I thought of Ole Hammarlund when I headed to downtown Copenhagen on August 31 - having the better part of a day to kill before my flight left for Frankfurt/Singapore/Sydney/Hobart. Everywhere I saw people dressed like our Ole - one of Charlottetown's best-known and well-respected architects: clogs, striped shirts, hip pants and eye glasses... I now know where Ole and his wife Karen Lips get their fabulous sense of style!
The train took 20 minutes from the airport, depositing me near a tourist information centre where I picked up a map and got basic directions from a most sympathetic woman behind the counter. The map was a self-guided walking tour, so I was able to find and follow along one of Europe's longest shopping streets - Stroget - lined with fancy shops and little cafes. I came across an outdoor photographic exhibition in a square, called Rites of Life.
It was a glorious sunny day and everywhere were people riding bicycles or pushing baby prams. I particularly liked the specially designated bike lanes, and I thought of David Sims' efforts to get such lanes in Charlottetown.
While on Bornholm, Chris McMurray had told me about the tour she took on the canals, so I headed in that direction, and found a boat tour. For about an hour we rode the city's waterways, weaving in and out of boats and up and down canals, around islands and under bridges (where you'd lose your head if you didn't duck).
Copenhagen is made up of a bunch of islands joined by old stone bridges, and everywhere we went the tour guide pointed out buildings designed by "world-famous Danish architect..." - like the opera house and the theatre and the library - there seemed to be dozens! No wonder our Ole chose the vocation he did!
Afterwards I walked up and down the edge of the canal, trying to decide where I wanted to treat myself to lunch. (Being a social person, I hate going into a restaurant by myself, so this was going to take COURAGE!) I'd loitered by the same cafe a couple times when this fellow asked, "Are you looking for a place to eat?" He was sitting on the edge of the canal, opposite the cafes, eating a salad from a clear plastic box. It looked absolutely delicious. I said yes, and asked him where he'd found his lunch. He said it was basically a hole in the wall on one of the side streets, and after trying to describe how to find it, got up from his seat and walked me to the corner where he could point. There I found a lovely little deli-style hole in the wall, where two women made up the most amazing veggie salads, and sold them in a small box or a big box. I chose the big... for 65 crowns... about $12. It was delicious, and as the fellow pointed out, way cheaper than the restaurants - where I'd probably pay five times that amount.
I didn't see him when I came back, so I sat and ate my lunch by the canal. He came along a little while later and we had a lovely chat - he was from California, in Copenhagen visiting his daughter and grandson. A random act of kindness... thank you! It certainly made me feel less lonely in such a huge city.
No comments:
Post a Comment