Day 15 - Copenhagen to London

The trek to the train station Copenhagen

Sunny with cloudy periods and temperature about 10 - no rain

The morning started in the normal fashion at the Mayfair Hotel. I got up early to write some and to update the blog as I had easy access to the Internet. I had little to report about the previous day but there were some pictures I wanted to share.


We had breakfast with Paul and Mary Ellen (theywere  heading to Hamburg Germany to commence a two and half week in Germany and Switzerland) and Bruce and Alison (they were heading back to Ottawa ) and Lucy, Freddi and I. We were heading to London on a SAS flight. We checked out of the Mayfair for our last time after breakfast. It was a good place to stay as the rooms were clean, large enough and centrally located. The people who ran the front desk were very considerate and cooperative. We then set out down the street with our wheeled suitcases in tow. The walk was only a couple of blocks to the Central station We looked like immigrants as we walked the street in a larger group of 5. At the train station we waited in line for a few minutes but a lady offered to help us with an automated ticket machine. She purchased 5 tickets for us for 2 zones and we were off to our track. The train arrived shortly thereafter and we were whisked through the outskirts of town and arrived at the airport in about 15 minutes. It cost each of us 29 DKK and Bruce paid for all of the tickets. I still owe Bruce some change ( (145/5) *3)-(50+30)=7 DKK.

Once we arrived we went upstairs to the check-in machines. They worked, sort of, as they gave us boarding passes but crapped out when it issued the baggage tags. We joined the long baggage drop line but it went very quickly. From there we walked a long way to Terminal 3 security area. They insist on nothing in the pockets as well as belts and computers in the bins etc. They found a bottle of water I had forgotten about. The walk to the gate allowed us to stop for a Chai Latte and coffee and to peruse the many shops that lined the corridors. Then we boarded the plane in the usual fashion. We were on our way to London with no entertainment system on the plane but they showed a view from the front of the plane all the way to London. We saw little but clouds and that I believe is a good thing up there. One would not like to see a A380 pass just in front of us.  The landing was very cool and a new experience for me.

London UK tarffic on Oxford Street

The flight went quickly and we arrived in London at about 1:00 PM. Clearing Passport Control and finding our luggage was very easy even though we walked down huge hallways as in Copenhagen. We found our way to the Underground and set off with our Oyster Cards (essentially per-paid cards) on the Blue Line of the Underground (Tube). That came to a halt a couple of stations as someone had found their way under a car on the Blue Line and the whole system around that spot had been stopped. We stayed in one station for 10 minutes and then moved to the next station for a 35 minute stop before we got clearance to continue. Our ride to Green park was clearly 45 minutes more than usual and we never did get a report on the condition of the individual. At Green Park station we were able to use the lift to move to the Jubilee Line as the baggage was not only heavy but cumbersome and we were hoping to avoid stairs. We managed to get to Bond Street when we found ourselves trapped without an alternative for using stairs to change levels. I ferried some big bags down and Lucy came with me to watch them at the bottom of the stairs and then returned to get the balance with Freddi. That was a job as all around us were rushing people who had places to go. We did manage to get to the Central line (just one stop on the Jubilee Line) only to find that all of the cars were filled to capacity with Jubilee revelers heading to the Jubilee events. Lucy freaked out as she was tired and does not do well in crowds so we decided to go street side and walk the few blocks that would get us to Marble Arch where our hotel was. A gent took Freddi's big bag up the stairs as I was ferrying the other big bags up with Lucy. We found an escalator for part of the assent but the final part included another set of busy stairs. I was starting to work up a sweat and the ladies were not enjoying this experience. Finally street side we were introduced to the throngs shopping on Oxford Street. After a brief rest tocatch our collective breath, and consolidation of our energy we set off to walk the 8 or so blocks. It was toughs slugging against the crowds but we eventually got to the hotel just as Lucy got a cramp in her arm from the weight of her bag. The bellman was very helpful as we checked into the Marriott. They were very helpful getting us organized after a rough ride to the hotel. Note to self .... In the future take a cab from the airport!

Once we got settled in for a while we decided to go out for dinner. We found a little Italian restaurant (Sirena) nearby where we were seated immediately and offered a very friendly atmosphere. It was small and quaint and had a hand operated "dumb waiter" to move plated both full or empty to and from the kitchen below. The waiter (from Turkey) and the waitress made our stay very pleasant. We ordered some appies and great pasta plates and enjoyed some Tuscany wine. We met up with a older couple from Cornwall who were obviously quite in love as they enjoyed their meal. Finally near the end of our meal we started a dialogue with them. They are going to marry on May 18 and had just met through "Fish in the Sea" dating site and were in London for a brief stay. Well the conversation was as if we had known them for years as Roger brought our pictures on his BB to show us where they will live, marry and the view of the sea that he has. Freddi was funny as she had a second glass of wine that the waiter bought for her and they provided us with Grapa as a digestive after our meal. The waiter then included the couple with the Grapa and included Lemoncello for the happy couple. Lots of fun.

We hit the street after dinner and walked to Hyde Park in hopes that we would see some of the Jubilee Concert that was going on in front of Buckingham Palace. Throngs of people were walking away from that direction so I asked a Bobbie if the concert was over as it was 10 PM. He said yes so we made our way back to the hotel. In the lobby we could see in the bar that the program was still underway some slipped into the bar to watch the final few acts. It was pretty impressive as 10k people had got tickets for the grand stands and another 50 or 60k people were lining the Pall Mall where large video displays had been erected. It was a huge crowd and all of the British famous entertainers were invited to perform. We saw Paul McCartney do the finale and others such as Elton John and Stevie Wonder and all of the entertainers came on stage at the end of Paul's final song. The Queen and some of the royals walked onto the set and Prince Charles read a speech to his "Mommy" and recognized her Jubilee Anniversary a in front of the cheering crowds. The Queen then inserted a huge diamond into a spot that triggered the final Jubilee torch to light up and then the sky was filled with fireworks for a good fifteen minutes. It was pretty amazing to watch as the 80 year old Queen smiled and waved at the crowd. A very orderly dispersal of people commenced at the finale and the streets outside the hotel became filled with people surging towards the subway station that is very close to our hotel (Marble Arch). That was a good signal to retire for the evening to our very comfy beds for the night. Another full day with lots of memories of travel.