Follow Me Around the World

The day started with me waking up at 8am and laying in bed for a few minutes as I tried to get my body up and running.  I then went to wake up Jenny and get the ball rolling.  We both had a quick bite to eat, made sure we had all of our stuff that we wanted to bring on the trip and then left for the airport.  Before we left the apartment Jenny handed me a few bags of garbage to throw out as well as the food bag we had packed from the day before.  When we got down the 110 stairs and then to the receptacle I threw everything away.   Unfortunately I also three the food bag out.  We then had to walk to the metro and take the metro in morning rush hour to where the airport bus left from.  I call it pigeon square because it is where we fed those crazy pigeons a few days ago.
The airport bus was packed and to make sure our stuff wouldn’t be stolen I used my cable lock to strap up mine and Jenny’s bag.  Once I locked it to the luggage rack we could sit in peace.  We got two seats together in the back of the bus and then I asked Jenny where the food bag was and Jenny goes “I told you to take it from the apartment.”  I told her that I remembered taking it from the apartment and then she goes “Oh know you threw it out didn’t you?”  I immediately said “yep.”  I guess in the rush of leaving and going to the airport I wasn’t thinking and mistakenly threw everything out in my hands and kept going.  Jenny was initially mad at me for the next few minutes mainly because she wanted a snack or a drink but eventually got over it.
We arrived at the airport at around 930AM and our flight was at 12PM.  When we got into terminal A we looked at the big board to see if our flight was on time and we couldn’t see our flight.  Jenny began to panic a little bit that we couldn’t find out flight but I calmly walked to the information booth and she told us that we had to check in from terminal B between check-in counters 67-68.  Too bad the lady failed to tell us what time the counters would open.  We walked to counters 67-68 and noticed that another flight was still being checked in at around 10AM for an 1115AM flight.  So we put our stuff down and waited until our airline began checking in.  Once our airline took over the check in counters we got in line and waited.  When we got to the check in counter we immediately asked the woman for two aisle seats across the row from each other but when we asked the lady checking us in if she had done it she gave us a nervous look and said that she did.  Jenny and I both looked at each other and said “no chance” referring the fact that there was no way the lady could have given us the right seats.
Before we went through security we had to get some food from the shop called “Pans” a popular fast food type restaurant in Spain.  We got some sandwiches for breakfast and then a sandwich each for the flight to Copenhagen.  Since we were flying Cimber Sterling, a Danish budget airline, we knew that we wouldn’t be getting anything for free on the plane and needed some food and drink for the flight.  After security we picked up some drinks for the flight and waited to check in.
We checked in pretty late and ended up taking off about an hour or so late but arrived only a half hour or so late.  Copenhagen airport was pretty small and we were able to pick up our luggage pretty quickly.  Once we gathered up our luggage and situated ourselves it was time to go through customs and figure out how to get to our hotel.  I had to see if the metro or the above ground train were better to take.  After confirming my suspicion that taking the S-Tog (above ground train) to Copenhagen Central Station, that is what we did.  But before leaving the information booth I asked the lady how to get to our hotel and for some maps.  She proceeded to hand us two great maps and marked our hotel on the map.  She said the city wasn’t that big and everything was easy to walk around, so it was up to us to find the hotel once we arrived in downtown Copenhagen.
After we were able to buy train tickets we brought our stuff to track two which was located in terminal 3 (where we landed) and we waited about 3 minutes for the train.  Unfortunately the train was so crowded that we were not able to get a seat for the first half of our 20 minute train ride to the central station.
Once at Copenhagen Central Station, I pulled out the map and directed Jenny and I to our hotel called the Hotel Alexandra.  The lady at the check in desk was extremely friendly and when we checked in we were pleasantly surprised by the size of the room.  It was MUCH bigger than we both had suspected, especially after reading about how small hotel rooms in Scandinavia were.  Also a funny note was that the flat screen television hung on the wall had “Welcome Jenny to Hotel Alexandra” in Danish, which made for a nice touch.
We both unpacked our stuff a little bit, relaxed and then figured out where we would go for the remaining part of the day.  We left around 4PM and since most of the museums and buildings would be closed, coupled with the fact that most museums and attractions are closed on Monday we decided to walk around and see the sites we could see from the outside and by foot.  A great thing about the map was that it had a 3 hour walking tour with numbered spots along the way of what to see.  I picked out a very distinct route that I thought would be good for us.
