3D Trip 2022 Day 8 - Mid-Meal Breather
This trip is all about early morning departures. Today we had our alarms set for 4 AM and by 4:30 AM we were out of the Hotel Excelsior and in a crazy taxi to take us to the Dubrovnik Airport. The Dubrovnik airport doesn’t open until 5 AM and we arrived a few minutes before then, dropped off our bags right when they opened and were at our gate a few minutes before we were supposed to board our 6:15 AM flight to Zagreb. As the clock passed 6 AM and closer to our scheduled departure there wasn’t one person from Croatian Airlines near our gate. It wasn’t until 6:15 that anyone showed up and by 6:30 we were in the air and off. The 45-minute flight went by without incident and we arrived in Zagreb went through customs and immediately boarded a bus to our next flight to Copenhagen. Our plane was small but this flight was on-time and two hours later we arrived in Copenhagen.
We made our way through customs again quite quickly, grabbed our bags (the first few off), and grabbed a Taxi to our hotel for the next three nights, Villa Copenhagen. We were very fortunate that they had our room ready for us when we arrived and given our AMEX booking they upgraded us to a superior room. The design at this hotel is stunning, Jenn took several “inspirational” photos for future home designs and our room feels more like an apartment than a hotel room. We love it. After taking a room tour and doing some light unpacking we were off.
We grabbed a coffee and a cinnamon roll at the onsite coffee shop and then were off to find a Starbucks mug. Our first attempt failed in the nearby train station but we grabbed a quick burger at McDonald’s before moving on to another Starbucks. Unfortunately, the next three Starbucks were all sold out of mugs. We started calling around to any Starbucks and sadly we came up empty-handed. The missteps continued. We tried to make our way to Nyhavn harbor but for some reason, Apple Maps which has been great the entire time took us to the cruise terminal. There were a couple of ships in port and by the time we realized it we had walked at least fifteen minutes out of our way.
Luckily you couldn’t ask for a more perfect day outside and we made our way to Nyhavn harbor and took in the busy but beautiful area. Our initial impression of Copenhagen was that it was more industrial but as we made our way more toward the city center our eyes began to light up, and the pace at which we talked about all of the art shops, furniture stores, and beautiful parks quickened. We went from unsure about Copenhagen to falling in love with the city within an hour.
We made our way back to our beautiful hotel where Jenn took her one work call this week and I went downstairs to the main lobby area and had a Danish beer while working on my posts for the trip. Obviously, we both tried to avoid working throughout our trip, but given where we are in our careers that’s getting harder and harder to do. When Jenn’s call ended we started to get ready for a big dinner in the foodie town of Copenhagen at the two Michelin star restaurant, Kong Hans Kaelder.
We made our way out a little after 6 PM and walked on this beautiful evening stopping to take pictures along the way. When we arrived in Kong Hans Kaelder we were quickly escorted into the small but beautiful dining room with a beautiful white table cloth laden table. What occurred over the next three and a half hours was nothing short of a perfect symphony. With each course, drink pour, and pick up of plates, everything was done in flawless synchronicity. Without saying a word the different servers, sommeliers, and chefs would with a brief eye glance work together to make sure that each plate was lifted or placed at the same time for both Jenn and me. Not to mention each of the over ten courses was exceptional. This was one of the best meals either of us has had in our lives. Hands down I think this is in the top 3 or 5 meals I’ve had in my life. The dinner started with one of our waiters dropping off a sealed envelope with a beautiful wax seal on the front that contained the menu for the day. They handed us a letter opener assuming we had ever used one of those in our life. Once we managed it open we began what may be some of the best food hours of our lives. We both started with a glass of exquisite champagne followed by a number of snacks and moved on to a few entrees.
Full Slideshow of the 10-course meal
Jenn and I were feeling it when we arrived at dessert. Most of the other patrons had gone with the wine pairing and I don’t know how they did it. With two glasses each and the eight courses of food both Jenn and I were stuffed. The waitress asked if we wanted a break and recommended we go for a breather outside. It was a game changer we came back ten minutes later, refreshed and ready for dessert. After a palate cleanser they brought over the dessert cart where they brought out a handful of small dessert tastings and the ability to order a couple of different main desserts, I went with the rum cake and Jenn had the flambe.
Random Photos Throughout the Evening
By 10 PM we had paid the check, picked up my coat, and were off to walk back to our hotel after this once-in-a-lifetime meal. I am not sure if I have ever felt more like royalty than I did eating at Kong Hans Kaelder. We made the 20-minute walk back to our hotel taking in the stunning Copenhagen evening, ready for our last few days of the trip.
