Tuesday 29th March – Brisbane to Sydney (Happy Birthday Annie)
Well this is a different approach to starting a European vacation as we are heading to Sydney to catch our Emirates flight to Dubai. There is a reason for this tactic as we have a guaranteed upgrade to business class for this leg of our journey. Oh how sweet it is even though it will cost us an armful of frequent flyer points. Anyway today’s journey starts with Lilian depositing us at Brisbane’s domestic terminal where we will board a QANTAS flight to Sydney.
The journey down was uneventful but Sydney greeted us with overcast skies and the promise of rain. We opted for a taxi to the Aspire Hotel which would be our home for at least a few hours. The taxi cost was around $34 which compares favourably with the cost of the airport shuttle. Our digs were not quite ready but I had a bit of a problem as I did not bring the credit card that I had booked the room with. The staff were good and eventually we sorted it out with Lilian scanning my card and emailing it to me. We even scored an upgrade to a deluxe room.
After storing our bags we headed out into Sydney rain with an umbrella the size of the Harbour Bridge and sporting the Aspire Hotel logo. It was only a short walk past the Powerhouse Museum to Chinatown. On a whim we tried to find a Turkish eatery in the Market Place where we had dined on a previous trip several years before. After only a few minutes we chanced upon and handed over the princely sum of $8 for a freshly cooked Potato and Spinach Gozleme. Delicious!
With our tummies sated and thanks to a little technology we trudged off into the rain for eight blocks to have a couple of craft beers at the Red Oak Brewery in Clarence Street. We started with a taster board which was reasonable value at $12. I quickly moved onto the Stout and finished with an extra strong bitter. Being a Tuesday the atmosphere was quiet and relaxing. At around 5:30pm we pulled up stumps and headed outside for a 1.5km walk to the La Pesa Trattoria restaurant at 174 Liverpool Street. Our table is booked for 6:00 as we need to finish early as our flight departs Sydney at 6:00am. I have to say that this is one of the best Groupons that I have purchased as the food was sensational. The antipasta was to die for and the mains were fresh and tasty. Alice could not finish her main but she did make room for the desert which was included. We heard another couple mention to the owner that they had an early flight the next day and that they really enjoyed travelling business class. We joked that it would be funny if they were on the same flight.
The rain had stopped so we decided to walk back to the hotel which was a good way to divorce ourselves of a few calories. Along the way we saw a few homeless people sleeping rough. It is a tough existence for those who live on the fringe of our communities.
Wednesday 30th March – Sydney to Dubai
As usual before a long flight we only managed a fitful couple of hours sleep. We didn’t need the alarm that went off on time at 2:30am as we were already up and about. As we stepped into the foyer our limousine driver was waiting to convey us to the airport. One good thing at this time of the morning is there is absolutely no traffic. It was a little after 3:00am and there were already a substantial number of passengers queuing up at the economy check-in counter. Fortunately for us our queue is short and we were sorted in no time. Imagine my disappointment when we found out that we would have to sit around outside for forty minutes as immigration did not open to 4:00am. There wasn’t much point getting there 3 hours early. By the way the couple from the restaurant last night were the first ones to reach the business class lounge closely followed by us and the Jordanian soccer team.
Our flight started with a chilled glass of Moet and departed on time for our 14 hour flight to Dubai. The movie selection was extensive so it wasn’t long before the first movie of the flight was scrolling across the screen. A hearty breakfast soon followed and afterwards we tried for a little shut-eye. Alice managed a couple of broken hours but sleep alluded me like the winning lotto numbers. After watching another movie I headed down to the bar where I sampled a couple of cheeky glasses of shiraz from the Margaret River region of Western Australia. I was joined by the gentleman from La Pesa who incidentally went by the moniker of David. We had a pleasant chat while the women slumbered on. A couple of more movies, cocktails and a large lunch and we were ready to head into UAE airspace. There was a backlog of flights waiting to land so our big 380 cruised around for another hour. We finally touched down just before 2:00pm.