We started our walk by heading to the town hall located just down the street from our hotel.  We got a few photos looked around and then continued on.  The next part of our walking tour was the only blemish on an otherwise successful tour.  We walked in the wrong direction by taking the wrong street but then quickly recovered and arrived at Nytorv Square and the Court Building.  This was a small square but the area was really nice.  From Nytorv square we got to Kompagnistrade.  This is a pedestrian only street lined with intriguing shops.  Then we went to Gammel strand.  Gammel Strand marks the medieval coastline.  We then crossed the canal for a good view of Thorvaldsen’s Museum, the Palace Chapel, Christiansburg (Danish Parliament), and the Old Stock Exchange.  After walking around all these different places, taking photos along the way Jenny spotted a rather interesting sign along the canal; “Caution beware of underwater sculpture.”  I thought it was a joke but then as we continued along the canal Jenny happened to look down and see a sculpture in the water.  It was a sculpture of a dude and his 7 sons and it was definitely something off the beaten path that not everyone who comes to Copenhagen sees.
Then it was off to Hojbro Square overlooked by Copenhagen’s founder, Bishop Absalon.  From there we finally got to Stroget, one of Europe’s longest shopping streets.  Stroget actually starts at the Town Hall (City Hall Square) and runs until Nyhavn port.  We walked down Stroget for a little while until we got to Kongens Nytorv, a majestic square encircled by stately mansions.  Our final stop on our walking tour that took about 2 hours will all the stopping, photographing and strolling was Nyhavn port.  Nyhavn port is lined with quaint old houses and fishing boats.
By this time Jenny was delusional from walking so much and I was hungry.  Everything was so expensive, eventually we just settled on a place.  While we were sitting at an open aired restaurant I quickly made the decision to leave this place, take a taxi back to the hotel and ask the receptionist, who was extremely helpful before we left for our walking tour where locals eat.  I figured this would be a cheaper option and it would be better food.  So we found a taxi (which happened to be a Mercedes Benz) and took at taxi back to the hotel.  Once we got to the hotel we asked the receptionist where we should eat.  She suggested a place called Riz Raz which had a buffet as well as ala carte dishes.  She said it wouldn’t be too expensive and it was a place she eats at herself.  We then asked her for a place to grab a drink after dinner and she suggested a place called “The Scottish Pub.”  Not the most original name but got the message across.
On the way to the restaurant we got a little lost but getting lost usually ends up well while traveling, and this was certainly the case.  We came across a really beautiful church and some other buildings and streets that were really interesting.  We finally arrived at the restaurant and just in the nick of time.  Jenny was getting a little more cranky and we both just needed a solid meal.  We both ended up getting the buffet and had a good, hearty meal.
From the restaurant we walked back to the Hotel the correct way, which was significantly shorter than the previous way we had walked going to dinner.  After dinner we went back to the room to digest for a little while, I went downstairs to upload my blog and check the internet.  At this time I found out that I passed the MPRE which is the multi-state ethics portion of the bar.  To be admitted to practice in New York an individual’s scaled score must be at least 85 (the test ranges from 50-150.  Now most people I know have taken the test two or more times before they passed it.  On my first try, only studying for about 3 days (I had another test that was very important in school so had to balance my time accordingly), I received a 100 on the test!  As soon as I saw my score on the score report I jumped up in the lobby and exclaimed “Yes, I passed!”  All heads in the lobby turned my way, but I didn’t care because I had passed this exam on my first try.  Since I am not the best at taking standardized exams this was a big accomplishment for me, and the first step in the right direction to passing the New York State Bar Exam and being admitted to be a licensed attorney in the State of New York.
After I checked my score and took care of things on the internet, we headed back upstairs and got ready to head to The Scottish Pub.  Apparently Monday’s was backpacker night and pints of Carlsberg were heavily discounted.  Jenny stayed with me until about 12 when she headed back to the hotel (don’t worry dad it was one block away from the hotel), and I stayed for a few more hours as I had met some fellow travelers and wanted to continue the good night.
I ended up getting back home pretty late, after the bar had closed and fell asleep immediately.

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