22 May 2007:

The Star Princess arrives in Copenhagen while the ship’s company sleeps. We awake to find ourselves in the very unattractive container port on the outskirts of the city. The morning is not very promising; it is cool, heavily overcast and misting a light rain. I procrastinate as long as possible....thinking that if the weather doesn’t improve I may declare it a shipboard day and skip the port call in Copenhagen. I’ve been to Copenhagen once before and seen most of the sights, except for the Little Mermaid, so I convince myself that taking the day off from touring would be OK and I promise myself some quality time in the gym to burn off a small portion of the extra calories that I’ve been forced, against my will, to consume. Just as I’ve made the decision to stay onboard, two things conspire against me and foil those plans: the sun begins to burn through the clouds and a notice appears in my mailbox that informs me that during the night a saltwater pipe burst causing major damage in the Lotus Spa and gym areas. Both areas are closed indefinitely. This has long term implications for my continuing battle against the forces of gluttony and sloth that constantly attack the cruise ship passenger. But, in the short term it means that I’m headed into Copenhagen for the day. And, as I exit the ship, it turns out to be a fine, warm and mostly sunny day.
 

Our ship is berthed about as far away from the center of the city as you can be and still say that you are docked in Copenhagen. But, with more enthusiasm than common sense, I set out on foot in search of first, the Little Mermaid, and second, the Nyhavn district of the city. The dock area is congested and has lots of construction going on, but after a few false starts, I manage to stumble around and get to the waterfront and begin the trek towards town. It is a fine day for a long, brisk walk past statues and gardens. The sighting of 3 tour buses packed with Japanese sightseers alerted me that I was in the vicinity of the Little Mermaid. And then, there she was.....awash in a sea of tourists, all with flashing digital camera, it was the Little Mermaid. Which is actually a very nice, subdued and well proportioned sculpture....even if it was created as a public relations event for the Heineken Brewery.

From there it was on to other random statues, lovely parks, imposing buildings and the Danish Royal Castle. Then on further into the city to the picturesque, overcrowded and overpriced Nyhavn district. At this point, now a little over 2 hours of brisk walking, it is time for a break and a light lunch in a picturesque, overcrowded and overpriced café on the canal at Nyhavn. Here a ham sandwich and a beer will cost $30 (fries or potato chips not included), so I was happy that I didn’t need a major meal. But, now it was time to head back to the ship and prepare for our next round of dinner companions and the sail-away from Copenhagen.

Copenhagen is a truly International City. Waiters will happily address you in Danish, German, French, English, Spanish or Italian....or if they haven’t yet mastered your language they will find someone who has. You will hear all those languages, and many more, on a brief stroll through any of the tourist sections of the city, most of which are clean and relatively crime free.....unless you consider the prices charged at the cafes to be a crime. There is also a very interesting “I Heart Copenhagen” beer ad that is displayed all around the city....I will try to post a photo.

....I am going to reserve judgment on the new dinner group for two reasons: not everyone showed up for this first night’s dinner and people are usually not at their best on the first day of the cruise since most people have been through a difficult travel day....but I didn’t get the feeling that we were going to have great ‘chemistry’ at this dinner table either. I hope I am wrong, but more on that in a couple of days.    

Following dinner it was sail-away time, which I spent on the flying bridge looking for ‘just the right photo’ of the wind turbines that arc across part of the harbor, but the light gave out a little too soon. Still, it was a fine day and a fine sail-away.