Poppy woke up early today because it was so bright. Hello sun!

We decided to metro over to a little park in Nørrebro where they had farm animals for the kids to interact with. It’s worth noting it was mostly sunny but still pretty chilly as there was a strong wind.

We got there and Poppy wanted nothing to do with the goats. They had rabbits and she warmed up to playing with them, but aside from a little splashing in the mud, the trip was mostly a bust. Strange because we thought she’d really be in to the animals. Just wasn’t feeling it today I guess.

We found a small playground nearby and spent a little time there but then just grabbed a few provisions at a local grocery store before heading home in the metro. Our lunch was hot dogs at the cart by our metro station.

It was still sunny (but windy) after nap so we decided to head up to La Banchina for a snack. Their kitchen was closed when we got there so we could just get a couple of glasses of wine and some bread and hummus, but we enjoyed them by the water. Poppy played with some more bubbles. A few brave souls were swimming in the chilly water.

Our next stop was Copenhagen Contemporary.

It’s a beautiful space. We started at the exhibit that was more geared towards families – there was an interactive piece where we could all create our own hats with bits of cardboard, tissue paper, and pipe cleaners they had around. Poppy enjoyed herself there and then actually was somewhat engaged through the rest of the museum as well which was neat to see. We hustled through pretty quick because they were closing but overall it was a success.

For dinner we just walked a few minutes over to Reffen. Back to back street food dinners. Poppy crushed a macaroni and cheese. Jill and I both got tacos from a spot that looked and smelled great but was only fine. We made the rookie mistake of making our choice before fully surveying our options. We missed a whole chunk of the market that had some legit looking Thai, Filipino, and Kurdish spots. Ah well. The vibe was great and after our ice cream dessert Poppy had lots of fun running around at the skate park there and we relaxed a bit by a bonfire they had going which took the edge off the wind by the sea.

Both at the park this morning and at La Banchina this afternoon we saw families that we’ve seen elsewhere in Copenhagen already. It truly is a small city.

We started the morning at Hart for coffee and baked treats before heading back over to the huge “castle playground” as Poppy calls it.

We played there for an hour or so before making our way to the meatpacking district where we had a lunch reservation at Kødbyens Fiskebar.

I booked it the other day and I didn’t quite realize that it was such a high-end “gastronomy” spot. Everything we had was absolutely delicious. My favorite were the mussels (they pointed them all facing up!) but we also had delicious shrimp, razor clams, fish pies, squid, and cod. It was all too manicured for Poppy but she had a bunch of bread dipped in the various sauces. A somewhat unexpected splurge meal 🙃. Highlight was perhaps the waiter very seriously explaining dashi broth and kombu to Poppy when she asked what kind of soup we had. It’s good for you he says!

Did a bit of shopping at FANGST and an Asian grocer on our way out of the meatpacking district and back to our apartment.

After nap we hopped on the metro over to Christianshavn. There was a GANNI store that Jill wanted to visit so we found a nearby playground (which, surprise surprise was awesome and also had bikes lying around for the kids to use) and then walked up to Rosforth & Rosforth for a glass of wine by the canal.

It’s fashion week here so they were setting up some kind of runway show under the bridge in front of the wine shop. Poppy played with bubbles while we had our wine.

From there we walked over to the Broens Street Food market where we had dinner. We had shockingly good gyros and had fun eating outside. Weather wasn’t great this afternoon but there was no rain at least, just cloudy and windy. Some performers showed up on a bit while we were eating and I shot a short video.

Back on the metro home with another great day in the books. Could just be that Poppy has adjusted to the travel, or perhaps she just loves Copenhagen but she’s been consistently more agreeable here than in Paris.

It was very rainy this morning. We went out to a café for a little breakfast with the intention of swinging by the local farmer’s market on the way home but it was raining so hard we decided to skip it and go back to the apartment.

So it was just playing at home for the morning.

Since the afternoon didn’t look great either, we decided to buy tickets for the aquarium as an indoor activity. There are a limited amount of tickets available each day, so we bought ours in the morning to make sure we’d have a spot. Good thing because when we got there they were all sold out.

It’s not a big aquarium by any means, but it has plenty to see for Poppy. The sea otters were a hit. They also had a great outside play area with a playground, water toys and a little pond but we only spent a little time out there because it started raining again. It was also really windy – the aquarium is seaside. On a nicer day we could’ve easily spent an hour just outside.

Back home around 7 for some playtime before bed. A bit of a bummer we got washed out today, but we made the most of it and hopefully will have some more meaningful outside time tomorrow.

We started today with breakfast across the street. Another delicious selection of small breakfast plates.

Then we hopped in the metro over to Kongens Nytorv to do some shopping along Strøget, paired with some playground time of course. Both our Paris apartment and our Copenhagen apartment have had Lego to play with and Poppy’s really been enjoying it so we had to visit the Lego store to take a look. Not buying anything here for her, but she’ll definitely be getting some for her birthday when we get back home.

After some shopping we walked down to visit the dorm I stayed at when I studied here roughly 15 years ago. The tie shop next door is still there but the dorm has been converted to short-term rentals. A sign of the times!

Nyhavn was only a few minutes away, so then we walked over there stopping for some morning ice cream in the way. A little stroll along Nyhavn, then over to Ofelia Plads where there was a huge line for a Lego/F1 activation (it looked like you could play some kind of video game?) before heading back in front of the theatre to eat burgers on the terrace restaurant.

We got caught in a pretty serious downpour on the way home but we were prepared with umbrellas, raincoats, and Poppy’s stroller cover.

After nap we wanted to keep things pretty chill so we just walked over to a nearby playground we hadn’t been to yet, stopped for a fresh baguette on the way home (pretty close to Paris quality!), and made pasta for dinner. A bit more fresh air after dinner to the closest park where Poppy played relatively well with a Danish kid in the sandbox. That was nice to see since the language thing has been messing with her a bit and she hasn’t wanted to interact with other kids at all.

The pace of life here has been wonderful so far. Compared to Paris, it’s slowed down and the city is certainly a lot less busy. We were at Nyhavn today so Copenhagen has its big crowds as well, but we can always hop right on a metro and make it back to our neighbourhood with its wide primary boulevard and plenty of cafés, shops, and restaurants but still feel a world away from much hustle and bustle. Both cities have been great and are so different.

This morning we met a friend of mine and his five year old daughter at the National History Museum.

Aside from a somewhat bewildering “immersive” exhibit on the Viking sorceress, it was a neat look at some artifacts from around the world. We spent about half our time in the main museum and then the other half in the children’s section where the girls could explore and play with all the interactive bits they had. No surprise, Poppy’s favourites were playing shop at a Pakistani store and then cooking dinner in a medieval kitchen.

We stopped for Vietnamese lunch on the way home. Jill and Poppy had pho and I had an excellent banh mi.

After nap we walked over to the best playground ever.

There was tons of room, several different play areas, swings, sand, a splash pad, and little bikes free for the kids to use. It has us questioning whether we’ll still go to Tivoli or not. After our experience in Paris where we know Poppy won’t go on many rides, and knowing how busy (and expensive) Tivoli will be to mostly just walk around, we may just skip it in favour of more park time.

On our way back from the park we stopped to pick up some wine to have at the apartment. Then we got some takeout pizzas and ate them on the boulevard in front of our place with some beers and a juice for Pops. Lots of other folks just enjoying the lovely weather with their friends and family. It felt like a very Copenhagen day for us. It made me happy because that’s what I was hoping we’d be able to do here – spend a bunch of time outside and soaking in what the city offers.