Copenhagen, Vienna, Berlin

May 5 Friday - Copenhagen, Apartment, Food, Money
May 6 Saturday - Red Badge Tour, Pizza
May 7 Sunday - National Gallery, Rosenborg Castle, Little Mermaid, Beer
May 8 Monday - Vienna, Good Citizen, Apartment, Food, Money
May 9 Tuesday - Kunsthistorisches Museum,
May 10 Wednesday - Vienna walk, Naschmarkt, Schnitzelwirt
May 11 Thursday - Schonbrunn Palace, Carriage Museum
May 12 Friday - Hofburg Palace, Opera tour, Naschmarkt, Sucession
May 13 Saturday - Berlin, Apartment, Nolle Restaurant
May 14 Sunday - Rick Steves Walk, German Tapas
May 15 Monday - Airport trip, Galleries Lafayette, Bavarian lunch, Geary
May 16 Tuesday - Reichstag, Kulturforum, Gemaldegalerie, Nefertiti
May 17 Wednesday - Museum Island, Bode, Neues, Pergamon and Alte National Gallery Museums
May 18 Thursday - Scharf Museum, Berggruen Museum, Nolle Dinner, Trefftpunkt
May 19 Friday - Fly home

May 5 Friday - A bit of a scrum getting off the ship and to the taxi's. We swung by for Deb to pick up the key. Finally to the place. ~40E. Some graffiti but the building looks nice. I had to schlep our bags up five flights of stairs to the third (American) floor. Tough going. The hallway smelled like cigarettes. It's at 13 Sundevedsgade.

The apartment is modern and clean. It's our first Airbnb so we were not prepared for the fact that somebody lives here. No room in the closet for our clothes and no drawers available so we basically didn't unpack. His personal stuff was all around - toiletries, wine, booze, etc.
   There a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, bathroom and a balcony overlooking a backyard play area. Also an extra bedroom used for storage.
   A large screen TV mounted on the wall at eye level. Very nice. Of course the only English is on CNN and BBC. However I did discover we had access to Netflix.

We needed food and money. We hiked out, turned right and found the main drag - Vesterbrogade. We went into a restaurant and asked where an ATM is. She sent us on a long walk, at least a mile. We found a "Cashpoint" ATM before we got to the bank she was sending us to. I got some Danish Crowns.

On the way back we found a retro camera shop. They had the cable we needed - yikes ~20€.

We went back and had lunch at the restaurant. A very good and large hamburger and beer for a very reasonable price.
   Deb bought some rather expensive flowers for the place. Guess we took a nap.

We went out and got some wine, cheese, bread and crackers. This evening we played cards and ate snacks. Then to bed...

May 6 Saturday - We had some coffee and pastries for breakfast. We took the bus down to the area where the train station, tourist information and Tivoli Gardens are located.

We wanted to take the Red Badge Guides Tour mentioned by Rick Steves. 15C each. Nobody else signed up so we had a private tour. We saw many things including a line up of 20 weddings at the City Hall. Our guide Dorte was intelligent, well informed and enthusiastic. Check out the pictures.
   She must have liked us, or we asked too many questions, because she gave us an hour extra tour. We ended up at the Amalienborg Palace (link) where the current royal family lives. (red-tour)
   She suggested we look at the opera and perhaps hike to the little mermaid. We didn't make the mermaid. We hiked through a passageway and hopped on bus A26 which took us back to the TI area. We sat in a bus shelter waiting for the A6 to come along. A citizen told us the bus stop was closed and no buses would go down this street because of construction. Oh no! We hiked a mile plus back to our area.

We were shot. Deb wanted to stop into an enclosed market area. To my surprise there were many places to eat. We had a pizza and beer. The owners were young brothers from Roma. Great pizza.

We rested up. I found a nearby supermarket on Google Maps. So we hiked down there while admiring the graffiti. Nice big supermarket with some mailboxes outside and an ATM across the street.

Back home where we enjoyed the balcony. I cooked up some pasta - really good. Then cards, snacks, wine, chocolate and bed.

 May 7 Sunday - Today it's rainy and cold. We took A6 and somehow got to the National Gallery of Denmark. We bought a ticket that would also get us into the Rosenborg castle (link) diagonally across the way.

We sort of skated through. Many nice things nicely presented. And with an included audio guide. (extras)

We hiked over to the castle. Nice gardens but it's a bit cold and rainy. We had a bit of a problem getting in - the line was slow. Very nice castle. The throne/ball room was quite impressive. Nice collections of plates and silver/gold ware. (extras)
   Attached is the Schatzkammer (link) displaying an exceptionally nice collection of Crown Jewels and Danish Crown Regalia. Much still in use today. (jewels)

We took a bus to the "Little Mermaid" (Link). Actually we saw the big mermaid first. It was somewhat crowded at the Little Mermaid but we got some nice pictures. There are other things here to see.

