This week’s small pleasures #340

Thistles and Kiwis,

So…here we are in Copenhagen, leaving winter behind and arriving to the other side of the world basking in summer sun. The landslide has now been cleared, and apparently new gas pipes have appeared, so keep your fingers crossed things might have been connected by the time we get back. There is still no water though. Anyway…to the week’s small pleasures….

The journey

While I wouldn’t say the journey was a small pleasure, it did all go smoothly, and our luggage arrived as well. To get some perspective of how long the journey was, we flew from Wellington to Auckland at 6am on Friday morning, NZ time (just about an hour), then flew to Singapore (11 hours). We had a long stop over there, which allowed us to book a room in the airport transit hotel, where I at least managed 4 hours of sleep. We could also enjoy a shower and a cold beer before the 13 hour flight to Copenhagen.

To say we were jet lagged would be an understatement. It isn’t just about being tired, but being slightly disoriented, of having no idea what day it is, and adjusting from winter to summer. I don’t read on these flights, but try to sleep/doze and watch films. I rewatched the classic All The President’s Men; The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, a documentary about the healthcare technology company Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes; Bombshell, an excellent film based on the accounts of the women at Fox News who set out to expose CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, and sticking with that theme, She Said, the recent film based on the story of New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor uncovereing the Harvey Weinstein scandal. For some reason, I was not in the mood for comedy this time!

Copenhagen – first impressions

It was lovely to arrive to summer and to warm and sunny weather. To try to help get over our flights, we went for a late morning walk and to find a bite to eat for lunch. It was strange to see Kongens Nytorv free of construction and full of trees (picture second left), to recognise some things looking the same, and others different (the old central post office which became a museum and now a shop). At least the Rundetaarn (built in 1642, it is one of the architectural projects of Christian IV and built as an astronomical observatory. It is particularly noted for its circular pathway, designed to be ridden on a horse and the views over the city from the top) remains as iconic as ever.

Eating

As you all know, I enjoy food – cooking, eating and reading about it. Travelling brings with it the opportunity to try new things, and revisit old favourites. But after being in temporary accomodation and not cooking properly for a while now, I am a bit, to use a good Scots word ‘scunnered‘ with eating out!

Anyway, as we had a 6am flight to Auckland, we stayed Thursday night at the airport hotel. This worked really well, giving us an extra short while in bed, and just walking to drop off our luggage. I had an unexpectedly good club sandwich and glass of wine. Then of course it was airline food for the next while…so when we reached Copenhagen all I was wanting was something fresh, and this avocado, mozzarella and salad panini proved just the thing washed down with some Danskvand or sparkling water. The beer below was in Singapore airport.

On Saturday evening, we had the joy of meeting my stepson for dinner, enjoying a burger at local chain Halifax. I opted for the Naksov which came with caramelised onions, cheese, bacon, mustard, remoulade (see here) and pickled gherkins. I let the boys eat the chips (fries).

Sunday lunch was this very good smoked salmon sandwich with avocado, lots of dill and salad and a great dressing served on a rye roll.

More meetings, more sunshine, more walking

Sunday began with meeting a good friend for morning tea, then walking into town past Nyhavn (the tourist section you always see in photos of the city), and over Inderhavnsbroen to Nordatlantens Brygge/Grønlandske Handels Plads.

From there we walked to Christianshavn, where we had lunch, and walked back to town past Christiansborg Slot. It was a glorious sunny day as you can see, and just perfect for walking around the city. And that was Sunday…..

Simple things

  • Having a smooth, if very long, journey from Wellington to Copenhagen.
  • Enjoying summer sun.
  • Meeting one of my English cousins I hadn’t seen for a very long time, enjoying dinner and drinks in the Copenhagen sun. Actually, this was a wonderful evening.
  • Being in Europe again.
  • Having a quiet Monday morning to myself.
  • Being on holiday.

What were your small pleasures this week? Here are some other blog posts from a few fellow bloggers looking at the good things in life. 

Also entered in Natalie the Explorer’s Weekend Coffee Share.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com or lofgren@thistlesandkiwis.com

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

43 Comments

  3. I love all the photos. My husband and I and my nephew will be in Copenhagen in two months for a long vacation. We actually will start there and got to several other places. I can’t wait. Have a wonderful time.

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  4. Sounds lovely, except for the long flight, my husband is intolerant of long flights – I would have had to have him sedated! We are preparing to go on a short road trip – 7 hour drive to a cabin in North Central Minnesota. It should be lovely, but still much to do before that event rolls around!

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  6. I saw the photo at the top and said, “That is not New Zealand…” I don’t travel to Europe enough, but I guess I should never complain about the length of the flight!
    Have a great trip! Hope all is well with your house when you get back home.

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  7. Holy cats, that is one long flight. No wonder you were jet-lagged and disoriented. But how wonderful to see friends and family. Especially after all this time with Covid getting in the way of travel and so many other things. I hope you are staying for a nice long visit, which will give your bodies a chance to recover before the long trip home. Copenhagen looks like a very beautiful city with delicious food. Finally, thanks for the mention!

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  8. LONG flights, but you seem to have handled it well. I read and rarely watch a movie. Glad you got settled in and turned around to time and season! Loved the pictures of Copenhagen and the stories attached to them.

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  14. I really enjoyed all your photos …..it made me feel as if I was in Europe.It must be very exciting to be back,, seeing friends and family, and enjoying different food .. keep us posted.
    Just a shame to be missing a Wellington winter..😊

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  15. Well that a lovely post full of blue skies ,food and drink!
    It’s years since I have been to Copenhagen but it stil looks beautiful, Demark is a great place.
    You had a long journey so I hope you’re there for more than a week.
    I also hope things are sorted for you when you do return home.
    All the best.💜

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  16. What lovely photos, Barbara. Like Willow, I love all the blue skies. I don’t envy all the flying, though. It’s hard to imagine that it is almost exactly the same about of time for you to fly to Copenhagen from NZ as it is for us to fly from Phoenix. (13.5 hr). That’s a lot of sitting. Don’t forget your compression socks! Have a wonderful time eating those delicious-looking sandwiches and visiting all the sights. 🙂

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  17. Copenhagen is just lovely in every way, it is a city I truly love. Even though all the people on bikes (I love biking myself) sometimes are a bit crazy, especially since it is so many of them.

    Enjoy your time in Sweden 🙂

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      1. I can understand that it is a different living there, as it is with most places..enjoy Kalmar. I think I told you that I’ve lived in Mönsterås for a while. I spent som time in Kalmar then. It is an interesting town with so much history.

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  19. It’s such a long flight from this side of the world to the northern hemisphere. A bit hard to take but worth it once you arrive. Copenhagen looks lovely. I’ve never been there so enjoyed seeing your photos.

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  21. Sounds like the trip was worth it for all the wonderful experiences while there! Fingers crossed for you that all is going smoothly with the infrastructure back home!

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  22. Glad there’s progress on the homefront.

    I love your pictures of Copenhagen! I’ve never been there (like so many Americans, I’ve never been out of North America), and now I want to go. The architecture looks amazing.

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  23. I remember once thinking that my ideal life would be to have a house in both the northern and southern hemispheres so that I could always live where it is summer. I was young then. I now think it would be rather disorienting – unless we could travel via transporter like Star Trek. Your food pics are making me hungry. Copenhagen is a beautiful city. I love the architecture. Glad things are going well with you.

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