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We were up early on Monday July 1 to make the 5:45 shuttle to the Copenhagen airport.  It was a short drive and when we arrived Viking directed us all to the right places to check in for various airlines.  It is a small airport and check in was easy with a very friendly Air France employee.  Then we went upstairs for security and on to our gate.  However when we got upstairs we learned the gate would not be posted until about an hour before the flight.  We went into a few shops and I finally found something nice to purchase as small gifts for friends, paper cutouts and ornaments by Oda Wiedbrecht.  So pretty and easy to pack.

Finally our gate was listed and we walked out to it and found seats but a short time later we learned our flight would be delayed.  As it turned out we did not have any trouble with our Paris connection due to this delay.  From Paris we had the long flight home with mediocre food and good service from the cabin crew. 

It took me 3 days to recover from jet lag.  When I emailed our travel agent about this he said he and his wife first fly to a major European gateway such as London and spend the first night near the airport before flying to their destination the next day.  I would certainly consider that for a future trip.

Copenhagen

After breakfast we went to the theater to meet with our group tour then head to the bus.  When Viking calls a tour “panorama” it is usually a bus tour that drives by sites.  This was a better mix with some stops along the way.  Our guide was Jens and our driver Johnny.  First stop was the Little Mermaid statue.  My camera died here in 1983 so I wanted to be sure to get some photos on this trip.  Many people wait in a line to take a selfie with her; I wonder how many end up on Instagram?  I just wanted some photos of her by herself.  The guide managed to take us to the Amalienborg Palace during the changing of the guard and unlike London we could actually see the soldiers marching. As we stood in the square surrounded by 4 palace buildings we learned a bit about the Danish monarchy and their chain-smoking queen.  Apparently though she doesn’t want to be photographed smoking.  Jens, the guide, had a subtle sense of humor which we enjoyed.  He was the second pensioner guide we had on the trip.  Tom and I only did 3 guided tours and visited the rest of the ports on our own.  

After driving all around the city Johnny drove us to a spot near the Opera House where we could get out for a view of the city from across the channel.  After this it was back to the ship for lunch.

Viking offered shuttles to central Copenhagen near the Opera House and the big department store, Magazine du Nord.  After lunch we took one of the shuttles with the plan to walk around the picturesque Nyhavn area and take photographs.  It was very warm again this day and crowded.  I think the warm temperatures bothered us because of the humidity which we are not used to.  I think it makes us more tired than we might be walking around home on an 85 degree day.  We did get photos and looked in a few tourist shops but I might have had better luck in the Magazine du Nord which was open.  While walking in Copenhagen on Sunday we passed the restaurant Els.  My friends Betsy and Tomas took my friends and me to dinner there in 1983!  As we came around to this side of the main square near the big department store it was all torn up for work on the metro.  I couldn’t see an easy way across to the Magazine so we decided to turn another corner and head back to the bus.

Tonight we had dinner at World Café so we could eat light and carefully choose just what we want in anticipation of our flights home the next day.  Then it was back to our room to finish packing.  Our checked bags needed to be in the hall by 10:00pm for the trip to the airport in the morning.

Warnemunde

Many Baltic Sea cruises stop in Warnemunde Germany and take their passengers on excursions to Berlin.  600 people from our ship would make the 12 hour excursions to Berlin with 6 hours spent on the train to get there and back.  That was not appealing to us so we reserved the Rostock Highlights tour in the nearby town of Rostock.  However Mr. Wonderful wasn’t feeling all that great this morning so we decided to stay close to the ship.  Fortunately the stomach upset didn’t last but we missed the bus tour. 

It was very warm today so we enjoyed sitting on our balcony watching the pleasure boats and ferries passing by.  We also explored some areas of the ship we hadn’t visited.  We had lunch and then walked off the boat to the seaside town of Warnemunde.  My guidebook said it was a “5-minute walk” to Warnemunde’s main street but it was more like 15.  This turned out to be the case in more than one port where guidebooks or Viking’s info claimed we would be docked right in town.  That was accurate in Bergen and Aalborg where we could walk off the ship and be in the thick of things.

Between the Saturday crowds in this seaside town, the heat and tourist shops we found Warnemunde rather disappointing.  There were some pretty houses to photograph on one of the streets.  Would we find something more interesting on the next block or should we head back to the ship?  The issue with my Iliotibial bands was acting up and the pain of walking made the choice for us.  Only problem is we had to walk back to the ship.  When we finally got there I decided to go back to the hydrotherapy pool in the spa.

After dinner we enjoyed the air on deck and were there to watch the hundreds of passengers return from Berlin.  Viking had warned them that security checks to reboard would take some time but they tried to make it fun.  Once a passenger cleared security there was a small crowd of staff waiting with cold drinks to welcome them on board.