København again

It is lovely to be back in Copenhagen! The flight from Sydney to Babngkok's new Suvarnabhumi airport took 9 hours and 25 minutes aboard a Boeing 474. The seats are spaced further apart than those on Singapore airlines, and they recline further. The flight staff are excellent, so it made for a good flight even though the plane was full.

I had the aisle seat and the man sitting net to me and the woman next to him were all over each other, though the fact that he didn't know if she took milk and sugar in her tea made me think that perhaps they hadn't been together very long. Still, that provided no impediments to them being all over each other, though they were closer to 60 than 50. On their way to Greece after Bangkok, they were rehearsing a few words that might come in handy. I know - it was drilled into me! I couldn't help overhear it! She speaks with a deliberate whine, every word very precise, though overly sibilent - it would drive me nuts. He is easy going and cuts to the chase: "Can I take that for you?" he asks me about the tray of food I've begun to eat, which impedes his way to the middle seat after his ill-timed visit to the lavatory (as they are called on planes).

There were three movies screended on the common cabin screens: Fantastic Four, Oceans 13, and Mr. Bean's Holiday. Thai doesn't appear to go in for 60 movie streams acessible from the back of each seat aboard Singapore Airlines.

2 hours in the new airport gave me time to view some of the many shops, and to find a place to have a shower. This latter is difficult, there being no advertising or signage pointing one in the right direction. Foot, neck and shoulder massages are popular, so thinking I'd at least freshen up a bit if I had one of these, I showed up at such a place and asked what I could have. They showed me a card listing some more services that I'd not seen displayed on the sign beside their front counter. I was delighted to see that 'Shower' was listed, and it didn't matter that it would cost 400 Bhat, at least I could have one. I began to feel fresher immediately. But, apparently I couldn't have a shower, unless I had it as part of the aromatherapy treatment. This turned out to be a full body massage with aromatic oil - after taking a shower. Once expertly massaged, you then take another shower and run for the plane, hoping not to find the gate closed. (The young lady in whose hands I'd placed myself, found it fifficult to understand that I didn't have all night, and that my flight was to depart at 1.20am. She seemd to be going to continue until 1.20, so I had to force the point, and have her finish up without her completing the whole routine.)

I just made it, with a change of clothes, and tucking some of them in as I reached the gate, I settled back for the 11 hour 5 minute flight to Copenhagen.

Copenhagen is such a civilised place to arrive into - they make so little fuss. An electronic display tells you how long before your baggage is due to arrive out of a certain carousel - ours was to take 19 minutes, so I went to the carousel where baggage from the flight from Newark had already arrived but Ross had collected his and cleared customs already.

We took a train from Kastrup to Copenhagen, found the Country Comfort hotel, left out baggage and then set out for the Strøget, the world's longest shopping mall. We stopped along the way at the Hans Christian Andersen Coffee shop - the pastries are every bit as good as they were during a previous visit during winter. Today is was 16°C, though most people had jackets on, and sure enough the temperature fell later, and with it the rain. That wasn't until we'd reached Nyhavn where we sampled local delicacies for lunch.

What four young men could do with carefully measured amouts of water in bottles had to be heard to be believed! A real crowd pleaser on the Strøget.