Shopping and museums in CopenhagenWe visit the tourist office on Vesterbrogade. We had thought of visiting Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek again, but it is closed Mondays. So are many other museums, but apparently not the city's historical museum. That will have to do for our daily dose of culture.
The department store, Magasin Du Nord, on Kongens Nytorv opens at 10, and we are early. On the square is an ice rink in a circle. We cross the square and go down to Nyhavn. There is a Christmas market, but the stalls along the canal are all closed at this hour. Restaurants lie side by side, and the staff is busy filling containers with empty bottles from the weekend. It makes a lot of noise. It is now past 10 so we return to Magasin. I take the stairs to the top floor and the restaurant, where I can have a cup of coffee while Helle raids the store. After a surprisingly short time she joins me. She got what she was looking for and now takes the lead to the gents' clothes department, where she has seen some shirts that are just right for me and in need of a good home. Around the corner Helle pops in at Hviids Vinstue to buy a bottle of glögg for her father. The old candy factoryNext stop is the old candy factory, Sømods Bolcher, in Nørregade 36b. The sweets are hand-made in a back-yard factory. They don't come cheap, but are so much better than industrial candy. In the old shop candy is stored in old battered tins and is weighed on old-fashioned scales - romantic nostalgia.
Lunch at a Turkish restaurantWe carry the loot back to the hotel and relax for a while. On the way to the city museum we drop in for lunch at a Turkish restaurant, Alanya, at Vesterbrogade 39. Here you can get a lunch buffet for 49 kr. and in the evening there is a supper buffet for 79 kr., so eating out in Copenhagen isn't necessarily expensive. The dishes are delicious, and we could have eaten much more, but prudently restrain ourselves - we have a reservation at an Italian restaurant tonight and don't want to spoil our appetite. The family at the next table leaves, but soon after the boy returns. He asks the waitress if she has thrown away the water bottle. She is puzzled and asks him if he wants to bring it along. He says yes, because there is a contact lens in it! Luckily they identify the right bottle, and the kid walks off with his lens. The Museum of CopenhagenThe Museum of Copenhagen is at Vesterbrogade 59, 1620 København V. and introduces the visitor to the city's history, past and present. We spend about an hour here, but now our backs and feet are sore, so we leave for a cup of coffee. There's a café on Vesterbrogade. Helle gets a cappuccino and I order a double espresso. It is double indeed - far too much for the small cup. It is good coffee though.
Supper at La LanternaWe have a reservation for 19:30 at an Italian restaurant, La Lanterna, H.C. Ørstedsvej 28, 1879 Frederiksberg C. At 18:50 we walk slowly towards the lakes and Frederiksberg. It has been dark for some hours now, and there isn't much traffic. On the other side of the lake, on Danasvej in Frederiksberg, is a quiet residential area with old red brick apartment blocks - an upscale neighbourhood. When we reach H.C. Ørstedsvej we turn right, but La Lanterna is not at number 48 - I have got the address wrong. Two young girls tell us it is 200 metres in the opposite direction, and so it is. Prices are upscale, but the menu looks good. For starters Helle gets grilled vegetables with scamorza cheese (Grigliata di verdure e scamorza) and I have giant prawns with cherry tomatoes and black olives (Mazzancolle dorate e pendolini). As main course we both have lamb rib chops with an almond and maize crust in an almond wine sauce (Corona d'agnello in crosta di farina di mandorle e mais). With this we enjoy an excellent Barbera d'Alba. We finish off with 3 kinds of sorbet: strawberry, melon and lemon and then espresso with a good grappa. It was very good, and the service was impeccable. The wine sauce was a bit too sweet for us, but every man to his taste. It is not a cheap place, but a good experience. Tuesday December 18th Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Our plane home is at 14:50. We check out and deposit our luggage. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Dantes Plads 7, 1556 København V.) opens at 10. We are early and go on a detour in the small streets with picturesque names like "Lavender Lane", "Goose Street" and "Neighbourless". As always the Glyptotek is an impressive experience. It was founded by the immensely wealthy brewer Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914) who created one of the largest private art collections of his time. It was named after the brewery, Ny Carlsberg, with the addition of "Glyptotek", meaning collection of sculpture.
Besides sculptures there are also many paintings, and the museum itself is a very beautiful building with marble of many colours, a winter garden and wonderful floor mosaics. We pick up our luggage and take the train to the airport. It has been a nice break visiting Copenhagen, and the weather has been kind too - a bit cold, but dry.
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