20 hours + 4 airports + 9 hours time change + 30 degrees Celsius = 1 tired traveler

I arrived in Copenhagen earlier this week and have been working through my jet lag. You know, that frustrating “nauseous with fatigue at noon because my body thinks it is 3 am but lying awake at 3 am like I’ve just had a double espresso’…

I drifted along in the heat wave. In my daze I was passed by a sea of unbelievably blonde, beautiful people with bronzed bared arms and legs biking to and from work, looking crisp in their summer cottons. Or they would be sitting out in cafes, looking just as cool and confident.

Copenhagen is full of beautiful old castles, churches, canals and cobblestones. But they don’t just live in the past. They are pioneers of modern design with simple clean lines and an emphasis on functionality. Of course, I ended up with the best photos of the old stuff!

New Opera House in the background

Rosenberg Castle

Christianborg

An old ‘new’ building

Fountain at Town Hall 2018 and 1977 (I’m guessing the young fellow was from the youth hostel too)

Amalienborg 2018 and 1977

It is so great to be out on the road again!

And it was so nice to be greeted at the Copenhagen airport by my Swedish friend Viveka! I was more than happy to relax and let her guide me on the Metro to my hotel. We had a lovely walk around the waterfront, enjoyed a beer and dinner. She then made sure I knew my way back to the hotel before catching the train back to Sweden.

I have enough challenges coming up to totally appreciate this!

But the first month is easy. After three nights in Copenhagen, I have a week visiting friends in western Denmark. Then I’ll join Viveka for three weeks in Sweden. She has a great itinerary that will give us plenty of time to catch up and just enjoy ourselves. So nice to have a guide and driver!! We last saw each other in February when we parted ways after six great weeks in Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.

Then for three months I’ll fly to Estonia and travel down through Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Istanbul and Greece before flying home December 3.

Blast from the past: postcard home in 1977