12/09/2024
Leaving Berlin was another ride on the Deutsche Bahn roller coaster! The night before we left, we found a beautiful restaurant that served us rich, luscious traditional German comfort food, which is my favourite. Their pretzels had a crunchy crust and wonderful ye**ty middle, their veal meatballs were beautifully tender and their gravy was a savory splendor. I have always been a lover of French cuisine, but German food has nudged its way next to it's français friend to the top of my list.
Our train to Hamburg was on time and lovely. I had booked seats, so we planned to spend two hours on one train and then four hours on the next, arriving in Copenhagen just after lunch. Just before arrival in Hamburg, we learned that there was a mechanical failure down the line that was causing delays. We stood on the platform waiting for our train, but the digital screen read “Ankunft,” which we thought was a different town. Only after much consternation and cussing did we think to ask Google translate for help and learned it means “arriving” and we missed the “from Amsterdam” at the bottom of the screen. Scores of fellow folks headed to Berlin boarded and most were left standing in the aisles. Considering the four-hour journey, we opted to wait for the next train. We asked about booking seats, but were told all of the day’s trains were full. Again, we employed our politely aggressive transit techniques and unapologetically secured seats in two areas. Some travelers had reserved seats, including a darling young Italian woman traveling with her dog who shared our table, but the harried masses were jockeying for seats and we were not about to cede our territory.
Several hours into our trip, our train stopped and learned that a fellow soul had been caught in front of a train and that the tracks were closed. A profound sense of sorrow overcame me. I prayed for those involved and thank God we were safe. The conductor spoke of bus transport and we waited to hear about the fate of our transit, happy we were in cozy seats. After resting in the country for several hours, our train was able to continue its journey to Copenhagen. We arrived just after midnight and Rick guided us to our rental apartment.
Danes have it figured out. We arrived at our hotel, entered a code and were allowed into a foyer with a small screen mounted to the wall. There, I entered my reservation number and name, scanned my passport and agreed to the terms of service. Within seconds, a room was assigned to us, two key cards were printed, and the receipt was emailed to me. Quick and easy, which was perfect for four travelers who had anticipated a six-hour trip and ended up spending 16 hours on a train. The room we rented was simple yet elegant. We had everything we needed and nothing we didn’t. The beds were soft, the duvets were fluffy and the blackout curtains were divine.
Our day of exploration in Copenhagen was hijacked by Mother Nature who sent a downpour. Multiple locals told us that rainfall was “hellacious” and unprecedented. Chase has been battling a cold, so we let him sleep and we all took it easy, catching up on laundry and resting in the homey respite of our abode. Rick and I often chuckle about how Chase’s name is so fitting for him. It’s a family name on Rick’s side, and coincidentally, our son is an incessant kinesiological force. He. Never. Stops. We let nature rule, and he slept 18 hours straight. We knew our decision to lay low was best.
We didn’t want to load up with groceries, so we opted for takeout from a local sushi spot. As the rain poured down, we shared ahi, wasabi and laughs.
The next morning, a gregarious taxi driver gave us a penny tour of Copenhagen on our way to the harbor where our ship headed up the Baltic Sea awaited our arrival. We will have one day to explore when we return to Copenhagen and took careful notes as he chatted about his hometown. We had prepared for a long, boring embarkation process at the port, but found ourselves on board within twenty quick minutes and quickly settled in our room. The Boboys set off on their usual nautical scouting adventure to get the lay of the land while Rick and I unpacked. We have a balcony room this time, so we have more light and a bit more room. We were again impressed by the closet and drawer space, but happy to have brought magnetic clips and an over-door shoe organizer to arrange un**es and togs.
Table 628 in the Il Palazzo restaurant has been reserved for our dinner every night at 2030. We are fortunate to have Swardika from Indonesia looking after our every desire.
The battle continues to rage between carpe’ing our diems on this adventure and appreciating our limits. We were scheduled to dock in Sweden, another new country for all of us, but Chase was still unwell and we were all quite tired from our train escapade, so what to do? Fortunately, Mother Nature helped our decision, pouring rain on Karlskrona this morning. We could only reach town by tender, and with waves raging and the gray sky dumping rain around us, we opted to allow explorers with adventure fever and Goretex to brave the seas and sleep in. At 1300, the clouds surrendered to the sun and our ship’s tenders were open for a skip across the harbour to Karlskrona.
As we wandered the streets of town, we were once again charmed by quaint buildings and impressed by the city’s attention to urban planning. There was no architecture to write home about, but the naval history of this small town spoke to me as the granddaughter of a devoted naval architect. At every turn, gigantic anchors and propellers reminded us of the maritime importance of Karlskrona as an international port and military bastion. That said, the trans-auricular endotracheal intubation slide at the park did catch us off guard.
The weather was perfectly bright for a stroll along the seawall and along the pedestrian shopping area of Karlskrona. I’ve been contemplating the border for my cross stitch and wondering where I could find a nice sepia-toned floss… During our skip about town, we happened upon a yarn shop with every DMC color available! I called up a photo of my project and bought six bundles of what I hope is the perfect sepia floss for 140 SEK (Swedish krona, 100 SEK = $10 USD.)
After a workout under a gorgeous sunset, we shared karaoke with a few other courageous souls and took full advantage of the empty stage. After I sang All Fired Up and Like the Way I Do, our hosts suggested several other tunes I’d never tried and I went for it. Rick and I rocked The Time of My Life and we cheered our compatriots on and had a blast.
We enjoy our train travel and apartments, but having our closet follow us, our meals prepared, our entertainment planned and our beds turned down is spoiling us. It’s a nice break from navigating railways and making pasta in rental pans.
Tonight at dinner, our table had a nearly 180-degree panoramic view of the sea prompting Chase to note, “this looks like the view from the Piz Gloria.” I love that my boys are experiencing the world, creating incredible memories. Later in that same meal, though, Chase rubbed a bit of the luscious olive oil Shasdika gave us for our bread into his hands and cooed “oooh, palm oil!” They’re world travelers, but they’re still twelve-year-old boys and I love it.