Our flight to Copenhagen is not until 8:20am tomorrow so Emirates is putting us up at the Copthorne Hotel. We had no sooner jumped into our chauffeured car when the driver pulled into the hotel. I reckon we are only a soft boiled egg away from the airport. Our hotel stay also comes with complimentary lunch, dinner and breakfast not that we need any more food at the moment. As we are still very tired we have decided to forego a City or sunset tour. It is a balmy 34 degrees outside so I decided to spend some time by the pool. There were a few people enjoying a beer but I refrained for the time being.
At 7:30 pm it had just turned dark which was the signal to head down to the lobby for dinner. There was a large buffet on offer with a leaning towards Indian cuisine. The samosas appeared to attract the attention of an Arabian version of Homer Simpson who managed to pile a plate as high as the Himalayas. He certainly had the capacity to put it away as he finished well before we did. Our evening finished with a poolside walk and listening to a very talented local duet serenading the guests. It would have been a great spot to spend the evening but sleep beckons as well as a 5:00am wake up call.
Thursday 31st March – Dubai to Copenhagen
Five a clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream….Oh how I wish as once again we have been woken by the internal alarm clock. I guess it must be the fear of missing our flights. The restaurant opened dead on time at 5:30am which gave us time to woof down a quick breakfast. There is a free shuttle bus to the airport which delivered us promptly to the departures level of the airport. Travel time, check-in, immigration and the train to terminal A took 45minutes.
We headed off to gate A3 in search of Lilian who we found ambling along the walkway without a care in the world. She looked remarkably refreshed for someone who had just spent 14 hours on a plane. We found a little coffee shop and bought 3 coffees and a bottle of water. After checking my credit card statement I found that it had cost $29. Ouch, that hurt and to top it off the coffee was terrible.
It is now back to reality as our 6.25 hour flight to Copenhagen is in economy class. We have managed to get our seats on the top deck of the A380 where they have a few rows of double seats. I must say that I was quite comfortable in this configuration. A couple of meals and two movies later it was touchdown in Copenhagen on time at 1:00pm. Once again the slowest part of our journey was the retrieval of our luggage from the carousel. From the moment the plane docked into the air-gate it was a staggering 60 minutes before our bags were delivered. Throughout all this Jens was waiting patiently for us to emerge from the bowels of baggage collection. With hugs all-around we were ushered off to the BMW chariot and were soon on our way to the summer house in Ordrup.
Jens is a convivial host and had soon cracked a fine bottle of Italian red as well as a Leffe Negra for me. Jytte arrived from Roskilde a fraction before 5:00pm and has graciously given up her room for Alice and me. After a few more beers and a delicious beef stroganoff the accumulated loss of sleep began to catch-up on Lilian and me. Stifling my yawning was becoming difficult so without further adieu it was off to bed for what I hoped would be a long sleep.
Friday 1st April – Ordrup, April Fools Day
Finally, I have slept through the night without waking up for endless hours. Jens soon had the coffee machine in full order which was a perfect start to what looks like a great day. Although the sun is shining it is only 4 degrees but it should get past 10 degrees later in the day. After breakfast it was a quick trip to the local shops to purchase some provisions for tonight’s cod dinner. The countryside at the moment is dry but starting to green up as the Spring weather starts to warm up.
After a delicious lunch of rye bread, smoked trout, liver paste, tomato and beetroot the girls decided to take a walk down to Victory Bay to take in the views. Jens tempted me with a true Danish treat which when translated to English was the ‘garbage run”. We loaded up the beamer with the remnants of last night’s empty cans and bottles and went for a country drive to the recycling plant. Unlike home the Danes are more serious about their environment and support it by having plants that are easily accessible and there is no charge. We were greeted by a rather large Danish chap sporting a ubiquitous yellow safety shirt who directed us to our disposal bin. The rest of our trip was spent driving around the countryside and through small hamlets with buildings that bespoke of a time long since past. Farmers were busy ploughing fields and sowing potatoes that should be ready for harvest before we get back from the road trip.
After a relaxing afternoon of doing nothing it was time for the cod dinner with shallots, asparagus and potato. To finish off we had a decadent piece of strawberry tart which Jens had purchased from a bakery a few kilometres from Ordrup.
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