Guest Posting: Live from Copenhagen

Jon here.

So before we get into Copenhagen, lets reflect on a couple of random topics. First, we'll start with European airlines:

So as you all know, I travel A LOT for work, and as such, have had the displeasure of experiencing just about every airline the US has to offer.  Here is how I would rank them (from best to worst):

1. A swift kick to the groin
2. United
3. Southwest
4. Delta
5. American

OK, not a precise ranking, but you get the point.  With that said, I have to say that European airlines rank below all of them, except for maybe American. Since we will be flying about 75% of the European airlines, while we are over here, I will keep a running ranking of the European carriers, or as I like to call it, 'the tallest of the midgets'.  Here is the list so far:

1. Swiss Air:  Don't be fooled by the cool logo and the Swiss mystique, this airline is one step above a ride on a greyhound.  The big difference between first class and steerage on this airline is that first class has a table in between window and aisle seats, placed directly over what would have been the middle seat. Impressive.  Behind that, the seating reminded me of sitting in those combo chair/desks in high school that were OK when you were in middle school but felt like solitary confinement once you grew a bit.  That said, we did get a stale chocolate muffin, which was delicious.  
2. SAS:  Now, don't want to stereotype here, but I thought Scandinavians were supposed to be taller folk (generally speaking).  This fact however, has not been factored into the seating design on this airline (SAS= Scandinavian Airline System).  My knees were practically touching my chest and the seat was as plush as a slab of slate.   The best was that they had little signs on 'premium' and 'first' class rows (e.g. premium seating begins in this row) so all of us regular folk could look ahead and dream of two extra inches of legroom.  For the record, all of those seats were open, but nobody got 'upgraded' (a stretch use of the term to be sure).....the benefits of being 'Star Alliance Gold' are truly rewarding.  I think SAS actually stands for 'Sit And Suffer'      
3. Olympic Air (Greece):  OK, so this goes back to our honeymoon 3.5 years ago, but I will never forget my Olympic Air experience....We flew it from Athens to Mykynos, and I think a chicken boarded behind me.  The airplane hadn't been re-upholstered since 1965 and the pilot served the drinks....maybe a bit of an embellishment, but you get the picture.  I kissed the ground after we landed and we took boats for the rest of the trip......

Copenhagen!!!

On to the important part of this post, which is our time here in Copenhagen.....Copenhagen, for those of you who are unaware, is a hidden European gem.  The easiest way to describe it is 'like amsterdam, without the overcrowding, trash, pot and hookers'.  Seriously, the city is absolutely gorgeous -  very clean, open, easy to navigate, and full of fascinating architecture that spans the 17th to the 21st century and beautiful parks/green spaces.  Only downside is that this place is downright expensive. To give you context, an 'average' burger costs 100-120 Kroner (about $20-24).  Weirdest thing so far is that they put cucumbers on everything here (e.g. I ordered a $24 'burger' that was actually a piece of skirt steak with ketchup, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, onion and cucumber)... for the record, it was REALLY good.

We arrived on Sunday, took the train into the city, and got some brunch at a trendy little cafe right on the main square in the city.  After that, we went down to Nyhavn, which translates into 'New Harbor' (or something like that), which has a row of restaurants with outside seating along what amounts to a wharf.  We decided to jump on a canal tour boat to see the city (note to self:  bring a jacket next time, as the 'canal' tour includes a swing into the North Sea).    

Day two:  woke up late and headed out to explore the city on foot and then by bike.  Copenhagen has a system of free bikes that you can pick up and drop off all over the city.  We rode all around the city and ended up at Tivoli park, which is a permanent amusement park right in the middle of the city that was Walt Disney's inspiration for Disney world.  We checked out the Titanic exhibit and went back to the hotel.  I found a little Jiu Jitsu gym (Choke Academy) and went and trained with Joao Pedro Santos and some of his guys.  Had a blast and hope to go back again tonight (Thanks Joao!). 

Day three: We will see what's in store, but thinking about hitting a neighborhood called 'Christiana' which is technically a different country founded by a bunch of hippies in the seventies.  Should be interesting......

Jon