< The ship berthed on the starboard side
< Ho-Ho buses alongside selling tickets
Although advised to carry passports or ID, not actually needed.
< Quite a few people elected to walk to the city and the port exit just a few yards from the ship.
After another light breakfast, we just walked off and joined the queue, along with Alan and Sheila from our dinner table, to buy tickets for the Ho-Ho bus, still within the port area. Unusually, the Ho-Ho payment was charged to our shipboard account at $34 each. Saved credit card charges or local currency (DKK or Euro was acceptable and I believe, US$.)
We were advised that if we alighted at stop 8, still on the red route, there was an optional canal boat ride for an additional cost. According to the leaflet/map, it was €30 without the boat, €35 with.
The weather was a little cooler and also overcast and we half expected rain, but fortunately, it held off, as the canal boat was open. Once again, a great canal tour guide, Heidi who was very fluent in Danish (naturally!) English and possibly German. She was not only fluent, but like Astrid, was quite funny at times. We went through a canal or two and also up the estuary to the site of the Little Mermaid, just a few yards from the ship.
This was a one hour tour and well worth it. Moored not far from the Royal Yacht, was a navy ship, apparently known as 'whoops', as someone on board accidentally hit the launch button for a missile, that headed inland and hit a housing estate. Rumour has it that the culprit's mother-in-law lived there…
Part way through the tour, without the boat stopping, there was an opportunity to quickly snap the 'Our Saviour's' spiral tower. If you weren't quite quick enough, you got a photograph of a tree, believed to be the most photographed tree in Copenhagen, which led to a Facebook page dedicated to it (though I am not sure that is the right word) with people demanding it be removed! As we approached that part of the canal system where the wealthy people live, she had to cut her commentary, in case it disturbed their peace and quiet or balcony brunches. As she said, money always talks.
Although it got quite chilly and overcast, the rain held off and we re-joined the Ho-Ho bus for the rest of the tour, hopping off at the Gefion Fountain, but in need of a comfort stop. We found the appropriate establishment in the block of souvenir shops, not far from the ship. We told Alan and Sheila that we'd be dining in the buffet not the dining room, as it was Indian night.
Back on board, lunch in the Horizon Court, before retiring to the cabin, re-emerging for dinner in the buffet.
As mentioned before, we didn't join this cruise with friends, but every day, we seem to meet people we like. Tonight was no exception, with Mick & Enid from Chesterfield in Derbyshire. (Most of the English people have been from well north of London.) At some point, we got onto the topic of dealing with telephone spammers/scammers.
Mick proceeded to have us in stitches as he told us how he dealt with one of these people, phoning about 'due compensation' for a past serious injury. This isn't the place to try and recreate the full story, as I just couldn't do it justice, but let us say Mick's story to this Nigerian scammer included details of a serious shark attack.
Once again, we headed to the theatre for Steve Larkin's second show. Possibly not quite as good as the first, but still a great show. Unlike last year on the Sun Princess, the drummer (who is the orchestra leader) didn't drown out the artist and the sound quality and balance overall, was spot on.
We returned to the cabin, still smiling at Mick's story.
Another sea day tomorrow and the forecast is for a temperature of about 15/16 degrees, then we start a run of port days.
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