This weekend I was supremely spoiled. After flying to Copenhagen I was greeted by my sister and future brother-in-law, Bjarke. A native of Copenhagen suburbs, Bjarke gave us a marvelous tour of the city. We saw Nyhavn, the original harbor lined with colorful restaurants and a historical home of Hans Christian Andersen. We visited the Queen's palace, saw the changing of the guard, and even got a glimpse of the Little Mermaid.

After our insiders tour of the city we got Danish-style hotdogs from a street vendor (very Anthony Bourdain) and stopped in a bakery. I went a little camera happy, I think I took like 30 pictures of all the pastries. I was really surprised by the variety and craftsmanship of the sweets. I had expected Danishes and Flulabullah (very mercilessly spelled) and got the shock of entering what could have been a bakery in central Paris. After sampling one too many treats, we went back to his charming little Danish town, 30 minutes away by train.




Can I also mention that at one point this day I was in a Danish bank drinking a cranberry cider? Seriously. You can drink anywhere in this country. No questions asked.

The next day I was treated to an amazing smorgasbord of Danish open-faced sandwiches, herring, schnapps, and aged cheese. We were at the most authentic Danish restaurant you could imagine - if No Reservations made a stop in Copenhagen they would have filmed here. We ate for 4 hours and felt so content after we left.



The rest of the weekend held a Carlsberg brewery tour (with 2 free drinks included), a visit to the bar Emily and Bjarke first met, and seeing an Irish band perform Bruce Springsteen and Oasis at The Dubliner. Cheesecake was consumed, a homemade pasta dinner shared, and new family bonded with.