Traveling home was interesting. We had a bit of a problem getting advice at the TI. The problem is that the bus routes have been changed because of construction and there is no map. I sort of figured out where to get the bus A26.

On the way home bus 26 dropped us off at a nice looking place where we could have a beer. And we did have a leisurely beer. If they hadn't closed the kitchen at 4 we would have eaten here.

We hiked down to the supermarket and bought a couple things. I attempted to warm up some lasagna for dinner. No microwave cramps our style.

Cheese, wine, chocolate and cards. I discovered Netflix on the TV so we watched something. To bed.

May 8 Monday - Breakfast. Mailed some cards. Museums and things are closed on Monday. We hiked over to the Carlsburg Brewery (link). We had a rather tough time finding the entry. Then a nice self-guided tour. We saw them putting away some horses - fun. The tickets included two beers each so we did that. (brewery)

We took the bus down to the City Hall area to get a few pictures with Hans Christian Anderson.

We rode back near our place for another pizza. Back to our place for the 6pm taxi pickup to go to the airport and Vienna. We napped then Deb packed us up. Off to the airport.

Easy peasy getting through security. We have seats in the emergency row.

Deb had a drink and started talking with the young guy across the aisle. Daniel. He's from Vienna. She told him our problem with the late hour, our broken suitcase and not being familiar with the U-Bann station in Vienna. He said he would help. And help he did. We got the suitcases. On the way to the train he helped us get tickets (~4.60€), CARRIED the suitcase and helped us onto the train. While traveling he arranged a taxi! When we arrived he actually carried the suitcase quite a distance to where the taxi picked us up. He helped see us off. What a gentleman and a good citizen. WE CAN'T THANK HIM ENOUGH. THANK YOU DANIEL.

We arrived at the place at about 11:30pm. James was waiting for us. Very nice guy! This place is really nice. Clean, modern and with an elevator! The apartment was not somebody's house. It's small but nice and very clean. The building feels new. We moved in and unpacked.
   We were hungry so hiked down the street. However at 12am no food was being served.
   We found a couple skunky beers in the refrigerator which we drank and I think we ate some chocolate. Then to bed.

I didn't mention there is a good DVD and CD collection. Great!

May 9 Tuesday - I nipped over to the market that is the next door to the right. I bought some pastries. We had coffee.

The apartment is really nice. The toilet is in sort of a closet, the shower/tub is very nice, washer (which Deb figured out). Small table and chairs, kitchen, nice sitting area and the entertainment center.

We hiked down Burggasse to Volkstheater then over to the Kunsthistorisches Museum (link), the big museum. It's pretty chilly and windy. We went in and immediately went to lunch. We've been here before so knew they have beautiful place for lunch. We had a leisurely paced lunch of very good food, beer, wine and prosecco. Plus dessert.

This is a fantastic museum. We took our time and looked, pretty much, at everything. Even the Roman statues and the Egyptian collection. Very enjoyable. Finally saw Cellini's Salt Cellar - missed it last time around. We had read his autobiography for class (the first autobiography). (extras)

I think I bought some three day transportation passes.

Probably hiked home and hit the supermarket.

Back home we had snacks, played cards then watched the DVD "Amistad" - a bit long but good. To bed.

May 10 Wednesday - More pastries and coffee.

We are off to do Rick Steves "Vienna walk". Took bus 48 to Volkstheater then the U-Bahn to Karlsplatz. Which is right across from the opera.

We did the walk - saw the Sacre Hotel of Sacra Tort fame, Monument Against War and Facism, visited a crystal and glass place, saw a fountain. We entered Saint Stephens cathedral - a very nice cathedral. I wish I could have done Ricks tour of it. We elevated up for the view from the shorter tower.
   Back down we stopped for a beer near the plague memorial - it's to thank God for saving the people who didn't die. I observed a few Austrian boys speaking perfect English.
   We visited Saint Joseph church as advised by Rick Steves. Lots of horses around here.
   We nipped into a fancy chocolate shop. Then past the Hofburg palace - we'll visit that another day. We passed the Memorial again, crossed over in front of the opera, then past the Secession to the Naschmarkt. (extras)

We had lunch here. Very enjoyable and relaxing.

Back to our place for a snooze. A quick break for Debbie.
 
