COPENHAGEN — Note to self — you only start to feel yourself after your third night in a new country — Woke up feeling great this morning and had a wonderful breakfast at a large window watching Copenhagers bike-commuting to work. We are staying on the large central square, Kongens Nytorv, which is currently a vast construction site with huge cranes and sad barriers trying to conceal the  subway construction project underway, but that didn’t affect the wonderful people-watching. Unlike in Portland, where bike commuters seem to be either a) heavily-tattooed militants just hoping to trick a driver into misbehaving and then pounding wildly on the top of their car and hoping for a good chain fight or b) sleek psychedelic-colored, lycra-clad speed freaks with hips the width of my left knee, here in Copenhagen EVERYONE seems to bike commute. A swank middle aged woman (we figured she ran an art gallery) with a coffee cup in one hand and a cell phone in the other, yes, talking on it; a portly man (accountant?) in his navy rain coat; a young woman in high-heeled boots and a determined look on her face (aspiring lawyer?); an elderly woman with no helmet and the same black upright bike with a front basket and baby seat behind that everyone seems to ride. And the occasional tourist dragging their suitcases over the cobbled sidewalk. It just made you want to get out and get one of those bikes and join one of their stories as they hurtled off to work…

Well, we decided to hurtle off to the Fredericksborg Castle instead, on a super convenient commuter train (which left on its one-hour trip north every TEN MINUTES!) Lordy, the street car in Portland doesn’t even come every 20 minutes, what is it about once an hour now? We sat in a QUIET CAR (loving the caps today, sorry) — yes, a section of the train that had a sealed door so that no one inside could TALK ON THEIR CELL PHONE, or sing along with their iPod, or mutter to themselves, or carry on an inane conversation in the seat next door. It was pure silent bliss as we sped northwest to the fantastisk (favorite Danish word of the day) 16th-17th century Renaissance castle built by our favorite new King, Christian IV. This party animal, who rocked the English court of King James I in the early 17th century with his wild drinking and fantastisk Danish ships, built some of the most memorable landmarks in Denmark, including the Rosenborg Castle we visited yesterday that so impressed Rick with its boring furniture. I think that was the adjective he used. Anyhow, this picturesque, copper-turreted brick castle, set on a lake with the view of a lovely Baroque garden across the water, contains the national picture gallery, with a wonderful tour through Danish history as you walked through its ornately decorated rooms. Christian IV was larger than life, portly, and wore a signature rat-tail braid straggling down from behind his left ear. So Portlandia. He ruled at the height of Danish power, apparently spent most of their money, and it was all downhill from there. Well, I exaggerate, but it’s late and I’m tired and I want to get up early again tomorrow to watch the bike commuters.

Last note – best meal of the the trip so far at a Chinese-French fusion restaurant called The Red Box. A family-owned place, it is apparently run by a collective of chefs who hail from all over China and southeast Asia, who have honed their dishes over the past six years to appeal to a Danish palate. Highly recommended. The next time you are in Copenhagen, also highly recommended.

No word from Will tonight, so I’m sad. And we got a photo of Pippy from Angie and Rick claims Pippy looks sad and misses him. Actually, I think he has it backwards. But Rick, at least, had a good dinner. Tomorrow early — we try out a Danish gym!!!