Day 30 Copenhagen

Peter was able to get a couple of days leave from the ship so today we again enjoyed an ICE (Intercity Express) train on a 6 hour trip from Kiel to Copenhagen with a change at a little place called Lubeck. We noticed on the map that the we had to cross a significant section of water and we wondered whether there would be a large bridge or a tunnel. There was neither! Instead to our surprise the entire 5 cars of the train, boarded a ferry bound for a 45 minute crossing from Puttgarden in Germany to Rodby in Denmark. The train was running late, the ferry had awaited our arrival and the train was quickly parked on the bottom deck of the ship next to a large number of lorries. We left the train and climbed up the stairs to the ferry decks where we enjoyed a 45 minute smooth crossing. As we approached land we were instructed to return to the train and then as the bow door of the ferry opened the train resumed its journey to Copenhagen.

We arrived at Copenhagen and we were able to walk to the YHA, a huge 17-storey hostel with a minimalist Scandinavian interior design (everything was white). After a short rest we set out to explore the city. A short walk turned into a long walk, as a stroll downtown turned into a search for one of Copenhagen’s most famous landmarks, a statue of The Little Mermaid. Copenhagen is the home of Hans Christian Anderson who wrote many famous stories such as the Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea and of course The Little Mermaid.

During the course of our search for The Little Mermaid we passed the palace and residence of the Queen of Denmark and across the road we saw the renovation going on at the Crown Prince Frederick’s palace where he lives with ‘our Mary’ and their two half Aussie kids. Peter was also excited to see a 300 million dollar yacht called the Polaris in the harbour nearby which is owned by an infamous Russian billionaire who is building a new ship in the berth just across the harbour from the Logos Hope in Kiel.

After a visit to a supermarket, dinner in the hostel kitchen was a packet of Ravioli, a ready-made tomato sauce and some wieners thrown in for good measure. A meal fit for a king (or at least a Crown Prince)