I had seen a place reviewed that sounded like THE place to go for wienerschnitzel - "Schnitzelwirt". A family run rustic schnitzel restaurant. It was within walking distance. We got right in. It's rustic alright. We shared a table for six with another couple, but didn't talk with them. We ordered cordon-blu vienerschnitzels - stuffed with ham and cheese. They were HUGE. We should have split one. I tried but barely finished half. It was delicious!
   They wouldn't take Visa. They said I could run out and hit the ATM. I hiked waaaay down the street but didn't see it. I came back and our waiter took me out and told me to go further. I did. I found it. I accidentally used my Visa rather then my debit card. Darn. Visa has rather high fees for getting cash.

We hiked down to a place we frequented last time here. It's huge and was very busy, so we didn't stay. We did speak with the couple from the previous restaurant. They were from the Philippines. The place is advertised in the airplane magazines - no wonder it's crowded.

May 11 - Today off to the Schonbrunn Palace (link)Palace by U-Bahn and a hike. A very impressive place. It is the summer palace for the richest family in Europe for a couple centuries. It started as a hunting preserve about 1548.

Amazing grounds. It does rival Versailles. We toured the open 40 rooms of 1441+ rooms available.

We looked at a small part of the vast gardens. It looked like we needed to take the little train that goes around the grounds.
   First, however, we visited the Carriage Museum as recommended by Rick Steves. We really enjoyed this. Beautiful stuff.
   We were a bit hungry so we stopped into the nearby cafe for lunch of stew, which we shared, and a beer. Very beautiful and nice.

We paid our 14€ to ride the little train. Some problems getting comfortable. It was bumpy and noisy. Away we went. It stopped at various places including the zoo and chocolate sales area. At the top there is a structure on the hill called the Gloriette (link) with a view of the area. I took a few pictures.

Apparently we went home where I think we napped then microwaved some cannaloni's for dinner. We snacked and played cards. We watched part of "The Big Lebowski". To bed.

May 12 - Today we are doing the Hofburg Palace (link) which is nearby in town. We took the bus and U-Bahn to the opera and hiked over to the Palace.

After some wandering around we finally found the entrance. We plan on visiting the apartments and the treasury.

We gawked at the gold plated fixtures. Too many to describe. Stunning stuff including an amazing centerpiece. (extras)

We toured the apartments. A lot of emphasis on Sissi as well as emperor Franz Joseph I (link).
Sissi is Empress  Elizabeth (link) of Austria. Part of her story is she was obsessed with her figure. Apparently anorexic. She had a tiny wasp-like waist. She would not allow pictures of her after she turned 30. She shocked everybody by vigorously working out in her bedroom. Several movies have been made about her. No pictures allowed - oops.

The area used by Franz Joseph was interesting. He had a desk where he worked and would meet with anyone on certain appointed days. No pictures allowed.

The treasury was a highlight. Many rich things here. One astounding item is the nail that was driven into the right hand of Jesus on the cross! Plus a piece of the original cross! Wow! There were also interesting tapestries and liturgical robes. (extras)

Back to the opera where we had to run to catch the 3pm tour. It actually started late. Pretty amazing place. We got a nice tour and saw several areas where people break and have a drink during intermissions. The stage was being prepared for a rehearsal. The stage has a different performance each night. There are elevators and lifts to move the large scenery around. Very interesting. (movie)

We learned that the U-Bahn station Karlsplatz is huge. We went down and were able to hike from the opera to the Sucession/Naschtmarkt underground. Nice convenience - no traffic, no weather, few people.
   We had lunch again at the Naschmarkt where I had two sausages wrapped in bacon (!) and a couple beers. Very nice.

We hiked over to the nearby Sucession. It's famous for the "Beethoven Frieze". It's famous for a group of artist who were trying to start their own modern art movement. Fairly interesting. The leader was Gustav Klimt who painted "The Kiss". There were other things on display here.

Back home where we napped, snacked, played cards, watched part of "Into The Wild". Then to bed.

I've requested a pick up on line by berlindriver.com at 5:30am.

May 13 - Up and ready to fly to Berlin. We got out at 5:30am. Nobody showed for ten minutes. Time was getting short so I hailed a taxi. We'd been warned that a taxi to the airport would be expensive which is why I'd arranged a 28€ ride from berlindriver.

Turns out it was like 35€ to the airport. What luck I was able to hail a passing taxi at that hour.

An uneventful flight. Tegal is an old airport. We noted the Air Berlin help desk but didn't stop. I think I mentioned they had cancelled our flight and didn't seem to have re-booked us.

