Last night Bethany and I packed up some warm clothes and took the tram into Dusseldorf. After a nice gnocci dinner outside we wandered around the Altstadt and then took the subway to the Hauptbahnhof. We were waiting on platform 16 for the CityNightLiner to Copenhagen!!!! Bethany booked it ahead of our trip, so we got a great fare that is both transport and hotel rolled into one!

It arrived and – of course – our car was on the opposite end of the platform, so we ran and ran and ran and made it just to have the train leave as we walked on. whew. Seats 31,33,35 were in a triple room. Beds were down, with comfy duvets, bottled water and the heat cranked. It wasn’t hard to figure out who slept where. Kat (and Avi) were up in the attic. Yep, the third bunk up in the domed roof. Zoe was next down – her bunk laid just about eye level. Then Bethany was at the bottom with the big window. Zoe and I had netted fences keeping us safe from falling off, and Zoe could lay and look out the top of the window. I couldn’t see the window but all the extra storage was up there with me and Avi. I rolled up Bethany and my coats into bumpers for him and we did great. The room also had a little closet that opened into a washbasin with water, towel, soap, and a mirror. Shower and toilet were down the hall. It was super fancy and nice – second class is great!

The train left the station at 10:02pm. After about an hour of arranging and exploring our tiny room, we crashed out. Zoe fell asleep quickly while we were still arranging. Avi nursed and slept, too. easy and fun. Sleeping on the train was great. The kids both slept all night. Avi scrootched around once, so I nursed him simply to avoid leaking. I woke a few times when the train stopped. At some point in the night our car switched to a different train and drove in the opposite direction. Anyway, we woke this morning around 7 and took our time getting around. Our boxed breakfast was brought to us by the super nice attendent, who loved Avi and spoke pretty good English. We got three boxes with a brochen, a croissant, cheese spread, jelly, orange juice and tea. It was nice. We also ate some leftover pizza from the night before. After putting the bottom two beds away, the seats folded up so it felt more roomy. We took a walk to check out the other cars – saw the dining car and the couchette cars.

It was a relaxing morning and fun to watch Denmark go by. The train stopped at Copenhagen train station at 10am and we were off! Our hotel is the Hotel Nebo Mission Hotel and is just around the corner from the station. We popped in and put our bags in their storage room, got a map, and info from the visitor center. Our first stop: the NationalMuseet where we learned all about Danish prehistory, Vikings, Middle Ages, and history. There was a great collection, but the best part of the museum was the kids area. There was an old schoolhouse with real slates and chalk, a puppet show, Viking boat and clothes and swords, plus an old kitchen and a spot to build with bricks. All of it was really well done and made to look real at kids sizes. Lots of try on clothes and things to touch. Bethany and I loved it just as much as Zoe. She was sooooo excited when she saw the Viking boat!! Avi liked the imitation chicken from the kids and carried a leg around for a while. We brought some snacks for lunch and ate in the cafeteria room when the kids fell asleep. Luckily the museum has really nice strollers to use that lay all the way back, so bethany and I pushed around two sleepy kids through the rest of middle ages, beginning of Cristendom, up into modern times – so about and hour. There was also a cool dollhouse exhibit that let you see the inside and outside. The kids woke just as we were finishing up.

The weather today was amazing. It is super sunny and maybe 60 out in the sun. So all the locals are hanging out at streetside cafes or in sunlit parks getting some warmth. We walked along the canal to a boat landing and hopped an hour long boat canal tour of the city. It was a nice overview of the city and gave us some ideas of what to do and see….plus it went past the famous little mermaid statue. Zoe thought that was cool, but then commented that it didn’t look like Ariel. The boat trip was fun just the same. We decided to head toward the Nyhavn section of town, but ended up on the Stroget which was super busy, chaotic and full of expensive stores and restaurants – not what we needed. We grabbed a hotdog each and plopped down in a city park for a break, snack and to nurse Avi. Zoe promptely dropped her hotdog, which I picked up and brushed off since the thing cost about $5, and then she dropped it again. Whatever. She eventually ate the thing so she couldn’t drop it again. While we were there we were entertained by the green guys; two guys wearing head (and face) to toe bright green bodysuits. Odd, physical art I guess. dunno. it was funny.

After our break we continued toward Nyhavn which was very cool. Lots of people out at outdoor cafes, lots of neat old buildings and cool sailboats. It was busy! We then walked along the waterfront to the Amelieborg palace, past the royal yacht – well thats what we think it was. The palace was neat. It’s a circular group of four buildings and you can walked right through the center. Of course Zoe had to pee, so we rushed to some garden just near the water and discreetly had her use the ‘outside potty’. Back to the palace where doggy was almost lost on the road; thank goodness Zoe spotted him. We watched the guards walk around and held up some traffic while ogleing the palace and taking pictures – two cars that then pulled into the palace garage itself! awesome.

The sun was getting lower, so we decided to make our way back to the hotel via a cool old Russian Orthodox church an along the less traffic-ed streets of town. It was a nice scenic walk. Stopped at a grocery store to round out our cup o noodle dinner plans with some cucumber and tuna…oh, and a Carlsberg, of course. Avi was asleep for most of the afternoon in the stroller. The rumbing along the cobblestones really keeps him out. Zoe walked sometime and then rode the buggy board, too. It was so nice arrive at our hotel and find our room to be super nice. We have 4 single beds – 2 each pushed together as a double – the room is on the top, 5th, floor, of the hotel and faces the nice quiet street out front. It’s great! beds seem comfy . The bathroom and shower down the hall are nice. We all had a nice hot shower while our noodle cups heated and have been hanging out watching some dino train since that gastronomic treat. Off to bed soon. I’m tired! Avi is, of course, really awake. He should sleep when the rest of us go to bed.