailing ships, lined with candy coloured wooden houses.  There must be a million photos taken of it every day.  We added to the photo count – you can’t help it. Our favourite sight was the premises of Mr P Berg, maker of sails, flags and compasses.

Once you leave Nyhavn, you cross a bicycle bridge, which was brand new last time we were here.  I don’t remember seeing much beyond it then.  Now, it’s replete with very modern and grand buildings, including the Opera House which cost half a billion dollars.  A helpful sign pointed us to the capitals of Greenland, Iceland and the Faroes – problem was, it was pointing south. Perhaps they should have sought advice from the Compasmager.

Further on, you come to Christianshavn, an interesting area with a real mix of styles, from trendy waterside apartments, to glass and steel offices, and a block or two further back, an assortment of old Copenhagen shops and houses, in their vivid oranges, yellows, blues and greens.

We cut across the canal at the bridge that leads to the Danish Architecture Centre, and here we went our separate ways.  Not forever – only for 90 minutes.  I wanted to visit the Danish National Library, and Ian wanted to visit as many Lego stores as he could locate in the city centre. 

The library is known as the Black Diamond, and it is a splendid canalside edifice.  My main interest was seeing the Treasures exhibition – a collection of the library’s most significant documents.  Among them are an original Gutenberg Bible (there were less than 200 produced), and spidery manuscripts written by Hans Christian Andersen.

En route to our meeting point, I discovered a lovely garden, positioned between the library and one of the Royal palaces. I enjoyed a stroll through it, then crossed the palace courtyard. Only in Denmark would a palace forecourt be full of bicycles.

Reunited on Stroget, the high end shopping street, we found an affordable lunch for me in amongst the Prada and Versace.  Ian couldn’t afford the Lego.

We thought about a canal boat tour, but the morning sunshine had given way to semi-threatening clouds. Instead, we walked to Rosenberg Castle.  This is a proper little castle, very pretty, with a nice rose garden off to the side.  On the other side there seems to be a temporary military installation of some sort – all portable buildings and construction noise.  Our afternoon finished with a brisk walk through a pleasant park, en route to our metro station.

 The evening was nicely rounded off by dinner and conversation with Carla and Bob, where we learned all sorts of fascinating things about Carla’s travels as a 17 year old in the mid 60s. Let’s just say she was a lot more adventurous at that age than I ever was.