We jumped into a taxi. This guy didn't speak one word of English. We showed him the address. Off we went. Deb thought we were supposed to go to a certain address and pick up a key from the "housekeeper". After much fooling around at the address she got somebody to answer. Between waving arms, looking at the paper and help from the taxi guy we found our place was here in this building, through this entrance. Not someplace else. We got the key and sent the driver on his way - 35€.

Nice modern place. We are on the 7th floor. Below the 6th floor are offices. We use a special elevator. There is a kitchen, bathroom, shower, clothes washer and a large room with a bed, couch, table, divan and desk. The TV is small and sitting on the window sill. Hmm. No table and chairs to eat at. We found no ice cube trays, few glasses and few plates. The view is of an office building across the street.
   I moved the TV and sat it on the table in front of the couch. It's quite tiny.

We nipped out to explore the area and get something to eat.  We live where Rick Steves says is the center of East Berlin. We are one block from Unter den Linden and one block from Friedrichstrasse - major streets. Lots of restaurants and shops on Friedrichstrasse plus a big train/U-Bahn station.
   We found "Nolle" under the train tracks. We had a very nice lunch. We shared a pile of various items. Deb bought some flowers for our place.
   We noted the walk/don't-walk signs have these little characters. They were used in East Berlin back in the day. When they planned on changing them there was such an uproar and legal suits that they kept them.

I guess we took a break and didn't do anything this day. Snacks, cribbage then to bed - the bed has two severe body dents.

May 14 Monday - Breakfast. Most museums are closed today so we are going to do Rick Steves Berlin walking tour. We hiked over to the Reichstag (link) Building. We arranged for an 11:30am tour on Wednesday.
   We looked at various things as we passed under the Brandenburg gate and on down Unter den Linden. Quite a hike - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Hitlers bunker site, Friedrich II statue, Humboldt University, Kathe Kollwitz Neue Wache (closed), German historical museum, Berliner Dom, the River Spree a view of the TV tower. We also noted Museum Island.

On the hike back on the other side we ran across and impressive statue of Marx and Engels.

Lots of construction for an arena and U-Bahn.

We stopped at the German Tapa's place near our place for some beer and tapas. I had the famous currywurst and Deb had liver and onions. Nice.

At some point I was trying to find a supermarket mentioned by Google Maps. I asked some guys in the U-Bahn help booth. They didn't speak any English. We looked around and couldn't find it. I got the name of the place, REWE, and asked them again. They had no clue. I asked for a pen to write the name of the place. Suddenly they knew where it was. One guy jumped up and led us to it. It was rather hidden in the basement of a building. Not a bad market.
 
Guess we relaxed, played cards and went to bed.

May 15 Tuesday - We hiked to Friedrichstrasse train station to get tickets. On the way we ran across this sculpture - it depicts one set of kids going to summer camp and another going to concentration camp.

Today we are going out to the airport to get our tickets to home straightened out. We took the U6 out to a place then hopped on a bus to the airport. We hiked all over and found the Air Berlin help desk. Somehow Deb skipped the line and spent quite a while getting things fixed. The lady said we would be seated together with nobody between us despite having seats A and C.
   Back to Berlin. We walked to the Galleries Lafayette. A big French department store. We took Rick Steves advice and went down to the food area. We bought the best pate' we've had in years, plus a bottle of French Bordeaux wine and some baguettes.

I had read about this Bavarian restaurant nearby - Augustinerhof. It looks like a Bavarian beer hall. Lots of tables inside and out. The guy next to us was finishing a deep fried pig knuckle. Gotta do that. I think I had a sausage and potatoes, Deb had something interesting - perhaps spatzel.

Later in the day we hiked back to the Brandenburg gate and also looked into a bank building to see the Frank Geary interior.

Back home where we cooked up some grub then played cards, wine and bed.

May 16 Wednesday - Breakfast again. Hiked over and took the tour of the Reichstag (link) Building. A very nice tour. Quite an interesting place. You hike up up up in the glass dome. Well organized, not rushed and not crowded, except for the elevator. (extras)

We took bus 200 out to the museum collection a distance from Potsdamer Platz. Here we bought our three day museum pass card. We are here to go to the Gemaldegalerie (link). We've been here before but the collection has been moved. It's now in the Kulturforum which is a collection of museums.
   We shared lunch before entering.
   The gallery is really good, very roomy, many classic pieces and artists. Wow! (Gemaldegalerie)

We decided to bus back to Friedrichstrasse then take bus 100 to museum island so we can get an appointment  tomorrow to get in to see the bust of Nefertiti (link) at the Berlin Neues Museum on Museum Island. Oops - they let us right in! Almost nobody there. We skated over and spent time nearly alone looking at the magnificent head of Nefertiti - no pictures allowed. We did what we could in looking at the rest of the museum but were museumed out. (extras)

Snacks, cards and bed.
 
