Little Mermaid at Tivoli Gardens

 The highlight of my evening was visiting Tivoli Gardens, or rather "Tivoli," as it was commonly referred to by the locals. Tivoli is the second oldest amusement park in the world. It opened on August 15, 1843 and offers something for all ages with its amusement rides, 42 restaurants, concert halls and theaters for performance arts venues. 

 





This year Tivoli featured a special visitor: Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid statue!

The Little Mermaid statue is Denmark's most visited site. Go figure that it would be on loan to China's Shanghai Expo while I was visiting! Ugh. It normally sits on Copenhagen's harbor, but while the statue was out of the country, a replica of it was appropriately placed in the fairy tale village of Tivoli. 

I always thought Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid fairy tale was so sad! It was interesting visiting Denmark, and having a sense of realism uncloud the fairy tale dust. As I walked around the places that Ariel could have walked when she came looking for her prince, it gave me a sense of connection to the story. 




Just a swingin'.


The Demon.



Caught a ballet performance at the Pantomime Theatre. The peacock's feathers were a mechanical curtain and it opened slowly to reveal a dimly lit stage behind it.  The ballet troupe performed Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and it was fantastical!



 I thought this fountain was magical at night!

     

Pagoda Restaurant.

Middle Eastern Restaurant.

There were so many restaurants to choose from  for the international palette. To my delight I discovered a Wagamama there! Wags is a ramen noodle bar that is VERY popular in Europe. I first whetted my appetite for it in Amsterdam, and was EXCITED to find another one in Copenhagen!

Behold the Noodle Dream. Yummy spicy beef n' ramen. Mnnnnn... what a way to end my first day in Copenhagen!

Eating at Julia Robert's Mystic Pizza

Anyone remember the 1988 indie romantic dramedy "Mystic Pizza"? If not, I highly recommend it. It was a coming-of-age film that casted new comers Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, and Annabeth Gish as quirky waitresses whose love-lives unfold while working in a small New England pizza parlour. I had the good fortune to visit Mystic, CT and eat at the very same pizza establishment that was in the movie. Too kewl!



I crossed over the little drawbridge that was in the movie into the small seaside town of Mystic, CT. Methodically, I followed the directions of the local tourist map that I had obtained beforehand at the town's visitor's center.



I loved the feel of Old Downtown Mystic, as I passed American flags and renovated old clapboard buildings that had become fashionable specialty shops and restaurants.



And then, my search came to an end as Mystic Pizza loomed ahead of me. The exterior looked the same as the movie's, but the interior definitely had a face-lift. It was more upscale, and it totally befitted its status as a favorite tourist spot by having its interior fully decorated with a bounty of movie paraphernalia and keepsakes.

Mystic Pizza's menu board had an array of unique pizza topping specialties that whetted appetites and satiated visitors, and had them coming back repeatedly. I can personally attest that I ate their several times before I left New England!

The Zelepos family, who opened the pizza parlour in 1973 and still owns it today, were smart enough to take advantage of the movie's popularity by selling "Mystic Pizza" brand named merchandise, as well as developing a line of frozen pizzas sold in food stores that matched the family recipe. And so, the locals tell it that it was "the pizza that made the movie famous." LoL.

I thought these stained glass frames hanging at my booth's window were so kewl.



I also liked the flat screened TVs that were strategically placed throughout that showed the movie. Talk about capitalizing on the little indie movie that could!



And then finally, my pizza was handed to me and the smell of its freshly baked pizza dough, atopped with the Zelapos family's special sauce, wafted its sloganed promise of "a slice of heaven" or in my case, many slices of heaven. LoL. I kept waffling between 2 combo specialties, so I ordered both in halves. One half of my pizza was the Seafood Pizza - clam, shrimp, scallop, oregano, garlic, parsley. The other half was the Mediterranean Delight - basil, artichoke, spinach, tomato, and roasted red bell pepper. BOTH WERE SOOOO PIZZALICIOUS!

I left with a belly full of Mystic Pizza, and the memory of having eaten at the site of one of my favorite 80s chick flicks. Rent it today!

Lunching at the Mena House

Got to eat at a swanky restaurant last week inside the luxurious hotel of the Mena House Oberoi. Formerly the king of Egypt's hunting lodge, it was bought by Sir Hugh F. Locke-King, who was also responsible for solely financing, Brooklands, the first permanent race car track in the world built in Surrey, England. Sir Lock-King turned the sprawling hunting lodge into a 5-star hotel in 1869. Since its opening, the Mena House has played hosts to royalties, dignitaries, and celebrities. This was also the place that Agathy Christie penned her Hercule Poirot novel, "Death on the Nile"; by far Agathy Christie's greatest work! Who could resist Hercule Poirot, "the little man with the funny-looking moustache?"

The east side of the hotel, and the balcony view of the restaurant, faced manicured lawns and the Giza Pyramids.



A private luncheon was being set up outside, as we made our way into the hotel. Sure would have loved an invitation!







Inside, the hotel was opulently decorated with tasteful exotic antiques and original artwork that oozed "old Cairo" charm.



This magnificent chandelier graced the center ceiling and grand stairwell of the hotel as we walked up to the Mena House Restaurant.





Through darkened portals unfolded a naturally lit room of Arabesque furnishings, and floor to ceiling windows facing the Pyramids.

The outdoor terrace was full, but a cosy table for two was found in the corner as I put away my camera. Imperious stares from the restaurant's more "established" clients, reminded me none too gently of my poor dining room manners. LoL.

Exiting through the gated archway of the Mena House Oberoi, I knew this was one swanky eatz that would see my return!

Deb's Dinner Cruise

On Thursday night, I took Deb on a dinner cruise onboard "The Pharaoh". This way she could experience the Nile at night, having taken an excursion out on the water earlier that day.

This was a view of the landing from the entrance way...

and a view of the entrance way from the landing. LoL.

I loved this charming pharonic walking bridge we had to cross.

Deb playing hide n'seek behind a holiday covered pillar.

Here's a pic of the buffet area before the lights dimmed.

I got us window seats, so we could have a view of Cairo at night.

We had a medley of yummy all-we-could-eat-Egyptian-cuisine.

Then after dinner entertainment began, and the traditional folk dance of the "Whirling Dervish" commenced, as the dancer spun like a toy spinning top to exotic Middle Eastern music.

Following the Whirling Dervish performance, diners were pulled out of their chairs to participate in a group dance. How fun!

The last half hour of our 2-hr cruise found Deb and I topside.

We saw party boats go by filled to capacity. How festive!

I loved the glow of the city's lights shimmering on the water.

Another party boat went by, its exotic music blaring loudly.

I thought Deb looked lovely under the moon. It was the last week

of Ramadan & the moon was close to evolving into a new moon.

And then it was time to disembark, as the landing drew nearer.

We found our way back by the light of the fanus they left on for us.