Our day in Copenhagen started with rain which lasted most of the morning. We did a lot of walking and put our umbrellas to good use. We managed to see all the main attractions within the city (The Little Mermaid, Nyhaven Canal, Kastellet Fortress, Tivoli Gardens, Town Hall Square, Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteque, Christiansborg Castle, Rosenborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace from the exterior). Plus we took a stroll along the main shopping district. The only places we visited on the interior were the main Cathedral down town and a small church near the Kastellet. Two things struck me about Copenhagen. Some sections of the town were filthy with discarded food wrappers and other garbage. I did not expect this. Also, the cost of everything was outrageous, especially food. It seemed that everywhere we stopped to peruse a menu for lunch, the cheapest food item was a hamburger and fries for $20. We decided to take the shuttle bus back to the ship at noon to dry out and eat on the ship before resuming our walking tour in the afternoon (the rain subsided by then). The $12 fee for the shuttle bus from the ship to downtown (one stop) while expensive was well worth the expense as it got us out of the rain and back to the ship for a quick lunch. We also used the bus to get back into town.

The MS Tolstoi, named for Russia’s most famous writer, is one of the best ships navigating our river routes. It was originally built to accommodate high-ranking government officials and foreign dignitaries, and still holds the same level of comfort. It has two restaurants and two bars, a beauty salon and a sauna, a reading room, an observation lounge, and a medical office. Dining rooms serve a variety of mouthwatering continental and regional specialties. The ship is air-conditioned and all cabins are equipped with full bathrooms, individual air conditioners, and refrigerators.