May 17 Thursday - Our usual coffee and pastry.

Today is our biggest museum day. Four museums. Took bus 100 to Museum Island.

We got a little lost trying to get to the Neues Museum and ended up at the Bode Museum (link) way down on the point of the island. Oh well it's free with our card. We actually enjoyed it. A few nice pieces. We didn't see the coin and medallion collections. (extras)
   Get this - On March 27, 2017 a solid gold coin called the Big Maple Leaf, issued by the Canadian Mint in 2007 was stolen. Solid 24 carat gold. It's worth €3.7 (~$4M)

Lots of construction going on here.

Next the Pergamon Museum (link) Museum. Amazing! They have a Roman market place - claimed to be the largest museum installation in the world. The fantastic Ishtar city gate. There is a section of a castle wall. There are three main collections here - Antiquity Collection, Islamic Art collection and a Middle East collection. Just stunning. (extras)

We did not go to the Alte museum.

We did the Alte National Gallerie (link). Neoclassic and Romantic movements as well as French Impressionism and early Modernism. Lots of good stuff. (extras) (all-paintings)

Apparently we did not go to the Altes museum.

We are pretty shot. Time is getting short so we need to do it NOW! Back to the Bavarian Beer Hall for my 2.2 pound (1 kilogram) deep fried pig knuckle. (with a stop to buy a little something for Daniel) It was good but HUGE. I ate about half of it. Deb had Nuremberg sausages and potatoes. We ended up packing it up and taking it home. Unfortunately we didn't eat it later.

Back home for a nap, snacks, cards and bed.

May 18 Friday - Coffee and pastries again - yum. We are going to look at some modern art today. Deb found a mailbox - one for local and one for other. We rode the U-Bahn to the Charlottenburg area where there are several museums and across the street the Charlottenburg Schloss (Palace). We hiked some distance up the street - I asked a guy on a bench for directions. He was helpful - he waved us on.

Finally to the Scharf-Gerstenberg Museum (link) . It's a private collection with some nice stuff well presented. Mostly surreal art. Many famous artists - Dali, Magritte, Klee, Leger, Miro, Picasso, Seurat and others. Rather a climb up. (extras)

We then went a short distance to the Museum Berggruen (link). They do classic modern art. A very nice building. Many Picasso's and Klee's. They paid $13.7 million for "Nu Jaune" by Picasso a study for "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" - the "Girls of Avignon". (extras)

 We hiked back to the U-Bahn and back to our place. We returned to "Nolle" for dinner. We had our first and last restaurant meal in Berlin at the same place. We split a sausage dish. Very nice.
   On the way back to our place we decided to drop into a corner bar we'd been admiring since we arrived - Trefftpunkt. It seemed to be closed every time we passed by. It looked quaint and had good review on Google Maps. So we had a beer and enjoyed sitting.

We left an embarrassing number of empty wine bottles. One per day for six days isn't too many. Is it? Plus a few more. Cards and bed.

May 19 - I think the plane was to leave at 1pm so no big rush. We had requested the owner of the apartment to arrange a taxi for a 10am pickup. He was waiting. Off we went. Check in was no problem.
However our plane was waaaay late. Deb had a beer to calm her nerves. Everybody was upset. Finally on the plane and off to Dusseldorf more then an hour late. We were told they would hold the plane for us. We, and everybody else, literally dashed through the airport but were stopped by a passport check.
   The passport guy was upset that we didn't have a European entry stamp. We didn't have time to tell him that we had been to Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands and Denmark with not a single stamp!

We finally got to the airport and got on the plane. OMG our seats are right at the doorway. Two seats abreast - no seat "B". Tons of legroom Nothing in front of us. The best economy seats on the airplane. They were generous with the drinks so we had a couple. Food was OK. Service very good.
   The plane made up a couple hours coming across.

We landed, went through various checks and got our bags. We were going to do Uber but thought $150 was a bit much for an hour drive. We opted for a taxi. They warned us it would be $150 to $200. We were tired and had been up for around 20 hours so we took it. I don't remember exactly what it was - something like $198. I didn't give the guy a tip.
   It's so expensive because we are so far away and they have to drive back to the airport so they add 50% to the fare. Yikes! Most expensive taxi ride of my life.

Got home after 7pm. The house seemed OK. We relaxed, watched some TV in English. Had a drink and went to bed around 9:30.

Super trip